Final answer:
The most popular style of recorded music in the 1920s was jazz, an integral part of the Jazz Age or Roaring Twenties, which became emblematic of the decade's culture. Historic venues in Harlem like the Savoy Ballroom and the Apollo Theater were central to jazz's rise. The era's popularity was short-lived but had lasting impacts on music and culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Popular Music of the 1920s
The most popular style of recorded music in the 1920s was jazz, which was a significant part of the cultural movement known as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties. This period, highlighted by economic growth and a national consumer market, was when Americans embraced new forms of entertainment, fashion, and, most notably, music. Jazz music, emerging from ragtime and blues, became immensely popular and synonymous with the decade's energetic and innovative spirit. Famous for its improvisation, syncopated rhythms, and distinctive swing, jazz represented the new tempo of American life.
Historic venues like Harlem's Savoy Ballroom and the Apollo Theater became cultural hotspots where jazz flourished. Influential musicians such as Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway helped define the era, playing in nightclubs and becoming national sensations. Although the Roaring Twenties were associated with prosperity and leisure, the subsequent Great Depression of the 1930s reminded Americans of the fragility of economic success and the transient nature of cultural fads like jazz.
Despite the hardships that followed in the 1930s, the legacy of 1920s jazz music continued to influence subsequent genres, including rock 'n' roll, shaping the future of American music and culture.