Louis Armstrong

1920s jazz standards are musical compositions written in the decade that are widely known, performed and recorded by jazz artists as part of the genre's musical repertoire. Some of the tunes were already well-known standards by the 1930s, while others were popularized later. A period known as the "Jazz Age" started in the United States in the 1920s. Jazz had become popular music in the country, although older generations considered the music immoral and threatening to old cultural values. Dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom were popular during the period. In the early years of jazz, record companies were often eager to decide what songs were to be recorded by their artists. Standards from the 1920s include pop hits such as "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Dinah" and "Bye Bye Blackbird". The first jazz artist to be given some liberty in choosing his material was Louis Armstrong (pictured), whose band helped popularize many of the early standards in the 1920s and 1930s. (Full list...)