La Voz de Galicia – November 1, 2024 →
I had a bunch of ideas jotted down for today’s column. I was going to talk about my recent fascination with the life of Little Richard, the rock and roll legend who inspired Mick Jagger, The Beatles, and David Bowie. The self-proclaimed “originator” who, beyond being an explosion of energy and talent, and a pioneer in countless musical and social aspects, was also a person full of contradictions, which he openly displayed throughout his career and public life. I was also going to talk about my fascination with the great Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the gospel guitarist and singer who was already a sensation in the 1930s and served as an inspiration for Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and Eric Clapton. A pioneer of the electric guitar and distortion, with a magnetic, unique, and unmistakable style that laid the foundation for what we know today as rock and roll—a genre that has been whitened and masculinized throughout history. And about Mahalia Jackson, the queen of gospel who played a strong role in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. And her accompanist, Mildred Falls, a musician about whom there is still so much to learn…
All this to try and redirect my thoughts which, at this time of year, on the eve of All Souls’ Day, and with everything happening in the world around us, tend toward pessimism. All this to remind myself, in less than 300 words, that as long as there’s even a spark of interest in discovering what we didn’t know, as long as we have the will to keep learning, the hope of wanting to make this world a more humane place becomes a little more bearable…
