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Illustrated songs first became popular in vaudeville theaters. In vaudeville, live performers put on brief acts such as juggling, singing, or playing musical instruments. Groups of vaudeville performers toured the country, putting on shows. And illustrated songs went along for the ride.
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As movies became popular, song slides showed up in movie theaters. Many early movies were very short. So theater owners used illustrated songs to help fill out the night's entertainment. Also, most early movies were shown in black and white. The beautifully colored song slides made for a spectacular show.
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Movies helped make illustrated songs popular. But movies and other forms of entertainment helped put an end to the illustrated song. Theater-goers found movies much more exciting than song slides. And many music lovers bought phonographs. With phonographs, people could listen to hit songs whenever they wanted. By about 1914, the live model illustrated song was dead. Theater owners dumped out millions of the slides.
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Fortunately, thousands of song slides were saved by collectors. And thanks to modern technology, you can view an authentic song slide performance. Just click on the buttons below to look and listen to the music video, turn-of-the-century style.
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