Vaudeville Blues
Located in 1 route
Vaudeville Blues is blues shaped for the stage: projected vocals, comic timing, dramatic gestures, published songs, dancers, novelty bits and bands that could follow a performer through a show. It overlaps classic female blues but emphasizes the entertainment circuit that trained the singers. The blues feeling is real, yet the presentation is theatrical, built for audiences who expected personality, costume, timing and variety.
History
Before records made blues stars famous nationally, performers developed blues material in medicine shows, tent shows, vaudeville houses and Black theater circuits such as T.O.B.A. Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Alberta Hunter and Ethel Waters all had stage roots. Recording companies later captured only part of that world, so vaudeville blues should be understood as performance culture, not just 78 rpm sides.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- vaudeville/classic blues histories
- Black theater circuit references
- artist discographies
- Carnegie Hall timeline