In the early 1940’s American bars and clubs were enjoying a new entertainment phenomenon – the Soundies. These forerunners of today’s pop promos were shown in 10,000 establishments throughout the USA and were used to promote the latest recordings of many notable artists of the time, including NAT KING COLE, CAB CALLOWAY, LOUIS ARMSTRONG, SARAH VAUGHAN and DUKE ELLINGTON. This series uses actual footage from the Soundies, linked by DAVE LEE TRAVIS, who hosts the series from the newsroom of an imaginary newspaper, The Informer. Many of the major news stories of the period and the effects of these on both music and fashion are discussed.

Enquire about this programme