American Grooves Radio Hour, hosted by filmmaker and collector Joe Lauro, takes you on a deep dive into the music of pre-World War II America. It focuses on the Jazz, pioneering Blues, early Country, Gospel, Vaudeville and World Music which was being performed on the streets and in the taverns and nightclubs of pre-1935 America. ONLY original 78 rpm records from Joe’s world-renowned archive and the libraries of other notable collectors will be played. There will also be stories from the firs ...
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Blue Blowing- the art of playing jazz on a kazoo or comb was all the rage in Skiffle Bands, Jug Bands and even some Jazz Bands - we will hear some fine and hot examples!
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For Fathers' Day 2023 - all tunes about Papas and Dad's! From Jimmie Rodgers to Helen Kane!
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This Sheldon Brooks pen tune became the theme song for SOPHIE TUCKER back in the teens and never left the playing field as a jazz standard covered by most every hot band in the land - several versions are played on this episode
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Brody Hunt's shellac extravaganza held bi-yearly in the lovely Asheville NC brings a multitude of like minded shellac collectors young and old - here's some of the goodies I scored at the awesome event! ( 2023)
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Besides the usual assortment of pre-war goodies, Joe features severa versions of the pre-war perennial AFTER YOU'VE GONE - From Sophie, Bessie and Miff om!
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Ralph Rinzler, Alan Lomax, John Cohen and Mike Seeger were just a few of the talent scouts that searched the rural south for forgotten pre-war Bles and Country artists to revive at the ealry Newport Folk Festivals - DOCK BOGGS, MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT, ROBERT WILKINS to name a few were given new, late era careers...no to mention SKIP JAMES and SON HO…
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One of those tunes that most every jazz band played...sort of the Johnny B. Goode of it's day - in this episode we play all kinds of cool pre-1935 versions of.....TIGER RAG!
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some of the eclectic music that helped fuel the cultural explosion known as the Harlem Renaissance - From its earliest days with BERT WILLIAMS and Charles Gulpin to Duke and Cab!
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We celebrate some jazz's FIRST great bassists - Wellman Braud, Steve Brown Bill Johnson and others will be featured!
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The "Big Apple" in song from the Bowery to Harlem1920s-30s - from Fanny Brice and Clayton, Jackson & Durante to Red Nichols! Some fun stuff here for sure
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Tunes recorded during Franklin Roosevelts big experiment of getting Great Depression ravaged regular folks back to work - we tap into a slew of topical WPA related Blues, Country and Pop tunes recorded during the dog days of the Great Depression
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Joe plays an eclectic selection of pre-war Jazz, Blues, Gospel and Hillbilly pre-war 78s from his collection and the collection of some of his generous friends .
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From Joel Shaw and his orchestra on CROWN to Bessie Smiths final session in 1933 we will have a party and play some fun 1920s-early 30s tunes celebrating good times!
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100s of gospel recordings were recorded and sold to the "race Records" market- sermons, quartet singing, sanctified singing and preaching AND Sacred quartets, duos, fiddle-vocals you name it! - we play a selected set of some of these masterpieces of Americana
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We trace the old groaners' career from his first recording in 1926 with Washington State pal Al Rinker and the PAUL WHITEMAN Rhythm Boys to his early solo years!
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Rare recordings of some of the legendary 1900s-30s songwriters performing thier own songs - from Irving Berlin in 1913 to Willard Robison in 1927 and much more
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In 1923 Ralph Peer recorded Henry Whitter and Fiddlin John Carson - the record executives released there was shellac gold in them thar hills - this episode explores some of the first Hillbilly recording stars
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Joe and his pal Russ Shor present some of the dances that were rage circa 1900-1936 as presented on original 78 rpm recordings! CHARLESTON, BLACK BOTTOM, HEEBIE JEEBIES, LINDY HOP, SUZIE-Q will all be in the house!
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LGBTQ themed songs were NOT widely recorded in the pre-ww2 era...Gay performers were also certainly not the norm but there was a vibrant underground movement in the adukt nightclubs of Paris, New York and Los Angeles We will present some of those amazing rare recordings!
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One of the few topics that had more songs written about it than HEAVEN likely has been HELL! - Lets' hear some cool 1920s-30s sermons, blues tunes and HOT jazzers about that place you don't want to go!
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The 1920s and 30s was not as buttoned up one may think- some of the dirtiest " double entendre " blues tunes made their way to the market by the likes of Bessie Smith ,Ethel Waters, Lucille Bogan and many more - !
