Are you white or not white?

The swing era, or the big band era if you will, kicked into gear around 1933 and basically lasted until the end of the second World War. When Benny Goodman played shows, it was like a modern rock show. He'd play in airplane hangars, and teenage girls would nearly faint in the front row. Kids knew his band members like they were One Direction. There were trading cards.

There were other popular bands too. Goodman was one that, with the top writers and players, managed to score countless hits, but plenty of other bands kept people entertained, like Artie Shaw or Duke Ellington. It's worth noting here that the start of the swing era is usually defined by Goodman changing his sound after hiring Fletcher Henderson, a black arranger. His sense of rhythm, swing, etc, is what got people to go nuts over the music. And by people I mean white people.

During this era there were basically two worlds, with music provided by white bands or black bands. Jimmie Lunceford was a huge band for black teens and young adults. And like Goodman hiring Henderson away, when Tommy Dorsey hired Sy Oliver away from Lunceford, he brought hip music to a wider audience. Interesting stuff.

Besides the big name acts, there were territory bands, which were groups not famous enough to tour or get national radio play, but that dominated the local scene. Count Basie is a notable example of a band that had its roots in the territory thing. Goodman did not, because he came up in a world of session playing and meeting top players from around the country.

From hometown favorites to the rock stars, teenagers definitely went to dances. I'm on my phone and can't get links handy, but we know that swing dancing was nuts (and still is if go to a swing dance in, say, Boston or New York) . In some towns folks were flinging each other across the room (aerials) or preferring the fastest tempos possible. Adults, as is common in every generation, didn't go for the stuff, but young people ate it up. Check Youtube for The Big Apple Contest for a notable example. Also on Youtube, All the Cats Join In, a Disney short. It's 1946 but it still applies. That's definitely young folks doin' their thing.

These bands would hold the spotlight until a series of factors slowed down the era, including the winding down of the war and a new generation looking for entertainment, the lack of financial feasibility of a ~18 piece orchestra touring, a major performing rights organization conflict, and the improvement of microphone technology: all of these would contribute to the decline of the swing era, and the first focus on the vocalist not as a backup member, guest star, or novelty, but as the new pop act.

The music is just one factor of teen life at the time, but the one part I can wrote about without speculation. I'm an expert on the swing era. Hopefully that gives a bit of insight into what music kids were into, with a little supporting info there as well.

Edit: a great source for the music of this era is Gunther Schuller's "The Swing Era" which will mention most of what I wrote about.