Discover how Black musicians shaped rock'n'roll, soul and R&B — and practise the passive voice at B2/C1 level.
Read the text carefully, then answer the comprehension questions using the dropdown menus.
Many of the sounds that later defined mainstream pop music were first created by Black musicians in the United States, yet their contributions were often ignored or downplayed for decades. In the 1940s, gospel and blues traditions were combined by artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose electric guitar playing is now regarded as an early blueprint for rock'n'roll. During the 1950s, songs written and performed by Black artists like Chuck Berry and Little Richard were frequently re-recorded by white singers, whose versions were promoted more heavily on radio stations that had been segregated by race. As a result, the origins of rock'n'roll were obscured, and its Black pioneers were rarely given the credit or the royalties they deserved.
By the 1960s, a new genre called soul had been developed, blending gospel emotion with rhythm and blues. Record labels such as Motown were founded by Black entrepreneurs, and hits by artists like Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye were played across the world. Rhythm and blues was gradually transformed into funk, and its rhythmic techniques were later borrowed by disco and hip hop producers.
Today, it is widely accepted that almost every major pop genre — rock, soul, disco and hip hop — was shaped, directly or indirectly, by Black musical traditions, even though this history was not always taught in schools.
1 Sister Rosetta Tharpe's electric guitar playing is now regarded as an early blueprint for .
2 In the 1950s, songs by Black artists were frequently by white singers.
3 Radio stations at the time had been by race.
4 Motown was founded by entrepreneurs.
5 Rhythm and blues was gradually transformed into .
6 Almost every major pop genre was shaped by traditions.
Use the passive voice (a form of be + past participle) when the focus is on the action, not on who did it. Choose the correct form of be for each sentence.
1 Blues and gospel combined by early musicians in the 1940s.
2 Motown founded in 1959 by Berry Gordy.
3 Today, this musical history taught in many schools.
4 By the time rock'n'roll became mainstream, many songs already recorded by Black artists.
5 Aretha Franklin's records still played on the radio today.
6 In the future, more attention probably given to overlooked musicians.
7 The contribution of Black musicians should recognised more often.
8 Soul music being developed throughout the 1960s.
Choose the word that best completes each definition, based on the genres and terms from the reading text.
1 Music that mixes gospel emotion with rhythm and blues is known as .
2 The record label founded by Black entrepreneurs in Detroit was called .
3 A slow, danceable style that grew out of rhythm and blues in the 1970s is called .
4 The genre built on rhythmic speech over a beat, which borrowed techniques from funk, is called .
5 A song recorded again by a different artist is called a version.
6 A person given official acknowledgment for creating something is said to receive .
7 The abbreviation R&B stands for rhythm and .
8 A musician who creates a new style that later influences others is often called a .
Write 6–8 sentences about the history of a pop music genre (rock'n'roll, soul, disco, hip hop or another genre you know). Use the passive voice at least four times.
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