3500Chapter 4-1950s - Lecture notes 4 PDF

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American)Music)in)the)20th)Century!

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Chapter 4 Music in the United States in the 1950s !

Background: The United States in the 1950s In!1950!in!the!US! !

-!Average!annual!income!=!! $3,200! -!Average!purchase!price!of!a!house!=!$8,400! -!A!year's!tuition!at!Harvard!=!! $600! -!Average!price!of!a!car!=!! $1,500! -!A!gallon!of!gas!=!! 18!cents! -!A!loaf!of!bread!=!! 12!cents! !

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Even!though!immigration!into!the!US!significantly!declined!during!the!1950s,!the! population!of!the!United!States!still!grew!by!25!million!citizens!(from!150!million!to! 175!million).!This!is!because!about!50!million!American!babies!were!born!in!the! 1950s!(today's!"baby!boomer"!generation).!! !

During!this!time,!American!inventors!and!visionaries!continued!to!impact!social! change!in!enormous!ways:! !

-!Electric!guitar!(invented!by!Les!Paul;!mass-produced!by!Leo!Fender,!1950)! -!The!first!credit!card!(Schneider—Diner's!Card,!1950)! -!Super!glue!(Coover!&!Joyner,!1951)! -!Power!steering!(Davis,!1951)! -!First!video!tape!recorder!(Ginsberg,!1951)! -!First!diet!soft!drink!("No-Cal"!ginger!ale,!1952)! -!Hydrogen!bomb!(Teller,!1952)! -!Automotive!Safety!Airbag!(Hetrick,!1952)! -!"Black!box"!flight!recorder!(Warren,!1953)! -!Portable!Transistor!radio!(Texas!Instruments,!1953)! -!"The!Pill"!contraceptive!(Pincus,!1954)! -!Solar!cell!(Chaplin/Fuller/Pearson,!1954) ! -!Radar!Gun!(Brown,!1954)! -!McDonald's!founded!(Kroc,!1954)! -!Tetracycline!antibiotic!(Duggar,!1955)! -!Fiber!optic!cable!(Curtiss,!1955)! -!Polio!vaccine!(Salk,!1955)! -!Liquid!Paper!correction!fluid!(Graham,!1956)! -!First!computer!harddisk!(IBM,!1956—5MB![$10,000!per!megabyte]!as!big!as!2!refrigerators)! -!US!Interstate!Highway!system!begins!to!be!built!(1956)! -!Computer!modem!(AT&T,!1958)! -!Laser!(Gould,!1958)! -!Integrated!circuit!(Kilby!&!Noyce,!1958)! -!First!domestic!jet!airline!service!begins!(National!Airlines!using!Boeing!707!aircraft,!1958)! -!Microchip!(Kilby!&!Noyce,!1959)! -!Pacemaker!internal!heart!pump!(Greatbatch,!1959)! -!First!copy!machine!(Xerox,!1959)! -!Barbie!Doll!(Mattel,!1959)! !

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Unemployment!and!inflation!were!low,!and!wages!were!comparatively!high,!giving! middle-class!families!more!money!to!spend!on!an!ever-growing!number!of! consumer!goods!and!suburban!homes.!As!a!result,!the!gross!national!product!(GNP)! of!the!US!grew!from!$200!million!to!over!$500!million!per!year.!In!addition,!two!new! states!in!two!new!strategic!"frontiers"!were!added!to!the!United!States!in!1959:! Alaska!(directly!across!from!the!Soviet!Union)!and!Hawaii!(in!the!middle!of!the! Pacific!Ocean,!approx.!halfway!between!the!US!and!the!southeast!coast!of!China).! !

