1. Bessie Smith’s Downhearted Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME1jKVMglpM Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brqxEdwsTQs

2. American Culture in the 1920s and 1930s

3. Bessie Smith  “Empress of the Blues”  Sold 1 million copies of “Downhearted Blues” in 1923  In 1927, she was the highest paid black artist in the world

4. Duke Ellington  Jazz pianist and famous composer  Played with his orchestra at Harlem’s Cotton Club  Important Harlem Renaissance figure who became widely popular in America

5. Louis Armstrong  Talented trumpet player and jazz composer  Made personal expression a key part of jazz  One of the most important and influential jazz musicians ever

6. Jacob Lawrence  Painted the great migration that contributed to the growth of Harlem when 1 million blacks moved from the South to Northern cities  Harlem Renaissance figure

7. Langston Hughes  Best known Harlem Renaissance poet  Wrote about difficulties of African American workers  Combined experiences of African and American roots

8. Georgia O’Keeffe  Artist who painted bold and semi- abstract paintings  Known for urban and southwest works  Used bold lines and striking forms

9. Aaron Copland  Composer  Combined modern and traditional styles of music  His style was known as uniquely American

10. George Gershwin  Composer  Combined jazz and traditional music to create an American genre  Wrote Broadway songs, Classical songs, and popular songs

11. F. Scott Fitzgerald  Writer who suggested that wealth and good times were not always so desirable  Wrote the Great Gatsby  Coined the term “jazz age”

12. John Steinbeck  Writer who wrote about poor migrants in the Great Depression  Chronicled their struggles  Wrote The Grapes of Wrath