Perceptions
Overcoming perceptions are generally a common
practice for the average individual whose reputation precedes him. The
perception could derive from a brief encounter, when the person is having a bad
day. It could even come from a generalized category from hanging with a
certain crowd. What about when it comes from the history of your state?
Mississippi has it own pre-conceived identity. Most are surprised that we can read, wear
shoes, can speak intelligently and some even have a solid education. Working for the Jackson Convention and
Visitors Bureau, I’ve had calls from potential visitors and they want to know
if it’s “safe” to visit. Typically, I
think they have concerns about crime, since there has been an increase
regarding crime in the news. Surprisingly,
they can identify my voice as an African-American and they have concerns about
racial harmony and want to know if a lynching is possible? Seriously!
With all of these pre-conceived ideas about our state, it made me wonder
how does it affect the music industry as it relates to our state? Is the factor in securing viable
artists? Do they fear their safety as it
relates to their ethnicity? I guess it’s
kind of like any other new thing you want to try, unless someone you know has
tried, you may not trust what others are telling you.
I also thought about another pre-conceived ideas concerning music in our
state. We are known for the Delta
blues. Mississippi Mass has definitely
made its mark on the gospel industry. We
have other artists such as the legendary Williams Brothers, Canton Spirituals,
and Lee Williams just to name a few.
I guess thinking about this topic, a flood-gate of thoughts rushed
through my mind. What pre-conceived
ideas are there about musicians here? I
attended a concert this weekend featuring gospel artist James Fortune and
Fiya. They are an awesome group with
major vocal talents. They performed to
tracks. Did they have a pre-conceived
idea about musicians here? Did they not
trust that they were capable of capturing the arrangement on their cd? If they were in another city like, Detroit,
would they have performed to tracks?
Well I guess, I’ll probably never know the answer to that, but the promoter
hired a “house” band to fill in where needed.
Well, I won’t say that these were not good musicians, but I will say
they did not help the case. They didn’t
seem sure of themselves and didn’t have a seasoned band sound. So, I guess whatever James Fortune thought
prior to coming was magnified by that experience.
Future promoters please don’t hire a band without experience and solid
credits for artist of that caliber. They
are easily accessible through a simple Google search for album credits. I’ve provided my husband’s. They are not accurate and missing a lot, but
that’s another blog.
It was not a good look and we really missed an opportunity to show what
Mississippi has to offer.
(2012). Giving Credits their Due. Retrieved on June 3, 2012 from
http://albumcredits.com/Profile/732558
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