One of the main problems the black population faced in Britain after they immigrated was the widespread xenophobia and racism that were exhibited against them, which materialised through various musical acts, such as the very popular minstrel shows. It is safe to say that racism in popular culture was very prominent which is why the emergence of acts such as the Rolling Stones and other rock acts taking a stance against it
Rock music has had its beginnings from the black community stemming from bluesy musical forms evolving and many African American performers such as Chuck Berry or Jimi Hendrix embodied such developments. However, when we think of rock, we rarely associate it with black culture, which is why it has been often dubbed as cultural appropriation by white people. Although this can be debated, it is undeniable that black people have been excluded from rock music in popular culture.
Whilst there had been black presence in music for a long time, it was only during the 19th and 20th centuries that they really became popular. One of the biggest examples of this is the post-war emergence of calypso music, stemming from Caribbean such as Trinidadian folk.
Everyone has at least heard of the Rolling Stones, the rock band formed in London in 1962 by their original line-up, among them the legendary Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. One of the most legendary and successful rock band ever who embody the idea of what Rock n’ Roll was all about. A band from London that not only didn’t “appropriate”, but embrace their black influences and were noted how such successes were due to the “band’s purported connection to blackness and racial transgression, both in a musical sense and a more vague, imaginative one”.[1] This is not only a major step towards acknowledgement of black music, but also moved from cultural appropriation towards a sort of cultural appreciation. Something unfortunately not every band at the time were known for, such as Led Zeppelin who were often criticised for ‘stealing’ musical ideas from other artists.[2]
Such steps against racism were widely embraced by the 70s and 80s, which manifested itself in the creation of the Rock Against Racism and Anti-Nazi league movements, which ironically began with another famous rocker, Eric Clapton. During a 1976 concert Clapton shared his racist views with the audience which led to the immediate formation of the Rock Against Racism movement by Red Saunders, former Clapton fan.[3] Thus began a change in the appreciation of black culture in rock music, although to what extent this has succeeded is debatable.
[1] https://slate.com/culture/2016/10/race-rock-and-the-rolling-stones-how-the-rock-and-roll-became-white.html
[2] https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-unoriginal-originality-of-led-zeppelin
From Local to Global: The History of Music in London Group 1 