[78-L] Musical Mobsters

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Al Barnes" <ace.of.rhythm at gmail.com>
> I'm trying to help a friend come up with some musical themes, and need the
> collective wisdom of the 78-L list.
> Here's the question in her words:
> --------------------------
> I am looking for songs from the Jazz Age (preferably 1923-1935) that
> mention a number of
> different subjects for some K-12 education programs that I'm putting
> together.
> I'll need to find recordings and/or sheet music as these songs will be
> performed live by my band.
> The topics I'm planning to cover are:
>
> Jazz Age Slang
> The Mob
> Women of the 1920s & 30s
> The transition from Silent film to 'Talkies'
> The Depression
> Prohibition
>
First...for the "recorded songs of the twenties," you almost HAVE
to go with the "standards" of that era...i.e. "Yes Sir, That's My Baby"
et al...! However, the BEST example of that era is/was Irving
Aaronson and his Commanders doing "Let's Misbehave!" This
recording includes almost EVERY musical cliche of that era!!

"The Mob"...almost NEVER referred to in pop music...?!

Women of the 20's & 30's? Here the best you can do is refer
to the seriously "Male Chauvanistic" lyrics referring to wives
in that era...which typify the attitudes of the period...like it
or NOT!!

Sound in movies? Only a couple of novelty tunes, like "I Can't
Sleep In the Movies Any More" (Happiness Boys)!

The Depression? There are at best TWO recorded tunes
which admit to there even BEING a depression...!! First,
"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime, and second, "Remember
My Forgotten Man!!" Other than that, the pop music of
the era chose to pretend there WAS NO such thing as a
depression going on! I have NO idea whether current pop
music is repeating this "blindness"...anybody know?!

Finally...Prohibition?" MANY tunes released early in that
era...in fact, it was a VERY popular subject for songs...but
thereafter it gradually disappeared from pop music! Oddly
enough, there were almost NO tunes about the end of
prohibition c. 1932...?!

Steven C. Barr