The History of Afro-American Music During the 1940’s to 1950’s

 

Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five brought up-tempo blues, commonly known as “jump blues”, to the mainstream in the 1940s. 

In the clip the song is very up tempo and singing in almost quick words.

Jump blues was usually played by a jazz band consisting of 4 to 5 artists.

The sound had an impact on the early “Rhythm and Blues” artists such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bill Haley & His Comets.

The word “Rhythm and Blues” was created by Bill Board Magazine in 1947 as an all-inclusive term for African-American music at that time.

Therefore, all of the “race” music in the 1950s such as jump blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and doo-wop was called rhythm and blues.

In the early 1950s blues activities concentrated in Memphis, Tennessee.

There are two factors for this.

First, Memphis was an important stop-off for African-Americans who joined the Great Migration from Mississippi after the war.

Thus, the record men came to Memphis to seek talent.

Second, a radio station WDIA in Memphis, which went on the air in 1947, started broadcasting programs of blues and gospel music in 1948 for a potential market of a 1.25 million black audience.