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In the early 1920?s, a new and captivating era was taking place.  New York City had become a cultural metropolis for black Americans, and the home to the new-fangled ?Harlem Renaissance.?  There was an overflow of African American art, dance, drama, music and literature between 1919 and 1930.  During this period, New York was a haven for new and established black writers who published more fiction and poetry than ever before.  The first influential black literary periodicals were established, and black authors, artists and musicians received their first widespread recognition and pressing critical appraisal.  The Harlem renaissance was more than a literary movement:  it included racial consciousness, and the explosion of music, particularly Jazz.

            During the 1920?s, often characterized as the ?Jazz Age?, African American music had an unprecedented influence on American society.  Other than native Americans, African Americans created this country?s only indigenous music.  Blues and Jazz lie at the heart of American popular music and have affected musical styles throughout the world.  This website is dedicated to the founders of the ?Jazz-Age.?  The artists and musicians that performed in nightclubs and theaters, merging blues and jazz together creating a new era, and a new sound.

Web Page Project Presented by: Monica Banks   Andy Middlebrook  Claude Powe  Sharlton Crawford  Anthony Wesley   Arron Shaft Williams