Louder: 100 Years of the Groundbreaking “Crazy Blues”

August 14, 2020

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

One hundred years ago this week, Mamie Smith recorded “Crazy Blues,” Black women’s breakthrough into the mainstream recording industry. But as Daphne A. Brooks tells us in a wonderful piece that’s part history lesson, part personal essay, part explanation of today’s powerful fan armies, the making of the song is only half the innovation: “The other side of the ‘Crazy Blues’ story is how African-American women and girls found their way to that record and the ones that followed and loved them fiercely.”

Ben Sisario dove into a topic that seems to come up … every four years: how musicians try to stop politicians from playing their songs. Neil Young and the Rolling Stones are trying a new tactic, requesting their songs be removed from ASCAP and BMI’s list of works offered to campaigns, then taking legal action (or threatening to) if the tracks continue to play.

And a fascinating bunch of features: Lindsay Zoladz on Kathleen Edwards, the Canadian singer and songwriter whose friend joking told her to quit music and open a coffee shop, so she did. (She’s back with a new album this week.) Leslie Pariseau on Tobe Nwigwe, an independent Houston rapper and singer whose weekly song drops went viral with a 44-second track called “I Need You To (Breonna Taylor).” Plus Giovanni Russonello on Black Fire Records, a Washington, D.C. label that’s a vital link between jazz and go-go, and Jon Caramanica on Holly Humberstone, a British up-and-comer who’s worth your time.

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Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

100 Years Ago, ‘Crazy Blues’ Sparked a Revolution for Black Women Fans

Mamie Smith’s song wasn’t just an artistic breakthrough. It proved Black women and girls bought records, paving the way for today’s fan armies.

By Daphne A. Brooks

FEATURES

The Small, Black-Owned Record Label That Made a Big Impact in 1970s D.C.

A new compilation of music released on Black Fire Records is a vital link between jazz and go-go, the city’s official genre.

By Giovanni Russonello

Tobe Nwigwe Never Planned to Go Viral. Then He Rapped About Breonna Taylor.

The Houston rapper and singer has been making music with a close-knit team for five years. A 44-second track released in July brought his message to a larger audience.

By Leslie Pariseau

Joshua Roberts/Reuters; Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Can Neil Young Block Trump From Using His Songs? It’s Complicated

Musicians have complained about politicians playing their music at events for years. Now, with Mr. Young suing for copyright infringement, they are trying a new strategy.

By Ben Sisario

INTERVIEWS

Why Kathleen Edwards Had to Quit Music (and Open a Coffee Shop)

When the Canadian musician was in a dark spot, a friend jokingly suggested she change paths. It ended up being the detour she needed to find her way back to songwriting.

By Lindsay Zoladz

Holly Humberstone Wants Her Songs to Last a Lifetime

The young British singer, who writes conversationally intimate pop music, is about to release her debut EP.

By Jon Caramanica

my ten

Gloria Estefan Wants to Get Inside Your Head

The Latin-pop innovator studied psychology and never gave up her fascination with the mind. She shared her list of cultural must-haves while preparing to release her 14th solo album.

By Lindsay Zoladz

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THE PLAYLIST & POPCAST

the playlist

Drake’s GIF-a-Thon, and 9 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Miley Cyrus, Loyal Lobos, Rico Nasty and others.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz

The Welcome Return of the Chicks

How would Nashville be different if it hadn’t pushed the trio away? A conversation about “Gaslighter” and beyond.

OBITUARIES

those we’ve lost

Trini Lopez, Singing Star Who Mixed Musical Styles, Dies at 83

His blend of American folk, Latin and rockabilly music captivated listeners worldwide. His secret: arrangements that people could dance to. He died of Covid-19.

By Jim Farber

Gloria DeNard, Who Educated Through Jazz, Is Dead at 93

She founded the East Harlem music school Manna House Workshops because, she said, “I wanted the people in the community to have a better feeling of self-worth.”

By Steven Kurutz

Wayne Fontana, Hitmaker With ‘The Game of Love,’ Dies at 74

The song brought him and his British Invasion band, the Mindbenders, a bit of success in the mid-1960s. Then he went solo, and the hits did not keep coming.

By Julia Carmel

those we’ve lost

Bill Mack, D.J. Beloved by Truckers and Country Fans, Dies at 91

With a signal that reached half the country, the “midnight cowboy” was one of radio’s first national personalities. He died of the coronavirus.

By John Leland

NEWS

the charts

Taylor Swift, No. 1 Again, Is Last to Benefit From an Obscure Chart Rule

When a physical album is sold, it often comes with a digital copy. Which one counts in Billboard’s totals is changing.

By Ben Sisario

R. Kelly Allies Accused of Using Arson and Bribery to Silence Witness

Prosecutors say one defendant set fire to a car parked outside the house of a woman who had publicly accused the singer of abuse.

By Nicole Hong

Cue Up the Shirelles: Cousin Brucie Is Back at WABC-AM Radio

Bruce Morrow, who some fans thought would retire after leaving SiriusXM this month, is returning, at age 84, to the station where he worked in the 1960s.

By Julia Jacobs