Ethel Waters Research Paper

What was the Jazz Age in America? Also known as the Roaring Twenties’, it was when American ways were beginning to modernize. Before the stock market had crashed and the Great Depression started, culture was booming in America. Dance was changing rapidly and new styles of dances were being created. Women began to wear shorter clothes, cut their hair, and some even had jobs, while the Flapper girls gave other young women an outlook of freedom. People began to go see films and movie stars became famous worldwide. During the Jazz Age, American culture was changing and Americans were becoming more finically affluent.

The Jazz Age was a period of radical behavior and care free living. This new music structure started the crazy decade that would change American life. “In the US during the 1920s, jazz was far more than a new musical style or genre”. A Focus on culture, fashion, and mostly freedom became huge. “The Jazz Age became a touchstone for a wide range of social and cultural issues.”1 Also the freedom during the period allowed for many different ethnicities, including African Americans, to gain freedom within society. This new music

The Blues also became a hit in the 1920s after Mamie Smith recorded “Crazy Blues” and it grew into a huge part of the Jazz Industry. African Americans were given credit for the creation of the Blues industry of music as well. Bessie Smith was known as the “most famous of the 1920s Blues singers.”

Jazz was the sound track to the 1920’s. Another nickname for the 20’s was the Jazz Age. Jazz was a newly popular style introduced through the Harlem Renaissance when many African Americans were in search of jobs and took up music as an option. Jazz was introduced in the south and quickly traveled all across the eastern coast of the United States. Throughout the jazz age many unforgettable musicians arose in fame composing catchy songs which became the sound track to the 20’s. Many of famous artists were musicians such as Joseph “King Oliver” Oliver,

culture”(Jazz in the 1920s). This shows that jazz had a big influence on many different peoples

For her time, Billy Holiday was one of the highest paid performers. This is a gigantic achievement for not only African Americans but also women. She also was the first female African American vocalist to work with a white orchestra. She later quit her job with the orchestra due to racism and mistreatment that was inevitable. Holiday’s superior vocals skyrocketed her through the music industry scooping up four Grammies along the way.

Out of the streets of New Orleans, a new form of music arose. This new type of music was not known as African or European, but simply American. It was jazz. In 1900 jazz first developed, but it wasn’t until the

During that time Bessie was receiving $125 per recording and at the height of her career, she was receiving $2,000 per week, and owned her own traveling railway car. She toured regularly throughout the 1920s, particularly in vaudeville, often with jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Fletcher "Smack" Henderson, James P. Johnson, and Benny Goodman. In May 1925, she made the first electronically recorded record, "Cake Walking Babies," by singing into the newly invented microphone. Although, she performed primarily to black audiences, Bessie did find popularity among whites, as well. Among her most successful songs were "Jealous Hearted Blues," "Jailhouse Blues," "Cold in Hand Blues," and a version of Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Her rich voice was perfect to convey the mournfulness of her songs about poverty, oppression, and unrequited love and struck a chord in the hearts of listeners.

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey is a pivotal figure in the history of American music. She was the first person to ever perform blues and the first internationally known African American female blues singer. Her music acted as inspiration for many distinguished figures during the Harlem Renaissance, and continues to influence contemporary music and art.

For my second paper I decided to research Ethel Waters. Not knowing who she was prior, but once looking up her name my interest was sparked immediately. I learned a lot about who this extraordinary woman was. Ethel Waters was a famous African American blues, jazz, gospel vocalist and actress during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Her life was truly a “Rags to Riches” story.

Jazz is a music genre that has complex characteristics and history of development and thus many musicians and scholars face troubles in defining what jazz is. In general, jazz is believed to have born in New Orleans. Jazz developed for the pleasure of the social dancers. According to the “Understanding Jazz: What Is Jazz?” of John F. Kennedy center for the Performing Arts, Jazz was created mainly by Afro-Americans, and had elements of European and Afro-American culture. Also, it emphasizes few elements of Jazz, which are swing-feel, syncopation, and improvisation. These different culture and elements of jazz may be explained by how jazz

Jazz is consider one of the most influential types of music an America History. Some of the greatest artist in the world have contribute to the success jazz have had not only on America History but throughout the world. This paper will explain the history of jazz, where it all came from and the effect it has had on the America Culture.

In the modern era, one of the first big movements in music was jazz. Jazz is a evolution of music, which brings together traditional european harmonies with blue notes and improvisation with are usually associated with traditional african music. This music, in its early and most basic forms, was played and personalized all over the world, but there are places in the United States that are generally considered the “birthplace” of jazz, more specifically the south. Since then, Jazz has become one of the most popular and widely listened to genres of music in history. What

Even though Jazz music was predominantly of African-American audiences, it grew to all listeners of music regardless of their race. But, if we look at the audience of today, the listeners of Jazz music are white. Jazz was also able to grow during its height because of the fact that music was able to be recorded. This gave everyone the ability to hear this genre of music, even if they were not able to go out and enjoy it live. Also during this time and through the mid-century Jazz was the dance music of Americans. Jazz in fact influenced the younger crowds in how they dressed, their language, as well as a certain attitude. Most of all, Jazz, more than most other music, has been firmly related with the societal, political, and financial impacts of American urban communities and in addition the changing status of American workmanship and music all through the

The Jazz Age was a period of change throughout the United States. It was a time of dancing, jazz music, flappers, and prohibition. The social and cultural landscape of the United States transformed dramatically during this time period because it was right after World War I ended. Women started to get more independence because they had been the ones running the country while most of the men were at war. One of the greatest effects of World War One was that the