American Bandstand
American Bandstand (1952-89) was a massively popular music television program with strong Philadelphia roots, storied national success, and the power to shape the music industry and society. The show...
View ArticleRecording Industry
The Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden recorded orchestras (as shown here in 1902) for its Red Label disks. (Camden County Historical Society) The birthplace of the American “record” industry,...
View ArticleKimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Highlighted by a soaring 150-foot, glass-vaulted rooftop, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is home to eight resident music and dance companies and presents a wide range of artists from around...
View ArticleAvenue of the Arts
The Avenue of the Arts is the appellation for a section of Broad Street—from Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia to Glenwood Avenue in North Philadelphia—devoted to arts and entertainment...
View ArticleBallet
Philadelphia has a rich ballet history that spans centuries. Although initially not hospitable to dance, the city developed into an attractive destination for international ballet dancers and teachers...
View ArticleFilms (Feature)
Philadelphia’s association with movie-making dates back to the beginning of the film industry, when the city’s Lubin Manufacturing Company created and distributed many of the first generation of silent...
View ArticleRock and Roll (Early Years)
For most Americans in the mid-1950s, rock and roll seemed to come out of nowhere, a raucous new musical style that suddenly burst on the scene. In reality, rock and roll had been taking shape for...
View ArticleODUNDE Festival
Vendors draw crowds of shoppers during the ODUNDE festival, which begins with a procession from Twenty-Third and South Streets to the Schuylkill River. (Visit Philadelphia) The ODUNDE Festival, held in...
View ArticlePhiladelphia Orchestra
In 1916, the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Leopold Stokowski performed the American premiere of Gustav Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, often referred to as the Symphony of a Thousand. (Kislak Center...
View ArticlePhiladelphia Story (The)
The Philadelphia Story (1939) is a comedy of manners presented as a three-act play set in the late 1930s in a magnificent mansion in Philadelphia’s western Main Line suburbs, a location of wealth and...
View ArticleRadio DJs
“Hy” Lit and Joe “The Rockin’ Bird” Niagara take to the airwaves for WIBG’s Nostalgia Kick show in 1977. (Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries) Disc jockeys—“DJs” who play...
View ArticleDoo Wop
The Silhouettes’ 1957 record “Get a Job” reached number one on the pop and R & B charts. (Publicity Photo) Philadelphia was one of several key cities where, in the 1950s and early 1960s, singers...
View ArticleSoul Music
Kenneth Gamble (right) and Leon Huff (center) share the stage with Mayor Edward G. Rendell during the proclamation in 1997 of “Philadelphia Sound Week,” which honored the musical legacy produced by...
View ArticleJazz
Jazz began to emerge as a distinct musical style around the turn of the twentieth century, a merging of two vernacular African American musical styles—ragtime and blues—with elements of popular music....
View ArticleRhythm and Blues
With its large and diverse African American population and long tradition of black popular and religious music, Philadelphia became a hotbed of the new rhythm and blues style that emerged from jazz,...
View ArticleTSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)
In spring 1974, “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)” became a hit song for Philadelphia International Records, the local record label renowned for its “Philly Soul” sound of the 1970s. Written by...
View ArticleNew Year’s Traditions
New Year’s celebrations in the Philadelphia region have often included parties, formal wear, fireworks, and parades as part of a two-day, secular celebration from December 31 to January 1. The changing...
View ArticleListen to the Mocking Bird
Written in 1855 by a Philadelphia songwriter who was inspired by the whistling of a street musician, “Listen to the Mocking Bird” was one of the most popular songs of the nineteenth century. It sold...
View ArticleTelevision Shows (About Philadelphia)
The Philadelphia region has provided a backdrop for numerous television programs, including shows by creators from the region. Although the programs often were shot in other places, like New York or...
View ArticleMy Days Have Been So Wondrous Free
This original manuscript of “My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free,” probably dating from 1759, remains intact and legible at the Library of Congress. (Library of Congress) “My Days Have Been So Wondrous...
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