Week 2 - Class 3 (Filled in for Class) Notes - PDF

Class Notes – Week 2 (Class 3) The 1950s Ø An era of contradictions Ø The 50s seemed innocent compared to the 3 decades preceding it – conservative; booming economy o Popular TV shows championed conservative family values o Many new homes and roads were built – the “suburbs” became THE place to live...

Class Notes – Week 2 (Class 3) The 1950s Ø An era of contradictions Ø The 50s seemed innocent compared to the 3 decades preceding it – conservative; booming economy o Popular TV shows championed conservative family values o Many new homes and roads were built – the “suburbs” became THE place to live o More automobiles – equipped with AM radio – now teenagers had an avenue to hear R&B and R’n’R without their parents’ disapproval looming over them Ø A fear of communist takeover led to the formation of an anti-communism campaign chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the first half of the decade Ø Though the decade was considered incredibly conservative, it still saw the birth of Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Magazine Ø The Civil Rights movement gets rolling: o Supreme Court rules segregated schools are unconstitutional o Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. – bus segregation deemed unconstitutional o Became a bonding element in the 1950s folk music scene Ø The contradictions: o McCarthy vs. King Jr. o Conservative TV vs. Playboy o Consumerism vs. Civil Rights Movement Ø Rock and roll served as a catalyst that brought opposites together during the 1950s The Golden Age of R’n’R and the Rise of the Youth Culture Ø The introduction of R&B into the mainstream in 1955 was the start of R’n’R – this first wave included both black and white performers Ø Older generations viewed this music as a threat – this was largely because they associated it with black culture and believed it encouraged unacceptable moral practices Ø In terms of youth culture – this whole concept was changing: o Rather than being expected to immediately assimilate into their parents’ culture after high school, teenagers were allowed to a lot more freedom o After the war, greater focus on family led to more emphasis placed on children’s health, education and happiness o White middle-class teenagers began listening to R&B – this could be seen as a means of social rebellion at this time – also allowed an alternative to their parents’ music o Movies appeared that targeted the teen demographic and pushed the idea of the rebellious, wild teenager § The Wild One with Marlon Brando § Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean § Blackboard Jungle with Vic Morrow and Sidney Poitier – first film to use a “r’n’r” tune Ø By 1955, R&B had taken on a new moniker – Rock and Roll Recording Companies – Majors and Indies Ø While Pop music was produced and promoted largely through a monopoly of six Major companies, C&W and R&B looked to Indies (Independent Recording Companies) for their success The Majors Ø The Major labels consisted of: o RCA-Victor o Decca o Mercury 1 o Capitol o Columbia o MGM Ø Closely associated with ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Ø The Majors and ASCAP worked together to register any and all songs produced through these companies – then, they would charge a large fee to any radio station wanting to play these songs – when radio stations complained about the fees, they were boycotted THE INDIES Ø Outrage at ASCAP and Major label boycotts led to the formation of BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) in 1940 Ø BMI aggressively signed “minority” bands Ø Some of the more important Indie companies: o Atlantic Records – formed by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson in 1947; became an important R&B label in the 50s o Chess Records – formed by Phil and Leonard Chess in 1949; prominent distributors of R&B and Mainstream Rock in the 50s o Sun Records – formed in Memphis by Sam Phillips; primary producer of C&W and rockabilly in the 50s – Elvis got his start here o Acuff-Rose – one of the seminal producers of Country & Western music o VeeJay Records – first black owned and operated R&B, Blues and Doo Wop label Ø By the early 50s, R&B and C&W is getting considerably more radio play Ø In 1952, Cleveland DJ Alan Freed introduces his largely white audience in Cleveland to R&B and began promoting