Both kinds of music (20): Straight outta Compton

Das Zentrum der Western Swing-Welle der frühen 1940er lag an der US-amerikanischen Westküste, und insbesondere in den großen Dance Halls in Los Angeles und Umgebung, darunter der Venice Pier Ballroom, der Town Hall Ballroom in Compton oder der Riverside Rancho. Der recht ausführliche Western Swing-Eintrag bei Wikipedia vermittelt einen Eindruck dieser Zeit:

"Burt (or Bert) "Foreman" Phillips developed a circuit of dance halls and bands to play for them. Among these halls in 1942 were the Los Angeles County Barn Dance at the Venice Pier Ballroom, the Town Hall Ballroom in Compton, the Plantation in Culver City, the Baldwin Park Ballroom, and the Riverside Rancho. These Western dances were a huge success. According to Hank Penny, Phillips had said, 'I don't want any of that Western Swing!' But that's what he got, and it got him huge eclectic crowds. Writer Gerald Vaughn wrote that 'a Dance band hopes to make people move, not stand and listen, so the emphasis has to be on beat, rhythm, syncopation.'

One of the groups which played at the Venice Pier Ballroom was led by Jimmy Wakely with Spade Cooley, his successor as bandleader, on fiddle. Several thousand dancers would turn out on Saturday night to swing and hop. 'The hordes of people and jitterbuggers loved him.' When Bob Wills played the Los Angeles Country Barn Dance at the Venice Pier for three nights shortly before he broke up his band to join the U.S. Army during World War II, the attendance was above 15,000. Fearing that the dance floor would collapse, police stopped ticket sales at 11 p.m. The line outside at that time was ten deep and stretched into Venice. Another source states that Will attracted 8,600 fans.
Riverside Rancho, operated by Marty Landau, had a 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) dance floor, three bars and a restaurant. According to Merle Travis, 'At that time 'Western swing' was a household word. Al Dexter had had a million-seller on his 'Pistol Packin' Mama' record. Bob Wills was heard on every jukebox with this 'San Antonio Rose'. T. Texas Tyler was doing well with his 'Remember Me (When the Candlelights are Gleaming)'. It was practically impossible to wedge your way into the Palace Barn where Red Murrell and his band were playing. A mile down the hill was the Riverside Rancho. You were lucky to find a ticket on a Wednesday night. Tex Williams and his Western Caravan were playing there."

 

Einen Eindruck des Tanzstils der in diesen Dance Halls gepflegt wurde, bietet dieser Soundie aus dem Jahr 1941 mit Jimmy Wakely - The covered wagon rolled right along:

Einer der größten Hits dieser Ära hatte, wie oben zitiert, Al Dexter 1943 mit dem Titel Pistol Packin' Mama (nein, nicht Sarah):

Der gleiche Titel wurde übrigens auch von Bing Crosby und den großartigen Andrews Sisters gecovert was noch einmal zeigt, wie sich auch das Swing-Establishment dieser Zeit Western-Elemente angeeignet hat. Tatsächlich hatte schon die erste Zusammenarbeit zwischen Crosby und den Andrews Sisters auf das westerntypische Gejodel zurückgegriffen:

Yodelin' Jive (1939)

 

Die Western Swing-Welle brach ab als die Roosevelt-Administration 1944 zur Kriegsfinanzierung eine 30%-ige Steuer auf  "Tanzlokalen" einführte, die sog. "Night Club Tax", so dass die Nachtclubbesitzer dazu übergingen, Tanzen in ihren Lokalen zu verbieten und dementsprechend auch keine Bands engagierten, die wie die Western Swing-Bands hauptsächlich Tanzmusik spielten. Desweiteren kamen die typischen Swing-Big Bands, auch in Folge des großen Musikerstreiks von 1942-44, aus der Mode, so daß sich auch viele Western Swing-Interpreten nach und nach neueren Stilrichtungen zuwendeten und andere Elemente in ihren Stil integrierten, wie wir in den kommenden Wochen sehen werden.