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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. Its roots actually go back to the turn of the century- In two episodes we will present some of the recordings of the…
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From 1917 when the Original Dixieland Jass Band waxed their first sides, through the mid-1920s small band jazz was the way to hot town - This episodes featres some of those recordings
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Our first listener REQUEST episode of sorts - We asked our online chat group friends to send in their suggestions of the hottest f the hot jazz recordings - we received so many submissions that we created three programs around them - listen in to what your fellow collector pals feel will burn the house down!…
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Our first listener REQUEST episode of sorts - We asked our online chat group friends to send in their suggestions of the hottest f the hot jazz recordings - we received so many submissions that we created three programs around them - listen in to what your fellow collector pals feel will burn the house down!…
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Our first listener REQUEST episode of sorts - We asked our online chat group friends to send in their suggestions of the hottest f the hot jazz recordings - we received so many submissions that we created three programs around them - listen in to what your fellow collector pals feel will burn the house down!…
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Let's face it, the litany of budget record labels produced by Grey Gull Records in the 1922-30 era were amoungst the worst sounding, cheaply produced and CHEAPEST of all of the popular ealry 120th century Ameriucan record labels. BUT, not only did tey manage to produce some of the hottest records of the era, their loosey goosey approach to A&R left…
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The evolution and story behind Jelly Roll Morton's immortal KING PORTER STOMP - some of which as told by Jelly himself!
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From Ina Ray Hutton to Lil Hardin the 1920s-30s had quite a few lady jazz band leaders and instrumentalists - this episode presents some of the best recordings by these unsung ladies
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Deep Ellum was born in 1873 when the Texas and Pacific (T&P) Railroad crossed the Houston and Texas Central (H&TC) Railroad near the intersection of Elm Street and Central Avenue. The area came to be called “Deep Ellum,” derived from “Deep Elm,” Deep Ellum was a place where day laborers were picked up and dropped off, and a thriving entertainment s…
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What's beyond those pearly gates has been a frequent subject of early hillbilly, blues, jazz and gospel tunes for ever! - Joe tries to get to heaven with a variety of pre-war rarities
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February 12 2024 makes the 100th anniversary of the landmark premier ( at New York's Aeolian Hall) of George Gershwin's' master work A RHAPSODY IN BLUE - we celebrate with some of the tunes played at that legendary concert
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The blues roots of this barrel-house tune that made it as a perennial in the rock era are explored! From James Wiggins to Lizzie Miles!
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Joe explores early recordings and early careers of two of Harlem's early jazz piano innovators - JAMES P. JOHNSON and THOMAS "FATS" WALLER
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Joe explores some of the great voices and instrumentalists of EARLY ( pre-1940) Country music
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Joe explores the origins and many versions of this classic American folk tune
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In this episode Joe explores some of the musical roots of THE GRATEFUL DEAD - From Gus Cannon' Jug Stompers to the unlikely ELDER McINTORSH! Jerry was all ears in regards to American roots music!
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WE WILL CELEBRATE THE FIRST 10 YEARS OF THE RECORDING CAREER OF BILLIE HOLIDAY - FROM HERE FIRST EVER SIDES WITH THE BENNY GOODMAN BAND IN 1933 TO HER IMMORTAL "STRANGE FRUIT" IN 1944 FOR MILT GABLERS' COMMODORE MUSIC SHOP LABEL
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WE DEDICATE OUR ENTIRE PROGRAM TO LONNIE JOHNSON - BLUES AND JAZZ GUITAR INNOVATOR - FROM THE MID-1920S THROUGH THE 60S JOHNSON ADAPTED TO THE CHANGING TITEDS OF MUSICAL STYLES - AN INNOVATOR OF R&B, A FIDDLER, PIANO MAN AND ONE OF THE GREATEST RECORDED GUITARISTS OF HIS ERA
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WE EXPLORE THE MANY VERSIONS AND LEGEND OF THIS CLASSIC AMERICAN FOLK TUNE -
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FROM RILEY PUCKETT TO DICK JUSTICE WE WILL FOCIS ON SOME OF TE INNOVATORS OF COUNTRY GUITAR STYLES
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WITH THE END OF PROHIBITION IN 1933 JAZZ MOVED DOWNTOWN FROM HARLEM TO THE LEGENDARY 52ND STREET - WE WILL FEATURE SOME OF THE BANDS AND SINGERS THAT MADE "SWING STREET" THE JAZZ MECCA OF NEW YORK
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So, sorry to dispel and old wive's tale but Louis Armstrong did not invent skat singing! As great as his 1926 HEEBIE JEEBIES Hot Five recording is ( and ground breaking in so many ways) it wasn't the first skat singing on record..on this episode we trace the style to a 1911 recording and go from there - so de de dat tra lat and tune in!…
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Cab Calloway's immortal MINNIE THE MOOCHER was one of the first million selling black jazz records and spawned several sequels! Here we play homage to the tune and it's origins - from Cab to the Boswell Sisters, Roland Smith's Rascals and more!
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A mixture of many great recordings - from Valverts' Creole Band recorded in Paris circa 1930 to some hot Hawaiian sides and much more- the wonders of pre-1940 78s! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/american-grooves-hour/supportBy Joe Lauro
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