The!US!was!now!the!major!political,!military!and!economic!power!of!the!"free! world,"!led!by!President!Dwight"Eisenhower1!(2!terms,!1953-61)!after!his!service! as!the!Supreme!Commander!of!the!victorious!Allied!Forces!in!Europe!during!World! War!II.!America!suddenly!found!itself!in!a!tense!strategic!"Cold!War"2!against!the! Soviet!Union!(USSR3),!which!was!intent!on!spreading!its!brand!of!communism! around!the!world.!In!an!effort!to!halt!this!proliferation!in!eastern!Asia!after!China! declared!itself!a!communist!nation!in!1949,!the!US!once!again!put!its!armed!forces! into!active!combat!from!1950-53!in!a!United!Nations!military!intervention!in!the! civil!war!between!South!and!North!Korea.4!!In!October!1957,!the!Russians!put!their! unmanned!Sputnik)I!spacecraft!into!orbit!as!the!first!artificial!Earth!satellite,!which! started!a!"Space!Race"!between!the!US!and!USSR!that!intensified!the!Cold!War!due! to!the!new!possibilities!for!surveillance!and!space-based!weaponry.!America! responded!by!launching!the!unmanned!Explorer)I!in!Earth!orbit!in!January!1958.5!! !

During!this!time,!fears!about!the!influence!of!Russian!espionage!on!US!citizens!and! institutions!gave!rise!to!a!period!of!political!paranoia!in!the!1950s!known!as!the! "Red!Scare",!led!by!Senator!Joseph!McCarthy!from!Wisconsin,!who!without!proof! accused!many!actors,!writers,!artists,!musicians,!educators,!union!activists,!and! opposing!politicians!of!being!communists!or!communist!sympathizers.! !

On!the!positive!side,!in!1954!the!US!Supreme!Court!made!the!landmark!Brown)v.) Board)of)Education)of)Topeka)decision!that!said!"separate!but!equal"!racial! segregation!policies!are!unconstitutional.!The!following!year,!in!a!seminal!event!of! the!US!Civil!Rights!Movement,!a!42-year!old!African-American!woman!named!Rosa! Parks!was!arrested!in!Montgomery,!Alabama!for!refusing!to!give!up!her!bus!seat!to!a! white!passenger,!which!led!to!the!Montgomery!Bus!Boycott!by!the!black!community! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!Dwight!D.!Eisenhower!(1890-1969)!was!the!34th!President!of!the!Unites!States![1953-61],!and!a!!

Five-Star!General!in!the!US!Army!during!World!War!II!(responsible!for!the!planning!and!supervising! the!successful!Allied!invasions!of!France!and!Germany!from!the!Western!Front!in!1944-45).! !!

2!A!"Cold!War"!is!when!countries!are!in!a!state!of!political!hostility!characterized!by!threats,! propaganda!and!political!posturing,!but!their!armies!are!not!directly!fighting!each!other—although! they!may!be!involved!in!opposing!military!actions!on!other!foreign!soil.! !

3!USSR!stands!for!"Union!of!the!Soviet!Socialist!Republics"!("Soviet!Union"!for!short).! !

4!The!Korean!War!ended!as!a!stalemate!with!an!armistice!(cease-fire)!that!was!signed!by!both! opposing!generals!on!the!ground,!but!not!by!any!government!leaders—so!technically,!the!Korean! War!never!ended!officially.!US!soldiers!have!been!part!of!the!peace-keeping!patrols!at!this!border! ever!since.!Recently,!the!current!leader!of!North!Korea!(Kim!Jong-un)!has!been!threatening!to!resume! the!war!against!South!Korea,!so!tensions!have!been!growing!again!in!that!region.! !

5!Manned!space!flight!did!not!happen!until!the!1960s!(see!Chapter!5).!

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that!lasted!over!a!year,!and!ended!only!when!the!Supreme!Court!declared!that! segregated!buses!even!at!the!state!or!city!level!are!unconstitutional.! !

All!of!these!changes!and!challenges!to!American!society!are!reflected!in!the!music!of! this!decade.! ! Important"Technological"Changes"in"the"1950s"That"Affected"Music" "

•!1950:!The!invention!of!the!electric!guitar!and!the!reverb!amplifier!had!a!massive!impact!on! many!emerging!styles!of!music.! !

