While sitting around after the school year has finished, I decided to play around on Photoshop to make a banner for this blog. Don’t worry, The School of Rock theme on the blog is here to stay! In one of …
Black Owned Record Labels
Prologue: Black Swan Records was founded by Harry Pace in 1921 in Harlem, New York City and was the first black owned record label whose target market were black Americans. The label released recordings of blues and jazz music. Blues …
Ska and the Caribbean Influence in Classic Rock
Classic rock takes its influences from many different genres around the world, including reggae and ska. In this post we explore musicians of Caribbean descent and rock/ska fusions.
Ireland and Classic Rock
I have been studying abroad in Ireland since September and it has been an incredible experience. I have been to a lot of cool places in Ireland. Irish musicians have made a big contribution to classic rock. I will be listing …
Latinos/Latinas/Spaniards/Spanish-Americans and their influence in Classic Rock and Oldies
Latino/as and Spaniards have had a big role in rock and popular music from the late 50s to today. From Ritchie Valens and Tito Puente to Julian Casablancas and Dhani Harrison. Classic rock also has a huge following in Latin America. …
Asians in Classic Rock and Oldies
Some people don’t know that Freddie Mercury was Asian. He was born to a Parsi family in Zanzibar, raised in India, and moved to England when he was 17. Many people think Freddie Mercury was the first Asian rock star, …
Women in Classic Rock Part 2: The 70s
When writing my essay on the representation of women in classic rock from the 60s to the 80s, I noticed a trend of increasing involvement and influence of women in rock music starting in the late 60s. More than singing …
Women in Classic Rock Part 1: The 60s
Women’s History Month may almost be over, but we can celebrate the accomplishments of women in various fields every day. Many think classic rock is a men’s game, but there have been many women who have shaped classic rock and …
Begin Here: Classic Rock/Oldies and Africa
Let’s start in the continent where human life began – Africa. Blues, Jazz, and Gospel music (which Rock and Roll had influences from) had African influences like call and response and influences from Yoruba drumming. Let’s go year by year to see …
The Diversity of Classic Rock: An Introduction
Aaaahhh classic rock… It’s not something that people think is very diverse. Look at any “classic rock” station in America – there are few female DJs, if any. Most of the DJs are white and male. As a 20-year-old mixed …
The Diversity of Classic Rock 