Jazz -
The time has finally come,
I can finally get the chance.
I no longer have to secretly play my trumpet,
I am so happy I could dance!
The music from New Orleans,
Has spreaded to my class.
It is no longer exclusive to whites,
Us black folks will catch on to this fast.
If Mamie Smith can do it,
I can do it too!
Imma get a record deal,
An opportunity for a lucky few.
A little hard work is all that it takes
To promote myself and gain some fans.
It only requires the tunes from my trumpet
And my bare hands.
As we all know the first jazz band that represented “The Sound Of New Orleans” came out a few years ago in 1917, with The Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Until last year in 1922, record companies recorded white jazz bands. Just now recently, African Americans have been considered for record deals that might be popular in the consumer market. One of the people that should be credited for promoting race records is Mamie Smith. She started a trend of signing African Americans to jazz record deals when she signed with Okeh Records with her early blues recordings. The Okeh Record Corporation was one of the first record companies to seek for urban African American working-class performers. Mamie Smith actually was the first African American vocalist to record with this company in 1920. After Mamie Smith, record companies such as Columbia, Paramount, and Vocalian began to look for African American bands to represent. Establishing race records was a huge success for record companies. It was proven to be very lucrative. New York City, Camden, and Chicago are major recording cities. Other “gems” of race records include artists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Spike’s Seven Pods of Peppers, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Earl Hines.
-Natalie Williams