Roots of American Popular Music and Rock and Roll PDF

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Roots of American Popular Music and Rock and Roll (White American roots) Amy Beach (1867-1944)  

Prodigy pianist, composer Gaelic symphony o 1st symphony composed and published by American woman o influence from British, Irish, Scottish folk tunes, Dvorak’s Symphony #9  New England folk culture

(Black American roots) Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) 

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Czech composer o Moravian and Bohemian Folk influences o Ex. “Slavonic Dances” (Slavonic Dance No.1) Moved to NYC to direct National Conservatory, 1892 o African-American, Native American musics as foundation for “American music”  Symphony #9 “From the New World” (“Going Home”; English Horn solo)

West African Work Songs 

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Vocal music, often w/ conversational singing, to accom. Daily labor o Provide entertainment for workers, stable beat to work to o Ex) Ghana – Postage stamping song Transported to Americas w/ slaves, plantation work o Field hollers/shouts o Nature of songs change  Personal expressions of pain, oppression  Catharsis for hardships of life  Eventually evolves into “blues” genre o Joe Savage’s field holler: I woke up soon one morning (1978), recorded by Alan Lomax

Birth of Delta Blues 

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Mississippi Delta, post-Civil War o Jim Crow laws, work restrictions for freed slaves o Singing (and preaching) one of few professions available to Black men  Spread of blues music through rest of society Musical characteristics o 12-bar form (12 measures of 4 beats) o AAB lyric form o “blue note”  pitch not in standard Western system

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 typically between E and E-flat ex. “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson

CQ: You can play a “blue note” naturally on the piano – T/F

R&B (Rhythm and Blues) 

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blues music travels north, changes performance setting to night clubs o 1940s Chicago, blues musicians begin using amplification, more danceable rhythm, add electronic instruments and “horn sections” o influence from jazz styles (New Orleans jazz, swing, etc.) Doo-wop o R&B style in group vocal setting, choreographed dance movements o Popularized on East Coast 1940s, 50s by recording industry o Ex. “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

CQ: What was R&B music originally called? a. Race music b. Hillbilly music c. Chicago blues

Gospel Music 

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Evolved from spirituals since slave era o Emotionally-driven evangelical music o Blues melodies and rhythms performed at church Influence on later Rock and Roll o Melismatic singing style o Use of Hammond organ

(White American Roots) British Folk Music 

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Brought by British immigrants to rural areas like Appalachian Mountains o Ballads, sea chanteys, railroad songs, lumber songs o Adapted to American setting over time o Folk instruments – fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo o Ex. “Barbara Allen”  17th c. British/Scottish origin, Appalachian version recorded by dozens of country/folk artists (Glen Campbell) became associated with rural regions, poor white Americans o “hillbilly music,” later “country music” popularization through radio, Hollywood Westerns o commercialized country music  songs are orchestrated – w/ strings, jazz horn sections

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 “Western” image promoted in place of “hillbilly” image  genres – cowboy songs, Western swing, bluegrass o ex. “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt Honky-Tonk o Country music w/ electronic instruments for performance in bars and roadhouses o Ex. “Your Cheatin’ Heart” Hank Williams

Publishing Industry and Early American Pop 

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Tin Pan Alley o Group of songwriters and publishers in NYC, early 1900s o Write popular songs for vaudeville and Broadway shows  Sheet music sold to general public, broadcast on radio and TV o Included Irving Berlin (“White Christmas”), brothers George and Ira Gershwin (“I Got Rhythm,” “Rhapsody in Blue”), Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (South Pacific, The Sound of Music) Recording industry and commercialization of music o Major record labels monopolize pop music, focus on white middle-class market  R&B and Country largely ignored (until popularization among white youth)  Left to independent labels (“indies”)

The Birth of Rock and Roll Why 1995?   