integrated concerts Ø 1954 – Freed moves to WINS in New York City and begins applying the term Rock ‘n’ Roll to this music – by 1955, the term has become commonplace Crossovers and Covers Ø A crossover hit occurred when a song made it big in one market but then crosses over to make it big in other markets (for example, a R&B song will make it high onto the R&B charts but will also score on the Pop or C&W charts Ø Earliest crossover hit occurs in 1954 when the black group The Crows cracked the almost exclusively white pop charts Song: Gee (1954) Artist: The Crows Ø This is a style called doo-wop Ø Starts with bass, drums and piano Ø Vocals sing nonsense syllables – typical of doo-wop Ø Lead singer enters and everything else falls into the background – crooning vocal style Song: Sh-Boom* Artist: The Chords Ø Went to #5 on the pop charts Ø Begins with a cappella harmonized vocals Ø Drums, acoustic bass, guitar enter; strong emphasis on backbeat Ø Clear lead singer w/ backup harmonized vocals singing a mixture of nonsense syllables and lyrics about teenage love Ø Bass sings the bridge 2 Ø A cover is when one group records a song and then another group comes in and records their own version of the same song Ø As R&B songs started crossing over onto the pop charts, it became the norm for a white group to then cover the song – and the cover generally went higher on the pop charts – in this way, the music was somehow deemed “more acceptable” to a white population that was still largely mired in racial segregation Lets now listen to a couple of these crossover tunes…. Song: Sh-Boom (1954) Artist: The Crew Cuts Ø Went to #1 on the pop charts Ø Starts with sax, drums and bass Ø Solo vocals to start – harmonized backup vocals enter at the verse Ø Clear lead singer; instrument relegated to the background; drums are hardly noticeable Ø Saxes and brass enter for fills Song: Shake, Rattle and Roll (1954) Artist: Joe Turner Ø Starts with boogie-woogie piano, acoustic bass and drums Ø Strong backbeat; classic 12-bar blues Ø Vocals enter – handclaps join drums on the backbeat Ø Sexual innuendo in the lyrics Ø Never hit the pop charts at all – Top 5 on the R&B charts Song: Shake, Rattle and Roll (1954) Artist: Bill Haley & the Comets Ø Quicker tempo Ø Piano and drums play together in a shuffle beat Ø Bass snaps his strings (slapping bass); backbeat is less obvious Ø Sax is the lead instrument and plays the fills between vocal entrances Ø Backup vocals and handclaps enter at the chorus Ø Sexual innuendo is bled from this version Bill Haley & The Comets Ø Primary early influence was C&W Ø Disc jockey turned C&W performer in late 40s with the band The Four Aces of Swing – this was a Western Swing band Ø Formed The Saddlemen and signed with Essex Records in the early 50s Ø Shed the country image, renamed the group The Comets and scored a major hit called Crazy Man, Crazy in 1952 Ø 1953 – band moves to Decca and releases Rock Around the Clock Ø Song is not initially successful – becomes a hit when it is featured in the movie Blackboard Jungle – became a top Pop hit and a smash R&B hit when it was re-released – still stands as the largest selling rock ‘n’ roll single in history Song: Rock Around the Clock (1953) Ø Starts with drums – then vocals enter Ø Employs a technique called stop time – everything stops but the vocals – instruments play shots between vocal entrances Ø Walking bass line; drums constant on every beat – no strong backbeat Ø Saxes and guitar provide background material 3 Ø 1957 – Haley tours Great Britain, effectively making him the first international rock ‘n’ roll star Ø Style is a mixture of C&W and R&B – a preview of the late 50s rockabilly style Ø Due to his advanced age (he was in his late 30s when he had his first hits) and appearance (balding, slight paunch), Haley wasn’t an appropriate poster boy for this new and upcoming style of music Lets now switch over to someone that had NO issue being the “poster” boy for Rock and Roll…. ELVIS PRESLEY Ø Biggest single attraction in the history of popular music Ø Legitimized “black” R&B music as rock ‘n’ roll, making it more palatable and acceptable to a white audience Ø Early influences include C&W, R&B and Gospel which he will merge to create his own style Ø 1953 – met Sam Phillips of Sun Records – Phillips places him with Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (bass) – they