Download - Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll
What is Rock and Roll?
● Like A Rolling Stone (1965)○ “#1 Rock and Roll song of all time” (1976 by…?)
● On your own, write five single words that you feel best represent Rock and Roll
Early Rock and Roll (Late 40s and 50s)
● Grew out of the years after WWII○ Influence of teenagers in the marketplace
■ R&B, Country = adults; Rock and Roll = teens○ Rhythm and Blues, Swing, Chicago Blues, Jazz,
Boogie-Woogie● Almost always duple meter
○ Rock “backbeat”● “Moondog” Alan Freed: disc jockey, played Rhythm and
Blues to predominantly white teenagers; coined the term “Rock and Roll” (borrowed the term; meaning?)
Name Change
Rhythm and Blues → Rock and RollWhy the change?
Early Rock and Roll Artists
● Chuck Berry○ Maybellene○ Roll Over Beethoven
● Jerry Lee Lewis○ Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On○ Great Balls of Fire
● Little Richard○ Tutti Frutti○ Lucille
● Billy Haley & His Comets○ Rock Around The Clock
Racial Division
Ain’t That A Shame
Shake Rattle and Roll
Tutti Frutti
Ain’t That A Shame
Shake Rattle and Roll
Tutti Frutti
Billboard Charts
● Classified music by genre, best selling, and most played, among other things. ○ Pop(ular) Chart = “white music”○ Rhythm and Blues (R&B) Chart = “black music”
● Prior to mid 1950s, it was unheard of for a song/record/artist to “crossover” from one chart to another
Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977)
● Game Changer○ Not the first to have hits on multiple charts, but did
so many time and with much success ■ Heartbreak Hotel: Topped both Popular and
Country-Western charts, also made it to No. 5 on the Rhythm and Blues Charts
■ Blue Suede Shoes■ Jailhouse Rock
● Barriers are breaking down, but not gone
“If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.” -- Sam Phillips, Sun Records
Responsible for popularizing many artists including Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley
1960s
● Civil Rights● Vietnam War● Counterculture / Hippies● Second Wave Feminism ● Space Race
Music Mirroring Society● Young white listeners embracing black artists
and white artists who mimic the “black” sound● Brown vs. Board of Education (1954)
○ Spurred period of conflict, Southern opposition, violence, defiance of court orders
○ Sit-Ins, freedom Marches○ Martin Luther King, Jr.
● Civil Rights Act (1964); Voting Rights Act (1965)
1960s
● “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” -- JFK, 1961○ Who is “your”?
● Collective American identity? What is/n’t American?
● Political rights of minorities
Teenagers Growing Up
● College aged activists; music with a mission● Once listening to Rock/R&B of the 50s, now
identifying with folk music○ Rejecting mass culture, commercial success○ Mastering the “traditional” sound/style -- huh?
● Saving society from the oppression of government
The Folk Revival
● Early 1960s: Old and new musical ideas to comment on current issues; restrictive in the general idea of “folk sound”
● Revived from the political songs (sung in the folk style) of the 1930s -- especially those of Woody Guthrie○ This Land Is Your Land○ Massacre of 1913○ All You Fascists Bound To Lose
Popular Folk Artists of the 60s
● Pete Seeger● The Weavers● The Kingston Trio● Peter, Paul, and Mary● Joan Baez● Judy Collins● Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan as Folk Singer
● Fan of Woody Guthrie; pilgrimage to NYC, 1960
● Inspired by his political writings/songs○ 1963, “
The Times They Are a-Changing”● Uncomfortable being pinned down as
“folk” -- or any genre, really
Woody Guthrie, idolized by Bob Dylan
Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival
Bob Dylan (and friends) 1963Bob Dylan 1964 Bob Dylan 1965 (clips)
Bob Dylan “Gone Electric”
● Selling out? Becoming a part of the “establishment”?
● Folk-Rock○ Subterranean Homesi
ck Blues● Ever changing
sound
Rock in the 1960s
● Flavors○ Folk Rock○ Surf Rock○ Pop Rock○ Psychedelic Rock○ Blues Rock○ Progressive Rock○ Art Rock
■ Baroque Rock?
● Very difficult to categorize Rock
● Many directions at once
● Originality
The British Invasion
● Rock/blues becomes popular with UK teens○ Late 1950s○ Rebellious music/image
● US teens losing interested in US rock and roll, “one hit wonders;” looking for something new and different○ The Mod style
● Beatlemania
The Mod StyleTwiggy
The Strypes
The Beatles
● 1964, CBS Evening News: “The British Invasion this time goes by the code name Beatlemania.”
● Appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964○ A family show? ○ According to the Nielsen Ratings, 45% of Americans
viewed this show● Documentary: The British Invasion
Baroque Rock● AKA: Baroque Pop, Chamber Rock/Pop
○ A Whiter Shade of Pale■ Inspired by Bach
○ In My Life○ Eleanor Rigby○ Albatross
● Current(ish) Baroque Rock○ Regina Spektor○ Belle and Sebastian ○ Jem
■ Bach Prelude in F Minor (WTC Book II)
Surf Rock
● AKA: Surf Pop, Beach Rock, Hot Rod Rock○ Southern California: early 1960s
● Dick Dale and the Del-Tones○ “King of Surf Guitar”○ Misirlou (1963)
■ Black Eyed Peas: Pump It● The Belairs
○ Mr. Moto
Beach Boys
● Brian Wilson○ Musical mastermind○ Harmonies
● Good Vibrations (studio footage)● Surfin Safari● Sufin’ USA● Barbara Ann● Wouldn’t It Be Nice
Psychedelic Rock● Influenced by hallucinogenic drugs
○ Goal is to replicate and enhance the drug trips■ LSD / Acid
○ Beatles○ Yardbirds○ Grateful Dead○ The Doors○ Jimi Hendrix○ Pink Floyd○ Jefferson Airplane