1920's Jazz and Race Records

The 1920's was a pivotal time for music in the United States. Recordings were becoming more available, the economy was flourishing, and as a result music was spreading rampantly across the country. Citizens were no longer confined to regional or local music, and musicians were being influenced by music recorded from parts of the country that were normally out-of-reach if not for these recordings.

Picture of an Okeh label record (famous for race records)

As a result of this, the music industry discovered "black" (southern) music. This new music (classified as Race Records) caught on contagiously to the music industry record labels, however, due to current racial segregation at the time, labels would not dare publish a black artist. Instead, labels had    whites cover the "Race Records" and sold them to  the market without much credit, if any at all, going to the original black artists and performers. Even great artists, such as Mamie Smith (who performed songs such as Harlem Blues shown live below), were sometimes completely forgotten in the mix of things.

Mamie Smith performing Harlem Blues

 Nonetheless, the result of Race Records and white covers was monumental. Even if people did not realize they were being exposed to music from other cultures, they undoubtedly were which paved the way for the path of the music scene in the future. Some even say that these Race Records had the unforeseen effect of birthing Rock and Roll, along with artists like Elvis Presley. 

Cited Sources:

"Race Records." Race Records. America.gov, 29 July 2008. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.    <http://www.america.gov/st/peopleplace-english/2008/July/20080812224517eaifas0.2327234.html>.

"Mamie Smith and the Birth of the Blues Market." Npr.org. 11 Nov. 2006. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.<http://www.npr.org/2006/11/11/6473116/mamie-smith-and-the-birth-of-the-blues-market>.

"Race Records." Race Records. n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.    <http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/scriptorium/sgo/texts/racerec2.html>.