Black entertainers were kept from drinking from the same bars as white people. Its well-documented that African American entertainers were allowed to play to white audiences however, when it came to places to stay, places to eat, or people to socialize with, Black performers weren’t allowed to be around white people or use white spaces. During the Great Migration from 1910 to 1920, Omaha’s Black population doubled from almost 5,000 to 10,315, boosting musicianship, innovation, and the stature of music in North Omaha. I hope I do any of it justice in this article, and if I don’t, if I miss things, or otherwise fail this goal, I hope you’ll share your thoughts in the comments section.ĭiscrimination in North Omaha’s Music Sceneįrom the earliest years, there was plenty of white supremacy at work in Omaha’s music scene. The music of North Omaha belongs to people who feel it, make it, appreciate it, collect it, or learn it. There have been important places for music, people affecting music, and musical events in the community for at least 170-plus years. African Americans enriched North Omaha’s musicianship, and today music continues. European migrants came with orchestral music and folk songs, religious music and more. Before Europeans arrived, Native American tribes had music for recreation, religion, courting, and more. Of course, there has always been music in North Omaha. Whether it is jazz, soul, blues, hip hop, gospel, pop, punk, metal, a cappella, do-wop, or any of the other plethora kinds of music that has been played, made, loved or just listened to, North Omaha has a deep musical heritage that needs to be acknowledged. But as a singer, there is music I want to try and sing as a historian, there is music I want to share. That might sound cheesy, but I want to acknowledge that there is music that as a white person, I just can’t understand as a dad, there is music I don’t want my young child to hear. Before diving into the specifics of North Omaha’s musical heritage, let explain this: Music belongs to the heart that feels it.
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