Rhythm a Blues from Bessie Smith to Louis Jordan: Ed Ward's History of Rock a Roll
Today Ed Ward and I will be filling in a gap in our discussion of his epic History of Rock a Roll Part 1, 1920-1963 by discussing the evolution of African-American music from blues a jazz thru swing to Rhythm and Blues with a focus on great performers from Bessie Smith to Louis Jordan. This week, Ed and I talk about the how African-American pop music transformed itself thru the swing era, the rise a fall of the blues queens, the thin line between jazz and blues, the first guitar heroes and the greatest American musical superstar you’ve probably barely heard of, Louis Jordan.
