The Roaring 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s DJ script Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am happy to speak to all the listeners out there who own the wonderful invention called the radio. Tonight we’ll be listening to a few pieces of popular music from the early 20th century, including the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s. Let’s begin! The first song you’ll hear is a good example of ragtime music. Ragtime was popular in the 1900s, and this song is the most famous example. It was written in 1902 by an African American man named Scott Joplin. The song is called The Entertainer and it is written for a solo piano. Here’s The Entertainer by Scott Joplin. *listen to “The Entertainer” The next song is by a very famous songwriter named Irving Berlin. He is perhaps the most prolific American songwriter of all time, which means he’s written more popular songs than any other American. This song was inspired by ragtime music and became a hit in 1911. Please enjoy this recording of Alexander’s Ragtime Band by Irving Berlin. *listen to “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” The most important and influential style of music to come out of this time period came from the 1920s. The style is called blues. Blues began as music sung by slaves in the southern United States in the 1800’s and evolved to a sophisticated form of popular music. W.C. Handy, known as the “Father of the Blues” wrote this next song, St. Louis Blues. *listen to“St. Louis Blues” The next popular style of music to emerge in the 1910s was called Dixieland Jazz. This style developed in New Orleans and quickly spread to Chicago, New York City, and the rest of the country. Dixieland Jazz combines the brass band sound with ragtime rhythms. It also usually features a trumpet solo playing the melody of the song. The most famous Dixieland Jazz song today is “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Here is Louis Armstrong, playing and singing When the Saints Go Marching In. *listen to “When the Saints Go Marching In” Finally, the 1920s was a period of great prosperity, known as “The Roaring Twenties”. World War I was over, the economy was fantastic, and the country seemed to be headed in the right direction. People were enjoying jazz at clubs and two dances swept the country; the Charleston and the Foxtrot. Then everything changed on October 24, 1929, when the stock market crashed and made way for the Great Depression of the 1930s. But that will have to wait until tomorrow night. Thanks for listening, ladies and gentlemen, and have a good evening.