Song

In 1909 Shelton Brooks wrote the words and music of a song which was truly a landmark in popular music, perhaps the landmark of the transition era. It was completely unlike most songs of its time. It derived from none of the popular song elements then current. It is aContinue Reading

When surveying the music of the war years, where to begin? On April 30,1939, the New York World’s Fair opened its doors. Promoters called it “The World of Tomorrow,” and the exposition promised a look at scientific, technological, and consumer wonders never before seen. It had as its theme songContinue Reading

With the United States emerging as “The Arsenal of Democracy” and facing the daunting task of producing most of the weapons and supplies for the Allies throughout the war, more women than ever before joined the workforce. The Office of War Information soon launched a campaign urging women to “DoContinue Reading

In 1911 Ernest M. Burnett copyrighted a song called Melancholy. In 1912 the copyright was assigned to the Joe Morris Music Co. under the much better-known title My Melancholy Baby. We’ve all heard this song so many times I think we may have forgotten a few salient facts about it.Continue Reading

In 1917 Shelton Brooks erupted with The Darktown Strutters Ball. When I first heard the Six Brown Brothers’ (six saxophones) record of this song many years ago, I knew I was listening to something special. Even though by 1917 writers were catching on to the fact that there was moreContinue Reading

In 1912 came the first publication of that phenomenal song form, the blues. It is an old form that may have preceded the Civil War. Harold Courlander, folklorist and author of the definitive Negro Folk Music U.S.A., says, “ There is no indication that something closely akin to blues wasContinue Reading

Several waves of national popularity of Hawaiian music have facilitated exposure for Polynesian traditions. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hawaiian music became known outside Hawai’i through two means. First, travelers who visited Hawai’i wrote descriptive accounts of performances that emphasized their exoticness, the aura of which has remainedContinue Reading

In 1899 there was also a very successful pop song called Hello! Ma Baby which was certainly in the ragtime genre. There is some question as to the authorship, though the names of Joseph E. Howard and Ida Emerson appear on the sheet music as joint authors and composers. AccordingContinue Reading