Happy Tuesday, everyone. Finally back in the school today, though of course with a two-hour delay. Not that I’m complaining. Anyway, February is Black History Month, and the 100th Anniversary of said month, so here’s a playlist to celebrate that!

1. Louis Armstrong, “Mack the Knife”: I don’t think any discussion of the impact of African Americans on American music can be considered complete without mention of Louis Armstrong. From his distinctive voice to that great trumpet playing, Satch left an indelible mark on popular music of the 20th century. Oh, and his version of “Mack the Knife” is far superior to the Bobby Darrin version, regardless of what my wife argues.
2. Tracy Chapman, “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution”: Look, we all love “Fast Car.” Everyone knows and loves “Fast Car” because it’s a cold banger, alright? But Tracy Chapman is more than just “Fast Car.” I feel like this song gets at what she was always talking about in her music even better than “Fast Car” does. She’s about that revolutionary change, that paradigm shift, that emphasis on the people who go unnamed and unnoticed. And she will not sit quietly.
3. Mon Rovia, “Heavy Foot”: I was thinking of putting together a Contemporary Protest Songs list for today instead of this playlist, but I can always do that later. This song would belong on both playlists regardless. Though the melody and instrumentation feel light and airy, folky even, the lyrical contents are heavy and weighty. The government’s on the heavy foot, and that foot was made for stepping on the necks of the people.
4. Aretha Franklin, “Chain Of Fools”: Beyonce can call herself Queen B all she wants, but I know who my queen is.
5. Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come”: That voice, man. The longing, the depth, the yearning for a better life for everyone. It doesn’t get any better than this.
6. Ray Charles, “(Night Time Is) The Right Time”: I haven’t been able to listen to this song the same way since I saw the Ray Charles biopic and saw the way he got those backing vocals from the female singer. I mean, damn, That was pretty brutal.
7. Robert Randolph & The Family Band, “I Need More Love”: Blues rock combined with sacred steel (a pedal steel guitar style) equals a banger of a song. Give it a listen and you’ll understand what I mean.
8. Rhiannon Giddens, “The Angels Laid Him Away”: American folk from someone who understands who the originally folk musicians really were.
9. Robert Johnson, “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues”: The OG Delta Bluesman, the guy who went down to the crossroads to meet with the Devil and forever had hellhounds on his tail afterwards. This guy innovated (or at least popularized) much of what we think of as blues music today.
10. Blind Willie McTell, “Dark Night Blues”: Twelve-string twelve-bar blues. The man makes the twelve-string guitar sound like an effortless instrument to play (which is no easy feat).