Who was Anna Church?

Robert Church's second wife; formed Liszt-Mullard Club-society of women to promote classical music and raise money to scholarship musical training of young musicians

Who was Robert Church?

-an African-American entrepreneur, businessman and landowner in Memphis, Tennessee, who began his rise during the American Civil War. -He was the first African American "millionaire" in the South. -built a reputation for great wealth and influence in the business community. began working as a steward when his father, a steamboat owner, took him along on his route between Memphis and New Orleans. bought his first property in Memphis in 1862. He was well established by 1878-79, the years of devastating yellow fever epidemics which resulted in dramatic depopulation in the city. With property devalued, bought numerous businesses as well as undeveloped land, with the long-term view of their appreciation as the city recovered. He built his great wealth on this real estate. He purchased the first $1,000 municipal bond to help the city recover from bankruptcy after it was reduced to a Taxing District.

Who was "Boss" Crump? How does he fit into the whole Memphis entertainment situation back in the day?

dominant force in Memphis politics for most of the first half of the 20th century. And he also dominated the state of Tennessee politics for most of the time from the 1920s to the 1940s. only mayor of Memphis from 1910 through 1915, and again briefly in 1940. But, he effectively appointed every city mayor from 1915 to 1954. Thought blacks should have right to vote (for him) began to make political connections that served him for the rest of his life; delegate to the Tennessee Democratic State Convention in 1902 and 1904. In 1905 he was named to the municipal Board of Public Works and appointed Commissioner of Fire and Police in 1907. He was on his way. In 1909, W. C. Handy wrote the first blues song. It was actually a campaign theme called "Boss Crump Blues" and was later published as "The Memphis Blues". It really caught on quickly in the clubs, in part, due to its unique sound elected for his first term as Mayor or Memphis.

Who was Carlo Patti? What did he do?

—An Italian immigrant who was the first to attempt to create an orchestra in Memphis. Leader of Philharmonic Society and popular violinist. Musical director of New Memphis Theater

Where was the Casino Ballroom? How did it effect local musicians? What type of music was played there?

The fairgrounds. known as "The Showplace of the South", with the largest dance floor in the city. built by Lynn Welcher in 1930 for $100,000 - an enormous sum in those days. There were innovative features like teak and rosewood floors mounted on felt, which gave it the perfect "bounce" for dancing. It also had an enormous lighting system, like no other, in any ballroom. All the big-name entertainers and bands of the day performed here. And public dances were hosted every Friday and Saturday night. thrived for 20 years. When the big bands began fading out in the 1950s, it was sold to the Memphis Park Commission for only $12,000. The new manager started a policy of "No Alcohol" and that marked the end of the old Casino. The building was turned into a public basketball arena.

What type of music was played in the Peabody?

orchestras and swing music. JAZZ BANDS

What was a "floating Palace?" How did they affect Memphis audiences / performers / economy?

River boats that Ran along Mississippi and Ohio Rivers from NO to Cincinnati, portable venues that housed variety shows, opera singers and instrumentalists, circuses, vaudeville shows. So many musicians were playing in and out of Memphis because of this business model that local musicians decided to form a musician's union to standardize pay scales. Exposed Memphis to tons of new music and musical styles. Local interest grew as a result which further resulted in the creation of venues and theaters (The Lennox, Crisp's Gaiety, Hightower and Odd Fellows')

How did itinerate blues musicians make their money? record sales? sheet music? performances?

—street corner musicians who played a variety of tunes in order to make a little money from passersby

Know the origins of "Memphis Blues" When was it published? How did Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong help the career of W.C. Handy?

a song described by its composer, W. C. Handy, as a "southern rag". It was self-published by Handy in September 1912 and has been recorded by many artists over the years. Subtitled "Mr. Crump", "The Memphis Blues" is said to be based on a campaign song written by Handy for Edward Crump, a mayoral candidate in Memphis, Tennessee. Later wrote St. Louis Blues, The 1925 version sung by Bessie Smith, with Louis Armstrong on cornet, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993. The 1929 version by Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra (with Red Allen) was inducted in 2008. The song was a massive and enduring success. At the time of his death in 1958, Handy was earning royalties of upwards of US$25,000 annually for the song (equivalent to $222,000 in 2019).

