American Vernacular Music: Music Listening Journal, Chapters 5 & 6

Music Listening Journal, Chapters 5 & 6

Chapter’s 5 & 6 were the focus of this weeks reading. The reading started out about the economic success of the record industry in the 1920’s. Two terms would emerge from record sales, Race records and Hillbilly records. Race records took hold with the success of Mamie Smith in the 1920’s; she was a black vaudeville performer. Ralph Peer would first use the term race music when he assisted Mamie with her first recording session. Most race records of the time had a variety of music styles blues, jazz, gospel choirs, vocal quartets, string bands, and jug-and-washboard bands. There were also spoken albums that were very popular in black communities. In 1922 paramount records would form a second record company that produced only race records.

For the first time in the 1920’s an African American would own, their own record companies. The Black Swan a record company would be own bandleader W.C. Handy. In the 1920’s nearly 10 million blues and gospel records. Families would purchase their phonographs on a payment system plan. This created more of a need for more records in new markets that helped shape black identity.

The blues was the most influential of the race records that were produced. Classic blues were performed by Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (Mother of the Blues) and Bessie Smith (Empress of the Blues). The recordings of Bessie Smith and other singers were an important part of shaping African American styles of music. The St. Louis Blues sung by Bessie Smith bridge the listeners of black and white audiences.

Country blues which were also called rural, down home or folk blues. Though county had existed before the first vaudevillian blues song it was not till the 1920’s till the music was first recorded. The first country blues were an oral tradition passed from family members. The blues was a product of impoverished black workforce. Charley Patton was an early pioneer of the Mississippi Delta blues style. His voice was powerful and raspy. His audiences included Saturday night dances and all-day picnics.

The first country blues superstar was Blind Mellon Jefferson. At the age of fourteen he would travel from place to place and sing for whoever would listen. His songs were advertised as “real old-fashion blues by a real old-fashion blues singer”. Robert Johnson had the greatest influence on later blues and rock. Keith Richards and Eric Clapton revered his guitar playing. His life became a mystery, but his recordings offered the listener a unique sound that no one could reproduce.

Hillbilly music would later be split into two categories, country and western developed out of folk songs, ballads and dance music from immigrants coming from the British Isles. The first hillbilly music became an important part of Tin Pan Alley. The first commercial success of hillbilly music was made in North Georgia by Fiddlin’ Jon Carson. Hillbilly music growth was due to the new medium of the radio. Most farmers and working class people could not afford phonograph records but could afford radios on payment plans.

The radio shows were produced in a barn dance style with music and comedic acts. They also relied on the stereotypes of rural hicks, rubes and rednecks. Most Hillbilly musicians were not professionals. Many had employment at mills, coal mines, farmers, and railroads. Veron Dalhart was a major country star that started out singing light opera. His success in the field was the same as Mamie Smith and Bessie Smith. The Carter Family became one of the most important groups in country music history. They sang hymns, ballads, and turn of the century Tin Pan Alley hits. Jimmy Rodgers was a rambler and would be the most versatile, progressive and influential of the early country artist.

The great depression would see the decline in record sales and a boost for radio sales. Race records were crushed due to the economic downturn. Billy Hill in 1933 was the highest recorder-selling artist and helped to establish the western music market. Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie sung about the plight of the American workers. After 1940, he would be known as a protest singer due to the political content of his songs.

In 1935, the swing movement transformed American popular music. During 1935-1945, there would be hundreds of large dance band orchestras. These bands also would appear nightly on the radio, ballrooms, hotels, and jukeboxes. Swing-influenced more than just music it also influenced dance styles, dress styles, and architecture. Swing also introduced cultural values and social changes during the New Deal era.

The Swing craze was controlled by booking agents and represented professional musicians. These companies also promoted their music on the radio, which big bands needed to achieve popularity. The Make Believe Ballroom and Your Hit Parade were the popular shows that promoted big band music. Even through jazz would be heavily influenced by African Americans; American Big Bands remained segregated. New terms such as cool, hip, with it and in the groove described an attitude or stance toward life. The Harlem Renaissance helped to create cultural energy and the creative of black New York.

A handful of big bands were integrated this was pioneered by Benny Goodman. Many other big band leaders would follow Goodman integrating their bands. This was a gamble for Goodman as black dance band faced many disadvantages that white dance bands did not have. The core listeners of the big band were College age adults and teenagers. They were eager to learn new dances and by recordings of their favorite bands.

Benny Goodman became the King of Swing; this came from hard work from his orchestra. Their performances were well rehearsed and sounded smooth which appealed to white audiences. Goodman gained his popularity on the radio and built a following. Duke Ellington an accomplished piano player, composer and arranger, he saw jazz as music and swing as a business. William “Count” Basie gained fame in Kansas City, Missouri and relied on Tin Pan Alley for his music. Kansas City was a still a wild town and allowed Count Basie to perfect his music in boogie-woogie style.

From 1939 to 1942 Glenn Miller became the superstar of swing. He had developed a clean style and peppy sound that appealed to the entire country. Though swing was the dominant style hillbilly music continued to grow. There were now more recording opportunities for hillbilly music and now could join unions. Roy Claxton Acuff became the most successful hillbilly singer of the swing era. The singing cowboy also became popular with Gene Autry and he would later become a major movie star. This helped push the western music into popularity. Western swing saw Bob Wills become popular as a fiddle player. Though western swing bands did not dominate the charts they would have a permanent influence on western music after WWII.

Latin music also continued to grow during the swing era. Cuban musicians would play the ballrooms and dance clubs of New York City. Bandleader and film star Xavier Cugat would become know as the Rumba King. His band became a training ground for other Latin musicians including Desi Arnaz. The father of Latin jazz Mario Bauza brings his music experience of Havana to his performances. Bauza influenced John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie and became knowledgeable about Afro-Cuban music.

In 1946, many of the larger dance bands broke down into smaller groups due to the declining popularity. Some bandleaders joined the armed forces and lead bands. The larger networks became engaged in a bitter dispute with ASCAP. They wanted a larger portion of their revenues and so they turned up the legal pressure. Broadcast Music, Incorporated challenged ASCAP’s monopoly. With theses challenges most big bands lost the right to songs from Tin Pan Alley. Even improvised solos had to be written out and approved to make sure it didn’t contain ASCAP songs. In 1943, Decca and Capitol recorders signed new contracts with the union and started recording instrumental music.