Wausau: History Speaks: The (Original) Charleston

In 1925, the country was swept up in a new dance called the Charleston. It had debuted to the world on the Broadway stage of the production Runnin’ Wild back in 1923, and as the popular dance made its way to Central Wisconsin, it was being stepped to a particular rhythm. This program will look at the song, “Charleston.” It often accompanied the famous dance during its heyday in the 1920s (and since), but the song also has a larger story as a great jazz standard in its own right.

Join us to learn about the particular history of this song, the surprising number of recordings made of it, and how people back in the 1920s thought about music. It will be presented by Ben Clark, archivist and historian at the Marathon County Historical Society. Clark wrote his master’s thesis on jazz history and has presented for History Speaks in the past on topics ranging from the story of local public transportation to the Fromm Brothers’ fur farm.

This free program is presented live at the Woodson History Center, no registration required. The History Speaks lecture series is presented in conjunction with the Marathon County Public Library and is sponsored by Janke Book Store. Please call 715-842-5750 for more information.