#aplit15hurstonsinger

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.