Music · 1942
Wartime Anthems and Big Band Swing Hits
As World War II raged on, music served as both solace and patriotic fuel for soldiers and civilians alike. Despite a historic musicians' recording ban mid-year, timeless hits and classical masterworks defined the 1942 soundscape.
- July 1942 • Bing Crosby • Pop / Holiday
White Christmas
Bing Crosby introduced Irving Berlin's nostalgic masterpiece, creating what would become the best-selling physical single of all time.
- August 1, 1942 • USA • Music Industry
AFM Recording Ban Begins
The American Federation of Musicians struck against record labels over royalty disputes, bringing commercial instrumental recording sessions to a sudden halt.
- July 19, 1942 • NBC Symphony • Classical
Shostakovich's 7th Symphony Broadcast
Arturo Toscanini conducted the US premiere of Dmitry Shostakovich's war-born 'Leningrad' Symphony, broadcast to millions over nationwide radio.
- February 10, 1942 • Glenn Miller • Swing
First Official Gold Record Awarded
RCA Victor awarded bandleader Glenn Miller a gold-sprayed master record to celebrate sales exceeding one million copies of 'Chattanooga Choo Choo'.
- May 1942 • The Andrews Sisters • Vocal/Swing
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree
The Andrews Sisters released a spirited wartime tune that quickly became an iconic anthem for troops fighting overseas.
- July 20, 1942 • T-Bone Walker • Blues
Mean Old World
T-Bone Walker recorded a historic session in Los Angeles, helping revolutionize modern music with his fluid single-note electric guitar technique.
- July 1942 • Tommy Dorsey & Frank Sinatra
There Are Such Things
Recorded shortly before the strike, this romantic ballad featuring Frank Sinatra spent months atop the charts during the war.
- May 1942 • Capitol Records • R&B / Swing
Cow-Cow Boogie
Ella Mae Morse and Freddie Slack scored the newly founded Capitol Records' very first million-selling single with this boogie-woogie smash.
Enjoyed your trip back in time?