In the early days of hillbilly music, black and white people in the south had their different shows and concerts. They were not that many visible interracial integrations or collaboration between singers. Every community had their own shows and their musical style. So, it was very important that the Grand Ole Opry signed in Bailey because they realized that they could get more audience in order to expand their show, which they eventually did. For instance, the author of the book, Hidden in the Mix: The African American Presence in Country Music, claimed that “moreover a major reason Bailey and other artists appeared on Opry was to attract black listeners, particularly potential black customers for National Life and Accident Insurance, the major
…show more content…
The American music would not be where it is today if it was not the contribution from the African Slaves who were being taken to the States and the Europeans who migrated from Europe. The American music is the product of mixture of different cultures and backgrounds. However, a lot of people do not know that African American influenced country, which is considered white music. For instance, Bailey was one of the first few black musicians who called themselves black hillbillies. Pecknold believes in his book, Hidden in the Mix: The African American Presence in Country Music, that “some have suggested that Bailey’s participation in the Grand Ole Opry demonstrated during hillbilly phase of the country music’s development black music and white music in the south were not separate”( Pecknold 147). Even though people thought black and white music were separated, they did not stop borrowing things from each other, whether it was a song style or an instrument. Bailey was a great example that people wanted to integrate and to dismiss the social taboos between communities. Of course, some people would not like that idea, and they preferred to listen to songs from certain races, but musicians were the ones who wanted to make the change. They wanted to learn from each other regardless their races. White musicians started to play black music for their white fans because they actually liked it (Pecknold
The American music would not be where it is today if it was not the contribution from the African Slaves who were being taken to the States and the Europeans who migrated from Europe. The American music is the product of mixture of different cultures and backgrounds. However, a lot of people do not know that African American influenced country, which is considered white music. For instance, Bailey was one of the first few black musicians who called themselves black hillbillies. Pecknold believes in his book, Hidden in the Mix: The African American Presence in Country Music, that “some have suggested that Bailey’s participation in the Grand Ole Opry demonstrated during hillbilly phase of the country music’s development black music and white music in the south were not separate”( Pecknold 147). Even though people thought black and white music were separated, they did not stop borrowing things from each other, whether it was a song style or an instrument. Bailey was a great example that people wanted to integrate and to dismiss the social taboos between communities. Of course, some people would not like that idea, and they preferred to listen to songs from certain races, but musicians were the ones who wanted to make the change. They wanted to learn from each other regardless their races. White musicians started to play black music for their white fans because they actually liked it (Pecknold