NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES Dolls, books, television shows – these were just
some of the cultural artifacts that were missing or
TIME TO OPEN YOUR MIND difficult to find 30 years ago, when my children were
small, so hardly anything had changed since my own childhood.
THEIR OWN STORIES
As my girls grew up, I made a decision to surround our family with black images in our home, despite
the challenges in acquiring these items. I knew the
majority culture existed just beyond our front door and my children would absorb it by osmosis, so
my duty as a black parent was clear: Teach, guide,
seek out, and listen to information on black culture. Present my kids with their own racial stories.
By Terry Paquet
I became even more intent on supplying my girls with positive role models to reinforce their racial identity.
Terry Paquet is an award-winning copywriter with more than 20 years’ experience. He is a regular contributor to SideOne.
Now that my children are adults, the task of finding Jeff Lynne from ELO once said that “old music is black culture in the wider society no longer the same as new music – it’s just aisdifferent way of delivering it.” That inherent truth is what I’m listening for when I curate this collection of artists for you. Because I know it’s hard to open your ears up to new music when so much of what’s on the radio is, from my point of view, uninspiring. So, I look for something different and new but that’s still rooted in the past. Or inspired by it. Real harmonies, catchy melody lines, lyrics that mean something and, most of all, musicianship. Believe it or not, they’re all alive and well somewhere in this vast world – you just have to know where to look. The hope is that you give them a chance, discover something new and in some small way expand your musical world.
TO LISTEN WHILE YOU READ, CHECK OUT SIDEONE’S NOVEMBER/DECEMBER PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MEx8bsqYoYGYOOSAe6b9X?si=236a09a7ea0a4629
SIDEONE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
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