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<\/a>This talk will reference the experiences and musical style of African American women such as P. P. Arnold, Ava Cherry, Merry Clayton, Venetta Fields, Gloria Jones, Clydie King, Claudia Lennear, and Doris Troy who brought their gospel-trained voices to hard rock during the late 1960s and 1970s as they recorded and performed in concert with artists such as David Bowie, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Humble Pie, Elton John, Lynryd Skynrd, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, the Small Faces, Steely Dan, T-Rex, and Neil Young. By putting these black background singers into the foreground and exploring the interracial, cross-gender collaborations in which they were engaged, I will demonstrate the ways they helped create the \u201cauthentic\u201d sound sought by the white artists with whom they collaborated. This consideration of the sonic presence of African American women in rock highlights the intersection of race, gender, and authenticity in the music of the classic rock era, a context in which romanticized notions of \u201cblack sound\u201d and black identity fueled the attraction (among artists and fans) to the sound these women provided. An additional goal is to draw attention to an underacknowledged aspect of black women\u2019s cultural production.<\/p>\nLight reception immediately following talk. Sponsored by the Graduate Music Society<\/a> at Boston University, the student organization of the Department of Musicology & Ethnomusicology<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Full title: \u201cAfrican American Women Vocalists and the\u00a0Sound of Race, Gender, and Authenticity in Rock and Roll\u201d A lecture by Maureen Mahon, New York University Wednesday, December 4, 2013 5:00\u20136:30 p.m. in College of Arts & Sciences Room 203 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston This talk will reference the experiences and musical style of African American … Continue reading December 4th lecture at BU: \u201cAnd the Colored Girls Go\u2026<\/span>