| The Roots |

For the past four years the City of Toronto, in response to requests by the Black Music Association-Toronto Chapter (BMA-TC), has proclaimed June Black Music Month.

Black Music Month was actually first recognized in the early 1970's by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, through the efforts of the US-based Black Music Association (BMA).
The goal of the BMA was to help stimulate the Black music industry and create greater support for Black artists. Accordingly the BMA-TC, led by writer and musicologist Norman Otis Richmond, has been consistent in petitioning various agencies north of the US border to recognize June as Black Music Month.

Black music is recognized world-wide as being the backbone of the contemporary Pop, Rock, or Urban music industry. Audiences in Britain and Europe were thrilled when they first heard the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a gospel choir from Tennessee in 1873. Since then music lovers throughout the world have embraced all forms of Black music including Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Pop, Reggae, Hi-life, Black Classical Music, Rock & Roll, Calypso, and Hip-Hop. World-wide, audiences continue to feel and appreciate the influence of Black music and musical artists of African heritage such as Bob Marley, Bessie Smith, Abbey Lincoln, Whitney Houston, Tracey Chapman, Curtis Mayfield, Osibisa, George Clinton, James Brown, Little Richard, King Sunny Ade, The Staple Singers, and many more.

The talent and influence of many Black musicians have enriched the Canadian music industry. Ontario is fortunate to be home to many gifted and accomplished Black music stars including ahdri zhina mandiela, Oscar Peterson, Jodie Drake, Lillian Allen, Dream Warriors, Lorraine Scott, Salome Bey, J.W. McGee, Michie Mee, Sharron McLeod, Nu Black Nation and others.

Over the years, Canadian organizations promoters, community radio stations such as the BMA-TC, Jones & Jones, L.I.P. Entertainment, Toronto's CKLN-FM, CIUT-FM, CHRY-FM, Montreal's CKUT-FM, or Halifax's CKDU-FM and many more, publicly recognize the myriad contributions of Canadian and international Black music performers.

According to recent statistical reports Black communities and other communities of Colour comprise approximately 50% of the consumer population in Toronto, Canada's leading urban entertainment centre. Yet despite this fact, along with the richness of Black music and the wealth of talented artists in Canada, access to appropriate representation and distribution within the music industry for the majority of these, and other alternative music artists, remains extremely limited. The majority of radio airplay in support of these artists can be found primarily on community and campus-community radio stations, certain CBC programs (our national public broadcaster), 'specialty' programs on mainstream radio stations. The most television support for these artists can be found mainly on non-profit community programs found exclusively on cable TV networks (ie. Rogers Cable); mainstream TV like MuchMusic, CITY-TV, some CBC-TV programs, and occasionally on other TV stations.

Special thanks to Norman Otis Richmond for sharing his experience and info which has been the inspiration for this page. He produces and hosts a popular Black music radio show called Diasporic Music on CKLN-FM 88.1 in Toronto every Thursday night 8-10 PM. Norman Otis Richmond can be reached at (416) 408-2817.

Stay tuned to this website for Black Music Month updates throughout the month of June. Drop us a note at konekshuns to receive regular info about what's happening in the Canadian Black music scene Funksters United Network (FUN), our non-profit venture dedicated to uplifting the spirit and learning about Black music.

For more info about Black Music on the Web, check our Links highlights.