Digital Dream Door’s take on what was hot way back then:
-T-Bone Walker: Stormy Monday
-Mahalia Jackson: Move on Up a Little Higher
-Bill Monroe: Blue Moon of Kentucky
-Dusty Fletcher / Louis Jordan / Count Basie: Open the Door, Richard
-Johnny Moore: Merry Christmas, Baby
-Hank Williams: Move it On Over
-Louis Jordan: Jack, You’re Dead
-Tex Williams: Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)
-Julia Lee: King Size Papa
-Savannah Churchill: I Want to be Loved (But Only By You)
Here are some books to check out.
Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.
What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.
The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").
David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.
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