Thursday, August 22, 2019

Bill Doggett: The Impact of Confederacy Nostalgia on Technology and Early Sound


Bill Doggett writes:

1619-2019, Understanding Race, The Impact of Confederacy nostalgia on commercialized messaging through Technology and Early Recorded Sound

2 years after Charlottesville, Race is dramatically at the forefront of our national dialogue more than ever before.

White supremacy, racial terror, and Trump inspired nostalgia for "the good ole days" has historical precedent in commercialized messaging advanced by technology at the dawn of recorded sound 1895-1920

The Red Summer of 1919, a summer of racial terror has a tragic poignance one hundred years later in the Summer of 2019

What are the connections, why is the merger of music, commercialized messaging and advances in technology of early recorded sound significant to the discussion of Race in 2019-2020?

My name is Bill Doggett, I am a nationally recognized specialist in Race and Early Recorded Sound.

In 2015, I was commissioned by The Recorded Sound Division of The Library of Congress to create an extensive pilot on Race at the dawn of Recorded Sound for The National Jukebox.

The subject of Race, its translation by early entertainment technologies into commercialized messaging is an extraordinary topic.

I have presented on this subject in Conferences and in Talk Series across the country.

This topic is timely and represents research on a difficult subject that has not been sufficiently talked about.

May I invite you to engage me for your future Presenter Series.

My multi media presentations are made memorable with live demonstrations on my traveling portable Victrola of the rare original 1900-1925 historical 78rpm recordings which are features of my Archive of Early Sound focused on Race and Race identity.

The images sampled above and below are all part of my Archive and part of my multi media presentations.



Poignantly, I am the great grandson of Abbie Hardaway Clarke of The Hardaway Plantation near Richmond, Virginia who went on to be one of the anchoring members assisting the founding in 1867 of Richmond's historic Sixth Mt Zion Baptist Church.

Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church was the first Black church built in Richmond, after the Civil War burning of Richmond,  the former Capitol of The Confederacy.

I am also the great nephew of Mary Frances Clarke, one of the few Virginia Black women to graduate in the Class of 1900 from Freedman's Hospital's Training School for Nurses at Howard University,

Finally, for those who are fans of mid 1950s' Rhythm and Blues/Rock n Roll, I am the nephew of the legendary pioneer jazz organist, Bill Doggett, creator of the landmark 1956 gold record hit, "Honky Tonk, Parts 1/2" for King Records.

From 1619 to 2019, how did ideas about race and racial identity become canonized throughTechnology?

Take Step 1, Explore the World of Race and Early Sound here


This is a flash based websiteAllowing Flash in Google Chrome on a desktop/laptop is required to listen to the outstanding music tracks

Read what clients have said about Historian/Lecturer Bill Doggett's presentations
 
Rory Pullens- "Bill, you are a brilliant man." Emeritus CEO, The Duke Ellington School for The Arts, Washington DC
 
Elizabeth Thacker "Bill: Thank you very much for your presentation, #Charlottesville, the Civil War, and Race" at the Merced Branch Library yesterday evening.  
Those who attended have given me enthusiastic feedback:
"That was a riveting, eye-opening, and sobering presentation tonight."
"Thank you for hosting the excellent program at your branch."
"Thanks for the great presentation last night!"
The program was also mentioned in an At the Library newsletter article:
https://sfpl.org/uploads/files/pdfs/ATL/feb18.pdf {San Francisco Public Library}
 
Jodi Gandolfi-"I found your lecture/demonstration format highly effective. Afterwards, I found myself asking, how could an even wider audience be reached? I wonder if Henry Gates could do a program on your work as I pondered the importance of your work and the good it could do in bringing about more understanding of just how we got where we are today and how to bring real change. Film is such a powerful medium - and your discussions and examples of highly damaging films - including so many "celebrated" films is very important work." {Co Founder. The African American Composers Initiative}

Carol Hess "And what an inspired idea Chris {Reynolds} had to invite you back to
University of California, Davis. We are living in terrible times. Thanks for illuminating some very troubling aspects of our past and present."{Dean of Music Department, University of California at Davis}

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