It is impossible to isolate the history of black people in this country to a single expression but since we deal with music, we are going to go with what we know.

 The history of the American recording industry is largely (if not completely) influenced by the African-American experience. This spans so many styles and eras that it would difficult to dive into them all. So what we did was create The Black History Collection in the Zune Marketplace to celebrate the contributions and commemorate the struggles of so many African–Americans. The collection starts off with early 20th century gospel and blues, moves through  jazz and R&B and continues on through hip hop and electronic. It’s nothing fancy – just great songs by great artists.

Some of my personal favorites include:

Robert Johnson – Ramblin’ On My Mind
This is raw, uncut blues at its finest – Mississippi Delta style. The legend of Robert Johnson has inspired many artists, from jazz to hip hop. It’s long been rumored that Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his amazing guitar style.

Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit
The most prolific jazz singer of all time, Billie Holiday’s signature tune Strange Fruit chronicles the lynching epidemic that took place in the Jim Crow southern states. This the single most powerful tune that deals with black’s struggles for equality.

Stevie Wonder – My Cherie Amour
A flagship R&B tune dealing with the universal idea of love. No other type of music has been able to capture the feeling of love quite like R&B and the Stevie Wonder did it far better than most.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 – The Message
The single most important hip hop track – ever. Grandmaster Flash, Melli Mel and crew changed the landscape of hip hop from party music to serious social commentary – CNN for the ghetto.