You’ve been ratioed enough, I suppose, but at the risk of piling on:
"I could never understand why White audiences were so enamored with these British guys, singing in fake African American accents, using Black vernacular and colloquialisms and performing a facsimile version of African American music."
Probably because white audiences were unfamiliar with African American music, and those that were don’t see the Stones as being a “facsimile” of it.
"People praise Mick Jagger’s rhythmless gyrations and convulsive dancing as though he was the arbiter of soul, the god of cool, when in fact there isn’t a Black person on the planet that looks at him and thinks, ‘that man has soul.’ "
I’ve heard a lot of people comment on Jagger’s stage presence, but I’ve never heard the term “soul” used to describe him.
As I got older I realized their meteoric rise to the top was only made possible by a racist and divided country , which has — particularly in the past — a hard time recognizing the contributions of people of color, no matter how undeniable those contributions are. I came to the realization that they would rather listen to a watered down, wonky version of the real thing presented to them by Brits than the authentic version right from the source; Black people.
Overstated. True, that we learned to listen to music, back in those days, by what was served up to us on AM and FM radio. Broadcast radio, then and now, is segregated by genre. But the Stones never sounded anything like most of the popular Black musicians of the 60's and early 70’s to their fans; thus, their fans were not exhibiting a "preference" over two similar styles of music; they were exhibiting an interest in something perceived as unique, although it was well known (and often discussed) that they took their influence from American blues.
Before I get into the thick of it, I must establish a few things. First, this article is not calling into question whether or not The Rolling Stones appreciate the Blues or American roots music. They undoubtedly do and that is precisely part of the problem.
Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, I have no idea why you see this as a problem. Perhaps you’d like to rephrase.
They had/ have an appreciation for a Black art form that white Americans did not appreciate until it was presented to them by someone who looked like they do; The Rolling Stones.
Simply not the case. The Stones were not chosen over anyone else, and certainly not due to their race. Stones fans heard something that was only marginally related to the form of art you're referring to as "Black Music", and was only marginally recognized as to its root.
The Stones were made possible by white supremacy.
Well, you're already admitted you're prone to hyperbole, so.....
their ascension to the throne of mythical rock god status was made possible by the concept of white supremacy. I don’t mean white supremacy in the KKK, Confederate flag, blatant bigotry sense — although that very much plays apart in all this — but rather in the sense that there is a subconscious belief that all White accomplishments are better than any other ethnicity’s accomplishments.
Nah. Nothing as culturally sweeping as that. Mentioned it above. FM and AM radio are segregated as to what genres they play. Because music consumption is (to a large extent) differentiated by race, the two racial groups grow up listening to different kinds of music. This is not discrimination, it's just good old fashioned chasing after the almighty advertising dollar.
One has to consider that an entire generation of American teens was forbidden from listening to “race music,” “devil music”, or as they would say in less refined circles, “nigger music.”
Hm? When was that? I'm 66, and the only one of those terms I remember was "devil music", and that was given out when a band's music contained unChristian content. (And, the band most often associated with that term at the time was.......who? (HINT: "Please allow me, to introduce myself........")
(Looking at you, Don McLean)
TL;DR. Look, you've obviously thought a lot about this, but having actually had ears back in the late 60's and early 70's, attended concerts (including the Stones), and being knowledgeable about what was being played on radio during that period......sorry, you're overstating your case. By a lot. Just for one example, if I were to flip on the radio in the mid 60's, I'd hear the Beatles, Stones, and the other 60's rock acts all day......but Elvis never got played on those stations. The "Black Music" we were familiar with …. it simply didn’t occur to many that there was a common root there.
Black and White audiences listen to different genres of music. There's a reason for that, obviously, but it's not going to be easy to find racist intent in the people responsible for that segregation (which, again, still persists today).