Glossary

Blues is a secular folk music created by black Americans in the early 20th century. It originated in the South.  The blues simple but expressive forms had become one of the most important influences on the development of popular music  throughout the United States.  The blues are songs expressing feelings rather than telling stories. The emotion expressed is generally one of sadness often due to problems in love.

A period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American lands in the 1930s.  It was caused by severe drought combined with poor farming methods that were common at the time.

The Hindenburg was a German dirigible (rigid frame blimp) or zeppelin operating in the mid-1930s that was destroyed by fire due to an explosion in 1937. Its destruction was captured by newsreel, and a famous radio broadcast narration by Herb Morrison at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station.

The installment plan is when an item is bought over a set period of time by making payments in a lesser amount for the item. It became popular during the Great Depression when family incomes were insufficient to buy items outright.

Jazz is a musical form, often improvisational, developed by African Americans and influenced by both European harmonic structure and African rhythms. It was developed partially from ragtime and blues and is often characterized by modified rhythms and varying degrees of improvisation.  It often has deliberate deviations of pitch and the use of original sounds.

The Tramp is movie character played by Charlie Chaplin.  He protrays a bumpling, good hearted vagrant who behaves with the manners and dignity of a gentleman despite his actual social status.  While he is ready to take what paying work he can, he also uses his cunning to get what he needs to survive and escape the authority figures who will not tolerate his antics.

A record or record album was the most common medium for the sale and distribution of music for much of the 20th century until they were replaced by compact discs (CD) in the 1980s. They were generally referred to by their revolutions per minute (RPM), i.e. 45, 33 1/3, and 78.

Talkie is another name for "Talking Pictures".  When dialogue was first added to movies, the movies were called "Talking Pictures" versus the predecessor of "Silent Movies."

The Great Depression of 1929 was a worldwide economic depression that lasted for 10 years.

An era from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s that was marked by the flowering of the arts in the African-American community that spread throughout the nation. Its impact was significant in many areas, but most especially in literature and music.

The percentage of the total labor force that is unemployed but actively seeking employment and willing to work.