![Image](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_1280,h_960/https://www.wjct.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gettyimages-1943883-b5adc8ba157aa98f7a46a0ae3818b359103d6d69-scaled.jpg)
Black voices created some of the first truly American music – the sorrow songs and spirituals of people in bondage, singing of freedom and hope. Along the winding road of American history, Black artists have leaned into the power of music as an expression of progress and protest, joy and pain, courage and conviction.
This playlist, and the stories behind the songs, bring together generations of essential voices that have, through trials and triumphs, made extraordinary music echoing with the irrepressible, irresistible sound of hope.
The music in this collection traces the lineage of Black musicians. These are my artistic ancestors, the shoulders I stand on. It’s music of bold vision, “beyond category,” as Duke Ellington put it. His New World A-Comin’ envisions a world built on peace, brotherhood and unconditional love. Nina Simone cries for freedom; Julius Eastman embraces radical self-expression. Wynton Marsalis urges us to be present in our democracy; Aretha Franklin and Rhiannon Giddens give thanks for the possibility of redemption in “Amazing Grace.” The young composer Shawn Okpebholo reaches all the way back to our beginnings as he reimagines the traditional spiritual “Oh, Freedom.”
This playlist is a work in progress – a family tree branching outwards, grown from strong roots and reaching to the rising sun of a brand new day.
![](https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Black+Voices+in+American+Music%3A+The+Playlist&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDEwNzczMDA2MDEzNTg3ODA1MTAzZjYxNg004))
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Song of the Day | “Empty Trainload of Sky” by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
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The Neighborhood Playlist | July 20
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Jax Music Hour Playlist | July 20
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UK Shoegazers Slowdive to Kick Off New Fall Tour at St. Augustine Amphitheatre
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Flipturn, St. Paul & the Broken Bones Highlight this Year’s Two-Day Florida Fest in Jacksonville Beach
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Song of the Day | “Coast” by Kim Deal
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The Latest Collab from Dillon and Batsauce Serves Up High Quality Production with Kindred Spirit Kool Keith
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Song of the Day | “Lie 95” by Bartees Strange
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Newly-Released Archive Recordings of Neil Young & Crazy Horse, ‘Early Daze’ is a Crucial Document of the Group’s Prime Era
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Jax Music Hour Playlist | July 13
JME Live Music Calendar
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