Lecture 4 - Rock 'n' Roll (1954-1959)

Question 1

What is rock ‘n’ roll? When did it start? What instruments?

Answer 1

A musical style that drew on R&B and country to create music with simple, catchy, repetitive melodies and rhythms for a young audience

1950

often combining voices with guitar, bass, and drums

Question 2

What is mainstream pop in between?

Answer 2

the center and periphery

Question 3

What happened in the 1950s in terms of the reorganization of music?

Answer 3

reorganization of music happening at the periphery getting pushed into the center, particularly R&B and country which until that point had really been enjoyed regionally. R&B musicians would be making music for black audience and country musicians would be making music for white audience. These lines start to blur as we get through the 50s and we see audiences enjoying both types of music

Question 4

Who coined the term rock ‘n’ roll? What did he do?

Answer 4

Alan Freed

hosted a popular radio show and played lots of R&B to a mostly white teenage audience but there were also black listeners and started using the term rock ‘n’ roll on this show

Question 5

Who listened to rock ‘n’ roll and who bought the rock ‘n’ roll records?

Answer 5

baby boomer generation that was coming into age and maturing

Question 6

What was the shift in the music industry in terms of marketing?

Answer 6

shift from marketing music by race and region to generation

Question 7

What is a cover? How can artists make covers their own?

Answer 7

A recording of a song that has previously been recorded by another artist or group. Covers are additional versions of a song - not the original version. Musicians can leave their mark with covers and make it their own by changing the song in various ways including the timbre of the voice or the number of voices, instrumentation, style, etc.

Question 8

What did white musicians do in the early stages of rock ‘n’ roll?

Answer 8

white musicians regularly covered and made famous songs originally recorded by black musicians. So there was this feeling of stealing and the white musicians having this platform and a lack of obstacles in their way to spread the song and help it reach a whole new level of fame in comparison to the original.

Question 9

‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ - Performed by who? What did he start off as? What charts did it reach? What type of song?

Answer 9

Big Joe Turner

a big band singer

R&B charts and crossed over to the pop charts

Jump blues R&B style, very energetic with lots of sexual innuendos in the lyrics

Question 10

Who covered ‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’? How was this version different from Big Joe Turner’s?

Answer 10

Bill Haley and His Comets

Haley’s emphasizes guitars instead of saxophones, exhibits a country style rather than jump blues, and features cleaner lyrics because white audience shied away from those lyrics as well as faster, quicker, tempo, and vocal exclamations

Question 11

Who did Bill Haley become because of his cover of ‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’? How come?

Answer 11

became the first king of rock ’n’ roll

because he was able to reach a much wider audience

Question 12

What is a crossover? How common were they from 1950 to 1953? In 1954? In 1958?

Answer 12

When a record or song holds a prominent position on more than 1 of the charts

about 10% of the hits appearing on the R&B charts crossed over from 1950 to 1953

In 1954, 25% of the R&B hits crossed over that year

In 1958, the figure of R&B hits crossing over jumped to 94%

Question 13

‘Sh-Boom’ - performed by who? Who were they? What charts did it reach?

Answer 13

By the Chords

early R&B doo-wop groups (all black males)

R&B and crossed over to pop charts

Question 14

What is doo-wop?

Answer 14

Doo-wop is a vocally-oriented style with roots in Gospel and big band traditions. It emphasizes roots in gospel music and so these singers would have grown up in the christian tradition and the type of music that they would hear in church would have been gospel music and it would have been a type of music where the whole congregation (all the people there) would have been encouraged to participate

Question 15

What does doo-wop include?

Answer 15

includes scat singing for which the singer or singers replace lyrics with vocables to imitate the playing of instruments

Question 16

What is scat singing and vocables?

Answer 16

improvised vocalizations where the singer(s) would substitute the lyrics with vocables (nonsense syllables) to imitate instruments

Question 17

What is scat singing an extension of?

Answer 17

big band and jazz tradition

Question 18

What form is ‘Sh-Boom’? What is the introduction to the song like? How is it extended AABA form?

Answer 18

expanded or extended AABA

brief vocal/sung introduction with all the voices singing at once (acapella)

Voices move back and saxophone moves to the spotlight

Question 19

Who covered ‘Sh-Boom’? How did they make their careers? What chart did it reach? What is the difference in this cover from the original?

Answer 19

The Crew Cuts

By taking songs that did well on the R&B charts and covering them

R&B charts

1. less dense/texture because there are fewer instruments
2. hearing more from the whole group and their voices blend together
3. less improvisation

Question 20

Who were the early rock ‘n’ rollers on the R&B side?

