<I>Black Music in America: From Then till Now</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1971
name: label: Directed by
content: Hugh A. Robertson, American, 1932 - 1988
label: Subject of
content: Cannonball Adderley, American, 1928 - 1975
label: Subject of
content: Louis Armstrong, American, 1901 - 1971
label: Subject of
content: Josephine Baker, American, 1906 - 1975
label: Subject of
content: Count Basie, American, 1904 - 1984
label: Subject of
content: Northern Calloway, American, 1948 - 1990
label: Subject of
content: Irene Cara, American, born 1959
label: Subject of
content: Roy Eldridge, American, 1911 - 1989
label: Subject of
content: Duke Ellington, American, 1899 - 1974
label: Subject of
content: Doug Grant, American, 1959 - 2018
label: Subject of
content: Coleman Hawkins, American, 1904 - 1969
label: Subject of
content: Melanie Henderson, American, born 1957
label: Subject of
content: Billie Holiday, American, 1915 - 1959
label: Subject of
content: Mahalia Jackson, American, 1911 - 1972
label: Subject of
content: B.B. King, American, 1925 - 2015
label: Subject of
content: Nina Simone, American, 1933 - 2003
label: Subject of
content: Bessie Smith, American, 1894 - 1937
label: Subject of
content: Sly Stone, American, 1943 - 2025
label: Subject of
content: Hattie Mae Winston, American, born 1945
label: Subject of
content: Joe Zawinul, Austrian, 1932 - 2007
label: Owned by
content: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
notes: label: Caption
content: Black Music in America: From then till Now is a short documentary that was directed by Hugh Robertson in 1971. The film discusses the history of musical genres rooted in Black cultural production and the ways in which historical occurrences, such as enslavement and Jim Crow, influenced the evolution of musical genres like the blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and more. The film features performances by major Black musicians like Bessie Smith, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, and others.
label: Caption
content: This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
label: Description
content: A documentary film with the title Black Music in America: From Then till Now. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound.
label: Description
content: The documentary features clips of some of the most recognized Black artists of all-time. The film is bookended by clips of Nina Simone performing her song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black.” From here the film tracks the history of Black music to Africa and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, pointing to the influence of traditional African drumming and also indicating that slave masters encouraged singing and dancing within the confines of the middle passage slave ships. Additionally, the documentary features performance clips from Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, Billie Holiday, Sly and the Family Stone, and other musicians.
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: Documentary films
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Music
label: Topic
content: Musicians
label: Topic
content: Trans Atlantic slave trade
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: DC Public Library Film Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.55.68.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: color films (visual works)
label: Type
content: short subjects
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: polyester film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 25 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 900 Feet