Music by a Different Artist

By Michael Hinman
One of the central themes discussed in this class up to this point has been the misallocation of credit for revolutionary movements in popular culture. In the article ”How Rock and Roll Became White”, Hamilton discusses an excellent example of this in the prevalent rock and roll movement of the 20th Century. Hamilton argues that although rock and roll was heavily dominated by white men, much of the shape of the genera was created by black innovators that are easily looked over upon reflection. One of the most compelling arguments in this article is that this phenomenon is a small example of a larger trend, or “one more iteration of a broad historical phenomenon of white-on-black cultural theft” (Hamilton). Additionally, in the article “A Spy in the House of Love”, Powers gives her insight into how the “marginalization of those people of color, women, Jews, and young people so frequently behind its innovations” (Powers) and discusses how this phenomenon affects various groups of people in addition to those black musicians repressed in rock and roll. A good example of this larger view is found in the film 20 Feet from Stardom. In this film it highlights many black female background singers whose careers are not remembered because of the position they played in their respective jobs, despite the massive contributions they made to the soul and technical quality of the music. Both 20 Feet from Stardom and ”How Rock and Roll Became White” draw on the example of the Rolling Stones. They drew heavily on black musician influence to create their music and hired several black female background singers to add soul to their music. While they did not intentionally suppress the influence of these musicians, years later much of the contribution from those key players are forgotten.

Below I have provided two examples of music that was originally created by black musicians and were recreated by white musicians, unintentionally or otherwise, in renditions that gained significant popularity and influence. The first is a comparison between George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” and the Chiffons “He’s So Fine”, which was written first and bears significant tune resemblance. The second is a video of Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” which likely influenced the Beach Boys’ Surfin USA.