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In the old days whether it was a formal ball with the band playing a
waltz a foxtrot's or a knees up round the piano down the pub, everyone
loved to dance. Many homes would have some kind of musical instrument
and everyone had a party piece, people could make their own entertainment
and A professional entertainer was not essential for a great party.
In about 1880 the first recordings were made on wax cylinders and when
flat disc records appeared shortly after, things would eventually change
forever.
Sir Jimmy Savile is credited as the first person to host a dance when
the recorded music was played from disc; this was in 1943 at the loyal
order of ancient shepherds in Otley. About the same time and in Nazi occupied
Paris, Jazz bands were banned and young people gathered in basement bars
to listen to recorded music. Maybe because it was cheaper than a live
band, or the post war youth craved genuine American music, after the war
this trend continued. The first Disco night club (whiskey a go go) opened
in Paris 1947. La Discotheques 'the French word for record library' was
born.
However I think its probable recorded music was used to entertain the
masses much earlier than 1942. Between the wars people had a hunger to
live it up and dances were hugely popular, the band would strike up and
people would take their partners for the next foxtrot or waltz or whatever
they did back then. My grand father told me of a dance he had arranged
back in the mid 1930’s in London's east end. The venue was in Hoxton
Shoreditch and a band was booked to play. Unfortunately the band were
late, so he ran home to fetch the family gramophone player and some of
his brothers records. He played these records amplifying the sound with
the venues microphone and public address system. It would have sounded
terrible but the crowd were kept reasonably happy until the evening ended
in a massive punch up.
I have no reason to assume this story is not true, and must also assume
the occasion of recorded music being used to fill in the breaks taken
by the band was not unique. In today's terms when a new piece of kit that
can play music is invented it takes hardly any time before DJs are trying
to adapt it to mobile disco use.
It seems reasonable to assume in the very early days of music recordings
it would have been problematic to use this new and fragile technology
at parties. However as time moved on and recorded music became more popular
just like today people would want to show off the latest bit of kit or
play a popular tunes from America like the latest 'The Charleston' or
'Glen Millers in the mood' etc. Its therefore only a guess but its likely
recorded music must have been part of the entertainment of some early
20th century dances, unfortunately the dates and places of these events
are lost.
History has decided there are two definite occasions accepted as the
first time pre recorded music replaced the traditional band for at least
part of the evenings entertainment and the Mobile DJ first made a public
appearance. With only anecdotal evidence and guess work I am not placed
to argue so the Mobile disco DJ's first gigs were in 1942/3.
If you can, ask you grand parents when they first remember
hearing recorded music at a dance and if the DJ was any good.
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