TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
When Prohibition went into effect in 1920, it was meant to end the nation’s drinking habits. Instead, it created a whole new social scene—and jazz was right at the center. Speakeasies, those hidden nightclubs behind locked doors and passwords, became the place to enjoy forbidden liquor and the new sound of jazz.
The lively, improvisational spirit of jazz matched the energy and risk of the Prohibition era. People gathered in secret, letting loose to the syncopated rhythms of bands like Fletcher Henderson’s and Duke Ellington’s. For many, jazz became the soundtrack of rebellion and freedom.
Even though Prohibition ended in 1933, the connection between jazz, nightlife, and American culture was set. Jazz had proven itself not just as entertainment but as a powerful force of identity and resilience.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and South Carolina Public Radio, made possible by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.