•!1950:!Record!companies!adopted!new!standards!with!vast!improvements!in!sound!quality! that!led!to!mass!adoption!of!12-inch!long-playing!record!(LP)!technology—22!1/2!minutes! per!side.!This!became!the!preferred!format!for!adult!and!classical!music.! !

•!1950:!Record!companies!phased!out!the!old-style!78-rpm!records!in!favor!of!the!new!small! "45!RPM"!large-holed!record—4!minutes!per!side.!This!became!the!preferred!format!for! young!people's!music,!which!was!sold!on!double-sided!"singles".! !

•!1951:!Master!recording!onto!magnetic!tape!became!the!new!standard,!opening!up!the! possibility!of!"overdubbing"!by!using!multiple!tracks.!This!was!taken!to!new!heights!by! guitarist-inventor!Les!Paul!in!such!songs!as!the!jazz!standard!"How!High!The!Moon"!(1951).! !

•!1953:!The!invention!of!the!transistor!radio!(which!was!portable/compact!and!ran!on!small! batteries)!made!radio!broadcasts!of!AM!radio!stations!accessible!anywhere!for!the!first!time.! !

•!1954:!Record!companies!now!provided!stereo!recording!equipment!in!their!major!studios.!! !

•!1956:!Stereo!recordings!on!LP!became!widely!available.! !

•!1956:!NBC!announced!that!their!Chicago!affiliate!is!the!first!color!TV!station!in!the!nation.!! !

•!By!this!time,!American!television!in!large-city!antenna!markets!had!three!major!networks:! ABC,!CBS,!and!NBC.!For!most!Americans,!news,!political!information,!and!exposure!to!new! ideas!and!music!came!through!this!medium.! !

•!Throughout!the!1950s,!there!were!4"major"US"record"labels:"RCA,"Columbia,"Capitol," and"Decca."Until!the!later!1950s,!these!major!labels!were!producing!only!pop,!light!jazz,! mainstream!country!&!western,!and!classical!albums—everything!else!had!to!find!its!way!to! listeners!on!small!independent"record"labels.! !

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American Music in the 1950s

In!the!1950s,!mainstream!jazz!and!pop!styles!hit!their!pinnacles,!only!to!be!ousted! by!the!rise!of!rhythm!&!blues,!gospel,!rock!&!roll!and!new!kinds!of!country!music! and!jazz.!These!were!musical!reflections!of!the!social!changes!coming!from!1)!the! Civil!Rights!movement,!2)!young!people!fighting!for!new!ways!to!express! themselves,!and!3)!technology!offering!new!ways!to!get!all!those!messages!across.! On!another!front,!completely!different!highly-experimental!approaches!to!music! came!at!the!hands!of!several!American!art-music!composers.!

American Roots Music c1950-59 !

"The Blues" Continues Its Popularity and Influence

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Throughout!the!1950s,!many!of!the!great!blues!singers!of!the!1940s!continued!to! thrive!in!popularity,!and!a!new!breed!of!"electric"!blues!artists!emerged.!The!blues! also!continued!to!impact!a!variety!of!new!styles!such!as!rhythm!&!blues,!rock!&!roll,! country,!and!pop!(see!"American!Popular!Music,"!below).! !

Black Gospel Hits the Mainstream Out!of!the!black!Pentecostal!"sanctified"!Baptist!church!tradition,!Gospel!singer! Mahalia"Jackson!rose!to!national!prominence.!Her!first!recording,!"Move"On"Up"a" Little"Higher""(1948)!sold!an!astonishing!8!million!copies.!Through!her!uplifting! spirit!and!music!performed!live,!on!numerous!recordings,!and!in!film,!she!became! one!of!the!great!activists!in!the!Civil!Rights!Movement!in!the!1950s!and!'60s.!Gospel! music!has!a!profound!influence!on!the!emerging!style!of!Soul!music,!Rhythm!&! Blues,!and!certain!types!of!Rock!&!Roll!(see!"American!Popular!Music",!below).! Folk Music By!1950,!Woody!Guthrie!and!Pete!Seeger!fell!from!commercial!popularity,!but! through!their!continued!social!activism!they!inspired!a!new!generation!of!urban! folksingers!to!carry!the!torch!(see!"American!Popular!Music",!below)! !

