What role did independent record companies, disc jockeys, and technologies like radio and television play in popularizing rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and rock and roll after World War II?
Week 5 Day 1 Discussion Question 3
March 9, 2016 | 1 Comment
February 27, 2019 at 2:45 pm
What role did independent record companies, disc jockeys, and technologies like radio and television play in popularizing rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and rock and roll after World War II?
Post World War II, there was a surge in independent record companies, disc jockeys, and technological change that increased the accessibility of different types of music for the general public. Independent record companies began to take off, competing against each other to find the most talented and successful artists. It is also interesting to read that many of these independent record companies in LA and Chicago “specialized in different styles”, especially with regard to R&B music. For example, Aladdin Records, created a postwar sound that “spanned the relaxed vocal stylings of Charles Brown and the more jumpy blues of Amos Milburn” (14), thus allowing different record companies to have different sounds or reputations. At first, only African Americans were buying R&B discs, but by 1950 “more and more white teenagers bean to become aware of R&B” (15). On the other hand, Memphis became the heart and soul of Rockabilly music, as the Sun Record Company got its start here and allowed for artists to have a recording studio as “there was no place in the South they could go to record.” (31).
Additionally, technologies such as television and radios became much more affordable after the war. Because many radio shows were transferred to also become available on television, african american artists were also included on television (17). Even further, new innovations were added to the radio, and new types of radios such as the “portable transistor radio” and a “car radio” were created, which allowed for much more access to music to occur throughout society.
Disc Jockeys became more influential and began to play more racially integrated and diverse options of music. For example, when R&B became much more popular, leading DJs became “die-hard advocates” (19). In particular, DJ Mitchel Reed convinced his management to “switch from a jazz format to rock” and Al Jarvis “wanted the black artists to be heard” (19), creating a platform in which their voices could be much more publicly promoted.