But as a music fan, and then as an essayist, editor ( Vibe, Billboard), and podcast host ( Black Girl Songbook), she has been living this history since she was a latchkey kid listening to “Midnight Train to Georgia” on the family stereo.

Smith has been writing this history for more than five years. SHORTLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARDĪ weave of biography, criticism, and memoir, Shine Bright is Danyel Smith’s intimate history of Black women’s music as the foundational story of American pop. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, The Root, Variety, Esquire, The Guardian, Newsweek, Pitchfork, She Reads, Publishers Weekly the overdue singing of a Black girl’s song, with perfect pitch. This is their surprising, heartbreaking, soaring story-from “one of the generation’s greatest, most insightful, most nuanced writers in pop culture” (Shea Serrano) Support for Check It Out on Siouxland Public Media comes from Verde Outdoor Media.American pop music is arguably this country’s greatest cultural contribution to the world, and its singular voice and virtuosity were created by a shining thread of Black women geniuses stretching back to the country’s founding. Shine Bright also happens to be the May 2023 Open Book Club book, so we have lots of copies available through the library.Ĭheck out Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith and other great book club titles at the Sioux City Public Library today! One of the scenes that stands out to me is when Danyel describes visiting Whitney Houston’s house for a Vibe magazine cover story interview that was meant to be twenty minutes but ended up hours long with Danyel and Whitney playing catch in the singer’s living room.

Her personal life ends up intersecting with her subjects quite often since she interviewed many of the women she is writing about during her prolific journalism career. Smith uses her own life experiences as a framing device through which she shares stories about the music. This brilliant introduction gets readers ready to reconsider what they already know about the A-list women profiled throughout the rest of Shine Bright.ĭanyel Smith covers a lot of ground in this book- From Black churches and gospel music through Motown girl groups, disco divas, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson, all the way through to Rihanna and Beyonce. Smith meets readers at the very beginning by making a compelling case for marking Phillis Wheatley as the progenitor of Black women who make popular American music. Shine Bright is a nonfiction history of American popular music and a memoir by a prominent music journalist all rolled into one narrative that truly does radiate light. Today, I am recommending Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith. This is Michael Maxwell with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out.

Shine bright by danyel smith