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American Music Timeline | The 1920s

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff

American Music Timeline Part IV: The Twenties by David Johnson

1900	1920	1922	1924	1925	1927	1928	Next: 1930-1960

Circa 1920	West 28th St. in New York City becomes center of popular music industry, through 1950s, known as "Tin Pan Alley," also style of sentimental popular songs Singers Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith popularize blues; Beale Street in Memphis becomes blues center Top
Early 1920s	Chicago becomes jazz capital, trumpeter Louis Armstrong, pianist Jelly Roll Morton perform Top
1922	Jazz musician Duke Ellington moves to New York, forms band that ultimately becomes Duke Ellington Orchestra Country fiddlers Henry Gilliand, Eck Robertson make records, as music companies search for "old-time music" Top
1924	Juilliard School for performing arts opens in New York George Gershwin composes Rhapsody in Blue, symphonic jazz composition; Porgy and Bess, folk opera, 1935; becomes one of most original and popular American composers Top
1925	Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee, begins Saturday night radio broadcasts featuring regional music, helps fuse Southeastern and Western styles, creating country and western genre Top
1927	Show Boat, music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, based on Edna Ferber's novel, becomes first hugely popular musical comedy Duke Ellington performs for radio from Cotton Club, nightclub in New York City's Harlem, wins national following; 1932 song "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" ushers in swing Top
1928	N.Y. Symphony Orchestra merges with Philharmonic Society of N.Y. to form New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra Top
Next: Popular music, jazz, and the blues

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