Don't just be the newest kid on the block, the newest rapper in the hood, or the newest rocker in the backstreet clubs if you want to make music that changes the world. Try this...
What do Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Mozart have in common? And what do they have in common with almost every other artist whose work has changed the world?
They are all unique.
But they do share something.
Each of them changed the popular music of their time by putting together styles that were already popular in a new way.
Elvis, on that famous and fateful day in Sun Studios in Memphis, let it all out and put it back together in a different way. The blues, country, gospel, and local sounds that influenced him as a child all came together to make rockabilly and rock and roll, which had never been heard before. Elvis on Ed Sullivan was also the first time that the new style of music and the new medium of television were brought together in a way that influenced generations of rock stars to pick up their first guitar.
Bob Dylan's concert was cut short when he dared to play his folk and protest music with electric instruments, drums, and a backbeat. But Dylan had his own vision for his music, which was influenced by Woody Guthrie but also by rock and roll from the last ten years and other styles. Once again, he mixed different kinds of popular music in a new way.
The Beatles...well, their style and haircuts and all that set the world on fire. The Beatles' appearance on Ed Sullivan is still one of the best moments in the history of rock music and television. But did you know that in the mid-1960s, they didn't put out a CD for almost two years? When they did, it was Sgt. Pepper, which made history because of its orchestration, song structure, and the way it put together different parts in a completely new way.
Mozart? Well, if you watch the great movie Amadeus, you'll get it better than I can explain here. But this is another example.
Johnny Cash is another name that could be brought up here. Bruce Springsteen said (not exactly) that Johnny Cash broke down barriers to communication and artistic styles. Not only did he do that, but he also showed why it was important to do so.
Many parts of Cash's music came together for the first time at different points in his career.
So, what's the point? Don't just be the newest kid on the block, the newest rapper in the hood, or the newest rocker in the backstreet clubs if you want to make music that changes the world. Do something that has never been done before by putting together popular things in a new and creative way.
Maybe this unique mix of different kinds of art is so powerful because it goes back to where the word "art" comes from. The word "art" comes from the Latin word "arte," which means "to join."
Great artists are needed in the world. Start!
