Reading both "Country Music Is Also Mexican Music" and "Rock, Rage, and Self-Defense: An Oral History of Seattle's Home Alive." I had realized a theme of commonality between these two articles. Even if they do not overlap in many other aspects, they share the perspective of how unwritten history can cause revision. Country music is thought of today as technically "white" music. I grew up in Arizona and had plenty of friends who all they could listen to was Country. I mean nothing else, some even outright rebuked the idea of other genres of music such as Jazz, Blues, Rap, or Air-Guitar. At worst, it was annoying at best, slightly entertaining. I couldn't escape the sound of Country anywhere I went both school sanction events, and unsanctioned events Country was on the playlist. I wasn't a fan of Country, but I learned to tolerate it much like how an older sibling learns how to tolerate their younger sibling’s transgressions. I had viewed it as an inherently "white" thing since everyone I knew back home happened to be both white and love Country. As I grew older and discovered Darius Rucker, I learned that the history of Country has very black origins. Origins that were never discussed in my circle of friends, origins that were not exactly known by those on the outside looking in.
Today, learning about how Ranchera music is one of the precursors to this genre we call Country was kind of shocking. I mean, not in the sense of how it’s reasonable that Country stems from these origins but the fact that we are never told the whole story. I felt the same way reading through the Home Alive project and watching the documentary made by peers some years ago. It’s interesting to see. I think someone complicit in being ignorant. I didn’t explore the origins of Country further because I am a Black American, and I did not know about the female involvement with the punk/grunge scene as well as an exceptional non-profit because I’m male. I think for the whole story to be told we need to come out of our bubble, which may prove harder than just saying.
No comments:
Post a Comment