Black Music Project
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thread 1/16
When Colonel Tom Parker saw Elvis, he knew he'd uncovered a gold mine because he'd found a White artist who could perform reasonably in a "Black style." By 1956 #Elvis reached stratospheric heights singing Black music—a level of fame that Black performers of that time could only dream of. {#id:395180#}
"He's White" Scene | ELVIS (2022) - YouTube

Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks) finds out Elvis is white. Scene from Baz Luhrmann's Elvis (2022) featuring Austin Butler as Elvis Presley.

09:31 AM - May 07, 2023
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Black Music Project
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thread 2/16
The same year #Elvis cut his 1st record in 1953, a Black child named Larry Johnson was born in Deland, Fl. Larry's mother was the church organist who steeped him in gospel music. Larry and his brothers loved soul, doo-wop, R&B, and #motown and formed a {#id:395187#} wannabe group but never made it big.
09:32 AM - May 07, 2023
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Larry and his family moved to #boston in the early 70s. It was there in 1980 that he changed his name to {#id:395196#} and attempted a failed solo career. So Larry, now Maurice, turned to production, looking for acts at talent shows he hosted in Roxbury, the Black section of Boston.
09:34 AM - May 07, 2023
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He discovered his 1st young diamond in the rough at one of his contests—a teen boy named Bobby. Bobby helped him recruit other kids, Mike, Ricky, and Ralph, and with another Maurice find named Ronnie, they formed Maurice's new "#Jackson5" so they called themselves #NewEdition {#id:395196#}
09:36 AM - May 07, 2023
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#NewEdition became R&B teen stars in the early 80s with Maurice writing, producing, & arranging. And the rest would've been history, except {#id:395196#} had bigger dreams like {#id:395203#} —he knew if he could find a White act that could approximate Blacks, he'd be even more successful. {#id:395180#}
09:39 AM - May 07, 2023
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thread 6/16
This may seem like a rerun, but it's not (pictured is a Rerun). This is more like a reboot. As some of you may remember, this story thread was, unfortunately, the victim of a technical snafu when that capability was first implemented. Through some hard work, we're finally going to restore it.
11:24 AM - Oct 30, 2023
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Black Music Project
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thread 7/16
Maurice was well aware of the #ElvisEffect - and he knew that a white approximation of African-American style and aesthetic would mean more mainstream opportunities. "If #NewEdition was as big as they were, I could imagine what would happen if white kids were doing the same thing." — #MauriceStarr
11:33 AM - Oct 30, 2023
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Black Music Project
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thread 8/16
Maurice proved this with his next teen boy band from Boston, a group of White kids named #NewKidsOnTheBlock . Maurice realized that Black artists singing R&B are segregated into a #marketingghetto while Whites singing R&B are given the "pop" label — call it the #ElvisEffect
11:43 AM - Oct 30, 2023
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Black Music Project
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While Maurice and #NewKidsOnTheBlock were storming the #popcharts using a watered-down Black sound, Maurice's protégés and ex-members of #NewEdition Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, and #BobbyBrown were conquering the R&B world with the latest Black sound called #NewJackSwing
01:48 PM - Oct 30, 2023
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The #NewJackSwing sound was inescapable on the #radio in the late-80s and early-90s. And its influence soon spread to #Asia and became the heart of #KPop music. Fans and historians credit South Korean musician and #producer Seo Taiji with establishing K-Pop. #SeoTaiji #SouthKorea #80s #90s #hiphop
01:52 PM - Oct 30, 2023
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Black Music Project
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thread 11/16
#SeoTaiji took New Jack's music, sound, and choreography and the style of boy bands produced by #MauriceStarr and fused it with South Korean culture to launch #KPop with his band Seo Taiji and Boys. K-Pop has evolved, but at its core, it still leans heavily on African-American conventions.
01:58 PM - Oct 30, 2023 (Edited)
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Black Music Project
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thread 12/16
Park Jiwon, the CEO of Bighit Entertainment, home to BTS, stated, "Black music is the base... there's no changing the fact that it is Black music." Today #KPop is a global phenomenon heavily influenced by Black genres such as 90s New Jack Swing, 80s hip-hop, 70s pop-soul, 60s soul, 50s doo-wop, etc
02:06 PM - Oct 30, 2023
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Black Music Project
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#MauriceStarr is behind 2 of the most influential acts in R&B & pop that leveraged the allure & power of Black music—the "musical base" for today's most popular music globally. Without him, there'd be no New Edition, NKOTB, & followers like, N'Sync, 1 Direction, & #Kpop groups li
02:12 PM - Oct 30, 2023 (Edited)
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#MauriceStarr observed Col Tom Parker closely and flipped the script using the #ElvisEffect to his advantage by creating watered-down versions of his originals. (However, he may have studied Col Tom too closely because both NKOTB and New Edition accused him of taking financial advantage of them.)
02:16 PM - Oct 30, 2023
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In 2015 Maurice suffered a stroke (also like Col Tom) and only makes limited public appearances now, but he has reconciled with at least one of his former protégés—NKOTB. #MauriceStarr #NKOTB
02:19 PM - Oct 30, 2023
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thread 16/16
The #musicaldialog between cultures has its musical base in the artistry of Blacks. But the dialog flows both ways. Please search for and explore our thread on how #Asian culture has influenced Black culture if you want to learn more. #WuTang #Jamaica #chinesejamaicans #hiphop #kungfu
02:26 PM - Oct 30, 2023
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Deb Prothero
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In response to Black Music Project.
The threading on this story has gone off and it ends after 4 spouts. Is it possible to restore this thread?
04:13 AM - Jul 03, 2023
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Clint M Clark
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In response to Black Music Project.
This is a great read! I came back to the thread to share with a huge kpop fan, but the thread count stops at 4/10. Any ideas why?
12:23 AM - Jul 03, 2023
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Jason Carton
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In response to Black Music Project.
Very cool
06:57 PM - Jul 02, 2023
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Ginnette Powell
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In response to Black Music Project.
I had a WW tell me that Elvis wasn't racist and that he didn't appropriate Black music, he appreciated it. FOH
06:34 PM - Jul 02, 2023
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Irminsul Harp
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In response to Black Music Project.
This spout was removed because the account associated with it was suspended.
06:19 PM - Jul 02, 2023
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Irminsul Harp
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In response to Black Music Project.
This spout was removed because the account associated with it was suspended.
06:16 PM - Jul 02, 2023
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dariasteigman
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In response to Black Music Project.
Thank you! I ♥️ connecting music to its historical roots. Since I know little about K-pop this helps me put it into musical context.
04:40 PM - Jul 02, 2023
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