#aplit15hurstonsinger

[lexgallagher]

Madonna - Like A Prayer

When her songs came out inthe 80′s they were never heard of before, and influenced may artists like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and more to do something different.  

[mackenzie-blomberg-blog]

I think that John Legend branched from Nina Simone. Obviously there was multiple other influences in his life, but he'd mentioned her as one of his major influences. I'd actually seen a movie (Beyond the Lights) with Nina Simone's "Blackbird" re-done and immediately fell in love. When assigned this, my immediate thought went to that song, and it wasn't until I'd done some research behind the movie that I'd discovered it was originally Nina Simone's. Not only do both sing about similar issues here, but they are both very soulful in the way that they produce their music. These are the closest songs I could find to each other- both sharing the same soft-yet-meaningful sound.

[annabajoreksblog]

I think we wouldn't have a lot of the singers we have today without the influences of Etta James. She has a beautiful voice and set a lot of standards for singers to come. One of her most popular songs, "At Last!" is a good example of the style and range vocally she set for today's singers. Her influences have a wide range from the blues and jazz to rock and roll.

[tonymulka]

When I was watching the Oscars a few weeks ago I have to say I was rather moved by this song, seeing everyone crying in their seats. In the acceptance speech, John Legend quotes Nina Simone saying “It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times in which we live.” I have only heard one of her songs, and from listening to it I would never have guessed that she was a civil rights activist. After learning a little about her I would say every artist owes something to Simone, by reflecting their world into their music. I can't say for certain if Simone's sound was revolutionary or paved the way for new musicians, but the idea of spreading a positive message and reaching people through music has reached John Legend, Common, and any other artist who is inspired by a cause.

[oliviahelland]

While I listen to the list of singers my attention was caught by Billie holiday. Hence I began listening to more and more of her songs while researching about her. Later that day, I was telling my dad about the prompt, and he quickly mentioned the connection between Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse. So afterward I began researching Amy Winehouse and listening to her songs. Both of these women were truly talented singers who had uniquely beautiful voices; however, they both ended there lives short because of some poor decisions in their lives.

[julienn-horton-blog]

When I started listening Nina Simone for this post, I kept listening to more and more of her music. You don't hear to much music on the radio these days that sound like her, but the influence is still there. For example, many artists still hold on to her tones and I listened to even more music on Spotify and found an artist that reminded me of her...

-Lianne La Havas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcXl6CDqpvY

Her song ^ is fairly popular. The two music styles are different, but it reminded me Simone. La Havas is more known for being a folk and soul artist.

-Nina Simone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn5tiuZU4JI

Both songs are fast paced and are unique in their style, and they each have passion in their music, that every artist should have.

[alexandraloyd-blog]

I did some research on Aretha Franklin and it said that she met Whitney Houston when she (Houston) was just a little girl and fell in love with her talent. Aretha Franklin adopted Whitney Houston as her “god-daughter”; (not officially, but they were close friends) I think that Whitney Houston’s voice owes something to Aretha Franklin because she was not only her mentor, but also inspired her music style. Whitney Houston as an artist without the influence of Aretha Franklin would have been totally different.

The two sang a duet together called “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be” http://youtu.be/rDhSJM4JYO8

[annahorton123-blog]

A beautiful and fabulous artist influenced by Billie Holiday would be my favorite Frank Sinatra. Both of them have a deep soulful sound. Both artists are slow singing. It’s like they make sure that each word is packed with as much emotion as possible.

Billie Holiday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

Frank Sinatra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

Obviously both artists are distinctly different in their content. But then again, both artists are very different people. It’s just their sound that makes me want to fall asleep.