Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was born on April 16, 1971 to her parents Abraham Quintanilla Jr. and Marcella Samora.[1] Selena’s pursued Tejano music and her career took off from there. She started out being a part of a family band called the ‘Selena y Los Dinos’ and soon became known as the queen of Tejano. [2]Her album ‘Entre a Mi Mundo’ proved her talent when it peaked as number 1 on the Billboard in the U.S for 19 weeks straight. [3] She composed her own music and branched off into acting, as well as a spokesperson and a fashion designer. Selena is an influential character in the music industry as she won ‘Regional Mexican Female Artist’ award, vocalist of the year in 1994, as well as winning the Grammy award for ‘Live’, which was titled the best Mexican/American Album.[4] In 1995 She won Record of the Year with ‘Amor Prohibido’ at the Tejano Music Awards and at the Lo Nuestro Awards.[5]  Selena was selected into the “Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame, Hard Rock Café’s hall of fame as well as the South Texas Music Hall of Fame.[6] Selena Quintanilla- Pérez unexpectedly died at the young age of 23. Yolanda Saldivar shot Selena on March 31, 1995 who was the president of Selena’s Fan club.[7] The United states continue her legacy by pronouncing April 16 as ‘Selena day’.

Selena Quintanilla- Pérez has influence many artist’s in today’s music. The first song David Archuleta learnt to sing was ‘Como La Flor’. Where he performed it at the Tejano Music Awards.[8] Katy perry quoted “I Remember the whole movie about her… and I wanted to be in that world.” [9] Selena Gomez was named after her and has a real connection as she grew up in the get-go.[10] Selena grew up listening to her as She meant a lot to her family.  As we can see The Queen of Tejano music continues to grow the industry as she inspires young musicians to seek strength and endure all that seems impossible.

“I Could Fall In Love”

This song captures a beautiful message and showcases her ability to move an audience with her soft complex voice. This song does not have much movement in pitch or beat which makes it simplistic and easily understood.

“Como La Flor”

This song is one of my favourites of Selena’s. It has an upbeat tempo but still captures her soft yet powerful voice. I believe this song would get a crowd up dancing as its beat is quick but could be easily followed. As mention above David Archuleta covered this song and still continues to perform it through out his career.

Here we see it being performed in Salt Lake City. As we can see in the video this song really connects to the audience. This truly captures how Selena’s legacy lives on and goes down in history as one of the most influential musicians.

At such a young age Selena Quintanilla- Pérez pursued a career most musicians dream of. Her career was cut way too short and endure a lifetime of struggles but still seemed to rise above all and create something beautiful. Her legacy lives on through many musician’s covering her songs or simply using her life lessons as learning techniques. May she be remembered for her courage, strength and charisma.

[1] “Who Is Selena? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. Accessed August 12, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/selena-6747.php.

 

[2] “Who Is Selena? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. Accessed August 12, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/selena-6747.php.

 

[3] “Who Is Selena? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. Accessed August 12, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/selena-6747.php.

 

[4] “Who Is Selena? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. Accessed August 12, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/selena-6747.php.

 

[5] “Who Is Selena? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. Accessed August 12, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/selena-6747.php.

 

[6] “Who Is Selena? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. Accessed August 12, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/selena-6747.php.

 

[7] “Who Is Selena? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. Accessed August 12, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/selena-6747.php.

 

 

[8] “How Selena Quintanilla Inspired 8 Other Celebs.” Latina.com. Accessed August 12, 2018. http://www.latina.com/celebrity/celebrities-inspired-selena-quintanilla.

 

[9] “How Selena Quintanilla Inspired 8 Other Celebs.” Latina.com. Accessed August 12, 2018. http://www.latina.com/celebrity/celebrities-inspired-selena-quintanilla.

 

[10] “How Selena Quintanilla Inspired 8 Other Celebs.” Latina.com. Accessed August 12, 2018. http://www.latina.com/celebrity/celebrities-inspired-selena-quintanilla.

