Music of the United States

Music of the United States encompasses a vast array of genres influenced by cultures, immigration, technology and other factors. While some varieties are unique to the United States, others originated elsewhere and were interpreted by American artists. Music has filled a variety of roles, serving as a uniting force, companion and helpmate, and more. Moreover, the continental United States stretches more than two thousand miles from coast to coast and encompasses a variety of terrain and a multitude of communities. No matter how comprehensive, no exploration could approach a full accounting of the country’s music. American music has had a strong and enduring impact on the world and remains a leader of the art form.

Overview: Native American Music

Historians have little evidence of the earliest music of North America, largely because no means of recording it existed and it was not written down. Some has been handed down through generations through oral history. Some was documented and recorded from the late nineteenth century by ethnologist Francis La Flesche, the first Native American to become an anthropologist. La Flesche, a son of the last head chief of the Omaha tribe, specialized in the study of the Omaha and Osage tribes. In the 1890s he and other ethnomusicologists began recording Native American music to preserve it before it disappeared, but the musical cultures survived and these records are used in modern times as a way to compare changes over time. Study of the music generally categorizes northern North American culture areas as the Arctic, California, Great Basin, Northwest, Northern and Southern Plains, Plateau, Southwest, Subarctic, and Woodlands.

While it varied greatly among Native American communities, in general music consisted mostly of singing accompanied by instruments, usually percussion instruments. Songs usually had some element of spirituality and often were performed with rituals. They were meant to cause some effect and were often classified according to these purposes, such as love songs or dream songs (Ostendorf, 2019), although others were used in games or storytelling. Native peoples adopted and adapted some European instruments such as the fiddle from the sixteenth century through the eighteenth century. Enslaved Africans who brought their musical traditions, including other types of percussion instruments, also influenced Native American music.

In the early 1800s, Indigenous communities began to develop new forms of music. Native American communities formed and performed in marching bands in parades, fairs, and other events. These communities composed and published hymns for use in Christian worship. Many were composed in English while others appeared in Native American languages. These publications included musical notation, while others contained only the words and relied on the oral tradition to pass on the melodies.

From the mid-twentieth century, Native Americans were increasingly visible and involved in creating popular music in both English and indigenous languages. They participated in many genres, including blues, country, folk, gospel, jazz, and rap.

Music of the Late Colonial and Early American Period

Colonists enjoyed a variety of European music, including folk music. Immigrants seeking land and freedom poured in from England, Ireland, Scotland, and other countries in the mid- to late-eighteenth century, bringing their musical traditions. Well-to-do families could employ ensembles to perform in their homes. Though the vast majority of families did not enjoy this luxury, many sang together to pass the evenings or heard performances by a few musicians at pubs. Winter, after the harvest season, often brought opportunities to gather for dances.

The classical period was ushering in an era of music halls and symphonies composed for large orchestras. Major cities including Boston, New York, and Philadelphia offered music patrons opportunities to hear daily musical performances. Urban dwellers also had their choice from a wide array of musical instruments should they wish to purchase them, and access to music tutors.

Later in the eighteenth century, as many colonists began to chafe under British authority, musicians began to perform songs of rebellion such as musical protests against taxation. During the Revolutionary War (1775–1783) armies on both sides relied on musicians to maintain the cohesion of battle formations as troops marched. Commands and directions were communicated through music during battles. While the drum was most important, the fife carried well over the sounds of combat. The military had a strong influence on popular music of the time, for example as British troops occupied cities or American troops moved through areas of the country. “Yankee Doodle,” a song that featured the fife, became popular during the revolution. British military officers used the song to mock the colonists, who then took up “Yankee Doodle” as a show of solidarity and opposition, singing it right back at the enemy. Another song from this period, “Reveille,” woke American soldiers every day and continues to do so in modern times. American military musicians still play "Taps" to signal the end of the duty day and the time for soldiers to recoup. Lines of music were used to communicate commands to soldiers spread out over a battlefield. Musical commands included "Charge" and "Retreat." In military ceremonies, particular lines of music indicate the arrival of key leadership figures.

Nineteenth Century

The break with Britain helped solidify the American identity and encouraged composers to create uniquely American music. Much of this was religious music that carried the message of religious revivals that began in the closing years of the eighteenth century and into the 1830s, known as the Second Great Awakening. American composers published more than five thousand hymns by 1810.

