Watching The 5th Dimension perform their rousing and soulful rendition of “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” in Questlove’s Summer of Soul documentary, which I wrote about in July, got me thinking about astrological symbolism in Black music.
Whether or not someone seriously believes in astrology, the average person can probably tell you their sun sign if asked. Though viewed by most social scientists as a pseudoscience—though from an anthropological perspective it is a key element in many global cultures—references to astrology, the zodiac, planetary configurations, and cosmology have worked their way into all the Black music genres we celebrate here on #BlackMusicSunday each week.
Back in the day, I helped finance some of my college costs by doing astrology charts, which was a little more complicated than the simple Western sun sign popular astrology of “Hi, I’m a Leo, what sign are you?” often heard in clubs as an ice breaker. Let’s take a trip through the sun signs, planets, and the elements as interpreted in folk, blues, jazz, doo-wop, R&B, and pop, and give a listen to some of the music that hit the non-astrological music charts.
While Woodstock may have been billed as an “Aquarian Exposition,” and the apotheosis of white hippiedom, and while the Harlem Cultural Festival was lost to history until recently, I vividly remember the impact of that cultural shift in the Black community. We donned bell-bottoms, fringed jackets, and tie-dye too!
Though the 5th Dimension may have been marketed to a white pop-crossover market, co-lead singer Billy Davis Jr. takes us all to church toward the end of their performance of Aquarius as they call for the sun to “shine-in.”
YouTube Video
From the folk music world, in 1999, Richie Havens, who I featured in 2020 and wrote an obit for in 2013, recorded “Zodiac.”
YouTube Video
I was lucky enough to see him perform this live. He opens the song, exploring the significance of the number 12 in our cultural history, and then segues into a description of the symbolic 12 people on earth, who are represented by 12 zodiac signs:
Not all the songs referencing “signs” are uplifting. Blues artists have, over the years, sung about spells, hexes, hoodoo, and other folk beliefs, including bad and good luck, and probably the most famous tune of all in that vein is Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”—which is the title of both the 1967 single and the compilation album.
YouTube Video
From SongFacts:
Shifting into the jazz world, we find that it is full of astrological references, whether that is because the musicians were “into” astrology, or that it was viewed as “cool” I don’t know. However, as a person born under the sun sign Leo, I’ve always loved this tune by fellow Leo Mulgrew Miller, performed live here by Detroit’s Louis Hayes and the Jazz Communicators.
YouTube Video
Sticking to music aligned with my own natal (birth) chart, not only do I have sun in Leo, my moon is in Aquarius, which drew me to vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s “Aquarian Moon,” on his first quartet album, whose lineup included pianist Herbie Hancock, drummer Joe Chambers, and bassist Bob Cranshaw. Astrologers often say people with their moon in Aquarius will be drawn toward humanitarian causes. I can relate to that.
YouTube Video
The most major astrological work in jazz, which is also considered to be classical, was written by jazz pianist, arranger, and composer Mary Lou Williams, who to this day has still not been given as much attention as her male counterparts.
Seth Colter Walls, wrote about her “Zodiac Suite” for The New York Times, back in March.
YouTube Video
With Williams we explored the intersections of jazz and classical. Jazz musicians often crossed over into genres like R&B and funk. Probably the most notable of these excursions that was astrologically inclined was jazz trumpeter Nat Adderley’s 1972 release of “Soul Zodiac,” which featured astrological narration by a Los Angeles DJ Rick Holmes.
YouTube Video
Of course one of the most famous bands of all times who spanned multiple musical genres—R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, and pop was Earth, Wind & Fire whose very name was astrological.
For all you fire signs in the house, let’s close with their “Serpentine Fire.”
YouTube Video
As usual, I have too much music to explore in one story, so join me in comments to continue this astrological journey with divas like Diana Ross and Beyoncé, jazz artists Sun Ra and John Coltrane, and more.
What’s your sign?
Whether or not someone seriously believes in astrology, the average person can probably tell you their sun sign if asked. Though viewed by most social scientists as a pseudoscience—though from an anthropological perspective it is a key element in many global cultures—references to astrology, the zodiac, planetary configurations, and cosmology have worked their way into all the Black music genres we celebrate here on #BlackMusicSunday each week.
Back in the day, I helped finance some of my college costs by doing astrology charts, which was a little more complicated than the simple Western sun sign popular astrology of “Hi, I’m a Leo, what sign are you?” often heard in clubs as an ice breaker. Let’s take a trip through the sun signs, planets, and the elements as interpreted in folk, blues, jazz, doo-wop, R&B, and pop, and give a listen to some of the music that hit the non-astrological music charts.
While Woodstock may have been billed as an “Aquarian Exposition,” and the apotheosis of white hippiedom, and while the Harlem Cultural Festival was lost to history until recently, I vividly remember the impact of that cultural shift in the Black community. We donned bell-bottoms, fringed jackets, and tie-dye too!
Though the 5th Dimension may have been marketed to a white pop-crossover market, co-lead singer Billy Davis Jr. takes us all to church toward the end of their performance of Aquarius as they call for the sun to “shine-in.”
YouTube Video
From the folk music world, in 1999, Richie Havens, who I featured in 2020 and wrote an obit for in 2013, recorded “Zodiac.”
YouTube Video
I was lucky enough to see him perform this live. He opens the song, exploring the significance of the number 12 in our cultural history, and then segues into a description of the symbolic 12 people on earth, who are represented by 12 zodiac signs:
Not all the songs referencing “signs” are uplifting. Blues artists have, over the years, sung about spells, hexes, hoodoo, and other folk beliefs, including bad and good luck, and probably the most famous tune of all in that vein is Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”—which is the title of both the 1967 single and the compilation album.
YouTube Video
From SongFacts:
Shifting into the jazz world, we find that it is full of astrological references, whether that is because the musicians were “into” astrology, or that it was viewed as “cool” I don’t know. However, as a person born under the sun sign Leo, I’ve always loved this tune by fellow Leo Mulgrew Miller, performed live here by Detroit’s Louis Hayes and the Jazz Communicators.
YouTube Video
Sticking to music aligned with my own natal (birth) chart, not only do I have sun in Leo, my moon is in Aquarius, which drew me to vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s “Aquarian Moon,” on his first quartet album, whose lineup included pianist Herbie Hancock, drummer Joe Chambers, and bassist Bob Cranshaw. Astrologers often say people with their moon in Aquarius will be drawn toward humanitarian causes. I can relate to that.
YouTube Video
The most major astrological work in jazz, which is also considered to be classical, was written by jazz pianist, arranger, and composer Mary Lou Williams, who to this day has still not been given as much attention as her male counterparts.
Seth Colter Walls, wrote about her “Zodiac Suite” for The New York Times, back in March.
YouTube Video
With Williams we explored the intersections of jazz and classical. Jazz musicians often crossed over into genres like R&B and funk. Probably the most notable of these excursions that was astrologically inclined was jazz trumpeter Nat Adderley’s 1972 release of “Soul Zodiac,” which featured astrological narration by a Los Angeles DJ Rick Holmes.
YouTube Video
Of course one of the most famous bands of all times who spanned multiple musical genres—R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, and pop was Earth, Wind & Fire whose very name was astrological.
For all you fire signs in the house, let’s close with their “Serpentine Fire.”
YouTube Video
As usual, I have too much music to explore in one story, so join me in comments to continue this astrological journey with divas like Diana Ross and Beyoncé, jazz artists Sun Ra and John Coltrane, and more.
What’s your sign?