History Singers

Chicago History in Song

This program (which comes complete with power pointed  archival images) covers the city's history from its Potawatomi origins through its growth as one of the nation's jazz centers. The following events are included in song: the great Chicago fire, the Columbian Exposition, and the absurd debut of First Ward alderman Bathhouse John Coughlin's song. Also included are our original compositions regarding the Potawatomi and the 1915 Eastland Disaster. 

Christmas Carols of Old England 

Have you ever wondered why most of our Christmas songs have a decidedly English Victorian feel? Few reviewing the enormous body of American Christmas songs would consider that there was a time when a large section of this country and England did not celebrate Christmas. The English concluded their non-celebratory phase after only a few years, but New Englanders maintained their neglect of the holiday until the 19th Century (which is why Washington's crossing of the Delaware and attacking Trenton, NJ on Christmas Eve was such a surprise to the English and their Hessian auxiliaries). The English had a great revival of Christmas songwriting during the later 1700's and early 1800's. This spurt reached its completion during the mid-19th Century. Since so much of America had “taken the century off,” so to speak, we had to borrow heavily from this English tradition. This is why so many of our Christmas images are Victorian: Dicken's A Christmas Carol, people in top hats and topcoats performing carols, etc. 

The Generation Gap: Songs of the 1940s vs. Songs of the 1960s. 

Who had better music, the World War II Generation or the Baby Boomers?  This seems like a fairly mellow consideration today, but there was a time when this was a hotly debated topic. Back in the day, people who favored one style or another were very outspoken, not only in defense of their own generation's music, but also in criticizing the music of the other side; the generations were at odds on many topics, so the music debate became a symbol for what was going on in general. It was indeed an era of the Generation Gap. 

But at the same time, we could almost call this program, "Bridging the Generations." We have found in working with this material that, if you look beyond the competition, the two sets of music, ironically, fit very well together. The different styles and rhythms offset each other, resulting in a diverse and interesting hour of music. Music that once served as a symbol of division can now serve as a symbol of reconciliation and harmony.

Our program consists of well-known songs from each generation, presented in pairs for balance. 

Greatest Hits of the 20th Century

This is a vocal presentation that covers America's greatest hits from 1870 to 1984. In addition to record sales and sheet music sales, shelf life and the length of Broadway/movie runs were considered as well as a subjective assessment of a song's impact on the American psyche. The result is a moving review of music that meant much to us as a people and helped to define us during the years of American ascendancy. 

Love Songs of Four Generations

While researching our programs on American song, we have discovered that Americans have sung about the things that meant the most to them at certain points in history: westward pioneers sang about new land; slaves sang about freedom; and soldiers sang about war. Especially as Americans became settled, composers created more songs about love. Love--especially from the mid-19th Century on--became the subject of some of America's most beloved songs.

“Love Songs of Four Generations” is a selection of songs from our different programs beginning in 1855 ("Listen to the Mockingbird") and ending in the 1980s ("Time after Time").  Such a collection not only gives on a sense of the genre's variety but also provides a glimpse of how our views of love have changed through the decades. A perfect program for Valentine's Day. 

Mr. Tambourine Man: 1960s Coffeehouse Program

While the phrase, “the Sixties” generally conjures up a single image in our minds, it was actually a time of rapid changes and coexisting contradictions. A large gap separates the world of 1962 from that of 1969. Young people experienced awakenings of social awareness and political involvement at the same time that the virtues of “turning on and dropping out” were extolled. Furthermore, America in 1960 was far from a homogeneous social order. The country had very well-defined regional--even neighborhood--boundaries.

There was one unifying factor, however: the music. The decade began with the portable transistor radio and ended with “underground” (and later, mainstream FM radio. One very special expression of “the music” was the exitance of an army of troubadours that perfected and performed it in many kinds of settings. Large numbers of individuals took up the guitar and would play selections from “the music” in dorm rooms and fraternity houses, at parties and campfires. There were even wandering minstrels who would drop in on various coffeehouses to perform their sets. And in the words of Joni Mitchell, they would often be found “playing real good…for free.” 

Mr. Tambourine Man" attempts to capture and reproduce this special musical experience. We have put together a collection of songs a person might have heard in a coffee house setting in 1969 or 1970. The program is divided into three sections, arranged topically. “It's Only Love” covers the theme of love, its joys and sorrows, ups and downs. “Dear Prudence” includes songs addressing the problems of life, self, and experience. “The Times They are A-Changing” includes songs that chronicle an awakening political conscience with its frustrations as well as inspirations. 
 

Notable Women in American Song

This program is a musical presentation of women who have made significant contributions to either the performance, composition, or inspiration of American song. While many women have served as inspiration for great American songs (and this program includes some of the more significant of these), "Notable Women" also showcases significant composers and performers.

Covering everyone from Judy Garland and "Rosie the Riveter" to the prolific blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby, this program is an entertaining bled of fascinating information on both well-known and obscure women, along with a presentation of the beautiful songs they made famous. Included are Jessie Bartlett Davis, Billie Holiday, Maybelle Carter, Dorothy Fields, Julie Andrews, and Carole King. 

