Big band jazz in black West Virginia, 1930-1942 [electronic resource] / Christopher Wilkinson.

9781617031694 (ebook) :

Jackson, [Miss.] : University Press of Mississippi, c2012.

1 online resource (xvi, 197 p.) : ill., maps.

Access is available to the Yale community.

Description based on print version record.

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The coal fields of West Virginia would seem an unlikely market for big band jazz during the Great Depression. That a prosperous African American audience, dominated by those involved with the coal industry, was there for jazz tours would seem equally improbable. This book shows that, contrary to expectations, black Mountaineers flocked to dances by the hundreds, in many instances travelling considerable distances to hear leading bands. In analysing black audiences' aesthetic preferences, the author reveals that many black West Virginians preferred dancing to a variety of music, not just jazz.

Mississippi scholarship online.

Print version

Books / Online

English

May 03, 2016

Includes bibliographical references and index.