If you’re a fan of rock and roll, or music in general, Tin Pan Alley should hold a place in your heart, not to mention your vocabulary.
Before the 1890s, the music produced in America had no true ownership or copyright, meaning a melody or tune that became popular could essentially be ripped off by someone else, and their version could than reap the benefits.
It was in the1890s that a new type of publishing company rose in NYC. These publishers, unlike those today, went out to seek the artists and musicians who had talent and hustled them into whatever establishment would let them play. These artists wanted to sell their songs; they just needed a platform to do so. This would soon become known as “song-plugging,” which today means playing or previewing sheet music for listeners that hasn’t been heard before, or for musicians an artists who don’t write their own music.
In 1892, Charles Harris’s song, “After the Ball” sold six million copies of sheet music. Before this time, sheet music was only sold exclusively to professionals; publishers didn’t previously recognize that people had an interest in using sheet music for recreational use. This result in sales helped put lots of money into Tin Pan Alley an its artists. In addition to this, the Music Chart was introduced in 1910, which to this day keeps track of the most popular songs in the country at a given time.
Irving Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” helped reinforce Ragtime in Tin Pan Alley, along with dances like the Charleston and Foxtrot. Soon, jazz and blues became prime influences.
As Tin Pan Alley began to spread its roots, it went from locations in NYC like the current Flatiron District, to more flashy areas like Broadway. The ASCAP society was soon formed, (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers,) and Tin Pan Alley soon became the driving force in popular music, producing more than 90 percent of songs and selling millions of sheet music copies.
As mentioned previously, jazz and blues soon took over Tin Pan Alley. This introduced many prominent African American musicians at a time when popular music was predominantly white. These composers consisted of Perry Bradford, Eubie Blake, Henry Creamer, W.C Handy, James P. Johnson, Cecil Mack and Clarence Williams.
It was these talents and their style of playing that eventually mixed with the musical styles of other artists, resulting in a mix of musical styles that Tin Pan Alley became best known for. Some of these mixed compositions were produced by people like Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael and George Gershwin.
Other popular hits included “Take Me out to the Ball Game” by Albert Von Tilzer, “Come, Josephine, in My Flying Machine” by Fred Fisher and Alfred Bryan, “Lovesick Blues” by Cliff Friend and Irving Mills, “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” by Creamer and Turner Layton and “Happy Days are Here Again” by Jack Yellen and Milton Ager.
Many are still unsure where the name Tin Pan Alley came from, yet most likely the “Tin Pan” concept was quite literal, as many artists would use whatever they could get their hands on in order to make music. Many of the alleys of NY, an other cities around America, are where this music originated.
The end of Tin Pan Alley is also uncertain, but it probably occurred around 1920-1940, when popular music began hitting the radio.
As jazz and blues went on to create bigger rock and roll, many artists have spoken of Tin Pan Alley as a huge influence. Stevie Ray Vaughn named a song after it. Robbie Robertson mentions it in the epic documentary The Last Waltz.
Overall, it is something to be remembered for what it accomplished and the artists that came from it.
