The Southern Syncopated Orchestra

The Southern Syncopated Orchestra was a large group of mainly African American instrumentalists and vocalists, founded by the violinist, composer, and conductor Will Marion Cook. The group arrived in Britain from New York in 1919 and was initially resident in London before touring throughout the UK, including a residency at Brighton Dome in August 1921. The SSO’s performances included a wide-ranging repertoire of spirituals, plantation songs, ragtime, blues, jazz, and light classical pieces. This talk explores the impact of the SSO on audiences and on the development of popular music in Britain.