Sacred music was already an important part of the spiritual lives of many families and communities. Because many people in rural areas were not versed in reading music, songs at revivals and camp meetings, which could draw thousands, typically consisted of well-known tunes or followed call-and-response song patterns that were easily joined. Immigrant musicians had a powerful impact on American music as they created choral groups, performed in bands and orchestras, and published compositions.

Historians believe the Great Awakening sowed the seeds of the abolitionist movement with its emphasis on morality. The United States was expanding but in conflict over slavery as new states were added. In 1830 an official movement to abolish slavery began, primarily in Northern states. Abolitionists joined in song at their meetings, for example, “Song of the Abolitionist” by W.L. Garrison, which was set to a well-known tune “Old Lang Syne.” A Boston antislavery group published this and other songs in the Anti-Slavery Melodies: For the Friends of Freedom songbook in 1843. Such musical messages continued to inspire abolitionists.

Enslaved Americans developed a rich musical culture that combined elements of African traditions with the music and instruments of the United States and Europe. They created call and response songs that they sang while working, oftentimes creating songs for specific tasks. African American music often emphasized individualization that allowed individuals to compete, complex rhythms, and interaction between the artist and the audience. Enslaved musicians had to master instruments and multiple forms of music so they could perform at formal events and more relaxed dances.

When the United States devolved into war in 1861, music spurred both sides, carried them into battle, and lifted their spirits in camps and hospitals. Union supporters had “Battle Cry of Freedom,” “May God Save the Union,” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” among others. Songs popular in the South included “Dixie,” “God Save the South,” and “The Bonnie Blue Flag.” Other songs mourned the lost or absent, celebrated victories, or simply helped troops keep time as they marched. Meanwhile, enslaved Americans had songs such as “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” which was a secret reference to following the Big Dipper north with the Underground Railroad to freedom.

John Philip Sousa, who had a profound impact on music, was a child in Washington, DC, during the Civil War. Gifted from a young age, he became a conductor, composer, and arranger. Though his compositions are varied, his enduring fame is as the creator of hundreds of marches, most notably “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

A Century of Great Changes

Roots music is a broad category of uniquely American musical styles. It encompasses what was at first called folk music, the music played by Americans of European ancestry, usually in the rural South; blues and other music of Southern Black Americans; Native American music; Cajun music; and music of Mexican Americans, among other cultures. Genres include blues, gospel, Native American powwow, Tejano, traditional country, and zydeco. The songs, many of which addressed social issues or conveyed messages about the singers’ lives, were passed down through the generations. This music of everyday life rang out in the fields, in church, and at parties and other social gatherings. Roots music was picked up and adapted by popular performers in the latter half of the twentieth century. It has provided a soundtrack to social and cultural changes including the civil rights, environmental, labor, and women’s movements and antiwar protests.

The blues emerged in the American South about the turn of the century and had a profound impact on future music. The genre is a blend of earlier styles, including gospel and work songs of enslaved Americans. Many songs follow a call and response format common to work songs. Jazz, which is strongly influenced by the blues, emerged in the South in the cultural experiences of New Orleans, Louisiana, during the 1920s. Jazz, which often includes improvisation, was the music of public and private gatherings, including funeral processions.

Although bands and the music industry were segregated, radio introduced all audiences to the blues and jazz. A new form of jazz, swing or big band music, swept the country during the 1930s. Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, and other band leaders became famous. Radio courted top band leaders and aired their performances at dance halls live. As more radio stations went on the air, the number of bands available for live shows proved insufficient. Radio turned to recorded music, which drove the recording industry to recruit artists. Many African American performers gained greater access to audiences.

Radio also helped to drive the popularity of country music, which emerged in the South during the mid-1920s. Among the genres and traditions that helped create country music are the blues, English folk ballads, French and Cajun music, Irish fiddle tunes, and vaudeville. It became widely available and popular when radio stations picked up on it and record companies began selling country music. Cowboy movies of the 1930s created superstars such as Gene Autry and further popularized the genre. Multiple subgenres including Western, Western swing, bluegrass, and honky-tonk emerged.

Rock and roll music began with a subgenre of country called rockabilly. Like others, it is the result of a convergence of musical styles, including the blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues. It is virtually undefinable, with experts and even entire nations agreeing to little more than rock having a strong beat. First heard in the 1940s, it drew teens and young adults with relatable songs usually performed by guitar-playing superstars including Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. Experts debate when rock and roll was born, with some casting their votes to Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s 1944 recording “Strange Things Happening Every Day” while other give the nod to “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” Roy Brown’s 1947 recording.

