Rockabilly and Rock 'n' Roll Class Notes - Week 3A PDF

Class Notes – Week 3A Rockabilly Ø Style is pioneered by Bill Haley and Elvis Presley Ø Original instrumentation included electric lead guitar; acoustic rhythm guitar; acoustic string bass – drums were added to the mix later as was sax and piano Ø Style is a mixture of C&W and R&B Ø Music was genera...

Class Notes – Week 3A Rockabilly Ø Style is pioneered by Bill Haley and Elvis Presley Ø Original instrumentation included electric lead guitar; acoustic rhythm guitar; acoustic string bass – drums were added to the mix later as was sax and piano Ø Style is a mixture of C&W and R&B Ø Music was generally not notated – improvisation is as important, but not as wild, as that found in Mainstream rock Ø Primarily a “white” style of music – most (but not all) performers of this style were Caucasian and the audience tended to be primarily white as well Ø Relied more on backup singers and harmonized vocals Rockabilly at Sun Records (post-Elvis) Carl Perkins Ø Born to sharecropper parents – worked alongside blacks in the field and thus became acquainted with their style of music Ø His guitar playing style became the cornerstone of rockabilly – a boogie-woogie rhythm that will be copied by numerous rockabilly artists Ø Sent many demos to New York record companies – they rejected his work as they claimed there was no place in the recent commercial trends for this hybrid of country with black rhythm Ø After hearing Elvis on the radio in 1954, he headed to Sun Records for an audition – although he was signed, Phillips kept a tight rein on Perkins, channeling him into a more country vein Ø Once Elvis left for RCA, Perkins was allowed to explore his rockabilly side – this proved to be incredibly successful for both Sun and Perkins Ø Though he produced both a country and rock version of Blue Suede Shoes, Phillips chose to release the rock version Ø Three months later, the song (which borrows stylistically from pop, country and R&B) sat at the top of all three charts – the first record to accomplish this Ø The song also became Sun’s first million unit seller Song: Blue Suede Shoes Ø Starts with a definite stop time – first vocals and then instruments Ø Drums (no cymbals – just snare and hi-hat), guitar and bass Ø Vocal style is semi-shouting, but melodic Ø Guitar solo is the epitome of the rockabilly style – this was copied by many artists Ø Perkins and his band headed for New York to appear on the Perry Como Show – on the way, they were in a car accident where he suffered 3 fractured vertebrae in his neck, severe concussion, broken collarbone and lacerations all over his body. Ø While still recovering, Perkins saw Elvis perform Blue Suede Shoes on TV – his moment of fame and recognition were snatched away from him Ø Though follow-up tunes were superior to his initial hit, none of them did very well – it wasn’t until the British Invasion and the subsequent rockabilly revival in the 70s that people became aware of his awesome contribution to this genre Ø A tour of England in 1964 saw Perkins experience a rejuvenation as he sold out show after show – the Beatles would cover more tunes by him than any other artist Ø Died in early 1988 after a long battle with throat cancer Ø His greatest influence lies in his guitar style and the numerous songs he wrote, often for other performers Johnny Cash Ø Though considered one of the most influential artists in post-WWII country music, Johnny Cash created his own unique sub-genre Ø His style fell somewhere between the blunt, emotional honesty of folk, the rebelliousness of rock ‘n’ roll and the world weariness of country Ø Cash secured an audition with Sam Phillips of Sun Records in 1955 Ø His early success led to a recurring spot on Louisiana Hayride (Country TV show from Shreveport, LA) Ø In early 1955, he released I Walk the Line – it stayed at #1 for six weeks and crossed over into the pop Top 20 Ø The song is an excellent example of his unique style Ø It is a story song – a tune written about staying true to his wife (Vivian Leberto) while on the road Ø It employs an interesting “freight train” rhythm – this would be characteristic of many of Cash’s tunes He would place a piece of paper under the strings of his guitar towards the tuning end – in order to sound like a snare drum! Ø It also showcases his amazing vocal range (how high or low someone sings) – each verse of this simple verse form is in a different key! One other interesting point is that you can hear Johnny hum before each verse. This was simply to get the “new starting note” of each new key before he started! Song: I Walk the Line Ø Guitar leads in outlining the harmony – “freight train” rhythm is apparent almost immediately Ø Guitar falls into a two pitch pattern – Cash hums a pitch Ø Vocals are very melodic – lyrics are easy to understand as they are meant to tell a story Ø Cash’s early rise to fame coincided with the birth of rock ‘n’ roll and his rebellious attitude and musical style were very similar to that genre Ø A deep sense of history has kept him tied to the country genre and he was one of country music’s biggest stars in the 50s and 60s Jerry Lee Lewis Ø The original “wild man” of rock ‘n’ roll – he played piano and sang with wild abandon – this was every parents’ worst nightmare personified Ø He lived his life in a similar fashion – his onstage antics were a blatant celebration of sex and sexuality; his offstage antics would become his downfall