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World War II to the Civil Rights Movement

Overview

A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos or the company that owns it. A record label can also refer to a publishing company that manages music brands and trademarks and coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos. Race labels, which began in the 1920s, were record companies that marketed African American music to Black listeners, such as Paramount Records, which labeled itself "The Popular Race Record" in marketing materials.

Be ready to:

Explain race record labels and describe how different aspects of radio affected the ability of Black musicians and disc jockeys to gain popularity.

Explain the importance of radio broadcasting, including the contingencies that affected diversity in music.

Explain the influence of licensing companies such as ASCAP and BMI on the dissemination of rhythm and blues and country music.

Describe the importance of tape recorders and jukeboxes to independent record companies.

Discuss the term "crossover" and how it became an effective tool to market African American music to mainstream society.

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Keywords

Listening Guides

References

Introduction to Lesson 18: Race Labels (Continued)

Emerson, Okey, Vocalion, and Victor were other race labels that marketed African American recordings to Black listeners. In viewing the Emerson Phonograph Company's Race Records, some popular artists include Ethel Finney's "He Wasn't Born In Araby, But He's A Sheikin' Fool"♫ (1924), Rosa Henderson's "West Indies Blues"♫ (1924), and Lena Wilson and her song "Tain't No Tellin' What the Blues Will Make You Do"♫ (ca. 1927 as seen below), to name a few.

Simultaneously, "race record" chartsThe charts may be dedicated to a specific genre such as R&B, country, or rock, or they may cover all genres. by professional trade journals such as Billboard and Variety Music Calvacade began to place popular Black songs on music charts (record sales and airplay determined a song's popularity/ratings).

Race record charts continued from the 1920s to June 1949. The following image shows the Billboard Music Popularity Chart identified as "race records" with popular songs at the end of May 17, 1949. This practice continued through World War II. By June 1949, Billboard's Music Popularity Chart, as seen by the following image, discontinued the "race records" chart in favor of the popular term "rhythm and blues."

Flyer from Emerson Phonograph Company's Race Records

Race Records

Because record sales and airplay are the main factors for a song's rating on Billboard and other professional trade journals that charted music at this time (e.g., Cash Box and Variety Music Cavalcade), it is important to know how different aspects of radio affected the ability of Black musicians and disc jockeys to gain popularity. Therefore, it would be helpful to know something about radio broadcasting.

Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog"

The lyrics are metaphorically about a "man," Although she refers to him as a hound dog, with lines such as "Daddy I know, you ain't no real cool cat" and "you ain't lookin' for a woman, all you're lookin' for is a home" she is speaking about a man.

Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"

The lyrics are about the animal "hound dog" and how it's no friend of Presley's because he's often crying, is not high class, and has never caught a rabbit.