Music: The Father of the Blues, Golden Age of Jazz, and David Bowie | History in Photos

Key Takeaways

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  Poetry provides the foundation for songwriting - Alicia Blue transitioned from a literature major to a musician by setting her existing poetry to guitar, viewing music as a more effective vehicle for her writing than spoken word.

  “I was like, I'm gonna be a famous poet. And then... decided, like an insane human, from that point on, that I was going to put my poetry to songs. And that would be way more useful for the planet.”

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  Artist independence builds necessary character - Emerging artists should maximize their own 'life force' and DIY tenacity before seeking management, as the self-booking phase teaches essential lessons about artistic identity and the industry.

  “To any new artists, like run that out first. Like do everything you can. You have to use that life force in you because you learn so much about yourself and what you want and what you are.”

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  Authenticity attracts unexpected high-value opportunities - Embracing a natural folk sound instead of forcing a soul persona led to a pivotal, unsolicited sync placement on a global Starbucks playlist.

  “I was like, whoa, this is cool. Don't need to be a soul singer anymore. Like all I have to do is just, you know, be my fucking self.”

Episode Description

**Unlock the full episode and the complete History in Photos mini series by joining The Rest Is History Club at therestishistory.com** Why are there only three confirmed photographs of Blues-legend Robert Johnson? How did Art Kane’s photo of 1950’s NYC Jazz musicians Great Day In Harlem serve as a symbol of American segregation? And, what is the connection between David Bowie’s face paint on the Aladdin Sane album cover, Elvis Presley, and the Templar Christian Brotherhood? In today’s episode of our new member’s-only mini-series, Dominic is joined by photographer Chris Floyd to discuss iconic photographs of the most famous and influential 20th century musicians.  Getty Images has one of the largest and oldest privately held archives globally with access to over 150 million images dating back to the beginning of photography. From historical images created in the early 1800s to more contemporary 1990s imagery, the Getty Images archive houses a wealth of socially significant, historical photos, videos and prints, and includes content from over 40 editorial content partners including Gamma-Rapho, Paris Match, The Bettmann Archive, Sygma and Motorsport Images. Our archive video collection contains 3.1 million hours of offline video footage and includes partners such as NBC News Archives, ITN, Sky News and the BBC Motion Gallery. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices