Black Music Sunday: Celebrating Father's Day and Juneteenth

Today’s installment of Black Music Sunday celebrates Father’s Day, including granddads, stepdads, uncles, and all the men who helped raise and mentor us. The month of June is also chock-full of other celebrations including Black Music Month and Caribbean-American Heritage Month. This is also the week we celebrate Juneteenth, as well as the summer solstice.

Many music genres have provided a soundtrack for all of these events, and especially Father’s Day. Songs that celebrate dads are poignant, joyous, tender, uplifting, raucous, and nostalgic. Join me in listening to and sharing some of them here today.

”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 200 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.

Far too often, we read negative stories and sociological treatises dismissing Black fathers as absent and uncaring. Fatherhood is complex, especially when it relates to Black fatherhood. The songs I’ve selected to share here today are directly related to Black dads, their Black children, and families.

One of the most beloved R&B soul artists of all time is Luther Vandross, who passed on in 2005. But he is still “fathering” young people via his foundation, established by his mother in his memory, which provides financial assistance to students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities, known as HBCUs.

His memories of his father, who died when Vandross was 8 years old, were captured by Vandross and Richard Marx in his 2003 song “Dance With My Father.”

“Dance With My Father” lyrics:

Back when I was a child
Before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high
And dance with my mother and me
And then
Spin me around ’till I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure
I was loved
If I could get another chance
Another walk
Another dance with him
I’d play a song that would never ever end
How I’d love love love
To dance with my father again
When I and my mother
Would disagree
To get my way I would run
From her to him
He’d make me laugh just to comfort me
Yeah yeah
Then finally make me do
Just what my mama said
Later that night when I was asleep
He left a dollar under my sheet
Never dreamed that he
Would be gone from me
If I could steal one final glance
One final step
One final dance with him
I’d play a song that would never ever end
‘Cause I’d love love love to
Dance with my father again
Sometimes I’d listen outside her door
And I’d hear how mama would cry for him
I’d pray for her even more than me
I’d pray for her even more than me
I know I’m praying for much too much
But could you send her
The only man she loved
I know you don’t do it usually
But Dear Lord
She’s dying to dance with my father again
Every night I fall asleep
And this is all I ever dream

“I’m Her Daddy,” by singer-songwriter Bill Withers, who joined the ancestors in April 2020, is a poignant plea from a father asking about a daughter he didn’t get to know:

How do you do, Lucy?
You sure been hard to find.
I heard you had a daughter
Six years old and
I just can’t keep from cry’n’.

Six years Lucy, Lord have mercy,
That’s a long time, that’s a long time.
Is she pretty, has she grown?
Does she sleep well in a room of her own?
Can I see her?
Does she know that I’m her daddy, I’m her daddy?
Did you give her one of my pictures?
Does she carry yeh, yeh, picture with her?
Does she show it to the baby sitter, and say,
“See that man, that’s my daddy, that’s my daddy?”
You should ‘a told me, Lucy, You should ‘a told me, Lucy,
Yeh, you should ‘a told me, Lucy.

Oh, Lucy. Oh, Lucy. Oh, Lucy. Oh, Lucy.
You should ‘a told me Lucy.

I’ve written about Oscar Brown Jr., a political singer-poet-songwriter, here in the past. His lullaby “Brown Baby” is an anthem filled with love and hope for the future.

His website notes:

Oscar Brown, Jr’s composition Brown Baby is simultaneously released by Mahalia Jackson, who was also a Columbia label Artist at the time. OBJ was inspired by the birth of his first son, yet this song wishes prosperity, peace, and pride upon all brown babies. Brown Baby became an anthem. It was later recorded by Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Diana Ross, and Toni Braxton.

Here are the lyrics to “Brown Baby”:

Brown baby brown baby
As you grow up I want you to drink from the plenty cup
I want you to stand up tall and proud
And I want you to speak up clear and loud
Brown baby brown baby brown baby
As years go by I want you to go with your head up high
I want you to live by the justice code
And I want you to walk down freedom’s road
You little brown baby
So lie away lie away sleeping lie away singing
Lie away sleeping lie away safe in my arms
Till your daddy and you mama protect you? and keep you safe from harm
Brown baby
It makes me glad you gonna have things that I never had
When out of men’s heart all hate is hurled
Sweetie you gonna live in a better world
Brown baby brown baby brown baby

I smiled when I saw this post from Brother Mark Anthony Neal on X, formerly Twitter.

Philadelphia soul artist Billy Paul Williams also recorded his own song titled “Brown Baby,” imploring:

Brown baby, you gotta make your father proud
Make him proud
Brown baby
Stand tall
Keep on getting up
Brown baby
I gotta tell it like it is, I ain’t telling no lies
You gotta love your brother and brothers
Sisters, love your brother
And don’t kick him when he’s down
Stick together
I’m gonna tell you everybody
It’s the truth, open up your mind
And try to concentrate
Make your people proud
Brown baby

Poet and singer Gil Scott-Heron wrote and recorded this love song to his daughter Gia Louise Heron, who is continuing his legacy.

“Your Daddy Loves You (For Gia Louise)”:

Now sweet lil ol’ brown eyed girl, hey, now
Now that you’re sleepin’
I’ve got a confession to make
Of secrets that I’ve been keepin’
Me and your mama had some problems,
A whole lotta things on our minds
But lately, girl, we’ve been thinkin’ that we were wastin’ time
Nearly all the time, and

Your daddy loves you
Your daddy loves his girl
Your daddy loves you
Your daddy loves his girl, hey now

Now sweet lil ol’ chocolate girl
Now that you’re sleepin’ I feel braver
I’ve got a confession to make
I’ll sneak it in while you’re dreamin’
Me and your mama had some troubles
There’s been a whole lotta things on our minds
But lately when we look at you, we know that we’ve been wastin’ time
Damn near all the time, and

Your daddy loves you
Your daddy loves his girl, hey, now
Said your daddy loves you
Said your daddy loves his girl, hey, now
Your daddy loves you, and your mama, too
Your daddy loves his girl
Loves his girl
Loves his girl

As we head into Juneteenth gatherings and celebrations, I thought of the perfect song to close with today: “Family Reunion,” by Philly soul group The O’Jays, which was recorded and released in 1975.

Though the lyrics describe traditional gendered roles, I like the way they close:

It don’t, it don’t just stop there with the family or
Of yours or mine
It’s a universal family
Under one divine purpose
And one divine father

That is if we all come together no matter what color, race, creed
Because that’s all in the head whether you wanna believe it or not
[…]Family, family reunion
It’ll be nice, so nice, so nice

Join me in the comments section below for lots more, and please post the songs you love—not just for Father’s Day, but for all the special days we’re celebrating this month.

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