1900 - 1920's
The early 20th century was bustling with new discoveries and innovation across the globe. Much of this occurred in what was a rapidly growing America. Many of the great strides made were in the creation and evolution of music during this time, especially with in the budding genre known as blues. Some of the great musicians that sparked this musical revolution include Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and my personal favorite (though he was not included in the list whoops sorry), Robert Johnson.
Blind Lemon Jefferson (Birthname was Lemmon B. Jefferson) was the son of two cotton farmers, and suffered from very poor eyesight from birth, though he wasn’t completely blind. He began singing in church at a young age, and eventually began playing guitar on the streets. He became a renowned singer/guitarist and made enough money from his tin can on the street to support his wife and child. Unlike many artists who were “discovered” and recorded in their normal venues, in December 1925 or January 1926, he was taken to Chicago to record his first tracks. Lemmon recorded over 100 songs in a very short time span, and released 43 records, all but one under Paramount Records. At the time, Paramount was a subsidiary of a chair company that recorded many blues artists across America. Mr.Jefferson sadly passed away in 1929 as the first great blues era came to a close. His music, though the recordings were of poor quality (recorded on 78’s), continued to influence generations of guitarist for decades to come.
Mamie Smith was the first black vocalist to be recorded singing the blues, and was hugely influential to the blues movement in the 20’s and onward. Mamie was a very versaile singer, though wasn’t rooted in blues before her initial chance to sing it. She was brought in to sing on a track called “Crazy Blues”, when the original vocalist, Sohpie Turner (Who was whiter than my ass) fell ill. The song blew up instantly, and sold 75,000 copies that month! That’s more than most blues musicians now sell in a year! The recording of the song led to the professionalism of the “Black Music and entertainment industry”, and opened many new doors for other musicians that were sprouting across America at the time. Here, take a listen to the original recording of Crazy Blues to see where it all began.
While still on the topic of inspirational Black Blues singers, lets talk about Ma Rainey, also known as “The Mother of the Blues”. This woman may not have had the most beautiful voice, but she knew how to work a crowd. With her gold teeth and a necklace of gold dollar pieces, she was the real deal. In 1923 she began recording (like so many others), with Paramount Records, and recorded over 100 tracks in the span of 5 short years. She had her own show and tour bus, and played alongside the greats like Louis Armstrong. She was immensely popular during the blues craze of the 1920’s, and her experience from touring and performing brought a huge sense of professionalism to her act. Listen to this song if you have time “Call Me Anything (But Call Me)” which has many of the same elements of modern blues songs with the guitar riffing in the 12 bar through the whole thing and the slow shuffle on the drums.
Okay now it’s time for me to shine because I have a lot to say about this next fella. So although he wasn’t on the list to choose from, I feel that Robert Johnson is way too influential to ignore. So lets talk about folklore, because that’s always the most fun part. It’s said that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to be able to play guitar better than any other man. The devil took the guitar from him and played a few songs, and when he handed it back he handed back complete mastery of the fret-board, which gave Mr.Johnson the ability to write the blues songs he was so famous for. With songs like “Cross-Road Blues” and “Hellhound on my Trail”, it’s hard not to at least pretend the stories were true. The music that Robert Johnson pumped out revolutionized the way people thought about playing blues guitar, especially self-accompanying musicians. His music influence hundred on musicians and songs to come through the next century, such as Blues Legend, Eric Clapton. Here’s a version of Clapton covering “When You’ve got A Good Friend” that was featured on his album “Me and Mr.Johnson. After wards, feel free to take a listen to the original and spot the parallels and differences.
So now lets switch gears, coolio? Time to talk about music related events/places that went on/existed in the early 20th century (Might actually vary from blues related stuff this time, who knows)…
So lets talk about THE GREAT MIGRATION because it’s the one I know the most about! So a lot of Black people were moving north in the States due to crop failure down South, as well as rampant discrimination and segregation. Places like Chicago were hot-spots for people wanting to move because of higher paying factory jobs during WW1. And alongside the thousands of people flocking to Chicago included many musicians. Before you knew it, a huge mass of jazz talent had accumulated in an area known as “The Stroll”, where work was good and fun was cheap, and the music was phenomenal. The New Orleans style of playing began to mold and change to form what was popular in Chicago, and became a huge part of what influenced and formed that fast Chicago Swing Blues and Jazz.
Storyville was a district in New Orleans where music thrived in the early 1900’s, until the district was closed by the city and musicians began migrating north to Chicago. But while it was going, it was one of the most colorful and vibrant places to be. Okay, I’ll admit, the area was ridden with prostitution so that was a downside… however, it was where Jazz originated before it moved its way up north. In fact, famous musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton got his start in Storyville. Aside from the many brothels that were along the streets of Storyville, barbershops, stores, and restaurants began opening and attracting even more tourists. It was a bustling center of activity that birthed the beginning of a genre that would define music in the early 20th century.
BEALE STREET BLUES! Beale Street was in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, and was lined up and down with shops, diners, and clubs. In 1903, the mayor of Memphis (that would be a sweet stage name) was looking for a music teacher for his “Knights of Pythias Band” and called his friend, Booker T. Washington, who recommended a trumpet player named W.C Handy. Mayor Thornton contacted Handy, and Memphis became the home of the famous musician who created the “Blues on Beale Street.” From the 1920’s to the 40’s, musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Albert King, and a young B.B. King as well as many other jazz and blues legends played Beale street, and developed what would later be the playing style known as “Memphis Blues”.
Finally, lets talk about Tin Pan Alley. Went down to Tin Pan Alley…See what was going on…Things was too hot down there…Couldn’t stay very long…Hey hey hey hey, Alley’s the roughest place I’ve ever been…All the people down there …Livin’ for their whisky, wine, and gin…
Okay, admittedly, those are the lyrics to “Tin Pan Alley”, a slow blues ballad that does not paint a pretty picture. But what was Tin Pan Alley? It was essentially a name given to musicians and songwriters that dominated the popular music in America in the early 1900’s. It initially referred to a specific place: West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue in Manhatten. However, the term is more used to describe the period in music that lasted from the late 1800’s to the start of the great depression. Tin Pan Alley was filled with musicians pumping out sheet music for home consumption, but as media began expanding and new forms of music were brought to the airwaves, bigger companies began distributing sheet music, eventually rendering the Alley useless. Like Stevie said, it really ended up being a rough place.
