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W 3 K A is a Content, Goods and Services provider. A Blacks and African Americans Site by W 3 K A Publishing is dedicated to the Black People of America. We have gathered together the pioneers in the fields of politics, religion, business and the professions, who were recognized by America for achievement. "In the the field of music, perhaps more than in any other field, the preeminence of the African American was acknowledged by the nation... their contributions not only made a decisive impact on the existing style of music in the Western Tradition, they also gave birth to a new style of music." - The Music Of Black Americans: A History, by Eileen Southern. Created specifically for the Web we specialize in the Golden Age of Gospel Music, those hard to find songs of inspiration, salvation, comfort and strength.The mission of W 3 K A is to present an introduction to the Beautiful Tapestry that is the Intellectual Landscape of Black America. We concentrate primarily on commercially successful works, due to their wider dissemination, and we felt these items would serve as touchstones for serious researchers and as sources of fond memories for the rest of us. Our focus is on making available to you something we are proud to have brought you and things our families would feel good about. To further this end we have formed strategic alliances with the two best run retail operations on the World Wide Web.
W 3 K A is proud to be associated with Amazon.com Earth's Biggest Bookstore. In our efforts to bring you the best service in the world, we were impressed with their track record and the consistent appearance of their name in the lists of the top ten best run Web businesses. When it comes to book sales nobody does it better. Meet the people at Amazon.com's site.
But our specialty is the Golden Age of Gospel Music and that took a special partner to fulfill the backend of this operation. One as sensitive as our other partner to the needs of our guests.
CD Universe fit the bill perfectly. Also one of the Web's top 10 best run companies, we formed a partnership with them. Their philosphy of the most music, the best prices; solved our problem of passing on the savings of doing business on the Web.
W 3 K A believes the result of these strategic alliances is the formation of the Premier Africentric Resource on the Web. We have selected items, that we feel portray African Americans as we see ourselves; not some media created caricature. If an item is controversial it must be educational or have some redeeming value. Being online we are sensitive to the diverse communities we are privileged to serve and we do business with this simple philosophy:
Good Old Fashioned Family Values Headquartered in New York W 3 K A, with more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment business, is uniquely positioned to cut through the hype to bring you the Information You Can Use To Cut To The Chase For Your Goals!
If you see something that interest you, follow the link. We strongly encourage you to use your back button on your browser to return to your point of origin. The Web is a fascinating montage of information and it is very easy to become side tracked in your purpose. So to save time we encourage the use of your back button to maintain your focus when following links. Take a dry run to our "Policy page" to practice using your back button.
Our sites are miracles in the making, so feel free to explore and enjoy!
Let us begin at the begining. A great resource for understanding and appreciating the music of Black America is Eileen Southern's excellent book The Music Of Black Americans: A History - 3rd Edition (1997). From monumental figures such as Frederick Douglas, Solomon Northrup, W.E.B. DuBois, W.C. Handy, Ethel Waters, Dizzy Gillispie, Imari Baraka, and Mahalia Jackson to Charles "Barney" Hicks, Lew Johnson, Hale Smith, and J.Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson, including Will Smith, and Queen Latifah. She covers 377 years of Black men and women making their "song in a strange land."
The definative roadmap to the Beautiful Tapestry that is the Intellectual Landscape of Black America, is the book edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay, titled, The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (1997). A masterful execution showcasing the intellectual production of Blacks in America. Covering over 200 years and featuring more than 120 writers, no home should be without this stunning testimony to what America is all about as seen through keen insights from the hearts and minds of African Americans.
Horace Clarence Boyer, he lived the life he writes about, with some great photos by Lloyd Yearwood. Horace Clarence Boyer is a great resource and a national treasure. How Sweet The Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel!O U T S T A N D I N G
Wyatt Tee Walker. Somebody's Calling My Name: Black Sacred Music and Social Change. The Archetect of the Civil rights Movement. His grasp of the complex makes it simple to understand. His story of the origins and our applications of the songs frequently used in Black religious life is an inspiration to even those who refuse to see a way out of no way.
Michael W. Harris The Rise of Gospel Blues: The Music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey in the Urban Church. From the little boy with no self esteem, to successful blues artist to the man who taught us to sing, Precious Lord Take My Hand. He helped change our relationship with God.
Bernice Johnson Reagon, Editor. We'll Understand It Better By and By. An excusion into the nurturing institution for one of the world's greatest music cultures. Interviews with Gospels greatest composers by Gospels most renowned scholars.
