CHOO CHOO CH' BOOGIE

This week we look at the fall of Swing, but the rise of something else, something that will send ripples through the pop musical landscape of America and give birth to a form that shakes the world not only in music, but in art, literature, fashion, culture, politics, the whole gamut of experience - Rock 'n Roll. But before we get there, we have to examine its germination.

Once World War Two was over, life sort of settled down. Men came home from the traumas of the war and wanted to just settle down - to create a family, find a job and a home, and live a life as pleasant as possible. However, things had changed. Music had become a driving force in people's lives and there was still a demand for a music that spoke to the yearnings of the post-WWII generation. Swing, for a number of reasons, some of them economic, fell by the wayside. Here is a clip from the Ken Burns' series, Jazz:

Out of the collapse of the Big Band Era came a floodgates of popular male singers led by Frank Sinatra and others. One of the most interesting was Johnny Ray - the Princes of Wails - a fragile, vulnerable singer who was, ironically, partially deaf. Here is a clip from YouTube of him and the Mills Brothers' recording of his biggest hit record - Cry:

As we saw earlier, what was once called "hillbilly" music garnered great popularity - changing its name to Country music - mostly through the radio. The radio allowed even the poorest farmer or worker access to music free of charge. The same was true of "race" music - now called the Blues - all across the South. Here is a clip from American Roots Music:

 There was a huge migration during the war from the South. Men and their families moved to cities like Detroit and St. Louis and Chicago to get well-paying jobs working for the war effort - munition plants, car plants, etc. Most decided to stay once the war was over. Because they had more money in their pockets than if they had stayed in the South, they spent much more on entertainment, going out to clubs and dance halls at night and on the weekends, trying to escape the drudgery of their factory and other menial jobs. Of course, when they migrated, they brought their music with them. One city that had developed a large black population was Chicago and a new sound emerged in the clubs on the South side. Here is a clip from American Roots Music:

Chess Records became the home of this new blues style and its roster of artists would have a huge impact on the music to follow. here is a clip about the Chess Brothers from the The History of Rock 'n Roll series:

The centrepiece of the impressive Chess roster was, of course, the great Muddy Waters. He is him and his amazing band in performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960:

the centerpiece, the supreme artist of the large Chess Record staple was, of course, Muddy Waters. Here is a

Because the clubs in Chicago's south Side were so noisy, the blues artists had to plug their guitars into amplifiers and this new "electric" guitar sound made the music change in structure and, on some levels, subject matter. As we have seen over and over again, a shift in Afro-American music often accompanies a shift in other forms. Many of the workers who moved to the North to get the war efforts jobs were white and they brought their music with them. Those who stayed plugged their instruments into amplifiers and Honky-tonk was born. Here is another clip from American Roots Music:

 Some people have called Bluegrass music, hillbilly music on steroids. you decided - here is a clip from American Roots Music:

Earlier, in the 30s actually, people developed an interest in what will become know as Folk music. Although was an immensely popular musical form, its effect would be felt much later, especially in the protest music of the early 1960s. Here is a clip from American Roots Music featuring two of the most influential of these artists - The Weavers - who introduced the mainstream to the  songs of Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. Imagine the songs Woody would be writing if he was alive in our times.

So, as we can clearly see, the groundwork is all in place for Rock 'n Roll. Next week, Elvis enters the building and the explosion of Rock 'n Roll is heard around the world. Here is a clip from series The History of Rock 'n Roll that sort of sums up the impact the music we looked at this week on the music we will look at next week.