About this site

If you’ve made it here, welcome. This blog is my love letter to the music of Foundational Black Americans—the music that has been the pulse of our lives for as long as we’ve been here.

For me, these songs are like family. They’ve been with us in the worst of times and the best of times. They carry all of it: heartbreak and joy, rebellion and pride, resilience and survival. I like to think of them as “Black American Standards”—songs that started in our communities but grew so deep they’ve become part of the very soul of this country.

Think about it: from spirituals sung in the fields, to the blues that told our stories in back rooms and juke joints, to the fearless genius of jazz, all the way up to rock, soul, funk, hip-hop and R&B—the whole world moves to music that was born out of our experience. And the thing is, every one of these sounds has something to say. They remind us of where we come from and how far we’ve had to carry ourselves just to stand here today.

Every month will have a theme. We’re starting with music born out of the fight against Jim Crow—a time when singing the truth could cost you everything, but people sang it anyway. These are not just pretty melodies. These songs didn’t just play during Jim Crow—they fought back.

This blog is where I want to dig into that. Each week I’m going to take one song—or sometimes a whole body of work—and we’re going to unpack it together. I’ll talk about the history behind it, the lyrics, the influence, the stories behind the sound. And just as importantly, how these songs live on—through covers, through samples, through us.

So here’s my promise to you: if you follow along, these posts are going to make you feel. Some songs will make you laugh, others might bring tears. Some will make you angry, others will remind you of joy. And when it’s all said and done, I hope you’ll hear these songs in a new way.

What I’m putting together here isn’t just a playlist—it’s a journey. It’s our story in sound. And if you listen closely, maybe you’ll hear a piece of your own story, too.

Thanks for being here. Let’s start this journey together.

Yours Truly,

James Taylor