Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women's Music PDF
Preview Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women's Music
Songs in Black and Lavender Race, Sexual Politics, and Women’s Music Eileen M. Hayes Foreword by Linda Tillery songs in black and lavender Hayes_Songs text.indd 1 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM african american music in global perspective Portia K. Maultsby and Mellonee V. Burnim, Series Editors Archives of African American Music and Culture Indiana University a list of books in the series appears at the end of this book. Hayes_Songs text.indd 2 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM Songs in Black and Lavender race, sexual politics, and women’s music eileen m. hayes Foreword by Linda Tillery university of illinois press urbana, chicago, and springfield Hayes_Songs text.indd 3 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM ©2010 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 c p 5 4 3 2 1 ∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hayes, Eileen M. Songs in Black and lavender : race, sexual politics, and women’s music / Eileen M. Hayes ; foreword by Linda Tillery. p. cm. — (African American music in global perspective) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-252-03514-2 (cloth : alk. paper) isbn 978-0-252-07698-5 (pbk : alk. paper) 1. African American women—Music—History and criticism. 2. Women’s music—History and criticism. 3. Women’s music festivals—United States. 4. Feminism and music—United States. 1. Title. ml82.h42 2010 780.82'0973—dc 2009038148 Hayes_Songs text.indd 4 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM Some say feminism is dead. Others say black feminism stopped by but left in a hurry. A few claim that “women’s music” is dull; “Besides,” they say, “Bessie Smith is so last century.” Others don’t know any lesbians and would rather watch them on TV. It was chic to be lesbian—last year. They say you can’t be black, lesbian, and musical at the same time. Maybe you can be black, lesbian, and love music—but if so, you probably can’t dance, and if you can, you don’t care about social change. Lots of folks say all these things. This book is not dedicated to them. Hayes_Songs text.indd 5 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM Hayes_Songs text.indd 6 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM contents foreword by linda tillery ix introduction 1 1. Diary of a Mad Black Woman Festigoer 9 2. Reconnaissance: Entering a Music Festival Scene 32 3. After the Golden Age: Negotiating Perspective 46 4. Nappy (and Deep) Roots: Streams of Musical and Political Influence 64 5. “Ideal Relationships”: Women’s Music Audiences 78 6. Redistricting: Gay and Black Outdoors 89 7. Legacy: Musicians of the Next Generation 114 8. Working for the Weekend: Festival Organizers and Workers 131 9. Guys like Us: Community Membership Revisited 148 conclusion 175 dreamgirls: a star-gazer’s guide to musicians 179 acknowledgments 181 notes 185 discography of black musicians in women’s music 213 bibliography 217 index 229 Hayes_Songs text.indd 7 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM Hayes_Songs text.indd 8 1/25/10 11:05:15 AM foreword Linda Tillery Songs in Black and Lavender is an ambitious undertaking that provides the reader with an incisive and thought-provoking analysis of a musical space that has been significantly reconfigured since its emergence in the early 1970s. As has been true with all major political or social movements, the concept of “women’s music” was born out of a need for free expression and self-identification. Previ- ously there had been no outlet for the cultural expression of woman-identified (lesbian feminist) ideologies. The radical women’s movement of the 1970s held out hope that women of all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds would be able to measure themselves by their own standards and not those of the dominant male cul- ture. Women who loved women could now openly express their passions and desires—an entire new culture emerged. For one glorious week at women’s mu- sic festivals, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual women gathered to exchange political ideas, hawk their wares, make love, engage in ideological debate, and feel safe from the threat of domestic violence, rape, and the many challenges women face in the outside world. Lesbian identity and sexuality were validated. Transgenders raised their voices, too, and educated us in the process. High expectations were associated with this new way of life. There were to be no stars, no dominant musical forms, and all artists would be given an equal chance to be selected for one of the performance stages. As the movement grew, so did the inevitable clashes of class, race, and privilege. Through ignorance or innocence—probably a little of both—there arose the assumption that every woman experienced the movement in the same way, that women viewed the world through the same lens. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Hayes_Songs text.indd 9 1/25/10 11:05:16 AM
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