1921: Make Believe and Smile (Phonographic Yearbook Series)

One of the worst race riots in U.S. history, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, marred the Harding administration's attempt to usher in a period of "normalcy" in American life following World War I. Songs with instructions to cheer up by Nora Bayes and Marion Harris, along with the tongue-in-cheek "Ain't We Got Fun?" by Van and Schenck, were hits right along with the new jazz, by relatively safe artists such as Paul Whiteman—but also by the explosive Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds. This is the second volume of Archeophone Records' celebrated Phonographic Yearbook series, and it's now available in a beautiful second edition, with one bonus track, an expanded booklet, improved sound, and the high standards listeners have come to expect from the leader in acoustic-era reissues.