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This Black Music Month – Let’s Dance

A Celebration of Songwriters

June is Black music month. I want to celebrate by highlighting songwriters. People who have written lyrics that make you smile, or cry or cheer and if you’re lucky dance. I can actually chart my life by Black music. I am a dancer, not professional of course. I’m the kind that hits the dance floor every chance I get. Dancing through high school basement parties, to college frat sets, to clubbing in Chicago as a young adult and backyard dance parties. I’ve danced on cruise ships, mountain tops, islands in foreign lands and in front of my living room CD player. All that dancing had one thing in common—I was dancing to Black music.  This month I want to thank all the songwriters that made that possible.

Power of Music

I once went to an international music festival by myself in Cannes, France. I took a stroll down the beautiful Promenade de la Croisette walkway. I was the only Black person around and I felt people staring at me. It made me self-conscious, and I began thinking of my insanity of going there alone. I felt like the duck out-of-water I was. When I got back to my hotel I through myself on the bed in frustration and turned on the radio. Kool and the Gang’s song, Celebration was playing. It eased something inside of me and I got up and danced. The power of music. All was right in my world and I went on to have an amazing trip. The highlight of which was a performance at the festival by the godfather of soul, James Brown to hundreds of people half of which didn’t even speak English and to whom that didn’t matter. They danced in the aisles anyway.

Songwriters to Watch in 2021

Here are 7 singer songwriters to watch in 2021 from pop to R & B to country. Support them. Buy their music. And, dance to your favorite song. You can take it slow and steady holding on to the one you love; or fast and furious swaying your hips, snapping your fingers and clapping your hands as you move across the dance floor.

John Legend

Willie Jones

Darius Rucker

Shy Carter

Missy Elliot

Ester Dean

Toni Braxton

Thank You Songwriters

Black Music Month is celebrated every June with a big push from the music industry, including increased visibility across music retailers, streaming services, radio stations, and social media. But this year, I want to thank Black songwriters. Especially the ones that make us dance.

All the Best,

Donna