Distinguished panel discussion regarding Wisconsin's Paramount Records which was in existence from 1917-32. A furniture factory aiming to capture the new wooden phonograph cabinet market, set about to obsessively record african-american blues and jazz artists during this pre-library of congress time-frame. Blind Lemon Jefferson, Skip James, Charley Patton, Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong were on the roster.
Moderated by Yale's Daphne Brooks, the panel consisted of Dean and Scott Blackwood (Revenant Records), Greil Marcus (Rock critic), Adia Victoria (emerging southern blues wailer), and Jack White ( White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather, and Third Man Records). The Blackwoods and Third Man teamed up to explore the history and preserve this mammoth collection of music which is a cultural influence on much of what we listen to today. Each panelist picked two songs from the catalog, and explained some relevant insight before listening to them in their entirety. The chapel was packed with hipsters who waited in line for an hour to get a free glimpse of Jack White. It should be noted that two of the picks were Skip James' I'm So Glad, and the standard Spoonful, which were popularized by Jack Bruce and Cream. Bruce passed away earlier in the week, a true titan of jazz rock.
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