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Amy Winehouse is a martyr for female music in the modern era. Her album "Back to Black" is the tipping point. The 21st Century started with cookie cutter female singers but Amy Winehouse came and changed that. Empowering women to share their true feelings, think outside of the box, and make good music. Her death sparked a deeper look into the media's influence on famous people and what being in front of cameras all the time can do to someone with an addictive personality.

The world of music changed when Beethoven stepped in and made music for himself instead of others. Evoking emotions that had never been expressed in music and doing it while going deaf. We can thank Beethoven for making music accessible to places outside of castle walls or monasteries.

David Bowie's passing saw a spike in music sales for the Thin White Duke. His legacy is being talked about. So I wanted to chime in with my own thoughts. Yes, David Bowie changed music and influenced so many other musicians, but he also changed gender norms, the acceptance of sexuality, the inclusion of all races, and tested religious views all while creating some of the most unique pop music the world has ever heard. Tweet at me @HowMusicChanged or email me at HowMusicChangedTheWorld@Yahoo.com

2 Tone Ska and 2 Tone Records brought a mix of Jamaican and English sounds in late 1970s England, but it also brought a diverse and multicultural group of musicians and bands to the forefront of English pop music. In the midst of racial tensions, riots, and unjust police brutality the bands associated with 2 Tone gave hope and brought ideals to a younger English generation who accepted everyone no matter the color of their skin. Tweet at me @HowMusicChanged Emale me HowMusicChangedtheWorld@Yahoo.com

Madonna's career has spanned almost 4 decades but this week's show focuses on some of her most popular years in the 1980s and 1990s. During this time Madonna pushed boundaries in what women could do sexually and brought an image to her music that was unlike anyone else. She paved the way for women to be sexual and not wholesome. She made it clear that women could be just as wild as men. Wanna talk more about this episode? Hit me up on Twitter @HowMusicChanged or email at HowMusicChangedTheWorld@Yahoo.com

This week we begin to skim the surface that is a centuries old relationship between religion and music. We focus mainly on how the two have influenced each other and over time how they have contributed to popular culture and the world we know today. Feel free to give feedback by emailing HowMusicChangedtheWorld@yahoo.com or tweeting @HowMusicChanged

We jump into Black History Month with a story about segregation, racism, jazz, and friendships. The life story of Ella Fitzgerald is one of hope and change through friendships and connections, but it's also a story about what it was like to live in the land of the free during the mid-20th century. Feel free to give feedback by emailing HowMusicChangedtheWorld@yahoo.com or tweeting @HowMusicChanged

Paul Simon's hit album "Graceland" is not just a musical Grammy winner. It was an album that captured apartheid in South Africa, it captured a sense of hope and justice, and it captured a man who was lost in it all. For episode 1 of How Music Changed the World, we look at "Graceland" and how the recording process and the music shed light on the problems South Africa had with race relations.

This is the preview for the first episode which will make it's debut on Wednesday January 27th. Please find a way to subscribe to the show until then!