In 1959, the first Grammys were held, and the award for the best R&B recording of 1958 was given to the all-white band, The Champs, for their song “Tequila”. After that year until 1970, every Grammy award for best R&B recording was given to an African American artist or group. This dominance of African-American musicians demonstrates the changing perspectives on music for a national audience. This rise in popularity that began to spread through African American Music coincided with the burgeoning Civil Right movement. Motown was a major step in the acceptance of African American music.

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After beginning in 1959 the Grammy Awards continued to add to their award categories in order to try and reflect the music that Americans were listening to nation-wide. In 1965 the Grammy Awards expanded the Country & Western genre into six new categories for the 7th Annual Grammy Awards for the songs from 1964 while Rhythm and Blues retained its one award. In the following year the Grammys received backlash from mainstream press for snubbing Rhythm & Blues in favor of Country & Western, especially since R&B still only had one award for the 8th Annual Grammy Awards. It wasn’t until 1967 in the 9th Annual Grammy Awards which recognized songs from 1966 that R&B expanded past one award. That year R&B had three awards best recording, best solo, and best group.

The music production company in Detroit focused on producing songs that could appeal to both white and black listeners during the early 1960s, a time when racial segregation was the base of society in the South. Rather than promoting songs that emphasized an African American influence, Motown songs tended to avoid any political or racial based lyrics or meanings. Instead the majority of songs focused on a love story or some sort of romance.  “Where did Our Love Go” by the Supremes illustrates the apolitical success of Motown. The production company promoted African American artists and music, while avoiding the emphasis of African American culture or pride. The company produced music that usually consisted of romantic or superficial themes. Thanks to this apolitical nature of Motown, many of the albums and songs produced became crossover hits that eased the way for future African American music.The music, intended for a wide audience, succeeded in gaining white listeners and the success of Motown artists proves the widespread enjoyment of African American music in the early 1960s. Without the entrance into the mainstream through Motown, African American artists that followed would not have been as successful, and the more politically-charged messages of songs produced in the late 1960s by soul artists, such as Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” which won a Grammy for R&B recording in 1967.

Aretha Franklin told Ebony in 1971 that she did not consider herself a “Black leader” she goes on to explain while she may not be a leader, she might be an example for people. In the same interview with Ebony Aretha Franklin explains how Black Pride affected her own self-esteem “I suppose the [Black Pride] Revolution influenced me a great deal, but I must say that mine was a very personal evolution – an evolution of the me in myself.” This is evident in Aretha Frankin’s version of “Respect.” Aretha Franklin did not specifically write the song to be an anthem for civil rights or feminism. She recreated the song to be a personal song where she demands change in how she is treated in her own life. It was this personal cry for respect that everyone was attracted to. Aretha Franklin herself recognized this and in her autobiography wrote “So many people identified with and related to ‘Respect’ … it was the need of a nation, the need of the average man and woman in the street, the businessman, the mother, the fireman, the teacher – everyone wanted respect.” As Aretha Franklin explained in her Ebony interview she strives for personal evolution and people see this drive within her and they look to her as an example. In her autobiography Aretha Franklin goes on to explain “It was also one of the battle cries of the civil rights movement. The song took on monumental significance.” This is the perfect example of the “bi-symbolic” nature of Aretha Franklin’s songs. The main focus of Aretha Franklin’s songs are personal relationships but her work also reflects and exemplifies the feelings of black people within America at the time. Aretha Franklin affirms their struggles because she struggles with similar issues in her personal life and this acts as encouragement for the listeners.

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The greater national recognition of R&B showcases this wider acceptance of African American music and the ability for African American artists to produce more politically-charged songs. Our timeline from 1958 to 1967 examines the shift in perspective on African American music on the national level. After the first annual Grammy award ceremony in 1959, the winners for best R&B recording illustrate the rising success and acceptance of African American singers. This acceptance was greatly aided by the emergence of Motown in 1959 which introduced apolitical music that gained widespread popularity in both white and black groups. In the late 1960s, a shift in African American music can be seen as artists became bolder and their songs more politically-charged. Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” exemplifies this shift, and since the 1960s, the success of African American artists can be traced to this change.