Gulf Coast Highway

Follow behind a parade in New Orleans and you'll still be a part of the show. Whether a parade was organized for a celebration or funeral, honorees and others in the main procession would be followed by a "second line" of participants hoping to get closer to the rhythms of the brass bands. The term "second line" would come to be associated with brass band music and the fancy footwork that accompanies it.

New Orleans has a long tradition of brass bands, dating back to the early 20th century. Consisting mostly of brass instruments like trumpets and trombones and percussion, brass bands played a blend of European military band music, African folk music, and jazz.

The brass band tradition experienced a revival in the 1970s and 1980s when bands like the Rebirth Brass Band and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band laced traditional sounds with funk, hip hop, bebop, and R and B.

In the early 19th century, the fertile delta of northwest Mississippi gave rise to a thriving cotton industry. As White cotton planters turned profits, Blacks toiling in their fields turned to singing and hollering to lighten their load, pass the time, and communicate with each other. Early Mississippi Delta blues songs reflect Southern Blacks' struggle to cope with racial oppression, illiteracy, and poverty.

As worksongs grew in length and complexity, blues music moved from the fields to juke joints. Musicians like Charley Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson accompanied their harsh, raspy vocals (sometimes spoken rather than sung) with powerful, driving rhythms on the guitar or harmonica.

The Delta blues style continues to be characterized by raw vocalizing and rhythmic intensity. In addition, Delta blues musicians often employ slide techniques, meaning they move a glass or metal tube called a slide along a guitar's strings to change the notes.

Composer Thomas A. Dorsey and other pioneers of gospel music helped open the church doors to music considered sinful by conservative churchgoers. In the 1930s, Dorsey livened up the hymnal by incorporating elements of blues and jazz. Early "Sanctified" churches also influenced the restrained environment of mainline churches. Sanctified preachers encouraged the congregation to spontaneously burst into improvised musical lines to express their faith.

Following in the footsteps of this stylistic freedom, groups such as the Golden Gate Quartet and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi began ad-libbing in their jubilee style of gospel music. Jubilee is characterized by a strong, pumping bass, and lead vocals that ride the line between spoken and sung.

The Golden Gate Quartet and other four-part choral groups showcased stunning solos and intricate harmonies. The tradition of gospel quartets continues to lift the spirits of both its listeners and participants in concert halls and churches alike.

In the 1600s, African-born slaves in the United States were prohibited from playing-or even possessing-musical instruments. Regardless, the plantation fields still swayed with music as Blacks sung a capella (without instruments) to the rhythms of work.

Slaveowners strove to Christianize their slaves, and many Blacks sympathized with the struggle of Jesus and found comfort in the hope of heaven. Slaves were forbidden from gathering, but conducted religious services in secret. At these meetings, informal worksongs evolved into intricate songs of redemption, struggle, and Christian faith that came to be known as "spirituals."

The multi-part harmonies of these spirituals set in motion a long tradition of Black choral music.

In the late 19th century, Harry Burleigh-a protege of Antonin Dvorak-took the musical style to new heights with choral arrangements informed by his classical training. Modern choral music takes on many different forms, and is often accompanied by the piano, percussion, and bass.