• Music of the 1930s, from musicians such as Louis Armstrong, is enjoyed by many.boy listens to armstrong image by Daria Miroshnikova from Fotolia.com
  
  The 1930s brought a time of cultural change. During the Great Depression, many turned to music as an escape or as validation of their struggles. The progression of music during the 1930s shows a shift from hopelessness to recovery. The downtrodden lyrics and melodies of blues and folk evolved into the more upbeat, danceable rhythms of jazz, big band, swing and Latin music.
  
  

Blues and Jazz

• Blues originated in the cities such as New Orleans, St. Louis and Mobile and was thought crude by many listeners in the early 20th century. With many experiencing the hardships brought on by the Great Depression, however, blues flourished during the 1930s. The rhythmic and danceable melodies of blues paved the way for the spontaneous and improvisational style of jazz that came to the cultural forefront during the 1930s -- a movement led by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Blues and jazz influenced other genres of the 1930s, such as big band, swing and boogie-woogie.
  
  

Folk Music

• Like the blues, folk music's lyrics of loss and troubled times spoke to many in the 1930s. However, hardship wasn't the only reason folk music flourished. Many folk musicians were paid by the Federal Music Project of the Works Progress Administration to perform concerts, give music lessons, compose music and talk to the public about music. Folk performers, such as Woody Guthrie, traveled the nation and drew inspiration from hobo camps, drifters and others who had been left poverty-stricken and downtrodden from the Depression. A host of new songs was produced during this era and many are archived at the Library of Congress.
  
  

Latin Music

• During the late 1930s, radio producers, recording companies and nightclub owners began introducing Latin music to the nation. Though originally slow to catch on, Latin music experienced a boom that began in the late 1930s and led to Mexican, Caribbean and South American music styles being heard in movies, musicals and radio recordings throughout the United States.