music HW
totibaz
origins20of20rock_handout.pdf
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Origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll
• Three musical ancestors of Rock – Country & Western
• Grand Ole Opry and image • Controversial subjects in lyrics
– Rhythm & Blues • 12-bar Blues, insistent rhythm, shout-style vocals • Hokum, Boogie-woogie, Electric guitar
– Pop music • Strong connection to jazz (Big Band Swing) • Simple, catchy melodies
• 1950: all three coexisted in separate markets – Billboard magazine tracks sales of popular
music – Separate charts for each genre
• By 1954, markets began to merge
• Crossovers: a crossover hit originates in one market, but also succeeds in another – “Earth Angel”—R&B song, made the pop
charts – “Tennessee Waltz,” “Heartbreak Hotel”—
C&W hits, on pop charts • Covers: an artist’s version of someone
else’s song – “Earth Angel”—original by The Penguins
(R&B), covered by the Crew Cuts (Pop)
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Emergence of Youth Culture
• Prior to 1950s, entertainment industry aimed at adults
• Mid-’50s: identifiable youth culture – Movies present images of rebellious youths
• Rebel Without a Cause, Blackboard Jungle • New role models, dress code, slang, hairstyles • Black leather jacket, upturned shirt collar, slicked
back hair (“ducktail” or “d.a.”)
• Record companies realize teens have disposable income
Bill Haley and The Comets
• Haley’s band started with C&W, began covering R&B songs – “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” orig. by Joe Turner – “Rock Around the Clock” orig. by Sonny Dae
• Featured on soundtrack to Blackboard Jungle • Two months at #1 on pop charts (1955)
• Haley, born in 1927, too old to be the new face of youth culture
• Laid foundation for Rockabilly – R&B material, with C&W sound
Elvis Presley (1935-’77)
l Raised in poor family from Mississippi – Elvis absorbed a variety of musical influences
l R&B, gospel, C&W, bluegrass, pop l Discovered while making a recording for his mom – Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records
l Right voice at the right Cme l White singer with a black sound
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Sun Records
• Memphis, Tennessee • Sam Phillips, founder
– Appreciated talents of R&B musicians – Began recording them even before he started
his own label • Brings the music to a wider audience • Sun Records credited with discovering
Elvis – “Hound Dog” (1957)
Importance of Elvis
l Flexible, invenCve vocal style – Always sounds like himself
l Wide popular appeal, crossover success – Records on country, pop, and R&B charts
l Huge commercial success – Sold over 500 Million records by the Cme of his death
Mainstream Rock ‘n’ Roll
l (DJ Alan Freed, coined the term “Rock ‘n’ Roll”) • Heavily influenced by R&B
– Little Richard, piano • Combined blues, gospel, boogie-woogie piano
» Clear, locked-in rhythm » Outrageous persona » Creates a spectacle – Jerry Lee Lewis, piano
• White counterpart to Little Richard
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Chuck Berry (b. 1926)
• First Rock ‘n’ Roll guitarist – Transferred boogie-woogie piano lines to
the guitar – “Johnny B. Goode”
• blues based verse/chorus form • Overdubbed guitar part (rhythm and lead
both played by Berry)
The Music Industry
• Music publishing diminishes – R ‘n’ R relied on oral tradition; played by ear – R ‘n’ R hits were short-lived
• Rise of independent record companies – The Majors: RCA Victor, Capitol, Columbia,
Decca, Mercury – Indie labels take off, create chaos
• By 1956: there are 25 different companies with hits
The Music Industry
• Radio – Best way to promote new music – Payola Scandal
• Cash and other incentives to disk jockeys • 1959: FCC took action, charges against record
companies and DJs (Alan Freed)
• Television – 1957: Dick Clark’s American Bandstand
• TV show focused on teens and Rock • Launches many new dance crazes
– The twist, the pony, the mashed potato, the hitchhiker
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The Day the Music Died
• Feb. 3rd, 1959 l Plane crash kills 3 prominent rock artists
• Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, J.P. Richardson • Immortalized in Don McLean’s song
l “American Pie” (1971)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll seemed like a fad that had run its course
