A History of American Music on Its Postage Stamps�Part III
Doug Hadley
Greater Richmond Stamp Club
October 10 2023
All Stamp Images are from my Personal Collection of Music Stamps�
What Have We Covered Already?
What’s Left to Explore in the History of American Music on Its Postage Stamps
Regional Musical Influences: �A Rich Gumbo Stew
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
The Changing Role of Technology and Market Developments after WWII
Changes in the Records Market after WWII (Scott #1705)
- New record formats developed and became popular
- 45’s and 33’s replaced 78 rpm records
- New markets for pop music
- Record market segmented with “rhythm and blues’ marketed primarily to the African American market
- Regional market studios specialize in various market segment: country n’ western, rockabilly, blues, Latino, Cajun, Motown, etc.
Changes in Radio mid-century (Scott #1502)
- New radio formats developed in popular music
- Market segmentation with Rhythm n’ Blues appealed to African-American market
- New styles such as Rock n’ Roll began to integrate listening markets and appealed to white and black audiences
- Alan Freed, DJ in Ohio, later moved to NYC
- Pop 40 format with top selling 45 rpm records played in continuous rotation
- Payola scandal in 1958 – made illegal in 1960
Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues
Scott #3219 Sister Rosette – Gospel Singer with An Electric Guitar
- 1921 – 1973
- First great Gospel singer
- Strongly influenced both Rhythm n’ Blues and Rock Roll singers
-“The Original Soul Sister”
- “The Godmother of Rock & Roll”
- She influenced many rock musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Eric Clapton
Scott #2730�Dinah Washington
- 1924 – 1963
- Born Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Singer and pianist
- One of the most popular female vocalist of the 1950s
- Performed and recorded in a variety of styles, gospel, blues, Rhythm & Blues, and traditional pop music
- “What A Difference A Day Makes,”, “September In The Rain”
- Married seven times, died in her sleep at age 39 of a lethal combination of barbiturates
- Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993
Scott # 2726:�Clyde McPhatter
- 1932 – 1972
- High pitched tenor voice
- Early life spent as a gospel singer
- Key figure in Rhythm & Blues, soul, doo wap and early Rock & Roll
- Formed the group the Drifters
- Died at the age of 39 in his sleep from complications of alcohol abuse
- First artist to inducted into the Roll & Rock Hall of Fame, first as a soloist and then as a member of the Drifters
Scott # 2725 – �Bill Haley
- 1925 – 1981
- Founded Bill Haley and the Comets
- Rockabilly and early Rock & Roll
- “Shake, Rattle & Roll”
- His breakout hit was “Rock Around the Clock” in 1954 – became theme song of movie “Blackboard Jungle” and is used as a marker for the start of the Rock & Roll period
- Had three wives with “at least” ten children
- Had serious alcohol addiction, but died at age 55 of a inoperable brain tumor
- Inducted into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame in 1967
- Also inducted in the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017
Scott #2724 �Elvis Presley
- 1935 – 1977
- The “King of Rock & Roll”
- Considered one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century – “permanently changed the face of American pop culture” (Pres. Carter at his death)
- Sexually provocative performances
- Potent mix of styles during an era of transformation of race relations
- His early classic band was a quarter that was a pioneer of Rockabilly, a potent up tempo backbeat driven fusion of county and western with rhythm & blues.
- Breakout hit “That’s all Right” in 1954
- Major film star
- Died age 42 of prescription drug abuse
Music Icons Series – Elvis Presley�Scott # 5009 issued 2015
The British Invasion mid 1960’s
Scott # 5312 to 5315 John Lennon�
- 1940 - 1980
- British Rock Invasion of America in the Mid 1960’s
- Numerous British bands became enormously popular in US
- None bigger or more influential than the Beatles
- Stamp honors John Lennon of the Beatles
- Murdered outside his apartment building in New York City by a “fan”
Scott # 4916 – �Janis Joplin
- 1943 – 1970
- Came to fame in 1967 at the Monterey Pop Festival
- Sang with the Big Brother and the Holding Company
- Part of the San Francisco Hippie and drug scene
- Powerful singer with an electric stage presence
- “Me and Bobby McGee”, “Ball and Chain” big hits
- Died at age 37 from lifestyle of alcohol and drugs
Scott # 4880 – �Jimi Hendrix
- 1942 – 1970
- Career spanned only four years
- Singer, songwriter and electric guitarist
- “Arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music” (Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame)
- Started career in the backup band for Isley Brothers and Little Richard
- Headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969
- “Purple Haze”, “The Wind Cries Mary”
- Died age 28 in London from an accidental overdose of barbiturates
Scott 5371�Marvin Gaye
-1939 – 1984
- American singer and songwriter
- Combined elements of R&B, soul, gospel, funk to a unique sound known as “Motown”, centered in Detroit recording studios
- “Prince of Motown” and “Prince of Soul”
- Helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s
- “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
- Shot and killed by his father after an argument at age 45
- Inducted into the both Rhythm & Blues and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Scott 4693 Miles Davis (& #4692 Edith Piaf)
-1926 – 1991
- Jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader and composer
-At the forefront of many musical movements of the last half of the 20th cent.
