Knowra Race records Race records Race records were U.S. recordings marketed to African American audiences, especially blues, jazz, and gospel, from the 1920s into the 1940s. The category was later replaced by the term “rhythm and blues.”
Mamie Smith : An American blues singer whose 1920 recording of “Crazy Blues” became a major commercial success. “Crazy Blues” helped demonstrate the market for records by Black performers.
Record label : A company that finances, produces, distributes, or markets sound recordings. Labels selected recordings and organized catalogs aimed at Black consumers.
Bessie Smith : An American blues singer known as the Empress of the Blues, whose recordings made her one of the 1920s’ best-selling artists. Her records were central to the blues repertoire marketed through race-record catalogs.
Racial segregation in the United States : The enforced separation of people by race in U.S. institutions and public life, especially under Jim Crow laws. Race-record marketing developed within a segregated society and its unequal commercial structures.
Crazy Blues : A 1920 blues recording by Mamie Smith and the Jazz Hounds, released by Okeh Records. Its sales helped spur record companies to develop dedicated race-record catalogs.
Music marketing : The promotion and sale of music through advertising, distribution, publicity, and audience targeting. Race records were defined partly by how companies promoted them to a target market.
Blind Lemon Jefferson : An American blues guitarist and singer whose recordings helped popularize country blues in the 1920s. His commercial recordings brought a rural blues style into the race-record market.
African American music : Music created and shaped by African Americans, encompassing many traditions, genres, and historical periods. The category packaged a broad, diverse body of music for commercial sale.
Okeh Records : An American record label founded in 1918 that released jazz, blues, and other popular music. Okeh’s release of “Crazy Blues” helped establish the commercial race-record market.
Race Records chart : A Billboard chart that ranked popular recordings marketed to Black audiences. The chart made the industry category visible through sales-based rankings.
Show all 20