Black Swan

Hist 170B

Dr. Denise Spooner

Black Swan Records: A Fight For The Future

At the turn of the twentieth century there was a shift in U.S. consumer interests. Americans became more interested in music and were willing to empty their pockets for it. However, opportunities in the recording industry were not open to all Americans. Record labels were reluctant to sign African Americans and the music industry as a whole had little interest in African American talent. With the start World War I, African Americans fought for their country and many felt it was time they were treated like equals. Unfortunately, racism still forced many African Americans to band together in the fight at home to gain equality. African Americans relied on strong community values, the inevitability of progress, and the primacy of the self-reliant individual to be accepted in the mainstream American society. Harry H. Pace was an innovative business man who founded Black Swan Records and largely contributed to the movement that brought prominence to black music. Prior to Pace’s work, the music industry was controlled by whites who limited African Americans to the musical styles they deemed appropriate. His brief success highlighted an underlying desire within the African American community to gain recognition as contributing members of society.

Even before the creation of Black Swan Records, African Americans used music to unite their community. According to Pace, “shaping of public opinion was a prerequisite for effecting meaningful change for African Americans.” In this way, producing quality music that was representative of African American talents might help change the minds of those who doubted their abilities. The Music School Settlement for Colored People was established to encourage the use of music as a “universal language” to break barriers for African Americans. This was one example of the efforts by the community to create progress from within.

One of the first...