Blog #1

I am not afraid to admit that I was rather oblivious to the complexity of the music industry with race and gender. My first exposure to this inequality was when I was about twelve and we were in Nashville. It was a rainy and my dad suggested we go to the Museum of Country Music/ Country Hall of Fame. As I walked around, I was beyond surprised to see black men scattered around the museum. I had always pictured country as a primarily white male industry. Why had I not heard of these people before? As I read this week’s articles, I was once again surprised as to what I read. The black women in the blues industry reminded me of the black men in the country music museum, often given little recognition but playing such a pivotal role in the music industry.

In particular, the article on Memphis Minnie really stood out to me. Her role in transforming the music industry in the 1920’s – 1930’s is profound. The quote in the article by prof Retman states that, “Minnie is remembered mainly as a feisty exception to the masculine rule, for being a rare woman in country, then urban blues, a genre dominated by men (Retman 48)”. I loved this quote as it depicts the many invisible boundaries for black women in the music industry at that time. Additionally, in the article by Mahon, I found similar and very compelling effect Big Mama Thornton had on the music industry at the time as she challenged the role of women in the music industry as being more than their looks. She states in an interview in the article, “I don’t go out on the stage trying to look pretty (Mahon 15).” This profound statement really resonated with me as I know that this is even relevant in current day music. Taylor Swift very recently opened up about her eating disorder caused by the pressure of being on stage. I think that Big Mama Thornton and Memphis Minnie both play a large role in questioning what it means to be a woman in a male dominated industry. 

When I think of the women in the music industry in the present day, I believe that these “rockism” principles faced by Memphis Minnie and Big Mama Thornton of what is “masculine music” continue to this day. The first example that came to my mind when reading these articles was Nicki Minaj in the rap industry. As a female, she is often discredited as a “true rapper” and although her music is not my favorite, I have respect for the fact she is breaking down barriers within the music industry. A sample of this is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTkEpkGKgoY

The next person that came to mind is Billy Eilish who is another modern woman in the music industry trying to break down female stereotypes. She wears very “unfeminine” clothing, usually that which is baggy and her music is often edgy and not traditional. Here is a sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbMwTqkKSps