The Great Depression was winding down. FDR was in the White House. Joe Louis had flung into the boxing ring while Amelia Earhart had taken over the skies. And the sounds of swing were sweeping the nation.
In clubs and living rooms, Americans were dancing to a new rhythm. It crossed lines and cultures and became the soundtrack of an era. And nobody played it like William "Count" Basie.
Listen to an On Point discussion about listening back to Count Basie and the soundtrack of a generation and the American soundtrack today.
Do Count Basie and swing still bring to life an era for you? Does America have a soundtrack now? Gnarls Barkeley, Erykha Badu, Beck? What do you think?
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