In celebration of Black History Month, our Sound Archivist Ben Roth wanted to share “Heebie Jeebies” one of Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five’s first recordings on a piano roll using his player piano. Please enjoy this video we put together.

You can listen to the original recording played by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five by visiting: https://rsa.fau.edu/album/6591

Beyond Louis Armstrong, you can listen to more original recordings on our website by several musicians who paved the way of those of today. From Ma Rainey to Billie Holiday, you can listen to over 20+ musicians within our collection.

Beyond the RSA website, we also wanted to share that FAU Libraries has several guides sharing even more resources in relation to Black History month and music that are worth checking out.

Below you will find a list of different books and streaming videos that are worth checking out and let us know who your favorite musician is in the comments below.

Books and Streaming Videos Worth Checking Out this Black History Month

Did you know that Ethel Waters was the first African American to be nominated for an Emmy Award? In 1962, the legendary jazz and blues singer received the nomination for her performance in a “Route 66” episode, “Good Night, Sweet Blues.”

In the episode, “Good Night, Swee Blues”, Ethel Waters plays Jenny Henderson, a retired singer in failing health who commissions Tod and Buzz to find and bring her the members of the Memphis Naturals, the band she performed and recorded with thirty years earlier.

Waters’ nomination for this role paved the way for women like Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, Alfre Woodard, Halle Berry, Kerry Washington, Regina King, and Viola Davis, now the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Beyond acting, Waters’ also performed jazz, big band, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.

Her best-known recordings include “Dinah,” “Stormy Weather,” “Taking a Chance on Love,” “Heat Wave,” “Supper Time,” “Am I Blue?” and “Cabin in the Sky,” as well as her version of the spiritual “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.”

Here at the Recorded Sound Archives we are celebrating Black History month through music by highlighting the voices of the past and their accomplishments.

To listen to recordings by Ethel Waters, click here.