Settings of American Song: From the Pilgrims to the Cowboys

This program begins with a question: 'How did we experience music in the days before electricity?' The program blends an accessible discussion of trends in American history with a wonderful selection of American music. It leaves listeners with a clear impression of how our ancestors used song to express their emotions in their own particular settings and gives a personal glimpse into the broader historical and musical trends that helped shape our nation. Included are Pilgrim psalms. Native American flute music, Revolutionary War fife music, pioneer songs, Civil War, 19th century parlor songs, and cowboy songs. 
 

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Concept Album That Wasn't. Or Was it? 

When it first appeared 50 years ago, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was believed to be a concept album, a record that developed a single unified thought. However, all of the Beatles at one time or another have denied that this was the case, that it was just an album like any other, made up of unrelated songs. The only difference was that it had a title song reprised at the end and a lot of nice artwork on the cover to promote that title track. 

We think there might have been a theme and this program/lecture conducts listeners through the album to make a case for this. 

Time: Two hours including a 15-minute break. Cost $450.00
 

Songs of the Civil War 

The Civil War took place in the days before electronic forms of communication (except the telegraph). As a result, music -- either performed or printed -- played an important role. It was used to stir patriotic fervor (in the camps and on the home front), to sustain morale, to regulate camp life, to reflect on life and loves back home, and even to report news of the battles. 

Published music, whether in the form of pocket songbooks, broadsides, or printed sheet music, proliferated during these wars. The output was staggering: during the Civil War alone over 10,000 war-related songs were published. Much of this enormous body of music has gone into obscurity with the passage of time and generations. some also were laid aside because their only function was to provide camp or battle orders. A few songs remain in the public consciousness because they had galvanized a national identity of some sort, or because they served to affirm that the war effort had been worth the sacrifice the nation had paid.

Our program reviews all aspects of the music of the war -- the forgotten and utilitarian compositions as well as those that are still famous. We also discuss the settings of the songs and the various kinds of performers who would have presented them. 

Songs of the Great Depression

The effects of the 1929 Wall Street collapse meant that by 1933, thirty percent of Americans were living below the poverty line. Music became a way to cope and sometimes, a way to escape. Our program presents songs that were originally created for the 1930s Broadway stage, such as “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street”; songs that merely hinted at the devastated economic landscape, such as “Over the Rainbow” and “I Found a Million Dollar Baby”; songs introduced to the world by Fred Astaire, such as "Night and Day" and "The Way You Look Tonight," as well as the searing “Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?” 

Songs of the Revolutionary War

America's war of independence from Great Britain was fought with both muskets and music. An American chaplain who dabbled in the writing of lyrics claimed that “one good song is worth a dozen proclamations” in stirring patriotic fervor among the colonists. So, broadsides with revolutionary lyrics were sold on the street for a penny. But there were generally no tunes printed with the lyrics; only a directive to sing the lyrics to a tune that would be familiar to the colonists. Since most of those tunes were British, Mother England was being fought with her own melodies! 

Two notable songs we perform not of English origin are “Yankee Doodle” and “Chester,” the first a folk song with a variety of origin stories, and the latter, the Marseillaise of the Revolution, written by William Billings, America's first professional composer. 

Songs of the Vietnam War

The music of and about the Vietnam War, for and against it, was heard in a variety of places: the radio, protest rallies, and in Vietnam where American fighting men accessed music--some of it their own version of protest songs--through the records they brought along and the via bands hired to entertain them. Songs of the Vietnam War is a combination of all these musical genres and features live performance along with the playing of a few 45s. We hope this program will help to bring healing and closure for our fighting men and bring that period to life for those too young to remember it. 

Songs of World War I 

The years 2017-2018 marked the centennial of America's relatively brief but highly influential involvement in the cataclysmic First World War. Woodrow Wilson's 1916 presidential campaign slogan had been "He kept us out of the war" but when German actions became too much to ignore, the United States joined the Allies on April 6, 1917. Music then became a major impetus in whipping up patriotic support to send young men and women "over there."  Our program includes the most influential of these American songs, plus borrowed British songs from earlier in the war, sung both by the troops and on the home front. Also included are songs created by a young Irving Berlin for his popular military-themed 1918 musical, Yip Yip Yaphank. 

Songs of World War II 

During World War II, American soldiers marched off to battle, rallied their courage and reflected on life back home through songs. Americans on the home front kept their perspective and solidarity with the troops through music. Radio, records, and even films were used to stir up and maintain patriotic fervor. Part of this program was repeatedly performed for World War II veterans (via an organization called Pillars of Honor) who gave our song selection an enthusiastic thumbs up!
 

Time After Time: Songs of the 1980s

The 1980s was the decade when pop music began to rely heavily on synthesizers and other expensive equipment, most of it beyond the budget of the average family. But with recent keyboard technology, these sounds can be realized in a smaller setting with fewer performers. 

In “Time After Time,” we seek to capture the essence of the decade’s best songs with our keyboard, one electric guitar and one acoustic guitar. Featured is the music of Cindy Lauper, Madonna, Journey, The Police, Springsteen, U2, Huey Lewis, Van Halen, Lionel Ritchie and others. 

Perfect for February 6th, National Eighties Day!