Celebrating African American Music Appreciation Month!

That’s right, it’s African American Music Appreciation Month, an annual celebration of African American music in the United States, better yet, around the globe. Decreed by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979 as “Black Music Month”, this is a time when we celebrate the innovation, the creation, the inspiration, the contribution, the sensation and the jubilation of the great works of African American artists. Geniuses who have influenced artists of most all genres of music over the years. It was given its current name (A.A.M.A.M.) by President Barack Obama in 2009. During President Obama’s proclamation he stated that African-American music and musicians have helped the country “to dance, to express our faith through song, to march against injustice, and to defend our country’s enduring promise of freedom and opportunity for all.” Any wonder why these two are among my favorite presidents?

So in honor of this month, drum roll please…

I’m bringing back the music mixes!

That’s right! The ballads, the dance music, the mid-tempo grooves and so much more! Yes, even more previously unheard collections from R&B/Pop/Soul/Funk/HipHop/Jazz artists of today and yesteryear! In case you’ve forgotten or didn’t know, #iAmOldSchool – 70s Child, 80s Teen.

Unlike previous music mix posts, I will not warn you to listen as soon as possible (knowing that they wouldn’t be up long). This time around, they’re all going to be up all month long (and beyond)!

That being said, well, there IS nothing else to say. You can start here by clicking the links to previous music mix posts below (note: old emailed blog posts will not work – link from here). I am re-linking those old blog posts to the Soundcloud collection. So enjoy yourself, share the mixes with others and let me know what you think and would like to hear! I have over 20,000 songs in my music collection, which I’ve been amassing since I was a child (including the record collection I’ve inherited from my father).

And remember, there will be more mixes posted throughout the month, so if you haven’t already signed up for email notifications of future posts, I suggest you do so now at the bottom.

So let’s get it started! Happy African American Music Appreciation Month, y’all!

• Earth, Wind & Fire 3-Day Music Mix (Vol. 1): Earth
• Earth, Wind & Fire 3-Day Music Mix (Vol. 2): Wind
• Earth, Wind & Fire 3-Day Music Mix (Vol. 3): Fire
• Earth, Wind & Fire 3-Day Music Mix (Volumes 4&5): The Elements (Bonus Mixes)
• Luther Vandross Music Mix (Vol. 1)
• Luther Vandross Music Mix (Vol. 2)
• Prince (Vol. 1): Old School Hits Music Mix
• Prince (Vol. 2): Purple Madness
• Prince (Vol. 3): Lavender Love, Lace & Lingerie
• Babyface Music Mix (The Ballads)
• The Michael Jackson / Jackson 5 Music Mix (Day 1 of 3)
• The Michael Jackson / Jackson 5 Music Mix (Day 2 of 3)
• The Michael Jackson / Jackson 5 Music Mix (Day 3 of 3)
• The Mother’s Day Tribute Music Mix (Happy Mother’s Day!)

Note: I often receive requests to leave more mixes up for longer periods. Well, to do so, requires a Premium account (as opposed to the free account which allows a total of 2 hours of listening). So yes, it costs money to provide this to you. If you’d like to make a donation, feel free to CashApp me at $Zoot580. That’s how you can help me keep these mixes up, for as long as you want… …and keep on adding! Thanks in advance!