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American Popular Music of the 1950s "

American Popular Songs of the '50s "Tin!Pan!Alley"!standard!popular!songs!hit!their!high!point!of!popularity!in!the! 1950s,!as!many!of!the!great!songwriters!of!the!1930s!and!'40s!continued!their!craft.!! The!greatest!representative!of!this!style!was!Frank"Sinatra,!who!outlasted!the!bigbands!and!transformed!that!swinging!sophistication!into!a!long!series!of!cool! orchestrally-arranged!"concept"albums"!made!between!1953!and!1960!with!the! Nelson!Riddle!Orchestra.!A!"concept!album"!is!an!LP!unified!by!a!central!idea!or! theme!such!as!his!1954!album!Songs!for!Young!Lovers,!which!features!his!iconic!hit! "I!Get!a!Kick!Out!of!You"—a!pop-jazz!update!of!the!1934!Cole!Porter!tune:! !

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Verse)1:)(now)swinging)up-tempo)) I!get!no!kick!from!champagne.! Mere!alcohol!doesn't!thrill!me!at!all.! So!tell!me!why!should!it!be!true! That!I!get!a!kick!out!of!you?! !

Verse)2:) Some,!they!may!go!for!cocaine.! I'm!sure!that!if!I!took!even!one!sniff! It!would!bore!me!terrifically,!too.! Yet!I!get!a!kick!out!of!you.! !

Contrasting)Bridge:) I!get!a!kick!every!time!I!see! You!standing!there!before!me.! I!get!a!kick!though!it's!clear!to!see! You!obviously!do!not!adore!me.! ! !

Verse)3:)) I!get!no!kick!in!a!plane.! Flying!too!high!with!some!gal!in!the!sky! Is!my!idea!of!nothing!to!do.! Yet!I!get!a!kick!-!um!you!give!me!a!boot!-!! I!get!a!kick!out!of!you.!

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Other!artists!followed!suit,!such!as!Tony!Bennett,!Andy!Williams,!Dean!Martin,!Nat! "King"!Cole,!Sammy!Davis!Jr.,!Sarah!Vaughn,!Della!Reese,!and!Patti!Page,!which! helped!make!this!the!most!popular!kind!of!music!in!America!before!rock!&!roll.!

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Broadway and Movie "Musicals" In!the!1950s,!musicals!with!singing!and!dancing!were!still!the!rage!on!Broadway!and! in!film,!as!represented!by!these!productions!that!were!done!separately!in!staged!and! movie!versions:! !

•!Damn!Yankees!(1955,!by!Richard!Adler/Jerry!Ross),!a!baseball-related!love! story,!featuring!"You've"Gotta"Have"Heart".! •!West!Side!Story!(1957,!by!Leonard!Bernstein/Stephen!Sondheim),!an!intense! gang-related!modernization!of!Shakespeare's!Romeo)and)Juliet,!featuring! "America",!and!the!famous!gang!fight!scene!"Tonight".6) !

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•!The!Sound!of!Music!(1959,!by!Rodgers!and!Hammerstein),!a!story!of!an! Austrian!family!struggling!against!the!Nazis—starring!Julie!Andrews!and! featuring!"The"Sound"of"Music"!and!"Climb"Every"Mountain."" •!Elvis"Presley"made!31!movie!musicals!between!1956!and!1969!in!which!he! sang!and!marketed!songs!from!his!upcoming!record!albums.!" )

Country & Western, "Honky-Tonk", and "Southern Gospel" Music In!the!1950s,!while!ballad!singers!such!as!Marty"Robbins!("El"Paso",!1959)!carried! on!the!"singing!cowboy"!tradition,!and!Western!swing!continued!to!thrive,! "Southern"Gospel"!(white!Gospel)!sung!by!small!unaccompanied!male!ensembles! became!popular!with!white!Southern!listeners.!The"Oak"Ridge"Boys!were!one!of! the!first!to!make!this!style!famous!in!the!mainstream,!as!they!became!country!music! crossover!artists.! !

