Apollo Theatre History

Hart Wand, with Dallas Blues, and W.C. Handy, with The Memphis Blues were the first to publish blues sheet music in 1912 and the first recording was Crazy Blues performed by Mamie Smith in 1920. In the 1950s the name race records, which was used because of discrimination (music was not separated by its genre, but by the ethnicity of its performer) disappeared and it was replaced with Rhythm and Blues. In that period, electric blues also developed in cities such as Chicago, Memphis, Detroit and St. Louis. In 1948 Chicago was the home of electric blues due to Muddy Waters who released his first popular song “I Can’t Be Satisfied”. The Chicago blues knew a strong influence from the Delta blues because most Mississippi singers came into that part.

This theatre was the only place in New York for a long period of time were talented African Americans could find a job. The Apollo gained the public s attention during the Harlem Renaissance and the pre-World War II. Something specific to Apollo was the executioner. Each time the audience did not like the performer, a person with a broom came and swept him off the stage. It’s Amateur Night hosted by Ralph Cooper was very important for many artists who wanted to start a career. Due to their appearance at the Apollo, artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Diana Ross, James Brown, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Sarah Vaughan, and many others became

In the late 1970s, a new musical culture appeared that had a very important impact, not only upon American culture, but also upon American mentality, lifestyle, language and behavior. It was the hip-hop culture which was not all about music. It could build personality, change your mentality, and change your lifestyle. Hip-hop and rap have been cultivated by African American culture since it’s birth and it still presumes to be. Over the years rap has transformed into various forms of delivery, sound, and culture. The four pillars of this culture were MCing, Djing, breaking, and graffiti writing. There was a graffiti movement that youths picked up, which first originated by a Greek American teenager who signed Taki 183. He sprayed this onto the walls throughout New York City, which was his name and street name, and this movement took off exponentially. Soon by 1975, the youth would sneak into train yards or anywhere else they could find and spray away. The graffiti spraying had such an impact that soon they would be displayed in many galleries. With this rebellious act and vandalism of property, the police retaliated with methods like using dogs or undercover police squads. The term is originated from the African American Vernacular English, where hip means current or in the