ABSTRACT
The Black woman’s voice heralds the African American experience on the global platform. In countries where few, if any, Black people reside, African America is still known by its women singers – reference the world-wide popularity of Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston. This singular representation of African America can be viewed as problematically reinforcing the essentialist “all Black people can sing” stereotype. However, well-known Black female popular singers do indeed symbolize African American identity, because it is Black women’s vocality that defines the group’s sound culture: a sound culture that narrates the African American experience. Building on historical research in African American studies on Black music and Black women’s vocality, this chapter argues that Black women singers, both professionalized and vernacular, not only demarcate the Africanity of Black America but have historically inspired, empowered, and facilitated the group’s long struggle for freedom: from the Hush Arbors of slavery to the blues and beyond. This chapter examines the WPA Slave Narratives, African American autobiography, archival interviews and recordings, and theories of power to examine the role of the Black woman’s voice in sounding the identity of African America and its clarion call.