Ø Anyone have an idea what his nickname was? Nicknamed “Killer” in high school due to his abuse of pianos Ø Like Little Richard, Lewis (a cousin of Jimmy Swaggert) fought an ongoing battle between his (short but influential) rock ‘n’ roll career and his religious upbringing Ø Lewis’ rampant heterosexual activity brought an end to his r’n’r career Ø 1956 – Lewis goes to Memphis after hearing Elvis – he scores a contract with Sun Records Ø Released his first single, Crazy Arms – it sold a respectable amount of copies and kept Lewis employed at Sun as a studio musician Song: Crazy Arms Ø Boogie-woogie piano – very active – Lewis’ left hand precludes the use of a bass player Ø Starts with piano – drums enter Ø Walking bass line Ø Nasally vocal line – Lewis “bends” the vocal pitches Ø Piano solo includes a technique called a glissando (gliss) Ø Lewis developed a new stage style, prompting Phillips to invest heavily in his next single – this paid off in 1957 when Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On topped both the R&B and C&W charts and registered at #2 on the Pop charts Song: Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On Ø Starts with boogie-woogie piano – again, there is no bass guitar here Ø Drums enter with a fairly strong backbeat Ø Vocals enter Ø Through the chorus, the drums play more of a shuffle beat Ø Guitar becomes more present in the second verse Ø Piano solo shows off Lewis’ patented gliss; guitar takes second part of solo Ø Later that year, Lewis releases his biggest hit Great Balls of Fire Ø He almost didn’t record the song – he believed the song’s title had greater meaning, referring to the “Judgment Day” – a couple of shots of bourbon cured his fear Ø Song is a good example of stop time and of Lewis’ very energetic piano style Ø Song’s success was aided by an appearance on The Steve Allen Show, where switchboards lit up after his performance Song: Great Balls of Fire Ø Begins with piano, drums and handclaps in a stop time with the vocals Ø Piano and drums become much more active in the second verse Ø Lots of glisses in the piano – very energetic playing Ø Semi-shouting vocal style Ø Jerry Lee Lewis was the marrying type – he unfortunately wasn’t the divorcing type! Ø His marriage to his 13-year old cousin started a wave of negative publicity during a tour of England – this followed him home to the U.S. Ø He came back in the late 60s and early 70s as a country artist for Smash Records Comparison of Jerry Lee Lewis’ and Little Richard’s versions of Good Golly Miss Molly Little Richard -Starts with piano solo -Guitar is outlining the harmony -Drums stress the backbeat -Vocals enter; sax joins guitar in outlining the harmony -Stop time w/ drums in the verse -Tenor sax is the featured solo accompanied by piano playing its opening lick -Lots of falsetto shots Jerry Lee Lewis -Shorter intro, piano isn’t so obvious -Bari sax plays a riff -Backbeat isn’t stressed as much; more of a shuffle beat employed here -Uses lots of gliss in the piano -Stop time w/ drums in the verse -Backup vocals during instrumental solo -Electric guitar solo -Less use of falsetto Rockabilly on other Labels Gene Vincent Ø Gene Vincent’s irrepressible leather-clad, bad boy image became an icon for the early days of rock ‘n’ roll Ø His style has been described as savage and spirited Ø In 1956, Vincent and his group The Blue Caps signed with Capitol Records Ø That same year, he released his biggest hit Be-Bop-a-Lula, a song that epitomized rockabilly at its prime Ø The song is characterized by sharp guitar breaks, a strong emphasis on snare drum, the use of echo and Vincent’s breathless, sexy vocals Song: Be-Bop-a-Lula Ø Begins with Vincent singing the title lyrics a cappella Ø Drums (accents all beats – no strong backbeat) and guitar enter; electric guitar plays fills Ø Use of echo with the vocals Ø Drum flurry leads into stop time between vocals and instrumentation Ø Electric guitar solos over drums Ø Follow-up songs never reached the same success – however all of Vincent’s songs are ideal examples of the exuberant, powerful rockabilly of the late 50s Ø In 1960, while on tour in England, Vincent was injured in a car accident that claimed the life of fellow musician Eddie Cochran Ø After his contract with Capitol expired in 1963, Vincent recorded with several other labels in attempt to launch a comeback Ø He succumbed to his drinking and medical problems in 1971, becoming one of rock’s early mythic figures Eddie Cochran Ø Eddie Cochran was known for his brash, fat guitar sound that helped lay the groundwork for the power chord Ø He was a good songwriter and singer, writing songs that celebrated teenage life – the parties, the music, the adolescent rebellion Ø His only Top 10 hit echoed these attributes – 1958’s Summertime Blues spoke of the trials and tribulations of teenage life in America – the song showed hints of the overt protest that would seep into rock music in the 60s Song: Summertime Blues Ø Begins with a riff consisting of handclaps, drums, bass and guitar – this becomes the instrumental portion of the call and response that follows Ø Mixture of sung and spoken vocals Ø Riff delineates the verses – simple verse form Ø In the spring of 1960, he joined Gene Vincent on a tour of England – this was wildly successful Ø The duo, along with Cochran’s fiancée Sharon Sheeley, were involved in a severe car accident – Vincent and Sheeley survived, but Cochran succumbed to his injuries – he was 21