Celebrating Pioneers of Music
Tina Turner (Hermann J. Knippertz/AP), Missy Elliott (courtesy of the artist), and George Clinton (Angela Rowlings/AP Photo)
WFUV loves to celebrate musicians — and throughout February, we're honoring and spinning game-changing, pioneering Black artists who have shaped the soundtrack of our lives. We're also switching up the genres — expect jazz, blues, country, hip-hop, pop, soul, rock, funk and just about everything that has defined American (and international) culture and artistry over the last 100 years.
Whether you're pining for a sultry sax run from John Coltrane, B.B. King's ballsy blues, or Missy Elliott's deft flows — we'll take unexpected detours and explore well-known mainstays, lost treasures, and fresh classics. We're breaking down the weeks and days like this, shouting out the genre makers and breakers during Black History Month:
January 31: All genres, all day, from 6 a.m. to midnight
Beginning February 1: Jazz and hip-hop songs featured each hour
Week of February 7: Rock, blues, country, and Americana songs featured each hour
Week of February 14: Soul, R&B, and funk songs featured each hour
Week of February 21: Pop and disco songs featured each hour
We've also reached out to a new generation of rising artists and innovators, including ARIA-winning Ghanaian-Australian singer and rapper Genesis Owusu and rising Nashville-based country star Brittney Spencer, to talk about the "Five Essential Albums" that have guided them creatively and personally, which you can find below.
Stay tuned for the pioneers who have changed music, and the music that's changed us all.
More
Genesis Owusu: Five Essential Albums
Brittney Spencer: Five Essential Albums
Algiers' Franklin James Fisher: Five Essential Albums
Sons of Kemet's Theon Cross: Five Essential Albums
Gabriels' Jacob Lusk: Five Essential Albums
Ibeyi: Five Essential Albums (Plus One)
