4. 1918 - 1935 The Harlem Renaissance was a short period only lasting less than 20 years, yet it has proven to be one of the most influential times in musical history. Harlem was the “perfect storm” as thousands migrated from the south after slavery was abolished.
5. Whites began to take notice of the blues and jazz sound emanating from the Harlem scene during the “Roaring 20’s.” With the War over and America industrializing, hope and the feelings of good times ahead were strong. The black community had a new beginning and for the first time felt the freedom they had been deprived for so long.
6. Before the Renaissance era began, hard times were still an influence on the lives of the artists that would later become legends such as Billie Holiday.
7. Billie Holiday, born Eleanora Fagon and later nicknamed Lady Day, was primarily raised by her grandmother until she was 10 years old. Billie’s mom had moved to Harlem and she soon followed. At age 11 her mom came home and found her being raped by a neighbor.
8. With no formal training, by the age of 17, she was already making a name for herself singing in clubs and caught the attention of John Hammond who arranged her recording debut by the age of 18 with Benny Goodman.
10. Some of the clubs that reached iconic status, such as the Apollo Theatre and the Cotton Club, were host to many of the Legends that shaped the Harlem Renaissance and paved the way for the new future of African-American music.
12. Duke Ellington is one of the most influential musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. He was a gifted piano player and song writer and would perform at the Cotton Club regularly along with his orchestra.
13. Born in 1899, Edward Ellington grew up in Washington D.C. and was taught to be well mannered and elegant by his mother. Because of his respectful and dignified attitude, it earned him the nickname “Duke.”
14. Duke had moved to Harlem after his drummer was recruited to a New York orchestra. He had a style of his own and was the first musician to use the term “swing” in connection to music.
16. Many well know artists were impacted by these legends of the Renaissance.
17. “With few exceptions, every major pop singer in the US during her generation has been touched in some way by her genius. It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me. Lady Day is unquestionably the most important influence on American popular singing in the last twenty years.” - ?
18. “With few exceptions, every major pop singer in the US during her generation has been touched in some way by her genius. It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me. Lady Day is unquestionably the most important influence on American popular singing in the last twenty years.” - Frank Sinatra
20. As the Great Depression began to impact America the optimism of the Renaissance began fade.
21. As the Great Depression began to impact America the optimism of the Renaissance began fade.
22. Icons such as Langston Hughes emerged from this transition. Being a writer and a poet, he was able to give a strong voice for the black community and continue to be a positive influence after the Renaissance.
23. "The Harlem Renaissance didn't end... [it] pried open a lot of reluctant doors and those who came after learned how to shoulder those doors open even wider. The guiding principles of the Harlem Renaissance survived and flourished."-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
24. Some may say that the Renaissance ended in 1935. Others contend that it really never ended. One thing is for certain, this brief window allowed the world to see the beauty and grace of the African-American culture that had been lying dormant and oppressed for so long.