Who was O.K. Houck?

He was often referred to as Memphis' first citizen. O. K.'s father managed the French Piano Co branch store in Memphis. When he was 21, O. K. moved to Memphis, and with his father, opened O. K. Houck & Co at 359 Main Street, specializing in music publishing and the sale of sheet music. The business prospered from the very beginning and would become the leading establishment in the Mid-South. In 1903 the company name changed to O. K. Houck Piano Co. and the business began to sell and rent musical instruments.

Know about Memphis Minnie's song writing ability. . .and recordings.

— She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Bumble Bee", "Nothing in Rambling", and "Me and My Chauffeur Blues". In 1910, at the age of 13, she ran away from home to live on Beale Street, in Memphis. She played on street corners for most of her teenage years, occasionally returning to her family's farm when she ran out of money. Her sidewalk performances led to a tour of the South with the Ringling Brothers Circus from 1916 to 1920. She then went back to Beale Street, with its thriving blues scene, and made her living by playing guitar and singing, supplementing her income by prostitution (at that time, it was not uncommon for female performers to work as prostitutes out of financial need).

Who was Abe Fortas? What's his deal?

acquired a lifelong love for music from his father, who encouraged his playing the violin, and was known in Memphis as "Fiddlin' Abe Fortas." Also, an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1965 to 1969 under LBJ. Jewish. Pre jazz band, conducted school orchestra, one of highest-paid musicians in Memphis at $8 a gig

What were "race records?"

78-rpm phonograph records marketed to African Americans between the 1920s and 1940s. They primarily contained race music, comprising various African-American musical genres, including blues, jazz, and gospel music, and also comedy. These records were, at the time, the majority of commercial recordings of African American artists in the US. Few African American artists were marketed to white audiences.

In the early 1900s, what was going on on Beale Street? Explain the social and economic situation in that neighborhood . . .why would aspiring young female performers want to get out of that world?

—the murder capital of the US, cocaine addiction epidemic at all-time high, rampant prostitution. They didn't like the audiences and didn't want to be prostitutes?

Explain Alberta Hunter's performance style and career.

achieved international fame in the 1930s for her vigorous and rhythmically infectious style. distinctive style, which incorporated jazz, blues, and pop music. First started on Beale Street, hated it and got out quick to Chicago. Her big break came when she was booked at Dreamland Cafe, singing with King Oliver and his band. Wrote "Downhearted Blues." Retired to take care of her mother? Mother died in '54. At age 59, Hunter left show business and became a nurse. Then, after nursing for twenty years, she went back to music full-time, even giving dynamic, live performances in her 80s. She performed up until her death in 1984.

Who were the Cortese Brothers? How did they survive in the Memphis Music scene?

From 1923-1933, managed major attractions all over the south. Because of their knowledge of the business and their many contacts, they were able to attract the finest musicians and talent in all fields of entertainment. Angelo had seen the potential in Memphis, and with Joseph and Jack, they made it happen. But they were great musicians as well as prominent Memphis instrumental music teachers. And they were responsible for bringing the greatest artists from the world of Classical Music to Memphis, along with major actors, dancers, and Broadway productions. Angelo was invited to Memphis in 1911 by Mrs. Houstis Sims, arts patroness and wife of brain surgeon Houstis Sims, to play with the new Memphis Symphony Orchestra ... and from that introduction, Memphis became his home. Memphis, at this time was beginning to burst with a growing population, and the city was starved for good music. Angelo knew he could help satisfy this demand. Joseph became president of Choir Masters Guild of Memphis Angelo and Joseph both taught at Memphis Conservatory of Music The Cortese Brothers booked the leading bands, like Jan Garber and Blue Steele's into The Chrysanthemum Ballroom

Know Lil Hardin's contributions and her musical upbringing - and her mother's feeling about popular music.

her persistence and the money she would make won Decie's approval, and her career was launched. Three weeks later, Lil began a climb to the top by accepting a job with clarinetist Lawrence Duhé's New Orleans Creole Band, playing at a Chinese restaurant. -worked at Chicago music store; could read music Then came gigs at the DeLux Café and the city's ultimate cabaret, Dreamland, where she played accompaniments for a fellow migrated Memphian, Alberta Hunter. In 1921, she joined King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band at the Dreamland, which turned out to be a pivotal moment, and the most significant musical association she would make. Decie was still skeptical, so when the band accepted an extended booking in San Francisco, Lil told her that they were going to make some records in New York. she made her husband Louis Armstrong a star w/ her promotional efforts; the leader and pianist and arranger of his early bands. musical director for Decca Records' Sepia Series and performing on both sides of the Atlantic.