Around!the!same!time,!a!new!generation!of!Country!&!Western!singers!became! known!for!"honky"tonk"!songs!associated!with!barroom!stories.!The!most!famous! of!these!was!the!legendary!Hank"Williams,!with!such!songs!as!"I'm"So"Lonesome"I" Could"Cry"!(1949)!and!"Your"Cheatin'"Heart"!(1953).!Before!his!death!at!age!29,! Williams!wrote!thirty-five!Top!Ten!hits—eleven!of!which!reached!No.!1.!Several!of! his!later!songs!such!as!"Hey,"Good"Lookin'"!(1951)!and!"Jambalaya"[On"The" Bayou]"!(1952)!have!a!hard,!driving!country!beat!that!was!picked!up!by!Johnny" Cash!in!such!hits!as!"Folsom"Prison"Blues"!(1955)!and!"I"Walk"The"Line"!(1956).! This!sound!had!a!strong!influence!on!up-and-coming!rock!&!roll!pioneers!including! Elvis!Presley,!Jerry!Lee!Lewis,!Chuck!Berry!and!many!others.! ! William's!"Jambalaya""is!a!cross-section!of!country!&!western!music!and!southernLouisiana!zydeco7!elements,!as!can!clearly!be!seen!from!it!colorful!Cajun-oriented! lyrics!(for!clarity,!each!line!is!followed!below!by!a!bracketed!"translation"!in! common!English):" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6!The!soundtrack!to!the!Broadway!version!of!West)Side)Story!was!the!number!1!album!in!popularity!

for!2!straight!years,!and!stayed!in!the!top!10!of!albums!sold!for!10!years.! ! 7!Zydeco!music!fuses!Cajun,!blues,!and!rhythm!&!blues!styles,!as!created!by!native!southern-Louisiana! Creoles!of!French,!Spanish,!and!African!descent!(see!Chapter!2!for!its!early!roots).!

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American)Music)in)the)20th)Century)

Chapter)4:)Music)in)the)US)in)the)1950s)))))

! Verse!1:! Goodbye!Joe!me!gotta!go!me!oh!my!oh!! [Bye)Joe,)I've)got)to)go…]) Me!gotta!go!pole!the!pirogue!down!the!bayou! [I've)got)to)go)pole)a)flat-bottomed)pirogue)boat)down)the)shallow)water)of)the)bayou]) My!Yvonne!the!sweetest!one!me!oh!my!oh! [to)see)my)sweet)girlfriend,)Yvonne]) Son!of!a!gun!we'll!have!big!fun!on!the!bayou! [and)we're)going)to)have)lots)of)fun)on)the)bayou]) !

Chorus:! Jambalaya!and!a!crawfish!pie!and!fillet!gumbo! [I'm)going)to)eat)Jumbalaya)(chicken-sausage-shrimp)&)rice),)crawfish)pot)pie,)and)fish)gumbo]) Cause!tonight!I'm!gonna!see!my!ma!chère!amio! [because)tonight)I'm)going)to)see)my)dear)lady)friend])) Pick!guitar!fill!fruit!jar!and!be!gay-o! [I'm)going)to)play)the)guitar,)drink)liquor)from)a)fruit)jar,)and)be)happy]) Son!of!a!gun!we'll!have!big!fun!on!the!bayou! [We'll)have)great)fun)tonight)on)the)bayou]) !

Verse!2:! Thibadeaux,!Fontainbleau!the!place!is!buzzin'! [the)Fontainbleau)park)in)Thibadeaux,)Louisiana)is)buzzing)with)excitement]) Kinfolk!come!to!see!Yvonne!by!the!dozen! [dozens)of)Yvonne's)relatives)have)come)to)see)her)there]) Dress!in!style!and!go!hog!wild!me!oh!my!oh! [we'll)all)dress)up)and)get)pretty)wild]) Son!of!a!gun!we'll!have!big!fun!on!the!bayou! [We'll)have)great)fun)tonight)on)the)bayou]) !

