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History of African American Music and the Role of Jewish Songwriters
From about 1880 to World War I, huge numbers of people crossed the Atlantic to settle in America. Among them were Jews fleeing persecution in the Russian empire, many of whom settled in New York. They were to have an enormous impact on American popular song.
American popular song started to come into its own in the 1880s. No other single nation had such a musically fortuitous combination: large population, economic wealth, and, above all, an extraordinary diversity of musical roots. A large, economically prosperous population (today, almost 300 million), with one dominant language has historically meant a huge market for popular songs with lyrics in a single prevailing language
If you were to remove all the popular music genres still going strong today that did not originate with African American and Jewish songwriters and performers, what would be left? Some folk, classical, country, and some world music That’s about it. Today, genres that originated with African Americans pervade or at least inform the popular music of many if not most nations of the world.
The descendants of African American slaves have always created music and musical genres so innovative and compelling that they have tended to dominate popular music, both in America and abroad. Hip-hop is only the latest.