Supply side: great musicians started to make records Demand side: new teenage audience demanding its own entertainment Changes in infrastructure; the rise of independent record producers, small radio stations, challenged the major media corporations

Post-War America    

Prosperity: commodity abundance and consumerism Conservative adult generation: survived the war and the great depression Liberal young generation: inherited new customer society; did not have to work to support the family; their own money Advertisers began to target teenagers

The Teenage World   

Young people out of reach of adults Automobile; drive-in movies Transistor radios

“Teens in Crisis”   

Sexual freedom Juvenile delinquency (along with other fears; nuclear holocaust, communism) New role models for youth:

o Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye o Marlon Brando – The Wild One (1953) o James Dean – Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Blackboard Jungle (1955)   

First movie to feature rock and roll Bill Haley’s “Rock around the Clock” (1954) Song caused dancing the aisles, rioting the theatres

“Rock Around the Clock”    

1952: song composed by Tin Pan Alley songwriters (Max Fredman and James Myers) 1954: recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets; released on a major label (Decca Records); Commercial failure on the charts 1955: song featured in Blackboard Jungle Re-released; first rock and roll song to reach number one on Billboard charts

Where Did Rock and Roll Come From?  

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it happened outside the mainstream media 1940s: o race records became R&B; speeding up the tempo of the blues o hillbilly music became Country & Western; borrowed from the blues 1950s: o musicians began mixing R&B and Country music o independent record labels recorded the new hybrid o radio station DJs began playing it the rise of the Disc Jockey (“DJ”) o new form of announcer who functioned as an entertainer o Alan Freed: DJ attributed with coining the term “rock ‘n’ roll” for the new sound; began playing R&B records on his radio show in 1951

Ex) G. Jackie Brenston: “Rocket 88” (1951)    

Jackie Brenston: An R&B saxophonist and singer (actual leader of the group was like Turner) Called “the first rock and roll record” Form: fast 12-bar blues Note: distorted guitar sound (from a broken amp); car metaphor with sexual innuendo; saxophone chorus

Sun Records  

Sam Philips: owner of Sun Records, small independent studio in Memphis, TN Recorded R&B artists (Jackie Brenston) and country artists, looking for a white musician who could merge the two

Elvis Presley: “That’s All Right Mama” (1954)    

First rock song recorded by Elvis Presley Presley: vocal, acoustic guitar Scotty Moore: elec. Guitar Bill Black: bass (“slap bass” style)

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Cover of a song by African-American blues singer Arthur Crudup 8-bar blues form

Elvis Presley Superstar   

Major label RCA bought Elvis’ contract from Sam Phillips No. 1 hit records; TV; movies “Jailhouse Rock”

How Elvis Changed the Music Business 

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charts: Billboard magazine began publishing weekly music charts in 1936; R&B charts (since 1942); C&W charts (since 1944) o Nov. 1955 – Billboard begins the Hot 100 chart Cross over: when a song or artist sells to more than one audience o Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” was first song to reach Number One on the Billboard’s Pop, R&B, and Country Charts in 1956 Before Elvis: consumers bought the song; common for several versions of the same song to be on the charts at once After Elvis: consumers bought the artist; the “original” version The triumph of the independents: o Most successful rock and roll hits were released on independent labels o Major labels generally avoided rock and roll (except for Bill Haley and Elvis Presley)

Little Richard: “Tutti Frutti” (1955)  

First hit single for Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman) Form: fast 12-bar blues; piano as leader; saxophone solo; nonsense lyrics, but suggestive of sex o Originally obscene song with gay code words, then cleaned up by lyricist

The Campaign Against Rock 

Moral outrage influenced the mainstream music industry

Cover Songs   

Performing a song that “belongs to someone else”; is not the original recording The mainstream media created “clean” cover versions for white audiences Artists: The Crew Cuts; Pat Boone (Tutti Frutti)

Chuck Berry: “Maybellene” (1955)     

First hit for Chuck Berry First guitar hero of rock Songwriting directed to teenagers; lyrics use car/girl metaphor Merged R&B with Country; song follows blues form, but sung in the style of a country ballad story (borrowed from country song “Ida Red”) Rhythm uses 2-beat country style; 12-bar blues chorus; verse is 12 bars of 1 chord

Buddy Holly: “Peggy Sue” (1957)  

Rock superstar for brief time; The total rock star: songwriter, producer, entrepreneur (forerunner of The Beatles)

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Holly’s death in plane crash seen historically as “the day the music died” (en of rock and roll era) Song form: 12 bar blues with additional chords Studio techniques: muted tom-tom drums Vocal style: variety of timbre; “hiccup” vocal

The Beatles Historical Context 

Post-WWII Britain o American Sailors in port cities like Liverpool o Popularization of American music among British youth  New Orleans Jazz, blues, R&B, Rock, Tin Pan Alley  “Teddy boy” fashion – imitating Elvis

Beginning of the Beatles  

teenage John Lennon forms Quarry Men band w/ school friends o later change name to the Beatles, gain local popularity audition at Abbey Road Studio in London, 1962 o sign w/ producer George Martin, record 1st album Please, Please Me  1st sing, “Love Me Do”

“Beatlemania!” 