Chorus:!(as!before)! !

Verse!3:! Settle!down,!far!from!town,!get!me!a!pirogue!! [eventually)we)will)get)married,)find)a)rural)home,)and)I'll)buy)my)own)bayou)boat]) And!I’ll!catch!all!the!fish!in!the!bayou!! [same]) Swap!my!mon!to!buy!Yvonne!what!she!need-o!! [I'll)pay)cash)money)to)buy)Yvonne)the)things)she)needs]) Son!of!a!gun,!we’ll!have!big!fun!on!the!bayou!! [We'll)have)great)fun)tonight)on)the)bayou]! !

Chorus:!(as!before)! !

The American Folk Music Revival Inspired!by!the!social!activism!of!Woody!Guthrie!and!Pete!Seeger,!a!new!generation! young!urban!folksingers!began!an!"American"Folk"Music"Revival"!by!writing!and! singing!folk!songs!about!current!socio-political!issues!at!"hootnanny"!sing-along! gatherings,!in!small!college-town!coffee!houses,!and!on!recordings!that!began!to!hit! the!pop!charts!by!the!late!1950s.!The!most!prominent!urban!folk!group!at!this!time! was!The"Kingston"Trio"with!such!hits!as!"Where"Have"All"the"Flowers"Gone"! (1959,!written!by!Pete!Seeger),!which!has!a!sweet!pacifist!sound!but!delivers!a! powerful!message:! !

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Verse)1:) Where!have!all!the!flowers!gone,!long!time!passing?! Where!have!all!the!flowers!gone,!long!time!ago?! Where!have!all!the!flowers!gone?! Young!girls!have!picked!them!everyone.! (Chorus)!When!will!they!ever!learn?!Oh,!when!will!they!ever!learn?!! !

Verse)2:) Where!have!all!the!young!girls!gone,!long!time!passing?...!Gone!to!young!men!everyone.! (Chorus)!When!will!they!ever!learn?!Oh,!when!will!they!ever!learn?!! !

Verse)3:) Where!have!all!the!young!men!gone,!long!time!passing?...!Gone!for!soldiers!everyone! (Chorus)!When!will!they!ever!learn?!Oh,!when!will!they!ever!learn?!! !

Verse)4:) Where!have!all!the!soldiers!gone,!long!time!passing?...!Gone!to!graveyards!everyone! (Chorus)!When!will!they!ever!learn?!Oh,!when!will!they!ever!learn?!! !

Verse)5:) Where!have!all!the!graveyards!gone,!long!time!passing?...!Gone!to!flowers,!everyone.! (Chorus)!When!will!they!ever!learn?!Oh,!when!will!they!ever!learn?!! !

During!this!era,!Jamaican!folk!songs!and!calypso!music!were!also!being!popularized! in!the!US!by!the!American!singer/social!activist!Harry"Belafonte!("Day-O![Banana! Boat!Song]",!1956)."

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Jazz in the 1950s: "Cool" vs. "Hard Bop" In!the!'50s,!a!smoother!and!more!serene!style!of!"Cool"Jazz"!emerged!on!the!West! Coast,!as!represented!by!the!Dave"Brubeck"Quartet!("Take"Five",!1959).! Meanwhile,!"Bebop"!advocates!were!intensifying!their!approach!by!creating!"Hard" Bop",!as!represented!by!"Blue"Train"!(1957)!featuring!saxophonist!John"Coltrane.!

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Rhythm & Blues ("R&B") and the "Electric Blues" By!1945,!African-American!artists!such!a!Louis!Jordan!were!already!implementing! elements!that!today!are!considered!style!traits!of!early!"Rock!and!Roll":!! !

•!12-Bar"Blues!(I-IV-V)!harmonic!structure:! !

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•!Faster"Tempo!than!the!traditional!blues! !

•!Backbeat!rhythm!(accenting!beats!"2"!and!"4"!in!each!measure)! ! In!th...