Answer 20

1. Chuck Berry and Chess (indie) in Chicago
2. Little Richard and Specialty (indie) in Hollywood
3. Fats Domino and Imperial (indie) in Los Angeles
4. The Chords
5. Big Joe Turner

Question 21

Who was Chuck Berry? Why is he unique? Who did he record for? Chuck Berry was the first black artists to do what? What did the white audience assume about Chuck Berry? What did this impact? How did they find out the truth? What did his style include? What was his trademark move called?

Answer 21

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist and father of rock ‘n’ roll

because he wrote some of his songs including the music and lyrics

recorded for Chess

one of the first black artists to synthesize R&B and country for a wide, multi-racial audience

assumed that he was white because he had a white sounding voice

may have had an impact on audiences and record sales because the environment of the times was so racist not only at the industry level but society wise

when he performed on TV

catchy guitar solos, clever and wholesome lyrics but they are not universally sophisticated, and showmanship

the “duck walk”

Question 22

‘Maybellene’ - Performed by who? What charts did it reach? What was the introduction like with what instrument? What was the song like? What is the song about? What is different about the verse and chorus? What other song did he perform? About who? What form?

Answer 22

Chuck Berry

R&B charts and crossed over to pop charts

Captivating instrumental introduction for solo electric guitar

Explosive tempo and energy

frame a lovers’ quarrel as a car chase

When we hear “Maybellene” in the song (the chorus), the words are coming out slower, whereas in the verses, he is going faster and in order to go faster, the notes should more or less be the same or close together

‘Memphis’

Marie who is his daughter

Ballad form (telling a story) and simple verse form without a chorus

Question 23

Who was Little Richard? What was his specialty? What was he exposed to from a young age? What was he known for? What was his playing style on the piano? What did his music encourage? What did he do in terms of opening up opportunities for other people? What were 3 of his hits?

Answer 23

Early rock ‘n’ roller of the 1950s and is also a singer and pianist

his vocal exclamations sometimes with vocables

exposed to southern Gospel music

high vocal embellishments often punctuating ends of phrases; simple, pumping piano and theatrics (throwing his leg up on the piano and playing it at the same time); sexually-charged lyrics; flamboyant stage persona and androgynous appearance (flashy clothes, theatrical makeup, etc.)

repetitive chords, an aggressive, loud, forceful kind of touch

A lot of his music was dance music. It encouraged audience participation and sing-along especially during the choruses

He pushed the boundaries in a time when this was least favoured. He was opening up more opportunities for other people who wanted to follow in his footsteps

1. Tutti Frutti (went up to number 2 on the R&B charts and it did crossover to the pop charts)
2. Long, Tall Sally (went to number 6 on pop charts)
3. Good Golly Miss Molly

Question 24

Little Richard was a prime target for what? Who covered his songs?

Answer 24

for covers

white artists like Pat Boone who was a very popular white performer who liked the Crew Cuts, often took songs initially performed by R&B artists. He covered Tutti Frutti. But Pat Boone wouldn’t push the boundaries like Little Richard and Chuck Berry did.

Question 25

What did Little Richard help do?

Answer 25

bridge the gap between black and white audiences

Question 26

‘Long, Tall, Sally’ - Performed by who? What form?

Answer 26

by Little Richard

verse-chorus form

Question 27

Who was Fats Domino? What became his trademark? What made him reach a much wider audience? How many top 40 singles did he release on the pop charts and including which song?

Answer 27

Singer, songwriter, pianist and early rock ‘n’ roller

Gently played, repeated triplet chords (1 & uh, 2 & uh, etc.) became his trademark

Relaxed, good-humoured lyrics and manner helped him transcend to some degree the racism that cheated many black artists

37 including “Blueberry Hill” which was more than any other rock and roller except Elvis Presley and Pat Boone

Question 28

‘Blueberry Hill’ - Performed by who? What form? What approach?

Answer 28

Fats Domino

introduction of piano and AABA form with an extra bridge and A section at the end (BA)

Gentler approach of piano and the vocals matching that gentle approach

Question 29

Who was the early rock ‘n’ roller from the country side? Who was he recording songs for initially with Sun Records? Why did he have the pressure of living the lives of 2 men? How did he grow up and why was he not able to record for a wide audience? What did his parents manage to buy him?

Answer 29

Elvis Presley

his mom

because he was supposed to have a twin brother but he was stillborn

From a young age, he was singing songs and performing for audiences but he had limited means because he grew up in relative poverty

a guitar

Question 30

What job did Elvis Presley complete in terms of breaking down the boundaries? He was the first rock ‘n’ roller to do what?

Answer 30

If music of the early rock and roll musicians like the Chords, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, and Pat Boone began breaking down the boundaries between pop, country, and R&B, then Presley would complete the job

first rock and roller to attract attention from the major labels and have hits on all 3 charts simultaneously: pop, country, and R&B

Question 31

When did Elvis’ parents move to Tennessee and why did they? What did Elvis hope to become after high school? What was Sun Records and what did Elvis record there? In 1954, who realized that Elvis had potential at Sun Records? Despite this encouragement, what did Elvis continue to do?