 

#M3Q2

“Shuffle along”

The Blacks in blackface was indeed bizarre. How did making yourself appear darker help people be more accepting in a racial world? The black faces smeared on to darken their appearance was seen as black people mocking their own race and to white people it was tolerable. The “made-up” reality allowed them to look at black people as just actors wearing masks per say or a white actor dressing as a black person, rather than an ordinary African American. Although this phenomenon is strange a beautiful entity was formed. African American’s were no longer seen as a threat on stage as long as their faces were covered in smear. African Americans were no longer segregated to the balcony away from the orchestra seats where the whites sat. “Shuffle Along” reinforced the blackface in theatres and also challenged it. The blackface was reinforced by “Shuffle Along”due to the African American being ok with painting themselves in order to perform in front of Caucasians. A Misguided acceptance of blackface was portrayed through “Shuffle along”. “Shuffle Along”challenged blackface in such ways that the blackface on African Americans was redundant. Black sexuality was quite censored at that time usually making Caucasians uncomfortable or as some would say awkward. “Shuffle Along” challenged it as it made some black people uncomfortable to watch the sexuality of two African American people too. This express how African American’s were not used to seeing sexuality in that context challenging them to believe it was acceptable to express feelings. “Shuffle Along” challenged the rhythms in music due to jazz not being performed by African Americans. Although jazz is believed to be created by African American, white people did not look for it in African American neighbourhoods. “Shuffle along” was the first Jazz musical performed by black people challenging the Caucasians to accept the non-typical performance. Blake captured a more diluted jazz sound allowing Caucasians to grasp the potential of the sound.

• Which song remains the most well-known from Shuffle Along? Had you heard this song before?

The most well-known song from “Shuffle Along” is “I’m just Wild about Harry” still has people humming it today. Although I hadn’t heard it before this class I can see why it was so catchy for people. The Upbeat rhythm creates a happy and exciting atmosphere.

 

• Explain what «patting Juba» meant, and who was Juba (the second Juba). Why is this story included, and how does it tie to our main story?

 

The Patting Juba is an African American dance Often done by using your body as a human drum, patting your chest, knees and feet. This dance is extremely tough. The second juba came alive when diamond had unforeseen circumstances in life and left him to flee. Diamond was a young Caucasian who was the 2^nd best juba dancer that danced blackface. Diamond respected the African American dance and performed it that way. Due to Diamonds circumstances his place was filled with a younger more talented juba dancer. Although problems arose due to him being African American. Circus’s did not agree with “black” dancers. Barnum knew he needed Juba so he painted his face black and dressed him like diamond. Although it is unsure of Juba’s actual name, he was one of the most successful dancers of all time. I believe this story was included to show the significant of how our world evolves. Juba inspired two nations to come together to create the dance of tap. Just like shuffle along inspired the music of jazz. In both occurrences critics also see the evolution in history where African Americans begin to be accepted into the world.

Which claims about the historical significance of Shuffle Along are not exactly true? Who or what should actually claim this title?

The claim that shuffle along was the first black Broadway performance although it may have been the first successful black Broadway show it was not the first. Bandanna land was created in 1908 staring Bert Williams, George Walker, Ada Overton Walker, and J. Leubrie Hill. [1]This performance ended George Walkers career due to illness.[2]

• Explain the concept of the 2016 show and how it celebrated Shuffle Along. How does it approach the material?

 

“I thought it would be fun to go back to a time and a place where people didn‘t have the armor they needed to be human beings.”[3]

This quote stood out to me on this article. It really shows how mistreated African Americans were in the Music industry and in everyday life. [4]The 2016 musical was stated “the making of the music sensation of 1921”. [5]The production was away to honour “Shuffle Along” and the people who endured more than one person handles in a life time. The production was a way to say thank you for opening our eyes to a better world. The production used the original songs written by Blake to create a real-life experience of that era.

a snip it of what it looked like in 2016

 

• What new information came to light for you when reading this article, and does it change your perspective on the conditions and challenges faced by early African American performers?

I don’t think the article changed my mind on the conditions and challenges faced by early African American performers as I read many books about slavery and the upbringing of African American. Many were not about music specifically but because they endured so much I could only assume music presented similar situations. African American used music as an escape from the bad but were not allowed to preform openly creating yet another burden.

 

• Look back to the section entitled ‘Minstrelsy and American Popular Music’ in your textbook (page 28), specifically the paragraph that begins “Minstrelsy would give blacks…” – in light of the article, do you feel this paragraph (or the textbook in general) offers a fair perspective on blackface in America? Why or why not?

No, I do not it simply portray it as the embracing their stereotype. Although to the white it was exactly what they were doing. But for the African American people it was simply something that had to be done in order to perform. The text book also does not go in to dept on what the blackface is where as the article really tries to embrace the good of the African Americans enduring their strengths to overcome racism.

[1] Bert, Walker, George, Ada Overton, and J. Leubrie Hill. “Bandanna Land.” Hillie John Franz collection: Veterans History Project (Library of Congress. February 03, 1908. Accessed July 20, 2018. http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.music.tda.4021/default.html.

