Slave Music

Listen To
Harry Belafonte

Listen To
RM Radio

'Slave Music'

was a primary originator of,
and ingredient in, both the Blues and Jazz.

Slave music is a fundamental and most

historical ingredient in modern Western

'Pop' music. Both the American Blues

and Jazz genres can be traced in some

major part to the music and chants of

those unfortunate souls who ended up

slaves in early North America and the

Caribbean.

Slave Ships - Strange Fruit Song

For Role of Slaves In

Music, Click Below

Slaves In Music

The Blues in particular had its

origins in the work songs of

the early slaves in America. It

was a miserable life - one of

pure drudgery and deprivation

for those West African slaves,

on the plantations and

elsewhere in the American deep

south. During their back-

breaking work, often under

whip, the slaves used chanting

to work effectively with each

other. Known as 'call and

response' way of singing, it

gave a sense of rhythm to

counterbalance the drudgery of

their servitude.

Identified as 'field hollering' which sometimes articulated the slaves' woes in chant

form, this eventually became the basis of all Blues that followed, including its big city

ghetto counterpart Jazz, which developed later.