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2nd album, With the Beatles o “All My Loving” o growing popularity coined as “Beatlemania!” st 1 American tour, 1964 o start of “British Invasion”  popularity of British musical artists in US o mop-top hair, carefree attitude, upbeat music o 11 weeks after JFK assassination, midst of social upheaval across US o perform on Ed Sullivan Show, Feb.  “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by 3rd album, A Hard Day’s Night, using more recording studio techniques o overdubbing – singing over pre-recorded vocal tracks Rubber Soul, 1965 o “coming of age” album o lyrics focus on social issues o more diverse use of instruments  strings on “Yesterday”, sitar on “Norwegian Wood”

Psychedelic Era  

more experimentation w/ sound effects, allusions to drugs o “Tomorrow Never Knows”, tape-loops Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

o From Paul’s idea to perform as alter ego band o Album formatted as “royal performance” o Songs segue into next, like Renaissance dance suite

Looking Eastward 

1968, band goes on spiritual retreat to ashram of guru Maharishi Yogi in India w/ actress Mia Farrow and sister Prudence (inspiration for “Dear Prudence”) and Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones o discover Maharishi is charlatan, but deepens interest in Asian religions, philosophies o popularization of Indian classical music in the West

The Last Days of the Beatles 

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avant-garde “White Album” and last album, Abbey Road o group showing signs of breaking apart due to personal issues between bandmates break-up and solo careers o John Lennon “Imagine” Lennon murdered by crazed fan outside of his home, 1980 Harrison dies of cancer, 2001 Legacy

Other British Invasion Artists 

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The Rolling Stones o Rise and fame follows Beatles o But marketed as rebellious, low-class, “bad-boys”  Violence (even murder) at concerts o Formed by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, London, 1960s o Similar musical influences as Beatles  “Paint It Black” – raga-esque opening, ornaments the Who the Yardbirds, later Led Zeppelin the Spice Girls One direction Soloists – Amy Winehouse, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, etc.

Beyond Rock: New Genres and Global Pop CQ: In which world region have we already seen an example of a “global pop” genre? a. West Africa b. Southern Africa c. The Caribbean d. Southeast Asia e. East Asia

Heavy Metal  

UK late 1960s, early 1970s o Rock bands mix blues rock and psychedelic rock “unholy trinity” of heavy metal o Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple (ex. “Smoke on the Water”)

Musical Characteristics 

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Thick sound o Amplified distortion o High volume o Constant fast drum beat o Prominent electric bass o Virtuosic guitar playing  Most guitarists studied classical music Lyrics often deal w/ dark, aggressive subjects Theatrical performances, often macabre o Themes of witchcraft, Satanic worship, etc. Many subgenres starting in 1980s o Slight variations in style, sound o Ex. – thrash metal, death metal, doom metal, power metal, nu metal, Celtic metal, Christian metal, Viking metal, Medieval metal, Kawaii metal o Ex. Subway to Sally “Sag dem Teufel” o Ex. Babymetal “Megitsune”

Disco 

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Late 1960s European discotheques (later spreads to East Coast US) o DJs mix R&B, Motown, Latin percussion o Catered to subcultures of black, Latino, or gay nightlife Ex. Walter Murphy “A Fifth of Beethoven”

Musical Characteristics   

Dance-oriented music o Songs segue into next through constant beat pattern Synthesizers, drum machines Usually no stage performers, only DJ

Disco Surge and Backlash   

Extensive airplay on TV and radio starts 1974 By 1976, dominates all of media, pop culture By 1979/80 backlash against disco, disappears from media o Pendulum swing from immense popularity o Criticized as too simple, no musical merit o Associated w/ gay, non-white communities  Target for homophobia, racism

Reggae

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Jamaican patois – “rags,” “raggedy” Influence of American pop music since 1800s o Local pop styles mix Jamaican folk music, traditional Afro-Caribbean, swing, R&B, etc. Late 1960s Kingston, Jamaica o Develops in dancehalls  Lower social class nightlife

Musical Characteristics 

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Riddim o Creolization of “rhythm” o Emphasis of beats 2 and 4 (“upstroke”, “backbeat”, “skank”) o De-emphasized downbeat Slow tempo Lyrics – themes of political protest; critique of social injustice, racial equality