 

[2] Bert, Walker, George, Ada Overton, and J. Leubrie Hill. “Bandanna Land.” Hillie John Franz collection: Veterans History Project (Library of Congress. February 03, 1908. Accessed July 20, 2018. http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.music.tda.4021/default.html.

 

[3] Viagas, Robert. “Shuffle Along Plays Final Broadway Performance Today.” Playbill. July 24, 2016. Accessed July 20, 2018. http://www.playbill.com/article/shuffle-along-plays-final-broadway-performance-today.

 

[4] Viagas, Robert. “Shuffle Along Plays Final Broadway Performance Today.” Playbill. July 24, 2016. Accessed July 20, 2018. http://www.playbill.com/article/shuffle-along-plays-final-broadway-performance-today.

 

[5] Viagas, Robert. “Shuffle Along Plays Final Broadway Performance Today.” Playbill. July 24, 2016. Accessed July 20, 2018. http://www.playbill.com/article/shuffle-along-plays-final-broadway-performance-today.

 

#M2Q3

Mamie Smith was born in 1883 and is Historically well known in the music industry as well as the African American community. She was the first female artist to produce a phonograph record in 1920.[1] “Crazy Blues” was a top hit of the era selling a million copies in the first six months it was released. [2] Which went down in history as the start to “Race records” ultimately landing a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994.[3] The Library of Congress selected “Crazy Blues” to be eternally persevered in the National Recoding Registry in 2005. [4] Mamie was exceptionally talented in the performing business as a dancer, pianist, actress as well as an American vaudeville singer.[5] Although Mamie Smith past away in 1946 her legacy continues as one of the most influential singers. 

[1] “Smith, Mamie 1883–1946.” “Smith, Mamie 1883–1946.” Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America. 2018. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/mamie-smith.

[2] “Smith, Mamie 1883–1946.” “Smith, Mamie 1883–1946.” Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America. 2018. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/mamie-smith.

[3] “GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.” GRAMMY.com. January 31, 2018. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/hall-of-fame#s.

[4] “2005 – National Recording Preservation Board | Programs | Library of Congress.” Apple Computers: This Month in Business History (Business Reference Services, Library of Congress). Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/registry-by-induction-years/2005/.

[5] “Smith, Mamie 1883–1946.” “Smith, Mamie 1883–1946.” Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America. 2018. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/mamie-smith.

 

“Crazy Blue”

“Crazy blues” went down in history as one of the most influential songs of all time. When one critique it a deeper meaning can be found. Many people hear the raw lyrics of a heart broken woman who cannot get over the man she loves. When listening to the lyrics one particular line stands out “Now I see my poor love was blind”. This particular phrase indicates that she realizes the mistreatment and the tears that were shed for that man. Mamie indicates that she was blind through it all until the man she loved left. A lesson is drawn from this that tough times bring bigger and better things. “Crazy Blues” has a swing like rhythm making the song quite catchy even though it is expressing a sad time in her life. This song is a good contribution to her career as it was one of the most well known song of her era and to this day it marks a piece of history.

 

“The Da Da strain”

I feel like this song created happiness in a room, it made people want to get up and dance. It has a high tempo in some spots that expresses the excitement that people feel while singing and dancing. “The Da Da strain” is a lot different than her other hits as she mostly wrote about heart break and love. This song is easy to follow and sing along too due to its repetitive chorus. This song expresses how communities come together to socialize focusing less on the valleys in life and finding the hills.This truly expresses how music brings people together as a whole and is enjoyable for all parties. 

“Lord I love that man”

This song is very simplistic in the melody and the lyrics themselves. Once again, we see a repetitive chorus as we do in the song “The Da Da strain”. This symbolizes how artist have their own style and express it in every song the write. The tempo is slow and the intensity of the instruments is low allowing Mamie Smith’s voice to shine. Her voice is very powerful in this song as it expresses her love for the lord and the man she loved. The ending of this song really stands out as the instruments get loud and Mamie’s voice almost sounds like she’s shouting which draws the crowd in. I believe this song captures her strong stage presence and her unique style which helped her career path take off.

Mamie Smith created beautiful music that captured many life lessons that stay true today. Her warm stage presence and strong voice drove her to the top. Her love life seemed to drive the majority of her career but who doesn’t go through a lifetime with out heart ache. This allowed her to connect with her audience and create a fan base. Her African American decent tried to hold her back in the racial era she lived in but rose above all and created hope for not only women in the industry but Black women and men.

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