AMERICAN GROOVES RADIO HOUR hosted by JOE LAURO

In commemoration of Women's History Month 2023 Joe explores some of the great Lady Blues Singers of the pre-war era - Keechie Wiley, Bessie Smith , Memphis Minnie and many suprizes !

In commemoration of Women's History Month 2023 American Grooves presents three programs focusing on Women's contributions to pre-war pop, jazz country and blues. Episode one of this mini-series focuses on some of the great unsung pop vocalists of the mid-1920s-1930s Ruth Etting, Annette Hanshaw and a slew of surprises !

FROM RARE RECORDINGS OF DUKE ELLINGTON'S COTTON CLUB BAND, FLETCHER HENDERSON AND LUIS RUSSELL TO EARLY BLACK BROADWAY PIONEERS WILLIAMS AND WALKER JOIN UA FOR PART TWO OF OUR CELEBRATION OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

IN COMMEMORATION OF WOMEN' HISTORY MONTH WE PRESENT A PROGRAM FEATURING SOME OF THE 1920S-30S FINEST JAZZ/DANCE BANDS LED BY LADY BAND LEADERS - BLANCHE CALLOWAY & HER JOY BOYS, INA RAY HUTTON BAND, CLEO BROWN, THELMA TERRY AND MORE .

THERE WERE MANY SMALL INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS COMPETING WITH THE BIG 5 ( COLUMBIA, VICTOR, BRUNSWICK, VOCALION & OKEH) BACK IN THE 1920S. GREY GULL RECORDS AND ITS' ASSOCIATED LABELS ( RADIEX, VAN DYKE, SUNRISE AND OTHERS) WERE BY FAR THE LEASE EXPENSIVE ( 25 CENTS) AND WORSE SOUNDING ( BEING PRESSED WITH A THIN SHELLAC COMPOUND LIKELY INCORPORATING SAND AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE!) - GREY GULL EMPLOYED A "HOUSE" BACKING BAND MADE UP OF SOME FINE MUSICIANS ( Mike Mosiello TRUMPET, Charlie Butterfield or Tommy Dorsey, TROMBONE / Andy Sannella REEDS AND STRINGS!, Charlie Magnante, ACCORDION / John Cali, BANJO/ George Hamilton Green XYLOPHONE , Joe Green, DRUMS, MARIMBA) WHICH RESULTED IN SOME FABULOUS JAZZ MIXED IN WITH THE USUAL DRECK! THERE ARE THE USUAL POP TUNES OF THE DAY AND MANY TUNES WRITTEN BY MOSSIELO TO AVOID HAVING TO PAY COPYRIGHTS ON BOTH SIDES OF RECORD RECORD!. SOME FABULOUS BLACK JAZZ MADE IT'S WAY TO THEIR STUDIOS BY THE LIKES OF J.C. JOHNSON, NICK NICHOLS AND CLIFF JACKSON. NOT TO MENTION THE OLD SCHOOL PHONOGRAPH SINGERS WHO RECORDED FOR EVERYONE BACK IN THE TEENS AND EARLY 20S BUT WHO WERE HEADING TOWARDS OBLIVION WHEN THEY GOT TO GREY GULL...

IN MY OPINION, WHEN GREY GULL CLOSED ITS' DOORS IN LATE 1930 PART OF THE NEW YORK BASED HOUSE BAND WENT A FEW BLOCKS OVER TO THE MAX FLEISCHER STUDIO WHERE THEY PROVIDED SOUND TRACKS FOR THE MANY EARLY BETTY BOOP, POPEYE AND TALKATOON CARTOONS! THE BAND ON THESE EARLY CARTOONS SOUNDS VERY SIMILAR TO THE GREUY GULL HOUSE BAND! ( RESEARCH RESEARCH!!!)

THIS SHOW WILL FEATURE A CROSS SECTION OF FUN GREY GULL SIDES!

THE HARLEM  RENAISSANCE Part 1 (1901-1925)  - From Williams & Walker to stride  piano mastermind James P. Johnson we will  attempt to scratch the  surface of that iconic uptown cultural explosion .... The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of  African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater,  politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City,  spanning the 1920s and 1930s. We will explore some of it's earliest roots with rare recordings by influential performers and songwriters such as WILLIAMS & WALKER who are said to have planted the  earliest seed with the first All-Black show on Broadway!

Joe plays some of his favorite Blues, Jazz and Country tunes about REQUITED love!  From Miss Lee Morse's lovely version of SIDE BY SIDE ( 1926) to Cliff "Ukulele" Ike's OLD FASHIONED LOVE ( 1934), Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers  and so much more - 

The "Johnny B. Good" of jazz tunes! TIGER RAG has it's origins in  Victorian era French Folk Music - hear how it started and how it was played by everyone from  ORIGINAL DIXIELAND JASS BAND, JELLY ROLL MORTON to THE MILLS BROTHERS and many more!

What was BLUE BLOWING ? it was human beings imitating jazz horns and banjos with just their mouths! - From  guitarist Eddie Lang's first recordings with THE MOUND CITY BLUE BLOWERS ( 1924!), THE   MILLS BROTHERS, to UKULELE IKE and a slew of now obscure artists hear how HOT blue blowing could be- a lost art of early jazz! - 

From 1928-1933 Victor Records (then  in 1931 RCA Victor) produced a series of Blues, Jug Band, Gospel, Jazz. Skiffle and Sermon recordings specifically marketed to African American record buyers..and some hip hot jazz loving white folks!...Icons such as Memphis Jug Band, Blind Willie McTell, Fury Lewis, Tommy Johnson,  Duke Ellington, Bennie Moten and Jelly Roll Morton were released on Victors special RACE "38,000" numerical series. Join us for part two of our exploration of the vintage 1928-33  Victor "Race" records releases.