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The Ringshout
The Ringshout was a religious dance performed by slaves. It was developed in West Africa and was performed by shuffling in a circle answering a preacher's shouts. It eventually contributed to the development of jazz. -
The Star Spangled Banner
During a rough battle with the British,the Battle at Fort McHenry, an American named Francis Scott Key saw the bombings and was inspired to write "The Star Spangled Banner". This song quickly gained popularity and became America's national anthem. -
Stephen C. Foster
Stephen Foster was known as the "father of American music". He made songs such as "Oh! Susanna" "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair," and "Camptown Races." He contributed to American folk music by capturing the spirit of slaves. He died in 1864. -
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was known as "The March King" or "American March King" because he was known for his American military and patriotic marches. His most famous marches were "The Washington Post", "Semper Fidelis", and "The Stars and Stripes Forever". -
Music During the Mid-19th Century
Music was becoming very popular in America, even though Puritans still did not like nonreligious singing. Songs called "darky" tunes were popularized by whites and were immense hits. The song "Dixie", later known as the Confederate battle hymn was written in 1859. -
The Phonograph
The phonograph was a device that was first used to record and reproduce sounds. It was invented by Thomas Edison and by 1900 had reached over 150,000 homes. -
Music During the Late 19th Century
America during the 1880s and 1890s was developing high-quality symphony orchestras, mainly in Boston and Chicago. The Metropolitan Opera House was built in 1883. In the South, Black folk traditions like spirituals and "ragged music" were creating music such as blues, ragtime, and jazz. -
Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton wan an American jazz pianist and composer. He was also known as "jazz's first arranger". Some of his most memorable songs included "Black Bottom Stomp" and "Shoe Shiner's Drag." He was one of the jazz musicians that gave birth to jazz and Jelly Roll even claimed he "invented jazz" himself. -
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was the first jazz soloist to gain world-wide fame. During the mid-1920s he became a legend when he recorded with the "Hot Five" and "Hot Seven" groups. By the end of the 1920s, he was known by both black and white audiences all across the nation. -
Jazz In the 1920s
During the era of the flapper, jazz was the kind of music that almost everyone listened to. Jazz was originiated in New Orleans, but moved up to the north during World War 1. Many blacks became famous musicians and the saxaphone became the trumpet of the era. -
Harlem Renaissance
After World War 1, this black cultural movement took New York by storm and involved writers, painters, musicians, and actors. Famous black entertainers such as Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Louis Armstrong led this artistic exhibit. They praised their black culture and wanted a "New Negro" who equal to whites. -
Audio Multitracking
A man named Les Paul invented this device and changed the way music was made. Not only was he an inventor, he was also an American jazz and country guitarist. Audio multitracking allows the seperate recording of multiple sounds to create a whole. -
Rock and Roll
During the 1950s, this "crossover" music with its heavy beat and crazy rhythms separated black and white music traditions. Millions of baby boomers listened and danced to this music. The revolutionary was Elvis Presley and he was known as the "king of rock and roll". -
Motown Records
Motown was a music label founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan. It made soul, R&B, and pop songs that changed America. It increased the fame of the Jackson 5, The Temptaions, and Marvin Gaye. Motown was founded during the height of the civil rights movement and helped blacks and whites come together. -
Folk Music
In the 1960s, a new form of music was created. Folk music was a style that revived old forms of music. This type of music, also known as "protest songs",carried messages involving the Vietnam War and Civil Rights. Some noteable musicans were Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. -
The Woodstock Music Festival
Woodstock was a three-day concert that involved music, sex, and drugs. Musicians such as Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix performed. The festival became an icon for hippies around America. -
Music Television (MTV)
This new television station revolutionized not just American music, but muisc all over the world by televising the most popular music videos. MTV even helped promote of the carrers of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, and Prince. It was very influential source of pop culture. -
Itunes & The Ipod
The late Steve Jobs introduced the new digital age of music. On October 2001, he introduced the ipod and offered 1000 songs in a person's pocket. More people were starting to get music off their MP3 players instead of CDs. Billions of people used this device and it changed the world.
