Rn B Analysis Music Analysis 1 3 2

      R&B Music Analysis

Audience

       The intended audience for this particular article is for the person with a love of music history. The author explained where B.B. King started from and where his choices took him in life and in the music industry.  B.B. King started as a sharecropper and tractor driver in the deep south before 1948 (Adelt, 2011).  B.B. King was exposed to country, gospel, and rhythm and blues music. B.B. had moved to Memphis, TN in 1948 and became a DJ on one of the first radio stations aimed at the African- American market. B.B. started playing and singing in the clubs on Beale Street and received the nick name “Beale Street Blues Boy” (Adelt, 2011).  Later that nick name was shortened to B.B. King (Adelt, 2011).

Summary of Article

       B.B. King music has crossed racial barriers in America and overseas. Music should not have a race or economic level. B.B. King had started to rise in popularity in the 1950 decade most of his fans were African American “I used to play at the Fillmore when it was owned by another person. At that time it was about 90 percent black.” (Adelt, 2011).  In 1968 B.B. was scheduled to play at the Fillmore, when he arrived he thought he was in the wrong place there were 98% white kids in the audience waiting to hear him play (Adelt, 2011). B.B. later had emphasized gratitude for the new audience for his music. B.B. King had started lose momentum in his career after the civil rights movement his African American crowd was listening to James Brown and other musicians with a more upbeat message than the blues message.  Although most people would put a race a different kinds of music, B.B. had a unique view of the division. B.B. was from Mississippi where the mainly white country folks sang “Here is how B.B. King describes

the plethora of musical styles around which he grew up in the area in the Mississippi Delta where I was born, there was a lot of white people around that sang country music, so the blacks would sing gospel and blues. Not all of them sang blues, but I mean the majority would sing gospel. Some sang blues, and a few would sing country, and jazz was just starting to kind of come in a little bit. Well, all of the whites sang gospel, some would sing country, and a

few would sing blues. So it was kind of like a balanced type of thing.” (Adelt, 2011).  

Organization

Reading the article was easy to follow for most of the article. Some of the history was hidden inside the paragraphs with opinions from the author. Distinguishing between fact and opinion in some of the paragraphs was difficult. The main idea was presented but not clearly until the end of the article. The main idea of the article is very clearly stated at the end of the article, however throughout the article as a reader you will find a lot written questioning if  B.B. was ”whitened” or changed his music to play for the white people (Adelt, 2011).  The text was easy to read the author did not use complex words.

Key Idea

        The key points that stuck with me after reading the article was that: B.B. King loved the music he played, B.B. did not put a color on his music that was a stereotype from other people.  B.B. King is a historical icon he played with rock stars and on television shows. The R&B musician broke through more than American racial barriers he played for several other people in other countries who also love B.B. Kings music. Although he is known for playing rhythm and blues guitar and singing, B.B. King has had a very interesting journey and appeared on national television shows, was a part of radio history and has won several Grammies. B.B. King loves music and loves to play for anyone willing to listen.

References

Adelt, U. (2011). Black, white, and blue: racial politics. The Journal of Popular Culture, 44(2),  

         195-216. doi: DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00828.x