We meet tonight at a crossroads, a point of decision.Shall we expand, be inclusive, find unity and power; or suffer division and impotence?We come to Atlanta, the cradle of the old south, the crucible of the new South.Tonight there is a sense of celebrati
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Katie Casey was baseball mad, Had the fever and had it bad; Just to root for the home town crew, evry sou, Katie blew On a Saturday, her young beau Called to see it shed like to go, To see a show but Miss Kate said, No, Ill tell you what you can do: CHORU
Continue reading >>Some countries resent the American cultural juggernaut. The French periodically campaign to rid their language of invading English terms, and the Canadians have placed limits on American publications in Canada. Many Americans, too, complain about the medi
Continue reading >>By the early 1950s, however, jazz had lost some of its appeal to a mass audience. A new form of pop music, rock and roll, evolved from a black style known as rhythm and blues: songs with strong beats and often risqué lyrics.
Continue reading >>W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" is one of the most frequently recorded songs written in the 20th century. Of all those recordings, one stands out: Bessie Smith's 1925 version, with Louis Armstrong (1900-1971) accompanying her on the cornet -- a collaborati
Continue reading >>The first major composer of popular music with a uniquely American style was Stephen Foster (1826-1864). He established a pattern that has shaped American music ever since -- combining elements of the European musical tradition with African-American rhyth
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