Feeding the Soul: Black Music, Black Thought

An Africa-centered framework unifies these essays about misconceptions in standard accounts of the evolution of black music. Topics are cross-disciplinary and include Africa and the African diaspora, American black popular music, black consciousness and art, black message music, and the future of rap. Also included are poems by Nicole Sealey and Sandra Turner-Barnes; personal narratives by gospel music scholar James E. Adams and blues musician Byard Lancaster; and interviews with Katherine DeChavis, Kenny Gamble, Wynton Marsalis, Trudy Pitts, Shirley Scott, Ira Tucker, and McCoy Tyner. Rare archival photographs of musical pioneers complete this collection that leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich traditions of black music.

Diane Turner is developing materials for the "Lest We Forget" Museum of African American Slavery in Philadelphia. She is a former professor of black studies at Camden County College and Rowan University. She is the author of scholarly articles and book chapters, including a notable interview with Molefi K. Asante in the Journal of Black Studies. She lives in Philadelphia.