Rastafarianism      

Syncretic religion, developed in Jamaica, 1930s o Blend of Christianity, Judaism, traditional African religions Writings of Marcus Garvey, 1910s, black Messiah 1930, crowning of Ethiopia’s King Haile Selassie (b. Ras Tafari Makonnen) o human manifestation of Jah marijuana “ganja” as sacrament emphasis on musical performance ex. Bob Marley and the Wailers “Get Up, Stand Up” o lyrics – reaffirming basic tenants of Rastafarianism, fighting social inequality

20th c. Thai Pop CQ: Which European power took political control over Thailand during the colonial era? a. British b. French c. Dutch d. None, Thailand was not colonized

Pre-WW Modernization 

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1932, military overthrows absolute monarchy o new gov. forces rapid modernization/Westernization to increase international standing, counter growing Japanese power  bans traditional customs, clothes, arts traditional musicians find work in jazz ballroom bands for urban elite, foreigners o jazz arrangements of classical Thai melodies

Luk Thung

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lit. “child of the fields” rural, Northeast Thailand (Isan) backlash against forced modernization criticism of gov. censorship of local customs, marginalization of Lao ethnic minority large American military presence during Vietnam War, 1960s, early 1970s o spread of American film, radio traditional Lao morlam singing and instruments mix w/ American R&B, country, rock. Latin jazz

Pumpuang Duangjan  

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electric Luk Thung star rags to riches life story o born into poverty, 2 years school before having to join parents to work on sugar cane fields o illiterate, memorized song lyrics to perform at temple fairs o fame in Bangkok, but exploited by husbands o died from blood disorder, age 30 ex. “Somtum” o lyrics – recipe for papaya salad

The End of a Millennium: Music of the 80s and 90s Rap/Hip-Hop 

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musical element of wider cultural movement o w/ break-dancing, graffiti art o mainstream visibility of Black/Latino youth self-expression musical characteristics o rhyming spoken word  lyrics –urban social issues  police brutality, gangs, drugs, unemployment o layered melodic, rhythmic ostinatos (polyrhythm) o sampling

Origins of Rap   

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South Bronx, NY, late 1970s Economic and housing crisis Cross Bronx Expressway o 60,000 homes demolished o South Bronx isolated  Formation of a “ghetto”  More violent crime, slumlords, poverty, toxic waste dumps Formation of crews/posses for community protection, youth identity

Old School Rap 

Extension of disco, funk

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o Disc Jockeys (DJs)  Record spinning  Adding rap to music tracks samples  Scratching Lyrics start to address realities of life in South Bronx o Ex. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 1982

East Coast Rap 

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Rap style expands to other East Coast urban centers (Boston, Miami, Philadelphia) o Ex. Run-D.M.C. remix of “Walk This Way” (Aerosmith)  Bridge between rap & metal  Opens door for rap incorporation into other genres, mix of fan bases Salt-n-Pepa, Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, Queen Latifa

West Coast Rap  

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L.A. and Bay Area Expansion of “gangsta rap” o More violence-, gang-oriented lyrics, sexualized themes o 1st to have warning labels from record companies o ex. “6 ‘n the Morning” by Ice-T Ice-T, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg 90s o feud between crews of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G.) o death of both artists by drive-by shooting st 21 c. o global expansion o more cross-genre

The 90s 

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“Alternative Nation” and MTV o Seattle grunge scene  Slower tempo, simpler chord progressions than metal o Nirvana and Kurt Cobain  Ex. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Teen pop o Vocalist-centered o Boy Band format o Girl Groups and female soloists o New kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boyz, ‘NSync o TLC, Mariah Carey (“One Sweet Day” – feat. Boyz II Men), Destiny’s Child (“Say My Name”), Britney Spears

File-Sharing 

Napster o Free sharing of mp3 files

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o Lawsuits by major labels Eventual compromise w/ mp3 downloading via ITunes, etc. Streaming sites and eventual demise of record labels?

CQ: What is the name of the group who sings this example? a. The Rolling Stones b. Pearl Jam c. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers d. The Beatles (correct) CQ: What genre is this example? (“Smells like Teen Spirit”) a. Ska b. Heavy Metal c. Grunge (correct) d. Blues Rock

New Orleans  

Congo square – place whe...