Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
1930s Music: What Songs Were Most Popular?
Some of the best musicians ever born had their heyday in the 1930s. No one will ever forget the sweet sounds of Louie Armstrong, or the beautiful voice of Billie Holiday.
Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and Judy Garland were all at the top of their game and the charts. Fred Estaire had a nice run in the 1930s and Count Basie established his dominance.
Most people did not have televisions, so the radio was the primary source of entertainment throughout the decade. And radio wasn’t exactly like it is now, where DJs play song after song after song. Radio was filled with entertainment of all sorts: stories, poetry, news, live music, variety shows and more.
Songs in the 1930s were sometimes more popular than the artist. It wasn’t strange for a song to become popular by one artist, and then re-done by another artist a month later. Because of this, we tend to focus on the songs more than the artists who performed them, because often times the song was popular and performed by several artists.
Music from the 1930s was generally upbeat and sometimes very relaxing. Humor was an important element in popular music.
Swing and Jazz dominated the music scene in the 1930s. Musicals were also quite popular.
Billie Holiday was singing with everyone and Glenn Miller was at the top of his game. And although many of the songs from the 1930s are not well known today, that doesn’t mean they don’t soothe your soul after a stressful day at work.
Some of the most classic songs from the 1930s were: In The Mood, God Bless America, Over The Rainbow, Silent Night, Minnie the Moocher, Strange Fruit and Stormy Weather.
The was truly the era of big band, because the 1920s jazz sound had permeated everything, including orchestras. No longer was jazz limited to the traditional 3-piece combo — now it was being played by very large ensembles. The thirties witnessed the rise of big band.
If you head to the record store I’m sure you can find an awesome collection of 30s music back in the dusty section where they sell the 18-record set by Reader’s Digest for $2.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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