White Supremacy in Music?
Minstrel performers took music from black performers and made it their own. In order to be a successful minstrel performer, you had to be authentic. Many claimed they traveled to the south and had heard first hand the black musicians play their music. The black men used what resources they had to make their music, which is why it was so authentic. For example, instead of a drum, they would use their hands and feet to create a beat. In a sense, the white man “stole” their music and made it popular. Many would dress up as black men and perform. This would put an emphasis on their “whiteness”. Also, the posters that advertised the shows would make the white men who were painted black look strange and unnatural, this would draw people in. The sound of white people imitating black people eventually turned into what we know today as country music.