COLUMBUS, Ohio — June is African American Music Appreciation Month, also known as Black Music Month. It's a time to celebrate the contributions made by African American artists and musicians in the world of music.
Black music gave birth to many different music styles, including the blues, which lives on in central Ohio.
It’s called the mother of all music.
Each note is packed with a contagious vibe and soulful expression and deeply rooted in history and an undeniable message.
“If you've lived long enough and you've had some heartache and some pain and some losses, and death and children and bills, everybody knows the blues. The thing is to get the blues and not let the blues get you," said Shaun Booker, lead vocalist for the Shaun Booker Dammit band.
Booker has traveled the world singing the blues.
“I’ve been singing since I was three. I had my first paid band when I was 14. And I’m not going to tell you how old I am now," Booker said.
Influenced by many greats, including the late Tina Turner, music has always been the one thing this Youngstown native said she could trust, much like those who came well before her.
Blues started in the late 1800s, evolving from religious spirituals sung in church and work songs chanted in fields.
“Blues is the story of the survivor," Booker said.
The blues formed the foundation of contemporary American music.
Paving the way for nearly every genre from soul and jazz to pop and rock.
"People like Elvis. Where do you think he got it from? Big mama Thornton was talking about hound dog before Elvis was born," Booker said.
The blues also greatly influenced the cultural and social lives of African Americans - the music amplifying their voices and perspectives.
"There's things and conversations I could have with people, musically, that would probably run them away. If I were just speaking, it would sound like preaching, or what sound political. But when I’m writing a song, I can have these conversations and not offend anyone.”
While much has changed in the music industry over the years, Booker said there are still hurdles many Black people face.
“It's really hard. But I am not playing and I'm not scared. If my family could be sharecroppers coming out of slavery, my great great grandfather was in the civil war. He helped to free us along with Abraham Lincoln. I got the receipts for that. So whatever they endured, i cannot have it any worse than what they endured. And because they endured it, therefore i am, and i don't complain. I got a lot better than them. And i want for the next generation. They have a lot better than me," Booker said.
The Shaun Booker Dammit band has an album out entitled, "Angry Blues." They also have several performances scheduled.