Spreadin' Rhythm Around

Spreadin' Rhythm Around: Black Popular Songwriters,1880-1930 is a classic work on a little-studied subject in American music history: the contribution of African-American songwriters to the world of popular song. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as "thoroughly researched and entertainingly written," this work documents the careers of songwriters like James A. Bland ("Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny"), Bert Williams ("Nobody"), W. C. Handy ("St. Louis Blues"), Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake ("I'm Just Wild About Harry"), and many more. Richly illustrated with rare photographs from sheet music, newspapers, and other unique sources, the book documents an entire era of performance when black singers, dancers, and actors were active on the New York stage. In sheer depth of research, new information, and full coverage, Spreadin' Rhythm Around offers a comprehensive picture of the contributions of black musicians to American popular song. For anyone interested in the history of jazz, pop song, or Broadway, this book will be a revelation.

Dave Jasen and Gene Jones are the authors of Black BottomStomp (Routledge, 2001) and That American Rag (1998). Well-known as authorities on jazz and blues, each is recognized as a leader in the field. On his own, Jasen authored for Routledge Tin Pan Alley7: An Encyclopedia(2003) and A Century of American Pop (2002). They live in New York City.

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Authors' Note Prologue: Before Pop Chapter 1: In the Evening by the Moonlight The Minstrel Era and the Beginnings of Tin Pan Alley James A. Bland Gussie L. Davis Chapter 2: Stay in Your Own Back Yard Black Songwriters of the Coon Song Era Irving Jones Ernest Hogan Bert Williams Chapter 3: Tell Me, Dusky Maiden The First Black Composers on Broadway Will Marion Cook Bob Cole and J. Rosamond Johnson Chapter 4: Business is Business with Me The First Black Publishers of Popular Music Shep Edmonds Cecil Mack Chapter 5: Livin High (Sometimes) Black Songwriters of the Teens and Twenties Chris Smith Shelton Brooks James Reese Europe Spencer Williams Maceo Pinkard Jo Trent Andy Razaf Chapter 6: Aunt Hagar's Children The Black Entrepreneurs of the Blues W. C. Handy Perry Bradford Clarence Williams J. Mayo Williams Chapter 7: If You've Never Been Vamped by a Brown Skin Black Theatre Composers of the 1920's Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake Henry Creamer and Turner Layton James P. Johnson Fats Waller Sources Select Bibliography Index of Song Titles General Index