- Important figure in the cool jazz movement of the 50s
- In the 60s began experimenting with post-bop, electronic, and funk
- Early musician in development of Jazz fusion which integrated jazz, electronic and rock music in the 70s
(-Edith Piaf (1915-1963, French) – Described as the “French version of American blues singer”)
Country and Western
Scott #2773 �The Carter Family
-The “First Family” of Country and Western music recorded between 1926 – 1956
- Original group was Sara Carter, her husband A.P. Carter, and sister-in-law Maybelle Carter
- From Southwestern Virginia and did recordings for RCA in Bristol, VA
- Their music had a powerful influence on bluegrass, country, Southern gospel, pop, rock and folk music in the US
- Best hits: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, “Keep On the Sunny Side”, and “I Thinking Tonight of Me Blue-Eyes”
-
Scott #2772 – �Patsy Cline
- 1932-63, born Winchester, VA
- One of the most influential singers of the post war period
- First Country artist to “cross over” into pop music
-Seen as a pioneer for women in Country Music able to sell hit records and be a headline performer
- Hits: “Walkin’ After Midnight”, “Sweet Dreams”, “Crazy”
- First female artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Frame
- Killed in a plane crash in Tennessee
Scott #2771 – �Hank Williams
- 1923 – 1953
- Regarded as one of the most significant Country singer-songwriters of the 20th century
- 55 of his singles reached Top 10 of the Billboard Country and Western chart
- “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, “Hey, Good Lookin’”, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
- Years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse lead to a fatal heart attack in the back of his car at age 29
- Founded a dynasty: two of his children. two grandchildren and one great grandchild are country performers in their own right
Scott 3812�Roy Acuff
- 1903 – 1992
- “King of Country Music”
- American country music singer, fiddler and promoter
- “Great Speckled Bird”, “Tennessee Waltz”
- With Fred Rose formed Acuff Rose Music Publishers, the first major Nashville based country music publisher
- In 1962 became the first living inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame
- Died age 89 of congestive heart failure
Scott # 4789 – �Johnny Cash
-1932-2003
-Stamp issued in 2013 and was the first issued in the Music Icon series
-Known as ”The Man in Black”
- Crossover appeal spanning genres of country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk and gospel styles
-Leading recording artist with 90 million records sold
- Inducted in the Country Music, Rock and Roll and Gospel Music Halls of Fame
Scott # 4807 – �Ray Charles
- 1930 -2004
- Blinded from childhood
-American pianist, signer and songwriter
- Pioneered soul music by combining blues, gospel, jazz, rhythm n’ blues
- Influenced and help integrate Country and Western into the main stream
- “Georgia On My Mind”
- 18 Grammy awards
- Inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame
- Died at home at age 73 of complications of liver failure
-
Latin Music
Scott # 4786 – �Lydia Mendoza
- 1916 - 2007
- Twelve-string Guitarist and singer of Tejano and traditional Mexican American music.
-Tejano music is said to be an amalgamation of Mexican, Spanish, German and Czech musical influences
- Born in Houston, Texas of a musical family that fled from the Mexican Revolution
- Family were entertainers to migrant farm laborers in the Rio Grande valley
- Inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame and the Conjunto Hall of Fame
- Her group was a conjunto, an accordion centered musical style
Scott # 4499 - Selena
- 1971- 1995
- Issued as a set of five stamps in 2011 to honor Latin Music Legends
- American Tejano singer, born in and died in Texas at age 23
- Called the ” Queen of Tejano Music” and the “Tejano Madonna” for her choice of clothes
- Consider one of the most influential Latino artist of the late 20th century
- Her style incorporated R&B, Latin pop, technopop, disco, and Country & Western into her Tejano music repertoire
- Released 11 albums and has 18 million album sales, making her one of the best-selling female artists in Latino music history.
- Shot and killed by her friend and former manager of her clothing boutiques
Scott # 5703-07
American Folk Music
Scott #3212 – Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter�
- 1888 – 1949
- American folk, blues and gospel singer
- Master of the twelve string guitar and played several other instruments, piano, accordion, mandolin, harmonica, violin and windjammer
- Songs covered a variety of genre and topics, including women, liquor, prison life, racism, cowboys, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing
- Served several terms in prison and was discovered and recorded by Alan Lomax at the Angola State Prison in Louisiana in 1933.
Scott # 3213�Woody Guthrie
- 1912 – 1967
- American folk singer and song writer
- Songs focus on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism, he was closely associated with communism
- Wrote country, folk and children songs
- “Dust Bowl Ballads”
- Raised in Okemah, Oklahoma
- At age 19 left his wife and 3 children to escape the dust storms in Oklahoma and look for work
-”This Land is Your Land”
- Son is singer Arlo Guthrie
Scott #5708 �Pete Seeger
- 1919 – 2014
- Part of the Music icon Series issued in 2022
- American folk singer and social activist
- Born and died in NYC. Can trace his American roots back 200 years to Puritan and Calvinist New England ancestors
- Member of the folk group the Weavers, who were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era – stations wouldn’t play their songs and concert dates and TV appearances were cancelled
- He was a prominent singer of social activism of such issues as international disarmament, civil rights, workers’ right and environmental protection
- “Where Have All The Flowers Gone”, “If I Had A Hammer”, “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”
Scott 5480-83 Hip Hop
- Hip Hop is the newest form of American Music, originated in the 1970s
- A cultural movement fusing music, dance and art
- Hip Hop originated in the Bronx, NY at multicultural block parties of African Americans, and Caribbean immigrants, especially Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
- Stamps Issued in 2020 portray the four themes or elements of Hip Hop
- Break Dancing
- MCing (rapping)
- DJing
- Graffiti Art
Summary of the Different Stamp Series Portraying History of American Music