Popular Music in America from 1900-1934

Music in the 20th century in the last 100 years has gone through several changes during its short life. Every decade a shift of some sort has occurred and the music has taken a different direction, especially with the aging of each generation and the rapid development of new technology and instruments. Different styles and forms have been born, and although I wouldn’t say that any particular style has died out, but each has, more or less, evolved; been replaced by the new music of the day. How many different styles, from the past 100 years, can you think of and name. Take a journey with me back into the past to get some insight of the first thirty plus years of the century; from 1900 to 1936. One must remember that this essay is just a brief overview and will be incomplete and not very detailed according to some, but to others it is definitely a good starting point.
Before we start our journey let’s take a look at how popular music on the radio came about. Popular music in the 20th century started out with Thomas Edison’s invention of the Phonograph, which was in 1865, but didn’t debut until 1889(Laforse 7).
By today’s standards it was a simple contraption that had no electric parts at all and worked entirely on mechanical energy. It’s main component was a metal diaphragm to which a needle or “stylus” was affixed; when this diaphragm was set in motion by sound waves generated by the voice or an instrument , the stylus was also set in motion and, Edison reasoned, could be made to emboss these sound-wave patterns in a suitably strong material, such as tinfoil… In order to record, Edison would crank a small handle on the machine, which would set the cylindrical tinfoil sheet in motion, and at the same time he would speak into it (Laforse 5).
The first ever recorded words into this machine, which was observed by several people, was the words to the childhood nursery rhyme “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” spoken by Edison himself, and after he was finished he played the recording back and it was a success. Several years after this invention, along with refinement, American music, one could say, was born, as well as the recording industry. Although the radio wasn’t invented until 1906, music was being recorded and produced by both Thomas Edison’s company, and another by the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell. They dominated the industry until 1920 when another individual, Eldridge R. Johnson, who owned a company called the Victor Talking Machine Company entered into the scene. Recording companies like Columbia Records and RCA didn’t come on to the scene until the 1930’s and ‘40’s (Laforse 5-7).
Around the same time as the phonograph there was also the gramophone, which was very similar to the phonograph in the cylinders that it used and that there were no electric parts. The phonograph was used by Edison’s company, and the gramophone was used by the Berlineer Company, which was associated with the Victor Company. In addition to these two inventions, the TV and the radio came into existence as well, give or take a few years; however, it was music and the radio that were the most popular during that time. There were several reasons for this. First, TV’s were very expensive, and although they were a new invention and peaked people’s interest, in the beginning there was no substance to the programming, so it went through an up and down phase. Another reason was because, in a related manner, the radio provided the cheapest form of entertainment because radios were not as expensive as televisions and once the radio was purchased nothing more had to be done; therefore, it had a lot of success for many years to come (Laforse 17).
Now that we have a little bit of an insight as to how music and radio got started, let’s begin our journey. In the first forty years of the decade, there were about three major styles of music, which consisted of two or three forms each; Country Blues, City Blues, (Jazz) New Orleans Dixieland, Chicago Dixieland, Swing, Ragtime, Stride, and Boogie-Woogie (Megill 11). To a musician of the day, and probably someone with an excellent background in these styles, the difference is probably very drastic, but to a novice there doesn’t seem to be any difference at all; all the styles seem to blend together.
In the beginning of the century the Civil War had just ended several years earlier and music reflected the times. Edison’s Company produced and marketed what was called “coon songs”, or “darky songs.” These were songs that mainly sold to people in the south, were sung by white musicians, and mocked and ridiculed black folk. The lyrics, although highly offensive by today’s standards, were racial but reflected people’s attitudes during that time, as you can see some of the title’s of some of these songs. Please be cautioned, this material can be considered very offensive, but it does give an excellent glimpse of the past, and they are, “ Little Alabama Coon,” “All Coons Look Alike To Me,” “The Ghost of the Banjo Coon,” “Lazy Nigger,” and “The Merry Whistling Darky.” In addition, the lyrics to these songs drive home their ideas. Again, I stress caution…(Laforse 28)

“The Merry Whistling Darky”
Oh, I know a little nigger
Who would whistle in the square
“Dum-dee-dee-dee-dee-deedly-dum,”

Oh, you’re bound to hear him comin’
Round the corner every day,
“Dum-dee-dee-dee-dee-deedly-dum.”

He’d whistle night and day,
In his own peculiar way,
Indeed he was as happy as a loon!

And it made him feel so proud
When he whistled out so loud,
“Dum-dee-dee-dee-dee-deedly-dum.”

