NW MUSIC: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

BELOW ARE LINKS to essays by Pete Blecha about the long history of music-making in the Northwest. They are listed in roughly chronological order.

• "Song-Catchers: Documenting the Music of Northwest Indians"
  
• "'Chief' Arquette (1884-1943): Puyallup's Musical Star"
• "Puyallup Reservation Band (with Willie Arquette) gig in 1894" 
• "Annie Jackson: Seattle's 1800s Banjo Gal"
• "Auditorium Theater: Spokane's Finest Stage (1890)"
• "Olof Bull Plays His Fiddle on Mount Rainier's Summit (1896)"
• "Early Seattle Songbook (1890s)" 
• "Jolly Entertainers: The Draper Children's Home Band (1907—1927)"
• "Washington Hall (1908—2010)"
• "Labor Song Traditions of the Northwest"
• "Alfred Lueben: Seattle's German Music Professor"
• "'Wireless Telephone' Invention Unveiled in Seattle in 1909"
• "Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909): Music at the Fair"   
• "Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909): German Day"
• "Seattle's Green Lake Band (ca. 1912)"
• "Seattle's First Annual Music Festival (1916)" 
• "The 'Negro Musicians' Union,' Seattle Local 493 (1918—1958)"
• "Helen Louise Ferera (1887?—1919): Seattle's Famed Hawaiian Guitarist"
• "Hawaiian Music & its Historic Seattle Connection"
• "Seattle Symphony & Maestro Mary Davenport-Engberg"
• "Morrie & Alice Morrison: Northwest Music Industry Pioneers"
• "The Black Hawks: Seattle's Legendary Roaring '20s Jazz Band" 
• "Vic Meyers' 'Shake It...' Seattle's First Record (1923)"
• "Rola: Seattle's 1920s Radio Loudspeaker Company"
• "Seattle's Columbian Trio Plays Hawaiian Music (1920s)"
• "Blind Radio Five Orchestra: Seattle (1925)"
• "Fox Theatre Orchestra" Seattle (1929)"
• "Seattle Letter Carriers' Quartet Seattle (1925...)"
• "Seattle Harmony Kings (1920s)"
• "Hazel Carroll: Seattle's Great Harpist (1925)"
• "Sadie & Yam: Seattle's 'Banjoists Supreme' (1925)" 
• "Mme. Schumann-Heink, Opera Diva, Quits Disastrous Seattle Concert (1925)"
• "Mildred Bailey & Bing Crosby: Spokane's Jazz Royalty"
• "Columbia Phonograph Co. records Local Musicians in Spokane (1927)"
• "John Coppock & his Hawaiian Band (1927)" 
• "John Coppock, Peshastin's Star Guitarist, Returns from Hollywood for Hometown Concert in 1927"
• "Patsy Britten: Seattle's 'Sweetheart of KOL' (1920s...)"
• "Patsy Britten joins Our Gang in Hollywood (1931)" 
• "The Boeing Band Live at Boeing Field (1931)"
• "Evergreen Ballroom: Olympia's Lost Landmark (1931—2000)"
• "Parker’s Ballroom"
• "The Spanish Castle Ballroom"
• "Paul Tutmarc (1896—1972) & his Audiovox Electric Guitars"
• "Vladimir Horowitz Piano Recital Raided by Seattle Police (1932)" 
• "Seattle's National Institute of Music & Arts [NIOMA] (1932—1955)" 
• "NIOMA's "Open Air Musical Festival" wows Seattle crowd (1933)"
• "Seattle's Coon Chicken Inn Dance (1933)
• "Depression Era Dance at Juanita Park (1933)"
• "Youngstown Dance in Early Seattle Neighborhood (1933)" 
• "'Jazz Intoxication' bill introduced to Washington State Legislature (1933)"
• "Seattle's Tex Howard Band & the "Airplane Dance' (1935)"
