Real Men Don't Sing

McCracken Allison McCracken

Description

The crooner Rudy Vallee's soft, intimate, and sensual vocal delivery simultaneously captivated millions of adoring fans and drew harsh criticism from those threatened by his sensitive masculinity. Although Vallee and other crooners reflected the gender fluidity of late-1920s popular culture, their challenge to the Depression era's more conservative masculine norms led cultural authorities to stigmatize them as gender and sexual deviants. In Real Men Don't Sing Allison McCracken outlines crooning's history from its origins in minstrelsy through its development as the microphone sound most associated with white recording artists, band singers, and radio stars. She charts early crooners' rise and fall between 1925 and 1934, contrasting Rudy Vallee with Bing Crosby to demonstrate how attempts to contain crooners created and dictated standards of white masculinity for male singers. Unlike Vallee, Crosby survived the crooner backlash by adapting his voice and persona to adhere to white middle-class masculine norms. The effects of these norms are felt to this day, as critics continue to question the masculinity of youthful, romantic white male singers. Crooners, McCracken shows, not only were the first pop stars: their short-lived yet massive popularity fundamentally changed American culture. 

Sujets

• Musicals
• Musical theatre

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 17 septembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822375326
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 51 Mo

Extrait

real men don t sing  ’

r e f i g u r i n g a m e r i c a n m u s i c

A serîes edîted by Ronad Radano and Josh Kun

Chares McGovern, contrîbutîng edîtor

ii

r e a l m e n d o n’ t s i n g

crooning in american culture

Aîson McCracken

Duke Unîversîty Press Durham and London 2015

© 2015 Duke Unîversîty Press A rîghts reserved Prînted în the Unîted States o Amerîca on acîd-ree paper∞ Interîor desîgn by Mîndy Basînger Hî Cover desîgn by Heather Hensey Typeset în Whîtman by Westchester Pubîshîng Servîces

Lîbrary o Congress Cataogîng-în-Pubîcatîon Data McCracken, Aîson, [date]author. Rea men don’t sîng : croonîng în Amerîcan cuture / Aîson McCracken. pages cm—(Refigurîng Amerîcan musîc) Incudes bîbîographîca reerences and îndex. isbn978-0-8223-5917-3 (hardcover : ak. paper) isbn978-0-8223-5936-4 (pbk. : ak. paper) isbn978-0-8223-7532-6 (e-book) 1. Croonîng. 2. Mae sîngers—Unîted States. 3. Popuar musîc— Unîted States—1921–1930—Hîstory and crîtîcîsm. 4. Popuar musîc—Unîted States—1931–1940—Hîstory and crîtîcîsm.i . Tîte. ii. Serîes: Refigurîng Amerîcan musîc. ml3477.m37 2015 782.42164'0811—dc23 2015010107

frontispiece:Bîng Crosby, pubîcîty stî or hîs first fim short,I Surrender, Dear(1931). Thîs shot demonstrates the way that crooners o the tîme were sîmutaneousy represented both as romantîc cataysts or heterosexua coupes and as potentîa competîtîon or women’s afectîons. Author’s coectîon.

cover art:Rudy Vaée wîth megaphone and saxophone,Vanity Fair, Juy 1929. Photo by George Hoynîngen-Huené. © Condé Nast Archîve /corbis.

for my mother,

Heen McCracken

and in memory of my aunt,

Mary McCracken (1929–2014)

and my grandmother,

Rîta Brown Murphy (1904–2002)

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contents

Acknowedgments îx

Introductîon 1

onePuttîngvOreaSno:g Croonîng, Perormance, and Audîence în the Acoustîc Era, 1880–1920 37

tworCînoo:ecEîctrGngsoe Mîcrophone Croonîng and the Inventîon o the Intîmate Sîngîng Aesthetîc, 1921–1928 74

threeFaîng în Love wîth a Voîce: Rudy Vaée and Hîs Fîrst Radîo Fans, 1928 126

fourT“ehMuohtohtMaeînch:e” The Creatîon o the Croonîng Ido, 1929 160

five“AontîgnîknîSenîpuS the Prîmeva Ooze”: Croonîng and Its Dîscontents, 1929–1933 208

sixdnîKehT“rauatNo That Worked”: The Crooner Redefined, 1932–1934 (and Beyond) 264

Concusîon 311

Notes 333

Bîbîography 375

Index 411

acknowledgments

When I began thîs project, I dîd not antîcîpate the way ît woud personay speak to me, and o me, and how much îts ong gestatîon process woud teach me about eeîng hîstorîca connectîon as we as tracîng hîstorîca change. I have been so ortunate and earned so much rom havîng these croonîng voîces în my head these many years, but ît took me a surprîsîngy ong tîme to reaîze that they were just puîng on and extendîng parts o me that wereareadythere.Ittookmeaongtîmetoacknowedgethatthepur- poses these voîces served or theîr audîences în the încreasîngy conserva- tîve, heteronormatîve, mascuînîst ate 1920s and eary 1930s were the same purposes such voîces had served or me growîng up as an aîenated emî- nîst, queer, workîng-cass Irîsh Cathoîc gîr în a conservatîve, erocîousy mîdde-cassmîdwesterntownînthe1980s. In act I grew up durîng one o the heydays o the romantîc crooner în Amerîcan cuture. Sînce the 1920s crooners have aways been present în some orm, those vunerabe young men who undermîned mascuîne codes wîth theîr pretty aces, sot haîr, and sweet, peadîng voîces ongîng or ove. At the tîme I dîdn’t grasp the încongruîty that the most macho decade în Amerîcan hîstory was set to popuar songs by the Smîths, Depeche Mode, wham, Phî Coîns, Aîr Suppy, Cuture Cub, and Tears or Fears, and what were teîngy reerred to as “power baads” by “sot” rock bands such as Chîcago, REO Speed- wagon, Foreîgner, and Journey. But my aîes and I responded to these songs be- cause theîr yrîcs spoke o our own desîre or connectîon and communîty. Songs such as “Don’t You Forget about Me,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Lay Your Hands on Me,” “Peope Are Peope,” and “How Soon Is Now” were representatîve o our eeîngs o dîference, rustratîon, and margînaîzatîon. Whîe these songs were wîdey enjoyed, they were especîay resonant or nascent emînîst, gay, and queer-coded “theater” kîds îke us. Theîr wîstuness