Tyler McGee

Ms. Bennett

British Literature

9 September 2011

The History of Music in America

As the Great Jimi Hendrix once said, “I try to use my music to make these people act.”

Americans have always been a dominate force around the world in music, and in other aspects of

life as well. Many famous bands from the past such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones, were from

Britain, but were heavily influenced by American bands and music. American music however, is

a blend of every culture that is represented here, including European, African, and Native

American. The Native Americans used music in religious ceremonies and practices, so the use of

music has changed greatly over the hundreds of years. Since the beginning, music has had an

immense part in shaping The United States. The presence of music has shaped the lives of many

people in their lifetime, as well as it has made this great country a dominate force in the music

scene around the world.

America in general is a blended combination of different ethnicities and cultures that

have been brought or settled here. The music America produces has greatly been affected by the

immense amount of cultures, as it has changed the way this country uses music. The very first

people settled here were the Native Americans, who only used music to practice their religious

beliefs and customs. With the settling of the Europeans, the Native Americans were introduced

to many new things, including how the Europeans used music for much more than just religious

ceremonies. The Europeans eventually started bringing slaves to the country in the shape of the

Africans. The Africans, even though enslaved, refused to give up on their traditions and customs

and continued to practice their beliefs. African culture and tradition is used greatly in this time in

the shape of Jazz, Rap and Hip Hop, and surprisingly Rock music. With all of these different

cultures and ethnicities in one location, it was just a matter of time before parts of each culture

were taken and morphed with each other to make a more affective and useful form of music that

is still being used today. The combination of the different cultures in America had to be an act of

a divine power, because the music those cultures created is still in use to this very day.

America’s blend of unique culture basically shaped face and future of the Country and the entire

world as a whole. If the diverse group of cultures were not brought to America, then the music

being listened to today would not have existed.

America has always dominated the entire world in many ways, including the writing and

creation of music. Even with the British invasion of the 60’s, the bands from that era greatly

credited the United States for their inspiration to make a band and write and record music. The

great bands from that time period include: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, and many

other bands that brought inspiration and enthusiasm to America and to the entire world.

Therefore, if America had not formed and mixed all the cultures together to create modern

music, the great bands around the entire globe would not have existed. Music has made a social

identity for the United States around the world as a dominate force. When it comes together it all

falls back to the cultures. The British invasion of the 60’s, Woodstock, the countless music

festivals that have followed, and many other important events would not have occurred if the

British had not decided to migrate over to America and bring their slaves with them. American

music has been a huge influence not only to the legendary groups of the British Invasion of the

60’s, but also a major influence to the world as a whole, because modern music would never

have existed without Americas part in the shaping of it.

American music and music festivals have brought the people of the country and the entire

world together many times over the years. The greatest and most historic event to ever occur in

the history of the country that brought more people together for the promotion of music and just

the overall celebration of life was known as the great Woodstock. Many years following the

event many other events were scheduled, but not had the immense amount of publicity and the

greatness as Woodstock which is considered by many to be the God of all music festivals that

none in the future would ever be able to surpass. Woodstock was a three day event that occurred

on August 15 and continued on through August 18 in a farmer’s back yard, where youth gathered

to celebrate music and life. No one would have ever expected that 500,000 people would turn out

for the festival making it an event to go down in history. The impact Woodstock had on

American culture and on the entire music industry was so immense, music changed as a whole.

This is one example of how music in America has brought the people of the country together

over and over again many times, and how it has influenced people for the greater good. During

the Vietnam War, many people were against the fighting and protested against it. Many

musicians of the time were also against the war and decided to put their anti-war messages in

their music, and many youth connected with these songs. America changed music from just its

religious form in the very beginning, to a way that people can share and express their feelings

and connect with other people. The American music festival known as Woodstock was the

greatest event to happen in American music history, because it was a way for people to get

together and connect with each other and their surroundings and express the way that they felt

during this period of time. American music has been used many times to express feelings and

have given the country its own identity.

The way music has developed and changed over the years has greatly shaped the face of

our country and how other countries of the world view the United States. America has such a

rich blend of cultures and diverse ethnicities that American music is truly the representation of

the people. Modern music that is listened to today would never have existed if the settlers had

not decided to travel to America and have their slaves accompanied them. America has always

been a dominate force in the world in many aspects and music is another example of how

powerful the United States really is as a country. Music is what it is today because of a few

settlers, Native Americans, and the Africans that were brought by the settlers. No one in that

time period would have had a clue that the cultures would eventually blend together and the great

music that would follow. The music produced by America has not only inspired the people of the

country, but people of other countries as well. Even during the British invasion of the 60’s, the

bands of that era credited the United States in the development of Rock and Roll and just music

as a whole. America has developed the use of music more efficiently that was it was first starting

out. Musicians of the United States and of other countries around the world use music to express

the way they feel about certain event or just life in general. American music is all about

expression and this was greatly taken advantage of during the Vietnam War and during the epic

event that will forever be looked upon as the greatest music festival that has and will ever occur

known as the legendary Woodstock. Music is much more than just something to listen to, but can

express how a musician or a person feels and can completely change the mind of an entire

Country. Music has molded and shaped not just the Country, but has shaped the people that that

live in the United States. As long as Americans continue to be inspired and feel the need to

express their personal feelings, the music will not die.