• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • June 28, 2022

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MILWAUKEE COURIER

Up Above My Head There’s Music in the air

June 3, 2022

By LaKeshia N. Myers

Representative LaKeshia Myers

“Up above my head, I hear music n the air; up above my head, I hear music in the air; I really do believe there’s a heaven somewhere.” -Sister Rosetta Tharpe

The month of June is special, not only so we celebrate fathers, pride, and Caribbean heritage, it is Black Music Month. A celebration of the many musicians and genres that have been created and improved by Blacks across the diaspora.

To know me personally is to know that I am a music fan. No matter the genre, I probably can point you in the direction of an original artist who has been sampled multiple times in your favorite song.

What you may not know is that Wisconsin has its place in the creation and distribution of early blues recordings. Paramount Records, located in Grafton, WI, pressed early recordings of Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Paramount Records was formed in 1917 by United Phonographs, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Chair Company as a gimmick to increase the sale of phonograph cabinets. Southern blues musicians would travel to Grafton to record “race records” and have them distributed throughout the country.

This month, I salute the countless number of Black musicians (some of whom are Wisconsinites) who have contributed so much to the music landscape.

Cheers to “Speech” Thomas, Nyerere Davidson, Clyde Stubblefield, Jidenna Mobisson, Adekola & Naima Adedapo, Andre DeShields, Lala Brown, Tank, Calvin Bellamy, Ray Nitti and others who have and continue to hone their craft and never forget to represent their Wisconsin roots.

I encourage everyone to explore new genres and musicians to celebrate Black Music Month. I’m sure you will agree with Sister Rosetta Tharpe that “there’s music in the air.”

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Black Music Month, LaKeshia N. Myers

Read More - Related Articles

  • The Oil Crisis: Africa Ignored
  • Juneteenth: Battles Fought & Won Every Generation
  • Please, Take Responsibly: Prescription Drug Safety
  • It’s Policy That Counts: Politicians’ Role in Gun Control Debate
  • Measurement or Manipulation: How Standardized Tests Only Tell a Partial Story

View COVID-19 Resources

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Lena Taylor
Lakeshia Myers
Rev Jesse Jackson Sr Ashanti Hamilton

Journalists

Mrinal Gokhale
Dylan Deprey
Karen Stokes
Hayley Crandall
Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

Pres. Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Tom Barrett
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2022 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.