Send us Fan Mail The legend goes that when Mobile’s most famous Hall of Fame baseball player was asked why so many great ball players come from Mobile, he answered, “It Must be the Water.” The same can be said for the musicians, songwriters, and singers that called Mobile and the banks of Mobile Bay home. When we first sat down around the production table and started discussing what the first episodes of the podcast, Meanwhile…Mobile, would be, the three immediately agreed – the city’s musical legacy needed to be covered. So the process began to decide who and what to cover. We quickly realized that this was a monumental task. There are way too many names and events to cover in just one episode, so the decision was made to produce two episodes. Even that isn’t enough to cover it all. In part one of the story, we cover the music scene from 1880 to the 1950s. And for you true Mobilians, you know what that means: the story begins with the fabulous Excelsior Band. The story of Mobile’s Mardi Gras ambassadors is only the beginning, weaving a tapestry of history that is intertwined with the city’s Creole community and the that of an area known as “Down the Bay,” a roughly 7-mile area bordered by Government St., Michigan Ave, Baltimore St. and the bay itself. Down the Bay is a close-knit, self-sustaining, interracial community that was once the epicenter of Mobile’s rich cultural heritage. We knew we had to find a guest who could speak of the significance of the community to the Mobile music scene and some of the forgotten musicians from the area. We were thrilled that Creola Ruffin was able to join us for the episode. Creola is the founder of the Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival and is one of the organizers for a new project, the Celebration of Mobile Music Legends, an organization with a mission to bring these hidden stories of the city’s musical legacy to out of the shadows. Part one seamlessly flows through the history of the musical talent from Down the Bay – the Excelsiors, the first Black girl group, the Pope Sisters, and big band trumpeter Cootie Williams. The story then seques into the incredible story of James Reese Europe who became known as the First King of Jazz. Not only did Europe have an incredible career as a band leader and composer, but also as an advocate for the rights of Black musicians and was a World War I war hero. And we’re sure you’ll remember a couple of his songs including “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm.” We end the episode with the transition from big band music to rock ‘n roll with a group that were early pioneers in the genre, Mobile’s Treniers. See the Additional Resources section below for links to video clips of their high energy performances. All of this sets the stage for part two of our story, which drops in two weeks. Mobile is now primed to welcome the new king of rock ‘n roll, Elvis Presley, and music in the Port City is splintering off into many different directions continuing to this very day with a recent winner of the show The Voice, Irvington's Alexis Jayy. See? We told you. There’s way to much music history in Mobile to cover in one episode. We can't thank you enough for listening to Meanwhile...Mobile. Your response has been phenomenal. Remember, new episodes drop bi-weekly. We encourage you to subscribe to the Meanwhile...Mobile newsletter to receive show schedules, a behind-the-scenes look at the production of our episodes, fun contests, trivia, and more. And please, keep sending us your comments, show suggestions, and questions. You can email us at MEANWHILEMOBILE@GMAIL.COM, or better yet, leave us a voice Fan Mail! Click the FAN MAIL link at the top of this page and start recording. Until next time, enjoy part one of “The Beat of the Bay!” Additional Resources – The Beat of the Bay Internet: Celebration of Mobile Music Legends website Brackner, Joey. “The Excelsior Marching Band (2013),” Alabama State Council of the Arts, 2013. IMDb Biography: Alicia T. “Pope Sisters,” IMDB.Com. IMDb Listing Oral History of the Excelsior Band (Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library) Book Club: A Life in Ragtime: A Biography of James Reese Europe by Reid Badger Video Library: 369th Hell Fighters Band: “How Your Gonna Keep them Down on the Farm” 369th Regiment Band Harlem Hell Fighters: “Memphis Blues” by W.C. Handy An Interview with John A. Pope’s Great Granddaughter, Ms. Norwood Cootie Williams Cover: “Ain’t Misbehavin’” Cootie Williams: “Mobile Blues” Cootie Williams: “I’ve Found a New Baby” Cootie Williams With Duke Ellington: "Take the 'A' Train" Excelsior Band at Mardi Gras James Europe's Most Popular Recording: “Castle House Rag” James Reese Europe: “Too Much Mustard” Kern, Jackson. “The Pope Sisters Interview Clip.” National African American Archives & Museum, Museum of Mobile, Mobile Public Library, Local History & Genealogy. Video File. 2000. Little Rascals: "How You Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm?" by James Reese Europe. Pope Sisters featured in the short, “The Life of the Party” Short clips: “Life of the Party” and another musical short of the sisters after Una retired. The Treniers: "Rockin’ on Saturday Night" The Treniers: "Rockin’ is Our Business" The Teniers: "Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)" The Treniers: "Rock a Bye Your Baby" w/Dean Martin The Treniers on the Big Record TV Show, Intro by Patti Page The Teniers: 1994 Interview Copyright 2026 * Soundworks, Inc / Meanwhile...Mobile