Rock and roll and its subgenres, including rock, punk, grunge, and new wave, frequently gave voice to rebellion and from the start was an outlet for youth. From the United States the genre spread to Europe and around the world. It also returned to its birthplace in the 1960s in a cultural movement dubbed the British Invasion. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and other British artists became the dominant producers of rock during this period. Through the 1960s and 1970s, rock and roll was the soundtrack of the changing social and political climate of the United States.

Soul music, which emerged in the 1950s, combines elements of gospel, rhythm and blues, and doo-wop music. Some argue that rhythm and blues is a subgenre of soul, and include Motown, smooth jazz, and urban blues as other subgenres. Like many genres rooted in African American music, it often employs the call-and-response style and the vocal run, or melisma, a style in which the singer hits many notes on one syllable. Landmark recordings include Ray Charles’s “I Got a Woman” and Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me.” Some of the early major stars of soul included the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin.

Dominant Styles Emerged in Late Twentieth Century

Hip-hop music was born in the Bronx in the 1970s. Some point to a block party in 1973 when DJ Kool Herc started to MC over music. This syncopated speaking style over music, known as rap, is often but not always present in hip-hop music. As hip-hop developed in various cities and regions across the country, it evolved. Some music was strongly rooted in the blues, other artists created work influenced by jazz. Subgenres that emerged include country rap, electro, emo, and new jack swing. Popular hip-hop and rap artists include Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and Eminem.

While much music may be classified as dance music, some styles are meant primarily for clubs. Disco, with its pulsing beat, was the go-to dance club music of the late 1970s. Disco relied on electronic instruments and drum machines. Manufactured music continued to develop through the 1980s, in particular at massive dance events dubbed raves, and emerged in the 1990s as electronic dance music (EDM). Much of the credit for popularizing EDM has been given to Nocturnal Audio Sensory Awakening (NASA), a venue that opened in New York in 1992. NASA popularized rave culture and music thanks to founder and lighting designer Scott Osman and influential DJs such as DB Burkeman. EDM is created primarily through electronic devices. Most of the sounds are created by computers, though artists may sample, or use brief snippets, of music made by live musicians. Artists developed EDM subgenres including acid house, dub, garage, hardcore, techno, and trance. DJs such as Moby gained wide followings from working at NASA.

Further Insights

Credit for the strongest influence on music of the United States may be given to performers, producers, or others in the industry. Highly subjective lists may include Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, Glen Miller, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Aaron Copland, Prince, and groups such as The Beatles. However, one record label profoundly influenced the future of music.

American entrepreneur and producer Berry Gordy launched his record label in 1959. Motown signed and nurtured multi-million-selling groups including the Miracles, the Marvelettes, the Supremes, and the Jackson 5. He employed songwriting teams that produced some of the twentieth century’s biggest songs, including “Heat Wave,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Motown also provided artists with choreographers and stylists who ensured performances were polished.

Gordy’s label created music that artists said had a profound impact on the United States when society was roiled by clashes over integration and the right to vote for all (Haider, 2019). Gordy also credited Motown music with breaking down racial barriers. He was proud that venues in which the audience was divided by a rope line eventually removed the ropes so that fans of all backgrounds were dancing together to the same music. Motown produced songs that addressed social and political issues, such as “Ball of Confusion (That’s what the World Is Today)” by the Temptations and Edwin Starr’s recording of “War.” Both were written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong.

In the 2020s, Americans became increasingly mobile. For example, they attended universities or worked in areas great distances from where they were originally raised. As people carried their musical preferences with them, this mobility lent to a trend where music styles were no longer particular to certain geographic areas. In addition, music was commonly accessed through online streaming platforms or by stations owned by large corporations. These platforms disseminated the same music forms to audiences spread out over nationwide areas. Independent radio stations that previously broadcast home-grown musical artists to local audiences greatly diminished in numbers. This had what many considered to be the negative effect of commoditizing music in making it more commercially generic. A 2024 study indicated repetitive trends in musical lyrics and emotional themes explored in songs.

Despite certain trends toward regional commonality, in the mid-2020s, country music made the greatest inroads in terms of American consumer preferences. This followed an overall trend where Americans were drawn to the influences of foreign music. American country music showed the particular influence of music from Mexico. This was attributed, in part, to changing demographics where Hispanic populations formed higher percentages of the population in states such as California and Texas.

About the Author

Josephine Campbell earned her BA in psychology and communications from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She worked in journalism for twenty years and in educational publishing for ten years. She also has experience as a parenting education caseworker for Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton and has worked as a substitute teacher.

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