Black Music in Houston Collection

Music has long been a cultural staple in the African American community that dates to slavery. The spiritual songs first sung by slaves became known as Gospels. After emancipation, a new music style emerged that expressed their disappointment post-slavery; this style was identified as Blues. Between the two Great wars Houston became a regional center of jazz music, a style popularized during the 19th century. Houston experienced a flourishing music scene from the 1960s to the 1980s with a variety of prevalent genres including blues, jazz and rhythm and blues. Blues music was popularized in Houston during the 1940s with Gold Star Studios, more recently known as Sugar Hill Studios, who produced several prominent musicians including Lighting in Hopkins and Bobby Blue Bland. In the 1950s Peacoack Records and Duke Records also produced multiple musicians under record producer Don Robey. Early black musicians played segregated venues often playing on stages where they were not welcome to attend. Clubs and places such as the El Dorado Ball and Club Matinee provided spaces for black musicians to perform for black audiences. Over time, musical genres evolved and Black music was influenced by several including rock and roll, funk, and eventually pop and hiphop.