D. Armenta
PlagmanPrejudice and Bigotry in the music world
Yes, it's been there all along in the music business; prejudice and bigotry have played a part in musicians' lives for decades.
If you're looking for a story about white musicians rejecting a black player, look elsewhere. To paraphrase jazz legend Ben Webster, "Players don't look at each other, they hear each other. It's the agents, club owners, promoters and especially the audience who draw the color lines."
In my own experience as a musician, I have to agree; when you hear someone who's good at what they play, you want to play with them.
Unfortunately, as my best friend (a professional drummer from the pro blues circuit) puts it: "People listen with their eyes, not their ears." He's experienced it firsthand, touring with a popular blues band. He's a white Canadian, as are the guitarist and Bassist. The leader is a white Brooklynite from New York. Blues societies would hire the band to be featured and express disappointment when the band showed up: "But you're Canadian and white! You can't play blues!" (They forgot they'd hired the band from listening to their music in the first place)
In my own case, I was made to stand behind the Marshall stacks at concerts because I was a tall white girl singing beside short black girls. It just didn't "look right", according to the concert promoter.
Ever hear of Milli Vanilli? Two pretty male models hired to lip-synch songs and pose as singers--busted at an awards show. One committed suicide shortly after. Thanks, corporate researchers!
C and C Music factory had a huge club hit in the early 90s called "Gonna make you sweat (everybody dance now)"--the real singer, who was a big woman, was replaced with a slim and sexy model who lip-synched to the real singer's voice track for the music video.
It's nothing new. Fabian, a fifties pop icon in the U.S., was groomed by promoters to be a singing sensation. The one missing part: he couldn't sing his way out of a wet paper bag. He was a goodlooking young guy, though, and that's what the people like! Fabian was slated to sing "Happy Birthday" to Dick Clark on a special "American Bandstand" show...rehearsed for hours and just couldn't do it. Already studio engineers had found ways to double and triple-track a weak singer's voice, mess with the recording speed to bring them up to key, and
bring up the levels of the backup band to hide glaring errors..but there was no help for a live performance.
Black jazz players in white bands in the 40s had to wear heavy white powder on their faces to fool the audience into thinking they were white too. Ella Fitzgerald was considered "too ugly" to sing for a band for years till bandleader Chick Webb cut her a break.
Who is ultimately responsible for all of this horsehockey? Shouldn't a musician be judged on his or her own merits, not their appearance?
According to market research analysts, it's the audience who calls the popular stuff. Pretty young people make for better sales, talent notwithstanding.
Britney Spears, anyone? Menudo? Back Street Boys?
Famous non-musicians hired to pose as musicians based upon looks:
Sid Vicious
Fabian
Davey Jones (Monkees' "lead singer"--actually could sing though)
Peter Tork (Monkees' bassist-had no clue how to play a bass)
Mickey Dolenz (Monkees' drummer-good actor and singer, but not a drummer)
Debby Harry (Blondie)former Playboy bunny--luckily, she turned out able to sing too
David Cassidy (Partridge Family beginnings, haha! Ditto above comment)
-Everyone else in the Partridge Family (no one played an instrument, but Shirley Jones was a trained singer)
All of the Spice Girls
Me (as a singer when I was in my late teens and built. I can play drums but I am NO singer--never was!)
On and on.....
If you're looking for a story about white musicians rejecting a black player, look elsewhere. To paraphrase jazz legend Ben Webster, "Players don't look at each other, they hear each other. It's the agents, club owners, promoters and especially the audience who draw the color lines."
In my own experience as a musician, I have to agree; when you hear someone who's good at what they play, you want to play with them.
Unfortunately, as my best friend (a professional drummer from the pro blues circuit) puts it: "People listen with their eyes, not their ears." He's experienced it firsthand, touring with a popular blues band. He's a white Canadian, as are the guitarist and Bassist. The leader is a white Brooklynite from New York. Blues societies would hire the band to be featured and express disappointment when the band showed up: "But you're Canadian and white! You can't play blues!" (They forgot they'd hired the band from listening to their music in the first place)
In my own case, I was made to stand behind the Marshall stacks at concerts because I was a tall white girl singing beside short black girls. It just didn't "look right", according to the concert promoter.
Ever hear of Milli Vanilli? Two pretty male models hired to lip-synch songs and pose as singers--busted at an awards show. One committed suicide shortly after. Thanks, corporate researchers!
C and C Music factory had a huge club hit in the early 90s called "Gonna make you sweat (everybody dance now)"--the real singer, who was a big woman, was replaced with a slim and sexy model who lip-synched to the real singer's voice track for the music video.
It's nothing new. Fabian, a fifties pop icon in the U.S., was groomed by promoters to be a singing sensation. The one missing part: he couldn't sing his way out of a wet paper bag. He was a goodlooking young guy, though, and that's what the people like! Fabian was slated to sing "Happy Birthday" to Dick Clark on a special "American Bandstand" show...rehearsed for hours and just couldn't do it. Already studio engineers had found ways to double and triple-track a weak singer's voice, mess with the recording speed to bring them up to key, and
bring up the levels of the backup band to hide glaring errors..but there was no help for a live performance.
Black jazz players in white bands in the 40s had to wear heavy white powder on their faces to fool the audience into thinking they were white too. Ella Fitzgerald was considered "too ugly" to sing for a band for years till bandleader Chick Webb cut her a break.
Who is ultimately responsible for all of this horsehockey? Shouldn't a musician be judged on his or her own merits, not their appearance?
According to market research analysts, it's the audience who calls the popular stuff. Pretty young people make for better sales, talent notwithstanding.
Britney Spears, anyone? Menudo? Back Street Boys?
Famous non-musicians hired to pose as musicians based upon looks:
Sid Vicious
Fabian
Davey Jones (Monkees' "lead singer"--actually could sing though)
Peter Tork (Monkees' bassist-had no clue how to play a bass)
Mickey Dolenz (Monkees' drummer-good actor and singer, but not a drummer)
Debby Harry (Blondie)former Playboy bunny--luckily, she turned out able to sing too
David Cassidy (Partridge Family beginnings, haha! Ditto above comment)
-Everyone else in the Partridge Family (no one played an instrument, but Shirley Jones was a trained singer)
All of the Spice Girls
Me (as a singer when I was in my late teens and built. I can play drums but I am NO singer--never was!)
On and on.....
Milli Vanilli
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For the Sake of Argument
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Certainly in Australia you find plenty of television bimbos who end up fronting bands for no reason other than looks. yet that has always been the problem with the music industry. They want an image first and nothing else. If it looks like Britany and Sings like Britany then it should make money like Britany. In Australia it is Kylie but the principle is the same.
Yet probably due to lack of Jazz musos you do tend to get mixed bands.
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BTW, I had no idea about C C. I always thought it WAS that woman as the lead singer.
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He pursued a career more befitting his looks.
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I have to agree with you on that point.
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Peter Tork hired for his good looks?....really? There were no better looking non-playing bass players out there?
Great read D.
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