Reproduced
from the book "Best Musicians, Singers, Albums and Entertainment
Personalities of the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries", Volume V of World
Who's Who in Jazz, Cabaret, Music and Entertainment. Pages:
2445-46-47
Published by the Federation of American Musicians, Singers and
Performing Artists (FAMSPA). Pages 2328-2340.
THE VERY FIRST
RECORDINGS IN AMERICA
EARLY DAYS OF RADIO
ENTERTAINMENT
WHO’S WHO OF THE VERY FIRST RADIO
SINGERS AND RECORDING ARTISTS IN AMERICA
Photo: The magic of the early gramophone. It was America’s greatest delight!
Not all that long ago, the music scene in America was not terribly exciting. Most of the middle classes and all of the upper classes listened exclusively to music written by European composers, including opera. They looked down their noses at anything else. Devout church goers did not even listen to the European music, and allowed themselves only hymns at church, or occasionally at home; they objected to any organized shows, including music, considering them a sin. In rural America, most of the music, other than what the people heard in church, consisted of folk music, which was never written down, but rather passed from one generation to another. Immigrants, living in cities, would indulge in the ethnic music that they have brought back from the “old country.” A century ago things started to change – at a breathtaking speed. Sheet music, wax cylinders, and one-sided discs suddenly appeared everywhere, and despite the opposition expressed by many groups, this light hearted, fun music thrived. It was played by bands all over the country, minstrel shows adopted them, and Broadway took it to its heart. The rides in Coney Island were accompanied by the happy tunes, and they filled the St. Louis World’s Fair. The “popular music” came into its own, and has kept America’s music industry in great shape!
Photos
from L to R: 1-Poster of the St. Louis World’s Fair also known as the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition, opened on April 30, 1904, to international
acclaim. It offered live entertainment and plenty of music.
2-Edison's
"Gem" cylinder machine. Early models were designed to play brown wax
cylinders.
Other innocent and beautiful delights of the era: Learning how to ride a bicycle, hats, and “Curling Edwardian Hair” fashion…
During the Edwardian times, women simply had to curl their hair to be fashionable. The heated curling tongs that they used were often dangerous, burning the hair and even the scalp, so when Karl Nessler (or Charles Nestlé, as he preferred to call himself) unveiled his new technology in 1906, women were delighted. The Bavarian hairdresser, who had made very successful moves to Geneva, Paris, and New York, created the Nestlé Permanent Wave. A lady still had to sit under the machine, with horrible chemicals applied to her overly heated hair, for up to twelve hours. She still risked a burn. But slowly the process improved, the hair stayed curled for a long time, and the lady did not have to torment herself every day. The strong curls were important also because the hats of the time were so wide, and so heavily decorated, that the hair had to act as a rigid support to simply be able to wear them. By 1911 the hairstyles began to move toward a more natural shape, Mediterranean and Near Eastern styles began to influence the West, and eventually the Grecian style, which gracefully took the hair to the back of the head, was adopted. Continues NEXT