ERA · KNOWLEDGE GUIDE

1920s

Explore 1920s through technology, music industries, regional scenes and representative recordings—and hear why this decade differs from those around it.

Recordings: 49
Albums and releases: 39
Regions: 4

THE DECADE IN CONTEXT

What happened in this decade?

Radio, records and city nightlife accelerated the spread of jazz, blues and commercial popular music.

Sound and technology

Microphones and electrical recording captured softer voices and a wider range of instruments.

People and circulation

Radio, nightlife and record labels made urban styles audible well beyond their home cities.

Listen by comparing

Compare an acoustic-era performance with an electrical recording and notice voice, bass and room detail.

Electrical recording arrivedThe race-record market expandedThe Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Age gained visibility

The decade's key question

How did radio and records turn regional styles into national culture?

Radio brought one performance into many homes at once, while records let listeners replay and imitate a particular version. Regional singing, rhythms and ensembles could cross city boundaries and become recognizable market categories.

MAJOR GENRES

Major genres of the decade

Genre

Gospel Blues

AROUND THE WORLD

Sounds from different regions

North AmericaExplore local scenes and recordings United StatesExplore local scenes and recordings ChicagoExplore local scenes and recordings United States SouthExplore local scenes and recordings

ARTISTS

Representative artists

Artist·Blues

Tommy Johnson

Artist·Jazz

Fats Waller

Artist·Jazz

Fats Waller and His Rhythm

Artist·Jazz

Fats Waller and His Buddies

Artist·blues

Mississippi John Hurt

Artist·blues

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Artist·Jazz

Johnny Doddsʼ Black Bottom Stompers

Artist·Jazz

Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five

Artist·Jazz

Alberta Hunter

LISTENING PATH

Hear the decade through these recordings

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Genre and region are combined; only options with recordings from the 1920s are shown.

representative recordings are still being reviewed. Continue through the related topics above in the meantime.

ALBUMS

Representative albums and releases

Album·2003

Goodbye, Babylon

Album·1990

The Complete Blind Willie Johnson

Album·1929

Founder of the Delta Blues

Album·1926

The Joint Is Jumpin'

Album·1928

1928 Sessions

Album·1928

Blind Lemon Jefferson / Son House

DECADE GRAPH

1920s relationship map

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CURRENT NODE · Era

1920s

Follow the connected recordings, people and styles to understand this node.

Why they connect

era styleJazz1920s and Jazz are connected in the catalog.
era styleBlues1920s and Blues are connected in the catalog.
era styleGospel1920s and Gospel are connected in the catalog.
era styleGospel Blues1920s and Gospel Blues are connected in the catalog.
active artistTommy Johnson1920s and Tommy Johnson are connected in the catalog.
active artistFats Waller1920s and Fats Waller are connected in the catalog.
active artistFats Waller and His Rhythm1920s and Fats Waller and His Rhythm are connected in the catalog.
active artistFats Waller and His Buddies1920s and Fats Waller and His Buddies are connected in the catalog.
active artistMississippi John Hurt1920s and Mississippi John Hurt are connected in the catalog.
active artistBlind Lemon Jefferson1920s and Blind Lemon Jefferson are connected in the catalog.

Choose a purpose and relationship depth, then select a node. Link labels explain the relationship; Compare finds a path between two nodes.

KEEP EXPLORING

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Era1910s Era1930s