June is officially African American Music Appreciation Month. Like most “appreciation months” the idea seems a bit ridiculous, considering the amount of music we consume that wouldn’t exist if not for contributions from the Black community. But unfortunately, a lot of that history gets swept under the rug, often taking credit away from many amazing artists who have changed the shape of music in this country and the rest of the world.  Even just recently, there was news of the dispute between The Rolling Stones and The Verve over the song Bitter Sweet Symphony, which was claimed to have been “ripped off” from The Stones The Last Time. Part of the story that wasn’t covered by so many new outlets was that the Stones essentially ripped that song off of The Staple Singers and there was never any discussion of compensation or credit. There is no shortage of this kind of story. And within those stories is a vast history of the people that shaped the sounds we love, often with little credit or acknowledgement. Where we might find African American music as something celebrated year round, it is important to stay educated on the challenges it has faced and continues to face, to this day.

To get a more clear understanding of this history and the stories attached to the people who shaped our world of music, I reached out to our friend, former resident of Phoenix, Grammy Award winner, music historian and American Songster, Dom Flemons! Dom was a founding member of the Grammy Award Winning group, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and has gone on to have a very successful solo career, with his most recent album, Black Cowboys, finding critical acclaim and another Grammy nomination, as well as a recent election to the Grammy’s Recording Academy. Dom has been in the news lately for his insight on the controversy surrounding the Lil Nas X song, “Old Town Road” and its exclusion from the Country Billboard charts, due to some decision makers deeming it “not Country enough.”

You can read about this story and Dom’s response on this Rolling Stone Music article.

Here is our short conversation with Dom Flemons about the music he is sharing with the world and how it ties into the story of African American music.

SW: You’re known in the music world as “The American Songster.” This is not a common title for a musicians. You’ve had a very successful career playing genres of music that many people may not have even known existed.  Can you speak to your chosen styles of music and why these styles and history aren’t more well known?

DF: I’ve chosen the name The American Songster because a songster traditionally is a musician who plays and sings a lot of different styles of music. I play a combination of folk, blues, country and western, early jazz and ragtime,and old-time string band music. The music I play in my shows covers 100 years of American popular music.  Some of the music was very popular in its day and other ones are obscurities that I’ve found in the archives. I also feature many numbers that I have learned in my travels living in the South.  In many Southern communities the music is still just as vibrant as it was 100 years ago. Popular music always moves in cycles and for many decades folk songs and early music were not of interest to people except for the select few who might search it out. In recent years, there’s been a great effort to revitalize the music and reassess the history so that the American culture we see in the books is as diverse as the American culture we see in day-to-day life. Part of what I’ve tried to do is to study the history around the music and present it to people in a way that is both entertaining and informative. 

SW: Aside from your stellar performances, why do you think people respond so positively to music that they might not have even known before you introduced them? Working in a record store, I know that is no easy task. 

DF: I think true lovers of music are always looking for something new to listen to. One of my goals has always been to find ways to create music that is familiar and reminiscent of the old sound but is different. I try to be as comprehensive as possible so that my version is true to my own artistic integrity while being an extension of the recordings that have been laid out before me. I also write my own songs and try to find a balance so that the traditional and original material are interwoven seamlessly.

SW: This is a very general question, but what are the modern genres of music that can trace their roots to early African American music? 

DF: All of them!  Haha!  One of the most amazing things about African American music is that the spirit and feeling of the music has continued flowing into American popular music from the earliest recorded accounts to the present.  This includes everything from Blues, Country and Western, Jazz, Soul and Hip Hop. The instruments change with the times but the messages don’t.  This is also true about the genre lines that separate music.  When you begin to delve deeper into the history of recorded music you find that there are throughlines between every type of music.

SW: What are some of the struggles for African American artists and how do you see those struggles overcome? 

DF: African American history is a long and winding road and African American music is similar in many ways.  What makes music so much more fascinating is that it has the power to bring people together in spite of their differences. The art of music transcends social barriers.The positives are that the music created by the pioneers opened a door for tolerance.  Music is a connecting point that has always allowed people to reach across the aisle in spite of their differences.  One of the ways I’ve tried to create fulfilling music is to keep one hand in history by demonstrating the old time styles.  While I find enjoyment in writing my own songs, I find even more enjoyment in being able to learn about regional folk music. The times I’ve gotten to spend in the American South, living there and being immersed on the music have been an invaluable education in of itself. It has given me a love for travel and it’s also giving me a larger worldview.

SW: What do you think the future of African American and Folk music looks like?

DF: Music always goes in cycles.  Right now, it seems like a lot of popular music is reaching for a futurism.  This reflects the culture that’s creating the music. Many people are totally immersed in their technology and African American music is showing that as well.  As a cultural historian, part of my job is just showing people that music can be made organically and without a lot of extra technology.  It’s one of the ways that folk music remains timeless.