The death of jazz legend Henry Townsend last September put
the spotlight on the era when St. Louis played a key role
in the development of musical recordings for African-Americans.
Other local people and events with past September anniversaries
include international balloon racing, the Japanese architect
of the World Trade Center, one of St. Louis' Chouteaus and
St. Louis' role in whiskey making.
Jazz legend Henry Townsend
Henry Townsend |
Jazz legend Henry Townsend, who died last September, was
a driving force in making recordings for African-Americans
and St. Louis was one of the key locations in that development.
In the early days of musical recordings-before anyone even
heard of Motown Records-there was Paramount Records. Before
Paramount Records, most musical recordings were by white
artists for a white audience.
Townsend was born in Mississippi and died in Grafton, Wis.
But, for much of his musical life, he lived in St. Louis.
In 1929, St. Louis music storeowner arranged for Townsend
to audition with Columbia Records.
He was a driving music force for Paramount Records, which
pioneered making records for African-American listeners.
The so-called "race records" were primarily of music by
African-American musicians for African-American audiences.
A key element in the African-American recording business
was record sales through the Artophone Company of St. Louis.
The company was a major distributor of Paramount recordings
to the southern market.
However, after World War II, Artophone quit selling recordings
because it decided more and more customers were listening
to their music through free radio stations.
But, Townsend was a force in jazz for African-Americans
for nearly eight decades. In fact, when he died in Grafton,
he was in town to perform at the first annual Grafton Jazz
Festival in 2006.
More on "race records," see www.pbs.org/jazz/exchange/exchange_race_records.htm
Balloon racing in St. Louis
The
Great Forest Park Balloon Race has been held in St. Louis
in September since 1973. But, St. Louis' involvement in
balloon racing goes back much further.
It was in 1907 that the International Aeronautic Tournament
was held in St. Louis. It was called the Gordon Bennett
International Balloon Club Race. And it was the "first ever"
balloon race held in the U.S.
The goal of the early races was to fly the longest distance.
In recent races, the winner is the balloonist who lands
closest to a "chase" balloon.
Prior to 1960, balloons were lifted by helium. But, present-day
balloons are powered by hot air, generated by burners under
the bottom opening of the balloon.
You can learn more about the Great Forest Park Balloon
Race by clicking on to: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/MO/200003213.html
.
WTC architect's St. Louis projects
World Trade Center prior to 2001 |
The collapse of the World Trade Center in New York in a
terrorist attack in Sept. 11, 2001, brought attention to
architect Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the "twin towers."
In St. Louis, Yamasaki was the architect for the St. Louis
Municipal Airport (now Lambert International Airport) and
the Pruitt-Igoe Public Housing Project. .
Minoru Yamasaki was born in Seattle, Wash., in 1912 and
died Feb. 7, 1986) The St. Louis airport was constructed
from 1951 through 1956. It is still operating as St. Louis'
primary airport.
St. Louis Lambert Airport |
The Pruitt-Igoe Public Housing was built in 1955 and was
considered to be a model high-rise project for low-income
families. But, the high-rise design didn't work and it was
demolished in 1972.
Of course, the WTC came down in 2001 when terrorists hi-jacked
commercial airliners and crashed them into each of the towers.
For more, visit www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Minoru_Yamasaki.html.
Marie Therese Cerre Chouteau
Marie Therese Cerre Chouteau |
Marie Therese Cerre Chouteau was married on Sept. 21, 1786,
to Auguste Chouteau. She was 17 and he was 37.
Auguste Chouteau and Pierre LaClede were two Frenchmen
who traveled up the Mississippi to establish the site of
what is now St. Louis.
In 1794, Chouteau convinced the Spanish governor, the Baron
de Carondelet, to grant his family a six-year monopoly on
fur trading with the Osage Indians of western Missouri.
Chouteau was a skilled negotiator. Not only did he get
a fur monopoly but also avoided trouble from other traders,
such as Jacques Clamorgan and American John Jacob Astor.
Also, when the Americans assumed control of St. Louis in
1804, Chouteau came through the transition with the family
fortune intact.
Young kids can learn more about the Choteaus by visiting
the Missouri History Museum's Current gallery. Also, visit
http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/LewisClark2/Circa1804/StLouis/
BlockInfo/Block34AAChouteauSr.htm.
St. Louis and America's "native spirit"-whiskey
Of
course, when it comes to "adult beverages," St. Louis is
known now mostly for beer.
But, famed whiskey maker Jack Daniels earned a gold medal
for his bourbon whiskey at the 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair.
And he moved his company to St. Louis in 1910 after Tennessee
passed statewide prohibition legislation.
The headquarters moved back to Tennessee in 1930. Jack
Daniels is the oldest registered distillery in the U.S.,
starting in 1866.
In 2001, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating
September as "National Bourbon Heritage Month". The resolution
said bourbon whiskey is "America's native spirit" and has
a "tradition of family heritage, authenticity and craftsmanship.
Bourbon, Mo., is also the only city in the U.S. named
after that whiskey. To learn more about the town's history,
visit http://www.bourbonmo.com/history.htm
Excavation is going on at George Washington's home in Mount
Vernon, Va. Washington had a whiskey distillery on his home
grounds. For more information, you can visit www.mountvernon.org/learn/pres_arch/index.cfm.