Explain Jimmie Lunceford's style. . . (say, compared to Furry Lewis' for example).

band differed from other great bands of the time because it was better known for its ensemble than for its solo work. Additionally, he was known for using a two-beat rhythm, called the Lunceford two-beat, as opposed to the standard four-beat rhythm. This distinctive "Lunceford style" was largely the result of the imaginative arrangements by trumpeter Sy Oliver, which set high standards for dance-band arrangers of the time. Comedy and vaudeville played a distinct part in Lunceford's presentation

What was W.C. Handy's initial feeling about blues music? What changed his mind about its value? How did he use blues in his compositions? What was ragtime's formal construction? - compared to other popular songs. . . Know about W.C. Handy in general

his father hated it? Would rather have no son at all than have a son who's a musician When he heard the slaves singing and their rhythm? sectional, frequent repetitions of the sections (or "strains"), and, of course, notated (not the case with jazz) Ragtime found its characteristic expression in formally structured piano compositions. The regularly accented left-hand beat, in 4/4 or 2/4 time, was opposed in the right hand by a fast, bouncingly syncopated melody that gave the music its powerful forward impetus.

What is meant by a "musicians union?" Why would Memphis need such an organization?

an organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. Musicians's Protective Union formed in Memphis bc Memphis was strategic location and midway point between NOLA and Cincinnati and St. Louis. Made Memphis center of river traffic and and became recruiting point for large instrumental ensembles. people from all over came to Memphis in search of work performing on floating orchestras

Know the general history of the Municipal Auditorium (later named the Ellis Auditorium).

located in downtown Memphis on the corner of Poplar and Front Street. The completion of the Auditorium in 1924 made Memphis one of the first cities in the nation to offer comprehensive meeting and convention facilities. The auditorium was way ahead of its time, offering 30,000 square feet of display space and seating for 12,000. It even featured a movable stage that was entirely electric. A period brochure boasted that the mechanical marvel took only 12 hours to move! The auditorium was so advanced, it would be 50 years before a new facility was needed The moving force behind the auditorium was Robert R. Ellis and after his death in 1930, the facility was renamed for him. However the major drive behind the construction of the building was mostly economic. From this beginning and throughout its lifetime, Ellis hosted circuses, opera, symphony concerts, trade shows, movies, traveling theatrical shows, conventions, and big bands Ellis Auditorium brought such legendary performers as Katharine Hepburn, Mary Martin, the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, and dancer Isadora Duncan to Memphis. This was also the Auditorium where Elvis first played to a sold-out crowd. Almost all Memphis High School graduations were held here. Numerous touring productions also appeared, including the John Barrymore touring company. Barrymore's alcoholism made every performance a test of nerves; he would skip lines, demand to see cue cards, or treat the play as a joke. And there were the six decades of Memphis music that filled the halls. That's sixty years of Memphis music.

Know the general story of the Orpheum Theater up until 1980.

In 1890, the Grand Opera House opened on the corner of Main and Beale streets and was billed as the most classy theater outside New York City. Vaudeville was the main source of entertainment at the time, featuring singers, musicians, and magicians. The Grand became part of the Orpheum Circuit in 1907, and the theater became known as the Orpheum. Vaudeville at the Orpheum was successful for almost two decades. Then in 1923, after a show that featured singer Blossom Seeley, a fire started and the theater burned to the ground. then rebuilt as the "New Orpheum," bought by MA Lightman and became "Malco" (movie theater) had Wurlizter organ 1980--Pat Halloran hired as president and CEO

Remember - in the years leading up to the yellow fever epidemic in Memphis - there were some elite African Americans learning, teaching, and generally promoting European art music. . .who were they?