Digital History
Digital History: Overview of the 1920s
Original documents, a timeline, biographies, pictures, and videos cover historical and cultural events of the 1920s.
Digital History
Digital History: Avant Garde
Synopsis of the huge cultural shifts that occurred in America in the 1920s in art, music, literature, and among intelligentsia.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Archives Center: Duke Ellington: Biography
A useful biographical note of Duke Ellington.
Digital History
Digital History: Fundamentalism and Pentecostalism
The late 19th century was a time of scientific theory, inquiry, and teaching. Read about the backlash to such modernism in the early 20th century with the ideas from Christian Fundamentalism and Pentecostalism. Find the five fundamentals...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Flappers
The liberation of women as expressed by the flappers of the 1920s was in stark contrast to the actions of women in the Victorian Age. Read about how flappers expressed their freedom in fashion, employment, and leisure activities.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Fads and Heroes
A time of fads and hero worship, the 1920s' entertainment didn't always make sense, but it was interesting. Find out about some of the fads of the time, and who became the heroes of popular culture. Take a brief quiz about the 1920s.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Coleman Hawkins
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Coleman Hawkins, an American jazz musician whose improvisational mastery of the tenor saxophone, which had previously been viewed as little more than a novelty, helped establish it as one...
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Techno Pop
Feature series on "The Secret History of Technology and Pop Music," traced partly through the story of an Indiana company that stopped making pianos and started cutting 78 rpm records using the talents of famous jazz musicians and others.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Chicago Tribune Cartoons
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
Black Past
Black Past: Monk, Thelonius
This encyclopedia entry gives a brief account of Thelonius Monk, jazz pianist, and his influence on the jazz scene.
Black Past
Black Past: Ellington, Edward "Duke"
Duke Ellington's prominence as one of the greatest American composers and key figure in the development of the genre of jazz is highlighted in this encyclopedia entry.
Black Past
Black Past: Henderson, Fletcher Hamilton, Jr.
This is a brief encyclopedia entry about Fletcher Henderson, jazz musician.
Black Past
Black Past: Holliday, Billie
This encyclopedia entry tells of Billie Holliday's life. She was, perhaps, the most accomplished jazz vocalist. There is a link to a PBS website for further information.
Black Past
Black Past: Mingus, Charles
In this encyclopedia entry, you learn about Charles Mingus, jazz bassist and composer.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: American Culture in the 1920s
The First World War had a crippling effect on any notions of positivity in the artists, writers, and intellectuals of that time and they became known as the Lost Generation. This page discusses this group of people, the emergence of jazz...
Black Past
Black Past: Cole, Nat "King"
This brief encyclopedia entry gives information about Nat "King" Cole, an influential jazz pianist and vocalist.
Black Past
Black Past: Jones, Quincy
This encyclopedia entry offers a brief look at Quincy Jones, who began as a jazz trumpet player, but has expanded his career beyond music into film and television. There are links to websites for more information.
Black Past
Black Past: Joplin, Scott
This is a brief encyclopedia biography of the ragtime composer, Scott Joplin, whose music was influential in the growth of jazz.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Duke Ellington
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1986 to commemorate famous jazz musician Duke Ellington. Includes a short biographical passage.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Sun Ra
This entry features Sun Ra, a black American jazz composer and keyboard player who led a free jazz big band known for its innovative instrumentation and the theatricality of its performances.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: George Allan Russell
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features George Allan Russell, an American jazz artist born June 23, 1923, Cincinnati, Ohio .
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Harry Howell Carney
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Harry Howell Carney, an American musician, featured soloist in Duke Ellington's band and the first baritone saxophone soloist in jazz.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Philly Joe Jones
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Philly Joe Jones, a black American jazz musician, one of the major percussionists of the bop era, and among the most recorded as well.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Wayman Lawrence Tisdale
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Wayman Lawrence Tisdale, an American basketball player and smooth jazz musician born June 9, 1964, Tulsa, Okla.