Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds (1920 - 1924)
In 1919, African American songwriter and pianist
Perry Bradford was sure that there was a market
for African American music aimed at African
American consumers. He had a hard time
convincing the record companies in New York of
this, but he kept at it and managed to get Okeh
records interested in the idea in 1920. Before this
time there had been a handful successful African
American recording artists such as James Reese
Europe and Bert Williams, but their music was
aimed more towards the tastes of the White
record buying public. Bradford wanted to market the contemporary African American
music, which was Blues and Jazz. He felt that singer Mamie Smith, a star of the
musical revue "Maid of Harlem" had the right stuff to reach the African American
audience. Their first try was a couple of Perry Bradford pop songs with a slight Jazz
and Blues feel "That Thing Called Love" and "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down".
It sold well enough that Okeh was willing to be a little more adventurous and record
some real contemporary African American music on their next release. The songs
were once again Bradford songs, "Crazy Blues", and "It' s Right Here for You", but
this time Okeh played up that fact that this was an African American singer and band
in their advertising and sheet music sales that accompanied the record. The record
was a smash hit and ended up selling over two million copies. Almost all other record
companies then jumped on the band wagon and started recording African American
Blues and Jazz musicians.
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