Music of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., has been home to many prominent musicians and is particularly known for the musical genres of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, bluegrass, punk rock and its locally-developed descendants hardcore and emo, and a local funk genre called go-go. The first major musical figure from District of Columbia was John Philip Sousa, a military brass band composer. Later figures include jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Rouse, Buck Hill, Ron Holloway, Davey Yarborough, Michael A. Thomas, Butch Warren, and DeAndrey Howard; soul musicians, including Billy Stewart, The Unifics, The Moments, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Van McCoy, The Presidents, The Choice Four, Vernon Burch, guitarist Charles Pitts (OST "Shaft", 1971), and Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul.

Overview The District is home to the Washington Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1931 by Hans Kindler), the DC Legendary Musicians Inc. a nonprofit founded by Rev. Dr. Sandra Butler Truesdale (founded in 2002) www.dclmusicians.org and the DC Youth Orchestra Program (founded in 1960). The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a nationally important venue for a variety of musical performances, many of which are presented by Washington Performing Arts Society, an independent, non-profit organization founded by impresario Patrick Hayes. Washingtonian magazine maintains a Washington Music Hall of Fame.

The United States Marine Band, and United States Navy Band are both based in Washington, D.C. The Marine Band is the oldest musical group in the United States (formed in 1798, before the District's founding). The U.S. Marine Band's most famous conductor is John Philip Sousa, who composed many of the most famous American marches, as well as several musical comedies. The U.S. Navy Band's director throughout the 1960s was LCDR Anthony A. Mitchell who composed the march "Our Nation's Capital", the official march of Washington, D.C., as well as the "John F. Kennedy Cultural Center March", and the "National Capitol Parks March".

Music history

The U.S. Marine Band was founded in 1798. Some fifty years later, in 1851, the District's first choral society, the Washington Saengerbund, was formed. Other 19th century musicians included the minstrel singer and songwriter James Bland ("Carry Me Back to Old Virginny"). In 1872, the Coloured American Opera Society formed.

Washington native John Philip Sousa was conductor of the U.S. Marine Band from 1880 to 1892. He wrote 132 marches, including "The Washington Post" and "The Stars and Stripes Forever". Sousa formed his own band after leaving the Marine Corps that performed 15,623 concerts worldwide.

Later groundbreaking musicians included James Reese Europe, ragtime musician Claude Hopkins, Lithuanian immigrant and vaudeville performer Al Jolson and Lillian Evanti, who became the first African-American opera singer to perform in a foreign country. The most widely renowned musician from 20th century District of Columbia is undoubtedly Duke Ellington, a jazz pioneer. Later District of Columbia jazz musicians included Charlie Rouse (saxophonist, with Thelonious Monk), Billy Hart (drummer), Ira Sullivan (tenor saxophonist) and Leo Parker (bop baritone saxophonist). Ahmet Ertegun, a Turkish-born jazz fan, came to District of Columbia at age twelve and later went on to found Atlantic Records. Todd Duncan was a District of Columbia-born singer who made history by being the first to play the lead of the opera Porgy and Bess; he later became the first black man to play Tonio in Pagliacci. District of Columbia was also a home (and recording stop) for Jelly Roll Morton, Jimmie Rodgers and Bo Diddley. Local stars of the early part of the century include the singer Pearl Bailey.

In 1957, Elizabeth Cotten recorded for the family that employed her, which included a number of composers and musicologists. One song, "Freight Train", became a folk music standard. Charlie Byrd, a District of Columbia-based jazz musician, recorded an innovative album in 1962 called Jazz Samba with Stan Getz, helping to launch the bossa nova craze. Skip Pitts played the famous riffs on Isaac Hayes's OST "Shaft", R&B singer Ruth Brown, Billy Stewart, doo-wop groups The Orioles (based out of District of Columbia, though from Baltimore), The Clovers, The Rainbows, By the middle of the 1960s, District of Columbia had begun to produce some major stars, like soul singer Marvin Gaye, who had 3 No. 1 Hot 100 hits including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" in 1968. Other soul musicians are Herb Fame (of Peaches & Herb) who had the No. 1 Hot 100 hit "Reunited", and Van McCoy (disco producer, No. 1 hit "The Hustle"). Other musicians included famous folk singer Scott McKenzie (known for big hit "San Francisco"), John Fahey, one of the first "folk" musicians to gain national appeal, Peter Tork (of The Monkees), Tim Buckley, guitarist Link Wray (who recorded "Rumble" in Washington), country singer Patsy Cline, guitarists Gregory Gaskins played with Jersey Cities Manhattan's and later Elvis Presley Danny Gatton, country star Roy Clark and Nils Lofgren (guitarist for Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, and Neil Young). Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, childhood friends from the District, moved to San Francisco, playing in Jefferson Airplane during their height of their success before forming Hot Tuna.

During this period, Washington began to develop its own music scene, with a number of styles evolving by the end of the century. Some popular singers from later decades include AC singer Roberta Flack (#1 hit "Killing Me Softly with His Song"), Root Boy Slim & the Sex Change Band ("You Broke My Mood Ring"), singer-songwriter Tori Amos, Toni Braxton, Ginuwine, Mýa, Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters), Vertical Horizon (#1 Hot 100 hit "Everything You Want" in 2000; Matt Scannell attended Georgetown University), Starland Vocal Band (#1 Hot 100 hit "Afternoon Delight"), Joan Jett (rock singer with No. 1 hit "I Love Rock 'n' Roll").

