The Hokum Boys

The word "hokum" is believed to have descended from the English term "hokey-pokey," denoting both ridicule and the ridiculous; for more than a century "hokey-pokey" has also been used, on both sides of the Atlantic, to describe low-grade ice cream sold on the streets. Hokum can mean flattery, insincerity, derision, deception, nonsense, cheapness, or any sort of stage gimmickry used to elicit a response from jaded audiences. Musically, hokum conveys and deserves most if not all of these meanings. Between the years 1929 and 1937 several different Chicago-based blues/jazz ensembl...