There were other songs during that time that weren’t, as we would consider today, so offensive, but because they were recorded by Edison’s Company they were still considered to be a “coon song.” A good example of this is a piece called, “Old Folks at Home,” which is a song about a river (Tyler 11). However, not all of the music during that time reflected that same attitude. Patriotic songs also came into existence and some of those songs are well known today, such as The Stars and Stripes Forever (1901); a patriotic march that has become one of the most recorded song of the pre-rock era, Semper Fidelis (1902); another song by John Philip Sousa which eventually became the Marine Corps Hymn, and You’re a Grand Old Flag (1906), which was written by George M. Cohan. Other songs also well known were, Auld Lang Syne (1907), the traditional New Year’s song we sing every year, and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1913), an Irish ballad considered to be the most popular of all time (Tyler 14-65).
These songs and the “coon songs” lasted for about fifteen years because of the new style of Ragtime. The Ragtime years can best be associated with WWI; they were between 1915-1919. Why they were called the Ragtime years I cannot answer, but this was a time of war and the people supported their troops, and even sacrificed food and fuel to make sure their boys won. Other historical events of the time were, The Panama Canal opened, The Boy and Girl Scouts were founded, and Congress ratified liquor prohibition. Also, the movie industry started to flourish and baseball was shocked by the “Black Sox” gambling scandal at the 1919 World Series. Some of the popular titles in the day were, Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (1915), Poor Butterfly (1917), and Tiger Rag(1918)(Tyler 73-106).
The Jazz years according to Don Tyler, were from 1920-1929. They are best associated with the Charleston and the Black Bottom. Boy’s and girls were called “jazz babies” and “flappers,” and the women started dressing more provocatively; they wore dresses that the knee could be seen. Legendary names is associated with this type of music are Louis Armstrong, Bix Biederbecke, Sidney Bechet, and Jelly Roll Morton (107). The beginning of Jazz is credited to the Paul Whiteman Band in New Orleans, but according to Jelly Roll Morton, much of the credit should go to Louis Armstrong (Laforse 68). Two popular songs of those times that were popular then that we would probably know today are, It had to be you (1924), and Singin in the Rain (1929)(Tyler 107-68)
The Jazz years continued into the ‘30’s, but the times were way different. The 1920’s were a prosperous time for the country and people were happy, and enjoyed life. The 1930’s however, was characterized by hunger, unemployment, breadlines, and dust storms; The Depression Years. People were down and the music of Jazz helped lift their spirits. Some of the popular songs that could be recognized from that particular time were, I Got Rhythm (1930), and Minnie the Moocher (1931).
So there it is, a trip into the past in order to see where the music that we listen to today has come from. It was quite a learning experience for me, and I hope for you as well. As for the music itself, I’m not going to discuss the music of Swing because that is a different era, but music during the Ragtime, Jazz and Swing eras seem to have the same sound , at least to the novice such as myself, but probably to the musician of the day or someone who is an expert the music is probably drastically different. Please don’t let my opinion skew yours because music speaks differently to everybody.

Laforse, W. Martin, and James A. Drake. Popular Culture and American Life. 1st ed. Chicago: Nelson-Hall 1981.
Megill, D. Donald, and Richard S. Demory. Introduction to Jazz History. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1993.
Tyler, Don. Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era. 1st ed. North Carolina: McFarland &Company, Inc. 2007.

Edward Mollohan

Popular Music in America 1934-1966

In the early 1930’s swing music was on the rise. Swing has a strong rhythm, usually with a fast tempo. It’s kind of a jazz fused with blues. Swing is usually played by a bigger band than most jazz is. Normally the bandleader has previously arranged the music, which discourages improvisation. Soon, swing developed it’s own style of dancing that was embraced more so by the youth than by anybody.
Below is an example of Swing music, played by Count Basie and his orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CRmsW6tuH0


In the 1940’s, blues diversified to include rhythm & blues, better known as ‘R&B’. R&B is a merger of blues and country music.
Below is two examples of Southern R&B music by The Five Royales
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZVXYwenclY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzdHgysGTQk&feature=related


Here is a fun example of a good blues song. The ‘main line’, or rhythm, you will probably recognize as it is still used today on commercials etc.
It is the legendary John Lee Hooker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOyj4ciJk34&feature=related


In the 50’s and 60’s pop music developed. The low price of recorded music stimulated demand and profits grew for the industry. Which in turn made the marketing of music more and more aggressive and so pop stars were created. Pop stars like Frank Sinatra, Rudy Vallee, and Tony Bennett.
Here are two examples of Frank Sinatra, early and late
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlujPZ64ZvI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLjwVTVnpNI
Here is an example of Tony Bennett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ6zVW3V1hc


My personal favorite performer of this type of music is Harry Connick Jr. I started listening to him kind of by accident about ten years ago and find his music refreshing after listening to the ‘same ol stuff’ on the radio everyday.

