I never thought to look into which artists or songs from the Cultural Cold War inspired current musicians, or which were covered, sampled, and remixed. But that changed when I discovered that George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess—the American folk opera—was actually part of the U.S.’s Cold War propaganda effort.

This realization has me merging my research on U.S. foreign policy with my new hobby of finding remixes of my favorite 80s/90s music. It’s a fascinating collision of culture and politics.

The Question of Nina Simone

Take, for example, the legendary Nina Simone—a major influence on modern artists like DJ Theo Parrish. Simone, who was certainly a former “Jazz Ambassador” for the U.S. State Department, once proclaimed:

“We will shape and mold this country or it will not be molded and shaped at all anymore.”

This raises a crucial question that I plan to explore: Did Simone and other Black artists of that era reclaim the power for their people, or were they submitting to the power of the state by lending their talent to its diplomatic mission?

Upcoming Research: Sensationalism and Stereotype

From the little critique I’ve read so far, it seems the opera itself is deeply controversial. It appears to have sensationalized elements of Black life and romance to hide the grittier realities of life for Black Americans during that time.

• I plan to read the original book that Porgy and Bess is based on and watch the opera from that era. I need to fully understand its context before commenting further.

• I also need to dive into the musical critique of songs like the misogynistic “A Woman Is a Sometime Thing.” That song, alone, sets up a painful double standard for the female characters.

Ultimately, tracing how something like Porgy and Bess morphs from a propaganda tool into a foundational influence on artists like Theo Parrish is going to be an interesting journey.