This lyrical and whip-smart work is a cause for celebration. Legends such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson make appearances, too, as stirring figures who represent the struggles Black women continue to face in the music industry (despite “dominating the cultural landscape”) and, by the same token, the ways in which they reclaim it to fuel their musical works of art.

in the 1970s all the way to her career as a music journalist, Smith offers a sharply written survey of the Black women who blazed the trail for the “whole of my creative life.” She transports readers back to 1773, to highlight the poetry of the enslaved Phillis Wheatley-“who spoke truths in the language of her oppressors”-and cites the “brief and hot stardom” of the Dixie Cups in 1964 and the “unheralded” work of the Sweet Inspirations later that decade to point out the ways in which Black voices were “the very genes of popular American soul, R&B, and rock ’n’ roll” yet often went uncredited. Paying tribute to the music that “fortified” her through her toughest times growing up in L.A. Smith's vibrant, sassy, spiritual storytelling echoes the ecstasy and enthrallment of these sisters' songs. The radio and retail industries enforce white-made music as the main, while all other recorded music is subordinate and not as impactful.Smith ( Bliss), host of the music podcast Black Girl Songbook, combines memoir, cultural history, and criticism in this masterful examination of the Black women artists who’ve indelibly shaped American popular music. Danyel Smith: Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop Follow this organizer to stay informed on future events Events you might like Site. Shine Bright is an overdue paean to these musical masters whose true stories and genius has been hidden in plain sight. From one of the preeminent cultural critics of her generation, a. #4 Segregation in music is just as severe as it is in life. Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. You have to be in the flow to enjoy them. It can be difficult to attend these types of events, as you never know what might happen. #3 The music industry is a very mean business.

It was nominated for Song of the Year at the thirty-ninth annual Grammys. #2 The song Exhale (Shoop Shoop) from the soundtrack of the film Waiting to Exhale was written and produced by Kenneth Babyface Edmonds, and was performed by Whitney Houston. It was there that I met singer-songwriter Gerald Levert, and his father, Eddie Levert, of the O’Jays. In the April 19 release of Shine Bright, author Danyel Smith intends to chronicle readers through a personal and detailed examination of the groundbreaking Black women who shaped American pop music. Sample Book Insights: #1 In the year 2000, if you walked into the lobby restaurant of the Rihga Royal Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, you might have run into the most famous and hardestworking people in the business of music. Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Shine bright by danyel smith