MUSIC HISTORY: Soundies—Black Music from the 1940s

Soundies were three-minute American musical 16mm films, produced in New York, Chicago, and Hollywood between 1940 and 1946, They each contained a song, dance and/or band/orchestral number. 

The completed films were made available for rental within a few weeks. Collections of eight to a reel were produced primarily by the Soundies Distributing Company of America. Hence, the name "Soundies," which became generalized to describe any similar film, including later, single pieces shot as "filler" for early television. 

The last true Soundies group was released in March 1947.

The films were displayed on the Panoram, a coin-operated film jukebox or machine music, in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, factory lounges, malt shops, and amusement centers. The cost was ten cents to view the Soundie of your choice.

Today Soundies are perhaps best known for preserving rare performances of African-American artists who had fewer opportunities to perform in films. Artists such as The Ink Spots, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, Dorothy Dandridge, Big Joe Turner, Billy Eckstine, Count Basie, The Mills Brothers, Sarah Vaughan, Herb Jeffries, Cab Calloway, Meade Lux Lewis, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Nina Mae McKinney, Nat King Cole, Moms Mabley, Mantan Moreland and Stepin Fetchit all made Soundies.

Here is a Soundies sampling.

(The information used in this post is from Wikipedia.)

Dominique Petersen is an aficionado of old music and the author of Dr. Hook and Me: A Fan's Journal/Scrapbook. Read about it and her other books at the website: www.nikdesignsgraphics.com