As World War II ended, the music industry went through a significant number of changes.

The immense expense of supporting big bands forced them to pare down their instrumentation. The musician’s strike also imposed a serious impact on the state of American music, with the appearance of smaller record labels starting to gain a foothold in the industry.

Both factors helped the guitar to gain even more traction as a vital instrument, as it was easily capable of fitting in well with every style of music. Today’s show covers just one representation of how the guitar played a major role in merging myriad styles and forming a newer, ‘hipper’ style of music, regardless of the genre.

Featured tracks include:

Blues at Sunrise – Ivory Joe Hunter (w/ Johnny Moore)

Driftin’ Blues – Johhny Moore and the 3 Blazers

Merry Christmas, Baby – Johnny Moore and the 3 Blazers

Sweet Lorraine – Nat King Cole Trio (w/ Oscar Moore)

Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You – Nat King Cole Trio (w/ Oscar Moore)

Nature Boy – Nat King Cole Trio (w/ Oscar Moore)

Oscar’s Blues – Oscar Moore

Tiny’s Tempo – Tiny Grimes

Tiny’s Boogie – Tiny Grimes

Tiny’s Boogie Woogie – Tiny Grimes

Bootleggin’ Baby – Roy Brown (w/ Jimmy Davis)

Letter from Home – Roy Brown (w/ Jimmy Davis)

Laughing but Crying – Roy Brown (w/Jimmy Davis)