Chapter 21
The Revolutionary Romantics

There were two key reasons why music evolved and flourished so  astoundingly in the southern states of America in early decades of the twentieth century: the mingling of west African and northern European music traditions in rural communities that had remained relatively unchanged since the end of the Civil War, and the emergence of local, independent, commercial radio. The free-styling radio stations showcased the best of regional music of the common people and drove musical adaptation faster than ever before. As Bruce Springsteen remembered of his childhood ‘you could turn a dial and hear gospel, turn a dial and hear country, turn a dial and hear blues.’