I have listened to ‘come by me’ over and over and over, never knowing there is a video and now that I know there is a video I still wont watch it. I prefer to envision the band playing on my own terms. I love this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv9st_bY1Zs&feature=related

Below is a video of Harry Connick Jr playing a cover of a Louis Armstrong song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU6cf2NhfEA

posted by Rick Shiver

1966-2000
The music of the late 20th century is an explosion in the genres of music. The old forms of music like rock and R&B go through an evaluational change in how the played and sounded. There was also a creation of three new genres of music during the late 20th century. These genres were disco, funk and rap. The musical tastes would become wildly popular when they came out, and some others would have to slowly build their following.
1966-1969
The late 6Os's can be summed up by two events. Woodstock and Marvin Gaye. In 1967, Marvin Gaye had his biggest hit. I heard it through the Grapevine. it was his musical masterpiece. Woodstock is three days of music, love and drugs. This is an accurate portrail of the late 60's. This would also kick start the 70's.
The most memorable moment of wood stock was when Jimmi Hendrix played the National Anthem on his guitar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4AU7oK-xMQ and also the Vietnam protest song.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5btZWbViPA (waring explicit lyrics).

The 1970's
The 70’s began with a huge bang. In 1970, Marvin Gaye released his land mark album “What’s Going On”. The album was inspired by Marvin’s brother, who had served in Vietnam. The album is a collection of songs that explore what is going on in America during the time. A year later in 1971 the Jackson 5 released their first single and would be a musical power house though out the entire decade. As the decade progressed, it became apparent that that people were trying to forget the ills of the world. Many people began to look to disco for their good times, the song “Staying Alive” released in 1977, is probably the song of the decade. The songs that were produced during this time are still popular today. There were numerous groups that became king of the dance floor. These are Bee Gees, Village People and KC and the Sunshine band. There are other numerous groups but these were the most popular. There was the beginning of a new musical genre during this time, Funk. Queen also released their hit “Bohemian Rhapsody”, during this time period. There are some disputes as to who invited funk but most believe it was James Brown with the song “Sex Machine” released in 1970. The music is characterized most importantly by a heavy base line. The bands most importantly involved with this music are Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, Chic and the Commodores. The 70s are time of adjusting from the 60s but also searching for new musical horizons. By Daniel Llanas

70's videographay
Marvin Gaye has one of the most amazing voices in the history of music. This song was made in 1970. Is one of those songs will stay around because it is still revlent to this day. R.I.P. Marvin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KC7uhMY9s

This next video is the model of Funk. Sly and the Family Stone started in the 60's. Their music got funkier and funkier as the decade progressed. Sly went out of his mind and the band disintegrated. Their legacy is still intact. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJRNtBqHCyc

Disco is a very interesting form of music. It is purely dance music that collapsed in the late 70's, but still survives to this day. The Bee Gees are the group of the disco era. I also included another video from Chic to show that groups crossed boundaries. This is disco but it alos had a funkier edge to it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnqY8KJbPcI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeJ1c9YOzvM by Daniel Llanas

The 80's

The 80’s began with the destruction of disco. Never again would disco come back but its legacy still survives today. The 80’s can be described as the decade of decadence. It was also the decade of the Rock. Rock chugged along throughout the 70’s but it exploded into prominence during the 80’s. The Metal band Quiet Riot scored a number one hit with “Bang Your head” after that all bets were off. It seemed like a new rock band came out of the woodwork every week and each one more weird than the last one. The bands had names like WASP, Motley Crue, Twisted Sister and many others. Several bands are more exceptional than the others. Van Halen had been around since the late 70’s but blew up during the 80’s. 1984 was an incredible year for them with songs like “Jump” and “Panama”. They reigned supreme but the 80’s got more interesting that same year. An artist from Minnesota which could play 17 instruments also exploded on to the musical scene. Price is an enigma musically. His music encompasses every thing from Rock, R&B, to Funk. He danced with the style and vigor of James Brown. Every person that saw his knew he was destined for stardom. In 1984, Purple Rain the movie came out as did the sound track. He had three number one hits from that soundtrack “When doves cry”, “Purple Rain” and “Lets go Crazy”. He would be a powerhouse throughout the decade. The 80’s arguably belonged to Michael Jackson. This is when he truly became the king of Pop. In 1982 one of the greatest albums in music history came out, Thriller. The album went platinum over twenty times. It also spawned three number one hits “Beat it”, “Billie Jean” and “Thriller”. Michael Jackson also refined the music video. Thriller was a mini movie event for the small but still growing MTV. It is the video everybody tries to emulate and surpass to this very day. The 80’s saw the rise of a new genre of music, not only was it a new genre but a new culture, Hip-Hop. Hip-hop was discos poor cousin. It was mostly relegated to the urban inner city. When rappers delight was released it was over Chic’s “Good Times” base line. Even early Rap had a social element to it. Grand Master Flash and the furious five released the “Message” in 1982. It was a tour trough the inner city in all of its hopelessness and despair. Rap slowly climbed the social meter and finally broke trough with Run-Dmc. Their album Rum-Dmc, in 1984, was to get wide spread rotation on MTV. Rap in the late 80’s went trough a renaissance with distinct regions forming their own musical flavors. The major players were the in the East and West Coast. The East Coast had Run-Dmc, KRS –1, Public Enemy. The West Coast had NWA, and ICE-T. There were other regions but they were underground. They would have their chance it the 90’s. The 90’s would bring a paradigm shift and that would take music in another direction. By Daniel Llanas