"Lena Horne, she's so beautiful." For years I thought that was her name. That's how everyone spoke of Ms. Horne. The Lady And Her Music: Live on Broadway. The story she chronicles is the story of every Black worker in America. Ms. Horne has always commanded our attention and always rewarded us handsomely in return. To hear her sing "When I Was Young", reminds us all of some similar incident in our own lives. "Stormy Weather," her signature song is given the royal treatment. But it is from the dialog in this one woman show, that one gleans what it was like growing up Black in the America of yesterday.A U D I O
Miles Davis, near the end of his life, joined Quincy Jones to record Live At Montreux: Miles Davis/Quincy Jones.For more than 40 years Miles denied his fans the pleasure of hearing him play his most popular recordings. Jones was the only one who could persuade Miles to play the hits that made him famous. Their collaboration is a tribute to life, "without apology, or shame, of weakness, age and pain..." The Birth of The Cool, Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches Of Spain, enjoy the trip.
Mahalia Jackson recorded the first million selling Gospel record. For more than a generation she was Gospel music to millions around the world. A devout Baptist, she along with others, groomed The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be the symbol of non-violence in one of the most turbulent eras in American history. 16 Most Requested Songs. Here You'll find one of the most sought after Gospel songs ever included in a major motion picture. No introduction to the Black experience in America would be valid without the inclusion of this great woman.
Lou Rawls, the national spokesman for the United Negro College Fund exposes the bleakness of urban life in "Dead End Street." Changes gears in the down home blues "Your Good Thing Is About To Come To An End" and bemoans the conditions that inspired the great migration in "Tobbaco Road." Love Is A Hurting Thing: The Silk And Soul Of Lou Rawls. Listen to his monologs and see the blues.
We access the world of Nat "King" Cole through one of the most innovative and imaginative artists of the latter half of the 20th century, his daughter, Ms. Natalie Cole. An inspiration to millions, she is a living testimony to the resilience and the determination of the Black spirit in America. Rising above personal tragedy and successfully negotiating the potholes of the road to fortune and fame her recording Unforgettable pays a fitting tribute to her father's immense repertoir in a manner only She could pull off.
Curtis Mayfield. No other artist has captured the hopes and aspirations or defined the Black psyche the way he did. We sang his songs like so many mantras during the Civil Rights Struggle. The Anthology 1961 - 1977, includes the songs "We're A Winner," "Keep on Pushing" which we used to bolster our confidence and when the dirty tricks were employed we sang "Freddy's Dead." Somewhere in all of us is a bit of Curtis Mayfield.
Aretha Franklin the daughter of the Reverand C. L. Franklin is the only artist in history to have a successful Gospel career and a successfull R&B career at the same time. Featuring some of the giant talents of the day Amazing Grace was, is and always will be one of the greatest recordings ever made. Guest artist James Cleveland, and some of Gospels all time favorite tunes. This is a must in any discography of American music.
Though Sam Cooke did not enjoy success in his Gospel and R&B careers at the same time, he did enjoy 2 highly successful recording careers. "That's Heaven To Me," "You Send Me," and the hauntingly prophetic "A Change Is Gonna Come." They're all here on The Man And His Music. The great quartet innovator is still an inspiring artist more than 25 years after his death.
R e l a t e d L i n k s
Afro-American History. "You can't get where you're going, if you don't know where you're coming from!"
PBS Online.If PBS Doesn't Do It, Who Will?
Contacting The Congress. The Ultimate Political Resource by Juan Cabanela
Small Business Administration. Make it so.
The Best Advertising Resource on the Web.
The Book. Black History.
Guerilla Marketing Online. The Web's Jomo Kenyatta.
Master Card. See the future of money and prepare.
List of Music Mailing Lists. A tutorial by Mitch Waas.
Brush Arbor Gospel Music Mailing List. A mailing list for discussion about Gospel Music:
To subscribe, send a message to brusharbor@geocities.com Subject Line: subscribe Brush Arbor and in the body text: Your Name, Town, State, Postal Code and Country you Live in. Check your E-mail address is correct and we'll do the rest.
Experience A Womans Nia on the Net. Brothers you could learn somthing from this Sister!
Get the 411 on your favorite Gospel artist. Gospel International Online
AfroAmerican Web Ring AfroAmerican Web Ring made possible by the Webring and New Dream Network.
This site is owned by w3ka@aol.com.
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