Washington is also home to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, founded in 1974 and part of the DC public school system. Some other notable music education organizations which are located in Washington include the DC Youth Orchestra Program, founded in 1960; the Blues Alley Jazz Society, founded in 1985; Levine School of Music, founded in 1976, and the DC Legendary Musicians Inc, founded by Rev. Dr. Sandra Butler-Truesdale in 2006.

Musical genres

Choral

The Washington metropolitan area is considered by many to be the choral capital of the nation.Midgette, Anne, "New groups like National Master Chorale signal key change in the District of Columbia choral scene", Staff Writer, Washington Post, December 19, 2009. Retrieved: September 2, 2011. Some choral groups active in the District today can trace their origins as far back as 1851, with a Choral Society being established to produce concerts and oratorios at least as early as the 1880s. In the modern era, the District features several independently-established symphonic choruses, along with a very wide variety of mid-size choirs, chamber ensembles, and specialty groups. The District has been described as "the only locality in America where there is a chorus for every type of niche."

Opera The first established opera company in the District of Columbia was the semi-professional Washington National Opera active from 1919 through 1936; it performed in venues ranging from local school auditoriums to DAR Constitution Hall.McPherson, Jim, "Mr. Meek Goes to Washington: The Story of the Small-Potatoes Canadian Baritone Who Founded America's 'National' Opera," The Opera Quarterly, volume 20, no. 2, Spring 2004. The present, entirely unrelated company of the same name, resident at the Kennedy Center, was known simply as the Washington Opera until 2000; a thoroughly professional organization under the direction of Plácido Domingo, it has, among other achievements, been a rare advocate for zarzuela in the United States.Holland, Bernard, "NATIONAL OPERA REVIEW; Domingo Applies His Personal Touch to an Operetta's Familiar Tale," The Washington Post, November 9, 2004. Among other, smaller-scale companies in the District of Columbia metropolitan area are the Washington Concert Opera, which specializes in unstaged presentations; Opera Lafayette, which specializes in French baroque opera; and Aurora Opera Theatre, formerly known as Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia.

Blues Early in the 20th century, the District of Columbia was home to many bluesmen, such as Jelly Roll Morton and later rock and roll and rhythm and blues musicians such as Bo Diddley and Roy Buchanan. In the 1960s, a number of white youths formed local blues bands, including the Northside Blues Band and the Nighthawks. Starting in the early 1960s, Takoma Park native John Fahey became a nationally noted blues and folk guitarist who established the Takoma Records label, which attracted a number of other blues, folk, acoustic and fingerstyle guitarists to the District of Columbia area. Another local blues rock performer is Tom Principato.

Bluegrass In the 1950s, Buzz Busby and the Bayou Boys became a noted bluegrass band that helped District of Columbia become known as the "Bluegrass Capital of America" in the 1950s and early 1960s. Later bluegrass bands from the District included the Country Gentlemen. Seldom Scene eventually became the District's most prominent and longest-lasting bluegrass band. The Washington bluegrass community extends into outlying areas such as Western Maryland and the panhandle of West Virginia which are home to bluegrass musicians who commute to perform in the area. There has been substantial overlap between Washington, D.C.'s folk and bluegrass scene in the past several decades, in part due to the patronage of disc jockeys at public radio station WAMU, including Mary Cliff, longtime host of the music show Traditions.

Folk Folk clubs began springing up in the District of Columbia in the late 1950s. One of the earliest folk venues was at the Hamilton Arms Coffee House, which was founded in 1939 in Georgetown at 1232 31st Street NW. By the mid-1950s, Hamilton Arms was hosting "poetry readings, live music performances, art shows, movies, green tea (marijuana), and sometimes even coffee." After closing in 1957, other venues began to appear, including Coffee N' Confusion located briefly at 912 New Hampshire Avenue NW before moving to a basement location at 945 K Street NW. It has been noted that rock musician Jim Morrison, who lived in Northern Virginia up until 1961, performed his first poems at Coffee N' Confusion.

In January 1961, the Unicorn Cafe Expresso was opened at 1710 17th Street NW, featuring abstract art, coffee, poetry readings, and music. Founded by Yuri Kapralof and Roger Kaufman, the Unicorn became an important venue for up and coming folk musicians, especially after Kaufman and Kapralof sold the Unicorn to Elliott Ryan. With Hootenannys on Wednesday evening and more live performances, the Unicorn established its reputation as a music venue, where the likes of touring musicians Joan Baez, Erik Darling, and Pete LaFarge often performed along with local guitarists like John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Pat Sullivan and Max Ochs.

Another important folk venue in Georgetown in 1961 was The Shadows. A band called "the Mugwumps" formed, eventually splitting up. Two of the members, John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky, became The Lovin' Spoonful, and the other two, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliott, formed The Mamas & the Papas. Later, in Georgetown, then-folk singer John Denver, Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff wrote a song called "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which launched Denver's career as one of the most popular singers in the country. Other popular folk singers include Mary Chapin Carpenter; the duo Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer have been nominated for several Grammy Awards, for both folk and children's music.