80's Vidoeography
Van Halen is one best bands during the 80's. Their front man David Lee Roth was preety crazy. This also gives you a sense of Rock sounded during this time period. I am still waiting for the Reunion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX2CyIH_ebE

Prince is one of our modern day music legends. His music encompass every thing in the musical sphere. He also has some of the most explicit lyrics ever committed to record. The first video shows his funkier side and dancing ability. The other video is from his movie Purple rain and has a more rock flavor to it. http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=14481&vid=112992
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=14481&vid=58775

Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of the great music innovators of our time. His song thriller was good but, when he made the video thriller it went though the roof. He laid the ground work for all modern videos not to mention Thriller sold more than 20 million copies.
http://www.veoh.com/videos/e164553sBzTxcyG

These two videos are from the late 80's rap music scene. The first one is from Run-Dmc. It is also interesting because it shows how Hip-Hop is a global phenomenon. The second is from Public Enemy. There you see what a live rap show is during this time period.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmAOhJeITA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6U-9DXaoOw By Daniel Llanas

The 90's

The 90’s went though a paradigm shift in almost every genre of music. In the late 80’s Guns n Roses produced there debut album and went platinum over fifteen times. In 991 they released their ambitious double album, Use your Illusion one and two. “November Rain” was mega hit. They both were a smashing success. The albums occupied the number one and two spot on the billboard charts. That same year Metallica released their Black album. They shot up the charts with songs like “Sandman” and “Sad but true”.These successful bands ushered in a new gritty sound in rock music. A year later in 1992 Nirvana arrived on the musical scene. They started a whole new movement called Grunge.This movement spelled doom for the rock bands of the 80’s. Their album Nevermind was very successful with hits like “Smells like Teen Sprit” and “Come as You Are”. This was ironic because Nirvana hated mainstream music. Now they were mainstream. The rock musical scene shifted from Los Angles to Seattle for the next few years. The scene also shifted in Rap. Rap was born in the East and in the early 90’s it shifted to the west. The rise of Gangsta rap began in the late 80’s with N.W.A. and ICE-T. It exploded in 1992 when Dr. Dre released the Chronic. The album was huge and even more mainstream than Run-Dmuc thanks to his video “Nothing but a G thang”. Dre also discovered an up and coming rap artist Snoop Dog. He would release Doggy Style in 1993 and would become a Pop culture phenomenon. Tu Pac would also join the musical scene in 1993 and would become a musical legend in his own right. The musical scene swung back to more pop music. In 1994, Green Day released their album Dookie. It was a huge hit selling more than 10 million albums. They started a shift back to a more popular form of music. In 1995, Pop music struck back with a vengeance Hootie and the Blowfish released their land mark album. The album went platinum sixteen times over thanks to hits like “Let her Cry” and “Only want to be with you”. Two years in 1997, the stars aligned and the planets converged and sadly gave birth to two bands, ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys. Both bands had some minor hits early on, then in 1999 the Back street boys released Milliuem. It went platinum in barley over a week. “I want it that way” and many other songs gave millions of young girls fainting spells. Then a week later in 2000 ‘ N sync released No stings attached, that went double platinum in the first week so the 20th century closed with a bang. BY Daniel Llanas

90's videography
This video is Sad but true by Metallica. Its alot rougher than pannama by Van Halen. Guns n Roses are a little bit better on the ears but still could rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PsbT9r51PM

Nevrmind came and shook up the whole musical scene. It was aslo the first teen angst band I think. A whole generation of teenagers flocked to thier music. they still to this day. This video is "Come as you are"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOL5cpwTkes

the G-funk era came in to rap with the realse of the Chronic. There is defently more harmony than what the 80's rap music had. It alos herlded the West Coast Rap image. Here is Dre's legandary video. (Waring Explict images and lyrics) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gk8pbd_DNM

The revenge of Pop came back with Hootie and the Blowfish. This is as mainstream pop music can get. It is soft and easy to listen to. No wonder they sold more than 11 million copies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgV2XevwK4M

The boy bands of the late 90's, lets be realistic where a markiting ploy. That bieng said they could at least sing so I will give them that.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgH-jWCny9U
By Daniel Llanas