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Woke up today thinking about the incomparable Rance Allen and realized that I owe y'all a thread! So hold tight, we're goin to church for a bit (and I ain't just talkin about the building). https://twitter.com/AmbreLynae/status/1322560606424084481
Rance Allen died a little over a month ago *insert crying Fantasia Barrino gif here* and an outpouring of love & admiration for his musical contributions followed.
This got me thinkin about the relationship between Black pentecostal artists & pop music. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/arts/rance-allen-dead.html
This got me thinkin about the relationship between Black pentecostal artists & pop music. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/arts/rance-allen-dead.html
Rance Allen, in particular, is noted for his vocal dexterity, switching seamlessly between falsetto and chest placements. In other words: He HAS the range! Listen closely, and tell me you don't hear his reverberations today.
And it should be noted that range and vocal dexterity when considering men in Black gospel music is not without its own political implications concerning gender and sexuality.
For more on that check out @DrAlishaLJones 's brilliant text! https://global.oup.com/academic/product/flaming-9780190065416?cc=us&lang=en&
For more on that check out @DrAlishaLJones 's brilliant text! https://global.oup.com/academic/product/flaming-9780190065416?cc=us&lang=en&
But aside from his genius vocality, Rance Allen's trajectory is an example of the ever-present dialectic between Black musical styles and genres!
Of Chuck Berry, Allen's said "at that time in my life, Chuck Berry was like a superhuman, superhero the way he played guitar."
Of Chuck Berry, Allen's said "at that time in my life, Chuck Berry was like a superhuman, superhero the way he played guitar."
A guitarist himself, Allen studied Berry's techniques and incorporated them into his own recordings and compositions.
But remember! Chuck Berry wasn't without his own influences. Among them? Sister Rosetta Tharpe, another COGIC musician.
But remember! Chuck Berry wasn't without his own influences. Among them? Sister Rosetta Tharpe, another COGIC musician.
And Tharpe spent time in the company of jazz musicians like Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. The cycle goes on and on!
These connections, influences, and relationships make it all the more difficult to draw lines between sacred & secular in Black sonic traditions, because
These connections, influences, and relationships make it all the more difficult to draw lines between sacred & secular in Black sonic traditions, because
So when considering origin stories and tales of musical invention, it's important to remember the wide array of influences and spaces from which people draw.
I talk a bit about this in my article on Tharpe and friendship (shameless plug time!) https://therevealer.org/what-breonna-taylor-and-sister-rosetta-tharpe-taught-me-about-black-women-and-friendship/
I talk a bit about this in my article on Tharpe and friendship (shameless plug time!) https://therevealer.org/what-breonna-taylor-and-sister-rosetta-tharpe-taught-me-about-black-women-and-friendship/
This thread is brought to you by @Sacred_Writes because we love to be #SmartInPublic . S/o to my incredibly patient pod-mates @suzzzanna and @constancekassor 
