Black Listeners, Black Performers

Nonetheless, some artists, such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Fats Domino, began attracting more and more white consumers as fans. Among them were small groups of DJs (today referred to as “on air personalities”) who spun Patti Page, Frank Sinatra, and Pat Boone records in the daytime, but fiddled with their AM receivers at night, listening to music from WLAC and other Southern stations. Though they couldn’t yet broadcast this music, they understood the impact its sound and messages would have on American culture. They became fans who would play an important role in the eventual migration of ethnic music to the mainstream culture, because at that time DJs were gatekeepers of the music world.

As music styles began to blend, so did audiences. Although most country and bluegrass music enthusiasts were white, there were plenty of black listeners who didn’t have access to the few black oriented stations in large cities. Some listened to Grand Ole Opry from Nashville and responded when black performers Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley incorporated a little bit of country or rockabilly into their songs. Likewise, many white GIs listened and danced to R&B and blues in the slightly more integrated environment of World War II. By the 1950s, many key market segments (mainly young people, often living in Southern or Midwestern regions) had developed-the appeal of the music was too universal to remain in the minority culture. In his speech at the 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Elton John acknowledged the contributions of these early R&B performers. He said, “Every person owes their musical heritage to their influence; we owe our heritage to black artists because that was the best music to listen to,” adding sentiments about the influence they had on his career.