John Clark discusses music during the Great Depression era. When the Stock Market Crash of 1929 plunged the country into an economic depression popular singers responded in many ways. Happy Days Are Here Again was the first of many attempts to cheer up a devastated citizenry. In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town and Woody Guthrie’s Dust Bowl Ballads offered commiseration to those who were forced to give up their homes, from the cities to the Great Plains. Bing Crosby’s Brother Can You Spare a Dime and My Forgotten Man went so far as to chide our government for neglecting to help its veterans and working people. The romantic sentiment and dazzling footwork of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers featured in several films were a happy antidote to the Depression’s despair and drudgery. Registration required.