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City of Toronto Proclamation |
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"Black Music Month"
June 2004
| WHEREAS: |
music is universal. It transcends nationality and language and is one of the greatest expressions of the human spirit that touches our hearts and enriches our lives; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Black music is recognized around the world as the root of the pop music industry. Since 1873, when a Tennessee gospel choir, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, thrilled British and European audiences, North American Black Music has continued its universal appeal in jazz, R&B, reggae, calypso, soukus, hi-life, hip-hop and many other forms; and |
| WHEREAS: |
many talented Black musicians have greatly influenced and enriched the Canadian music industry, and Toronto's music history is enhanced by Canadian-born singers like Phyllis Marshall, the first jazz artist to record in Canada; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Toronto is home to a wide variety of gifted and talented world-class Black music artists. Oscar Peterson and Deborah Cox have become legends in the jazz and R&B world, and acts like Michie Mee, Maestro and Citizen Kane have taken hip-hop outside our borders, while Lillian Allen, Michael St. George and others have spread dub-poetry both here and abroad; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Toronto has one of the greatest Continental African music scenes, with seasoned veterans like Oscar Peterson, Jay Douglas, Salome Bey and Jay McGee particularly remembered during this month. |
| NOW, |
| THEREFORE: |
I, Mayor David Miller, on behalf of Toronto City Council, do hereby proclaim June 2004 the 25th anniversary celebration of "Black Music Month", and recognize the unique historical contributions made by Toronto-based Black Canadian musicians who keep the flame of Black music alive. |
[Signed Mayor David Miller]
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