release their first commercial recording in 1954 Song: That’s All Right (1954) Ø Starts with bass and guitar – percussive sound is the bassist hitting his instrument with his hand Ø Semi-shouting vocals enter – guitar plays fills Ø Instrumental solo is tame and mostly follows the melody line Ø Second release Good Rockin’ (1954) didn’t do as well, but warranted a major review in Billboard Magazine – Elvis was referred to as “a new rock singer” who appealed to pop, country and R&B audiences Ø – white DJs found him to bluesy; black DJs found him too country , so when he released four more singles that were largely rejected Ø Though teenagers loved him, the records sold modestly Ø 1955 – Colonel Tom Parker enters the picture and begins to refine and focus Presley’s image Ø 1956 - Parker convinces Phillips to sell Presley’s contract to RCA-Victor – the purchase price? $40,000 Ø With Major label backing, Presley receives better publicity and distribution; his sound and his image become much more polished Ø Within months he had his first national hit Song: Heartbreak Hotel Ø Vocals enter a cappella Ø Guitar throws in shots – good example of stop time Ø Walking bass enters accompanying the vocals through the 1st verse Ø 2nd verse – guitar joins; 3rd verse – piano joins Ø Many of Presley’s early hits were covers of prominent C&W and R&B hits. Some examples: o Song: Hound Dog – originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton (1953); covered by Elvis in 1956 o Song: Lawdy Miss Clawdy – originally recorded by Lloyd Price (1952); covered by Elvis in 1956 o Song: Blue Suede Shoes – originally recorded by Carl Perkins (1956); covered by Elvis in 1956 Ø In 1956, his popularity soared due to his irresistible performance style and he earned the nickname King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Ø Appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, attracting an audience of more than 54 million viewers – approximately 83% of the viewing population Ø Was shown only from the waist up – garnered the nickname Elvis the Pelvis this is seen towards the end! 4 Ø Most of his records went gold (sale of 500,000 units) o Many were released on 45s o A high percentage of them crossed over, often reaching #1 on all 3 charts Song: Jailhouse Rock Ø Reached #1 on all three charts (Pop, C&W, R&B) Ø Guitar, piano and drums play a riff Ø Vocals enter over this riff – example of stop time Ø Shouting vocal style Ø Guitar and drums enter at chorus; piano has a riff Ø 1956 – starred in his first movie Love Me Tender; followed by two more, Loving You and Jailhouse Rock in 1957 – all together, Elvis would make 33 movies Ø making huge headlines…. In March 1958 – Elvis is drafted into the army – to keep him and his reputation at the forefront of the music business, Colonel Parker pre-recorded several songs and released them sporadically throughout the period of Elvis’ tour of duty Ø March 1960 – Elvis is discharged and begins a move away from the path of rock ‘n’ roll and onto the path of Pop Star and Vegas Headliner Ø Requires bodyguards and hires the Memphis Mafia, who protect and insulate him from the public – the start of the paranoid path that would lead to his destruction Ø Moves towards a tamer, more pop-sounding style, scoring hits with It’s Now or Never and Are You Lonesome Tonight Song: It’s Now or Never Ø Starts with harmonizing vocals and mandolin Ø Has a very Latin feel to it –use of claves and a Latin drumbeat Ø Piano plays a riff and adds fills in the second verse Ø May 12, 1960 – ABC-TV airs Welcome Home, Elvis – 6 minutes onstage = $125,000 Elvis Presley’s Importance to Rock ‘n’ Roll Ø He was the epitome of rock ‘n’ roll – this music was always biracial and Elvis’ musical style genuinely reflected that Ø He fit the image that was needed to grab the teenage public – the sexy, teenage rebel Ø At the same time, he appealed to adults due to the respect he showed his mother, his patriotism, and his religion Ø His recording span a plethora of styles Ø His commercial success is overwhelming – he still remains #5 on the all time Top Selling Solo Artist list He holds the records for: Ø Most charted albums Ø Most hits in the Top 10 Ø Most two-sided hit singles (on 45s) Ø Most consecutive Top 10 records Ø Longest stay at #1 (47 weeks) Ø Most consecutive years on the charts (including posthumous releases) at over 30 years! 5