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Who were the key African American bands of the swing era?

Who were the key African American bands of the swing era?

Though this was its most popular period, the music had actually been around since the late 1920s and early 1930s, being played by black bands led by such artists as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Bennie Moten, Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, and Fletcher Henderson, and white bands from the 1920s led by the likes of Jean …

Who was the most popular hillbilly singer of the swing era?

Roy Claxton Acuff (1903–1992): The most popular hillbilly singer of the Swing Era who performed in a style that was self-consciously rooted in southern folk music.

Which of the following musicians was well known in the swing band era?

The resurgent commercial success of Frank Sinatra with a mildly swinging backup during the mid-1950s solidified the trend. It became a sound associated with pop vocalists such as Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Judy Garland, and Nat King Cole, as well as jazz-oriented vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Keely Smith.

Who was the first black jazz singer?

Louis Armstrong
Who Was Louis Armstrong? Louis Armstrong, nicknamed “Satchmo,” “Pops” and, later, “Ambassador Satch,” was a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. An all-star virtuoso, he came to prominence in the 1920s, influencing countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style and unique vocals.

Who was the first big band leader?

Bandleader Charlie Barnet’s recording of “Cherokee” in 1942 and “The Moose” in 1943 have been called the beginning of the bop era. Woody Herman’s first band, nicknamed the First Herd, borrowed from progressive jazz, while the Second Herd emphasized the saxophone section of three tenors and one baritone.

Who was the leading figure in Western swing music?

Prominent groups during the peak of Western swing’s popularity included The Light Crust Doughboys, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies, Spade Cooley and His Orchestra and Hank Thompson And His Brazos Valley Boys.

Who founded Western swing?

Bob Wills
Bob Wills famously earned the “King of Western Swing” tag over four decades of dance hall-filling dominance with his band, the Texas Playboys. But the true innovator was Brown and his band, the Musical Brownies, who developed the prototype sound of Western swing in 1932.

Who was the best swing band?

So without further ado, here’s our look at some of the best big bands and jazz orchestras ever, with a recommended recording for each one.

  • Count Basie Orchestra.
  • Benny Goodman.
  • Dizzy Gillespie.
  • Woody Herman and The Herd.
  • Buddy Rich Big Band.
  • The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
  • Gil Evans.
  • The Maria Schneider Orchestra.

Who was the first black American singer?

In 1890, George W. Johnson, a former slave, became the first African-American musician to make commercial records. During his short but successful singing career, Johnson sold thousands of recordings.

Who was the first African American vocalist to work with an all white big band?

BENNY GOODMAN – This popular big band (swing) leader was the first to integrate white and black musicians onstage. COUNT BASIE – This early big band leader represents the Kansas City rhythm & blues style from the 1930s.

What was the swing era of jazz known for?

Updated August 15, 2017. The swing era is known as the days of jazz when dance halls were packed with people eager to listen and swing dance to the best big bands from around the country. During this period, artists developed styles that influenced later musicians and subsets of jazz, from bebop and beyond.

When did big bands start in the swing era?

Big Bands and the Swing Era. The term “Big Band”, referring to Jazz, is vague but popular. The term generally refers to the swing era starting around 1935 but there was no one event that kicked off a new form of music in 1935. It had evolved naturally from the blues and jazz of New Orleans, Chicago and Kansas City.

Are there any African Americans on early recordings?

Finding music by African Americans on early phonograph records is more difficult than one might surmise. Black artists rarely performed on early recordings. Racial prejudice may only be a contributing factor. Although black singers and musicians were well known, in its early years, the recording industry was not looking for known artists.

Who was the king of swing in the 1930s?

An early milestone in the era was from “the King of Swing” Benny Goodman’s performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles on August 21, 1935, bringing the music to the rest of the country. The 1930s also became the era of other great soloists: the tenor saxists Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry and Lester Young;