Music in the United States in the 1930sThe 1930s was a decade of hard times in the Unites States. The stock market crash of 1929 caused an economic depression throughout the United States and much of the rest of the world. Then in the 1930s, there was a terrible drought in the western United States that led to what became known as the Dust Bowl. Agriculture failed for several years, and many people were forced to leave their jobs and homes. But, in spite of the hardships, the 1930s was a great decade in American music. Anyone with access to a radio could share in it.Two Folk Music HeroesWoody Guthrie (1912–1967), a singer and guitar player from Okemah, Oklahoma, became America’s best-known balladeer of the 1930s. He traveled all over the country writing folk songs such as "So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You," "Goin’ Down the Road (Feelin’ Bad)," "Hard Travelin’," "Roll On, Columbia," and "This Land Is Your Land."Huddie Ledbetter (known as "Leadbelly," 1885–1949), an African American singer, wrote songs about the experiences of African Americans during the 1930s. He was considered by some to be the king of the 12-string blues guitar. Some of his best-known songs are "Cotton Fields," "The Midnight Special," "Rock Island Line," "Take This Hammer," and "Goodnight Irene."Pop Performers of the 1930sPopular singers and/or dancers of the 1930s include the Andrews Sisters, Fred Astaire, Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Roy Rogers, Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple, and Ethel Waters.Jazz, the Swing Era, and Big BandsBig band jazz became popular in the 1930s. Big bands consisted of 15 to 20 players who were heard throughout the country at dances, on the radio, and in movies. A style of couples’ dance called "swing dancing" went with big band jazz. One such dance, called the "jitterbug," features partners throwing each other over the head and through the legs.Legendary bandleaders of this era include Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Harry James, Glen Miller, and Artie Shaw. Most bands featured singers, and many vocal recording artists of the period got their start with a big band.The combo jazz band also became popular in the 1930s. A combo is typically made up of a piano, bass, and drums (the rhythm section) with two to four melody players on instruments such as the clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, vibraphone, or guitar. Benny Goodman led a very influential combo band that was racially mixed—an unusual idea in segregated America at a time when most bands were either African American or European American.Country and Western MusicThe first recordings of country music were made in the 1920s in a style that was then called "hillbilly music." By the 1930s, the media—radio and recordings—had begun to popularize a new style called "country and western," named after its eastern (Nashville, Tennessee) and southwestern (Texas) roots. It included country gospel, the beginnings of bluegrass, cowboy musicals (movies and shows), brothers’ and sisters’ duets, and western swing.Even though times were tough in the United States during the 1930s, the era provided new innovations in folk music, jazz, popular songs, musicals, and country and western music.source:http://www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/historical/1930s.html
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