The contributions of African-Americans to the history of music in the United States began with the arrival of the first Blacks on the mainland in 1619. Although Africans who were sold into slavery were stripped of their possessions, clamped into irons, and wedged into foul vessels to make the dreaded "middle passage" from Africa to America, they nevertheless brought with them to the new land their memories of the rich music and dance traditions of the lands of their ancestors. They remembered the importance of music in the West African way of life—how almost every activity was accompanied by music appropriate to the occasion and how special kinds of music were provided for festivals (called "customs" in Africa)— and they continued these practices in the New World.

Colonial sources of information include numerous references to the huge slave festivals that took place in the northern colonies. Perhaps worthy of special mention are the Pinkster festivals held in various cities of New York state, in whch African-Americans danced traditional dances to the music of drums and singing, while large crowds of white spectators watched the "exotic" scenes. In New England, "lection Day" celebrations drew similar crowds of whites to watch slaves and free blacks parade, dance, and sing to the accompaniment of drums, woodwinds, and string instruments. Annual fairs provided similar opportunities in Philadelphia, Pa., and in New Orleans, La., the transplanted Africans staged traditional dances on Sunday afternoons in the Place Congo.