Upon listening to “Sheep, Sheep, Don’t You Know the Road” by Bessie Jones I immediately recognized the African American music traits. The song plays like a gospel choir in which, there is a verse by one singer, then followed by one by a group. In the background, you can hear stomps, although this is quickly subdued by the loud clapping rhythm. This clapping is called the “offbeat” and is known to be used in African American vocal music to create a “drumbeat”(Candelaria & Kingman 18). Although there are no percussion instruments used, there is strong rhythm between the clapping and light knocking on the ground. The title and repeated lyrics “Sheep, Sheep, Don’t You Know the Road” has a very strong religious suggestion. Using “call-and-response
