HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 4

THE BIRTH OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC, AND INCORPORATING THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
CLICK HERE TO PLAY THE SHOW

With today’s show, we attempt to explain just how the American ‘Popular Music’ form fell into place. Boy, oh boy is this complicated, and we hope to cover a lot of ground in one hour, so hold on to your hats, AND BE FOREWARNED! Some of the language on these songs is thoroughly inappropriate by today's standards. We believe that an ACCURATE portrayal of history is necessary if we are to learn anything from it, though, so we present these songs with no editing.
A lot of things had to fall into place for the American music scene to become established, so let’s quickly review what we’ve already covered; 1) In our first show, we displayed how the European music form, mainly through opera, kick-started the American music industry. 2) Our second show displayed how the European tradition gradually gave way to America’s own music forms, particularly the music of African slaves that eventually became America’s “Spiritual Music.” 3) Our third show covered America’s own musical developments from within, eventually bringing us to the ‘Ragtime’ era. Today, our fourth show, attempts to mold the entire morass into one messy pile, a category simply labeled “Popular.”
The most significant characteristics that caused American popular music to develop as it did are both social and technical. From a social standpoint, race relations were a major factor. African Americans playing a huge role in America’s cultural development, but until the onset of jazz music, mainstream America remained in denial of this fact. Technically, the newfound ability to distribute recorded sound caused an entire industry to develop around it. Songs were required for distribution, and facets from all three of our previous shows provided source material for the recording industry. So, give us one hour and we will do our absolute best to explain just how the America’s popular music came into being.

Here’s a list of songs featured in today’s program;
1) Jump Jim Crow – Michelle Shocked
2) The Washington Post March – United States Marine Band
3) The Laughing Song – George Washington Johnson
4) Reuben Haskin’s Ride on a Cyclone Auto – Len Spencer and Harry Spencer
5) The Preacher and the Bear – Arthur Collins
6) Samuel – Bert Williams
7) Nobody – Bert Williams
8) Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk – Ada Jones and Billy Murray
9) On the 5:15 – The American Quartet with Billy Murray
10) Yankee Doodle Boy - Billy Murray (a George M. Cohan song)
11) Swanee – Al Jolson (a George Gershwin song)
12) April Showers – Al Jolson
13) Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Al Jolson


For further reference, check out the following
1) Semper Fidelis - John Philip Sousa & the U.S. Marine Band
2) Stars and Stripes Forever – Sousa’s Band
3) The Thunderer - United States Marine Band
4) The Liberty Bell – The U.S. Marine Band
5) On the Banks of the Wabash – George Gaskin
6) Arkansaw Traveler – Len Spencer
7) If I'm Going to Die, I'm Going to Have Some Fun – Arthur Collins
8) Everybody Wants a Key to My Cellar – Bert Williams
9) Eve Cost Adam Just One Bone – Bert Williams
10) When the Moon Shines on the Moonshine – Bert Williams
11) King of the Bungaloos – Gene Greene
12) Shine On Harvest Moon – Ada Jones and Billy Murray
13) Give My Regards to Broadway – Billy Murray (written by George M. Cohan)
14) Take Your Girly to the Movies – Billy Murray
15) Waiting for the Robert E. Lee – Billy Murray
16) Casey Jones – The American Quartet with Billy Murray (edit)
17) Over There – Billy Murray
18) Over There – Nora Bayes
19) How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm – Nora Bayes
20) You Made Me Love You – Al Jolson
21) Hello Central, Give Me No Man’s Land – Al Jolson
22) I’ve Got My Captain Working For Me Now – Al Jolson
23) Toot Toot Tootsie – Al Jolson
24) Mr. Radio Man – Al Jolson25) My Mammy – Al Jolson (edit)
26) I’m Sitting On Top of the World – Al Jolson
27) Casey Jones – The Grateful Dead
28) Casey Jones – Mississippi John Hurt
29) Arkansas Traveler – Michelle Shocked