"Welcome to America"
1909-2009.
The album is a tribute and celebration to over two centuries of American music
Each song was written about each decade.
(1909 - 1919) The welcoming of new Immigrants to Ellis Island.
(1919 - 1929) The Roaring twenties, and westward expansions of a new country.
(1929 - 1939) The Great Depression and the harsh times Americans lived with .
(1939 - 1949) World War II, and The Greatest Generation.
(1949 - 1959) The 50’s and Boomer Generation .
(1959 - 1969) The environmental concerns of young people.
(1969 - 1979) Questioning authority, and distrust in our government .
(1979 - 1989) Peace, love, and understanding.
(1989 - 1999) The beauty of our lands, rivers, and seas .
(1999 - 2009) The attack on 9/11.
American History (1909-1919)
According to the 1900 census, the population of the United States was then 76.3 million. Nearly 14 percent of the population, approximately 10.4 million people were born outside of the United States.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, and 100 years later, the first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Henry Ford sells 10,000 automobiles.
In the 1910’s the film industry moved from New York to Hollywood, because of better outdoor filming weather.
Orville Wright remains in the air 9 minutes and 45 seconds in a glider at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, setting a new world record that stands for 10 years.
Sinking of the RMS Titanic: RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the northern Atlantic Ocean and sinks with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.
Grand Central Terminal, having been rebuilt, reopens as the world's largest train station.
The fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg draws thousands of American Civil War veterans and their families to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.
Baseball legend Babe Ruth makes his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.
World war I, also known as the First World War, or the Great war, was a global war that began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. It involved much of Europe, as well as Russia, the United States, and Turkey, and was also fought in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, an estimated 9 million people were killed in conflict, while over 5 million civilians died from occupation, bombardment, hunger or disease.
Life's Way
(1919 - 1929)
American History (1919-1929)
The 18th amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the sale of alcholic beverages anywhere in the U.S., is ratified (Jan. 16).
After moving from its southern rural roots, jazz establishes Chicago as its capital. The city will become home to such jazz greats as trumpeter Louis Armstrong and pianist Jelly Roll Morton.
Dial telephones are introduced by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Walt Disney creates his first cartoon, "Alice's Wonderland."
RCA, General Electric and Westinghouse establish NBC, which operates two national radio networks.
Charles Lindbergh makes the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight.
The Academy Awards are handed out for the first time. Wings wins Best Picture.
Stock market prices plummet (Nov.-Dec.). U.S. securities lose $26 billion, marking the first financial disaster of the Great Depression.
Penicillin is first used to fight an infection.
Old County Road
(1929 - 1939)
American History (1929-1939)
Unemployment soars, prompting President Hoover to appoint a Commission for Unemployment Relief.
The Empire State Building is completed.
Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly Atlantic solo.
Jazz composer Duke Ellington writes "It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing,"
Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall opens.
Germany and Japan withdraw from League of Nations.
Roosevelt inaugurated (“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”); launches New Deal.
Laurens Hammond introduces his Hammond organ.
Dust storms ruin about 100 million acres and damage another 200 million acres of cropland in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma ("Dust Bowl").
Roosevelt opens second phase of New Deal in U.S., calling for social security, better housing, equitable taxation, and farm assistance.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) debuts the world's first television service with three hours of programming a day.
Electric guitars debut.
Margaret Mitchell's, "Gone with the Wind" is published.
The Wizard of OZ debut’s in theatres.
American Gun
(1939 - 1949)