• "Seattle's Myers Music Shop (1930s—1984)"
• "Phil Moore (1917-1987): Northwest Jazz Piano Prodigy hits the Big-Time in Hollywood" 
• "The Ubangi Club: Seattle's Hot Nitespot (1936—1938)"
• "Tacoma's Musicians Benefit Ball (1937)"
• "Grand Opening of Seattle's Show Box is celebrated on July 24, 1939" 
• "The Showbox Theater: Seattle’s Musical Landmark"
• "Sol Hoopii (1903-1953): The Seattle Years of the 'King of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar"
• "The Final Concert of Sol Ho'opi'i - Moore Theatre (1953)"
• "Sir Thomas Beecham: Seattle's Feud With The 'Badboy Of The Baton'"
• "Stan Boreson: Everett’s King of Scandinavian Humor"
• "John Cage (1912—1992): The Seattle Years" 
• "John Cage debuts his 'Prepared Piano' in Seattle on April 28, 1940"
• "Cle Elum Hosts A 'Knife Dance' (1947)"
• "Woody Guthrie: His Northwest Days" 
• "Seattle Songster, Earl Robinson, & his famous 'Joe Hill' Tune"
• "Ivar Haglund, The Seafood-Selling Songster (1946)"
• "Juke Box Wars: Seattle's Music Mob (1940s)" 
• "The Rocking Chair: Seattle's Fabled 1940s Nightclub"
• "Gene Krupa Rocks Seattle's Trianon Ballroom (1946)"
• "Al Smith (1916-2008): Seattle's Jazz Scene Photographer" 
• "Al Smith photo exhibit opens at MOHAI (1993)"    
• "Linden Records: Seattle’s 'Lost' Post-War Music Company"
• "Country Music in the Pacific Northwest"
• "Buck Ritchey: Northwest Country Radio Legend (1915—1973)"
• "Bonnie Guitar: The Northwest's Trail-Blazing Pop Pioneer"
• "'Sheriff Tex' Jim Lewis (1909—1990)"
• "Jack Rivers: Seattle's 1950s Country Guitar Star"
• "The 'Negro Musicians' Union,' Seattle Local 493, holds benefit bash in 1951"
• "Merceedees (1913-2000): Seattle's 1950s Bluesy Lounge Piano Legend"
• "The 'Rainier Waltz' (1952)"
• "The 'Seattle Song' (1952)"
• "Those Redheads From Seattle (1953)"
• "Billy Tipton: Spokane's Secretive Jazzman"
• "Two segregated musicians' unions, Seattle's AFM Locals 76 & 493, merge in 1958"
• "Pat Suzuki: The Seattle Years (1955-1958)" 
• "Rarest NW Records: Rollie Webber's 'Tired of Livin'' (1959)"
• "Seattle Symphony & Milton Katims" 
• "Seattle Symphony Debuts Opera in 1962" 
• "Century 21 Expo (1962): Twist Party Celebrates Seattle World's Fair Opening" 
• "Century 21 Expo (1962): Music at the Fair" 
• "Century 21 Expo (1962): Performing Arts at the Fair" 
• "Century 21 Expo (1962): Theme Songs & Souvenir Records" 
• "Century 21 Expo: Saturday Night Dances debut on June 28, 1962"
• "Gracie Hansen (1922—1985)"
• "Seattle Symphony Hires First African American Musician, Bruce Lawrence"
• "Merrill Womach: Spokane's Gospel Great (1924-2014)" 
• "Pat Wright: Seattle's Gospel Music Star"
• "Seattle Symphony & Gerard Schwarz"
• "Same Love: A Brief History of Queer Musicians in the Northwest" 
• "Volcanic Rock: The Mt. St. Helens Song Eruption of 1980" (1985)
• "Muzak: The Originators of 'Elevator Music'" 
• "Muzak Co. merges with Seattle's Yesco (1986)" 
• "Total Experience Gospel Choir (1973—2013)"
• "Tuba Man: Seattle's Famous Street Musician, Ed McMichael (1955—2008)" 
• "Yuletide Classics: Northwest Xmas Songs (Part I, 1942—1985)"