Customer Reviews

35 Song Hits by Great Black Songwriters: Bert Williams, Eubie Blake, Ernest Hogan and Others

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In fact, one who was not as familiar with popular ragtime era composers may be amazed at how many recognizable tunes were written by black composers, even some of the more notorious 'coon songs.' It's not about THE COVERS, and taken in context of the time it was produced, the more enlightened person in the 21st century should recognize that. The great Some Of These Days, the poignant Nobody, the ebullient I'm Just Wild About Harry, and the hysterical Come After Breakfast just begin to speak to the depth of these writers, the few who did get a break in a white-dominated publishing world. In fact, a second collection of the same size would be just as good, and hardly constitute a complete representation of writing skills and styles. And even if you aren't looking for historical value, the entertainment derived from this collection is certainly of the highest order. This book promotes the ACHIEVEMENTS more so than focusing on the negative aspects. So celebrate not just Black history but American history by ordering the book now.

This book contains original covers of the sheet music contained within. Many of the covers portray African-Americans in an extremely racist and derogatory manner. I feel that when material like this is published there must be some introductory material that explains how and why blacks were forced to endure this type of promotion in order to have their work published. The failure to do so makes the book dangerous.