One of swing music’s greatest propagandists, John Henry Hammond II was responsible, at least partially, for discovering a remarkable list of musicians through the years, including Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Charlie Christian, George Benson, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. Although these artists would certainly have made it on their own, Hammond’s intervention made their rise to fame swifter.

A masterful talent scout, producer, promoter, and an early fighter against racism, Hammond could be a bit dominant and overly forceful in his viewpoints, but time has found him to have been generally spot-on and well-intentioned. Although born into a wealthy family and educated at Yale, Hammond had a great love for Black music almost from the start. As early as 1933 (when he was 22), he was active in the music business, discovering Billie Holiday and getting her into the recording studio, producing Bessie Smith’s final sessions, and becoming a friend of the young Benny Goodman (who would marry Hammond’s sister).

Hammond produced freewheeling American jazz sessions for the European market, worked with Fletcher Henderson and Benny Carter, and encouraged Goodman to form his first big band. In 1935, he teamed Lady Day with pianist Teddy Wilson for a series of classic recordings, and the next year he discovered Count Basie’s orchestra while randomly scanning the radio dial (he soon flew to Kansas City and encouraged Basie to come East). “John’s Idea,” originally titled, “I May Be Wrong It’s John’s Idea,” is a tribute to John Hammond written by Count Basie. In 1938 and 1939, he organized the famous “Spirituals to Swing” all-star Carnegie Hall Concerts.

After hearing about Charlie Christian in 1939, Hammond took a plane to Oklahoma City, listened to the young guitarist for himself, and flew him to Los Angeles, where he had Christian audition for an initially reluctant Benny Goodman.

Although he could be a pain (Duke Ellington, in particular, did not care for his dominant personality), John Hammond certainly made his mark on jazz and music history.

This episode of “Soundtrack to the Struggle” was written by Hollis Monroe. Produced by Ron Adkins. 

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Cab Calloway’s subtle but indelible influence on American culture began the moment he forgot the chorus to his own signature song. Picture the scene: The club is packed. Dancers fill the floor. Calloway steps to the mic and begins that new song he’s been dying to sing. He reaches the chorus. Something catches his eye. And he can’t remember what comes next. Always the consummate showman, he improvises with some scat. The crowd joins in. The rest is history.

That happy accident forever changed “Minnie the Moocher,” and introduced a piece of Black history to future generations. The “call-and-response,” an intrinsic element of African culture, was brought to America during the slave trade. Field workers incorporated call-and-response into their work songs, to set the pace of labor, but also as covert communication. It became a potent form of resistance, picked up again during the marches of the Civil Rights movement.

Of great pride to Calloway was “Minnie the Moocher’s” legacy for breaking the color barrier. Over a million copies were sold upon release and was played on both black and white radio stations. The story of a down-and-out opium addict, it seems, has universal appeal.

Calloway led what was arguably the most popular big band of the Harlem Renaissance and into the Swing Era. He replaced Duke Ellington as the headliner of the Cotton Club. The fact that his all-Black orchestra could play the Cotton Club but not enter as guests was not lost on him. As if in response, he took his band on the road, leading a successful all-Black revue through the deep South.

This episode of “Soundtrack to the Struggle” was written and produced by Ron Adkins.  Hosted by Hollis Monroe.

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Nina Simone’s career in activism began in 1964, when her songs openly addressed racial inequality prevalent in the United States. She recorded the still-controversial “Mississippi Goddam,” her response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church. That song, and others like “Old Jim Crow,” she said, were her first civil rights songs. They were a direct challenge to the status quo in race relations and raised her voice in the fight for equality.

Response to her music was, predictably, angry. She was boycotted in many Southern states. One Carolina radio station smashed promotional copies of her singles and sent the pieces back to the record label. Undaunted, the message of equality became Simone’s standard repertoire. Civil rights leaders frequently asked Simone to perform and speak at gatherings, such as the Selma to Montgomery Marches. She was invited to attend the historic meeting with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, along with her friend, playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

Nina Simone’s personality reflected her politics. She was outspoken and possessed an often volcanic temper. She sided closer to Malcolm X’s more militant philosophies than to Martin Luther King’s non-violent approach. She advocated armed revolution, if necessary, and the formation of a separate state. And though her songs, she said, were written “in a rush of fury, hatred, and determination,” she believed that, ultimately, all races were equal and could someday peacefully coexist.

This episode of “Soundtrack to the Struggle” was written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producers Dennis Green and George Dorman. Hosted by Hollis Monroe.

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