Answer 31

They moved in 1948 because his parents were hoping for a better life searching for more economic prosperity

He hoped to become an electrician but during that time, he was still using the guitar

He recorded 2 songs for his mom at Sun Records (the local label in his hometown)

producer Sam Phillips and encouraged Elvis to work with some other local musicians and see if they can form a band and perform and record more and see where it goes

continued to drive a truck and supplement his income because being a musician wasn’t something that was within his reach, at least not yet

Question 32

When does Elvis Presley appear on the Grand Ole Opry? What happened there? Where did he also perform after this? What happened in 1955? What happened in 1956?

Answer 32

in 1954

One of the announcers told him to “stick with the truck bc this isn’t the right fit for you”

Louisiana Hayride (competitors of Grand Ole Opry) and that keeps him firmly planted in the south in Louisiana performing week after week and keeps him from traveling but gives him that secure opportunity to build his audience and no doubt cultivate his performance skills, guitar playing and singing and that skill of picking the right song that fits his voice.

Colonel Thomas Parker becomes Presley’s manager and almost immediately encourages him to drop the contract that he had with Sun and switch to RCA and so RCA Victor buys out Presely’s contract with Sun for $35,000

Presley’s first big hit single was “heartbreak hotel”

Question 33

What did Elvis Presley become?

Answer 33

Presley went on to become the biggest selling solo artist of rock ‘n’ roll and that still holds true to today

Question 34

‘Heartbreak Hotel’ - Performed by who? What form with what tradition? Why did this song become a hit? What became shocking to people? Why was the microphone his friend?

Answer 34

Elvis Presley

simple verse form with ballad tradition

because it was about the idea of how a rock ‘n’ roll performer should carry themselves and how they should perform and how they should look

the way he shook his body so much but when he was told to stop, it was like he couldn’t sing

because he used to sing so softly and that was why this song also became a hit. He sang with a lively, animated way but still a soft voice. He had so many different colors in the artist palette with just his voice

Question 35

What was Elvis Presley’s biggest hit in terms of it lasting the longest on the charts? What were the vocals like in this song? What was the rhythm in the song? What were the studio effects in 1956? Who was he joined by in this song? What did they do in the song?

Answer 35

‘Don’t be Cruel’

blues and country inflections, regional accent, “hiccupping” effect

strong backbeat (evokes R&B), repeated guitar figure (evokes western swing bands to mind)

lots of electronic reverb—an attempt by the engineers at RCA to emulate the low-tech slap-back echo sound of Presley’s Sun recordings. He was using the studio to the best of its capabilities

the Jordanaires

we can hear their very precise bops and ahs chiming in, agreeing with him, supporting him as he delivers this song

Question 36

‘Hound Dog’ - Performed by who? What year? Music and lyrics by who? She was the most popular what in the early 1950s? How does it sound? What did she grow up doing? When did Elvis Presley sing this and where?

Answer 36

Big Mama Thornton (Ruth Brown)

1953

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

most popular black female vocalist in the US

bluesy with a relaxed tempo

grew up singing in church music and you can hear that tradition coming through or that blues quality to her voice right in those opening seconds

on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 but Elvis took a different approach on this song

Question 37

Who were the most important songwriting duo in the early 1950’s? When did they write songs for all kinds of different artists? What did they want control over? What did they do to achieve this? Who did they get an offer from? What group did they write a lot of music for at Atlantic?

Answer 37

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

in the 40s, 50s, and 60s

wanted control over the recording process. They didn’t want to have to answer to another producer and a label

they formed their own label and began producing songs

from Atlantic and they ended up accepting an offer to work as independent producers at Atlantic and Atlantic was the label that Big Mama Thornton, The Chords, and Big Joe Turner had been at. At Atlantic, they were still able to control their work and have the ultimate say.

The Coasters (black, all male, vocal group)

Question 38

Who were the Coasters?

Answer 38

Atlantic’s R&B group. By the end of the 1950s, the Coasters were the most popular black roll ’n’ roll group in the US

Question 39

What are playlets? What did the topics of these include?

Answer 39

short songs that told a humorous story, sometimes modeled on Broadway and radio plays and were written by Leiber and Stoller. The songs were storytelling songs or playlets because part of the coasters act was sometimes enacting things to a certain degree while they were performing

1. teen life
2. Experiences of blacks and other minorities

Question 40

Listen to:

Answer 40

‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’ by Big Joe Turner
‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’ by Bill Haley and His Comets
‘Sh-boom’ by The Chords
‘Sh-Boom’ by The Crew Cuts
‘Johnny B. Goode’
‘Maybellene’
‘Memphis’
‘Tutti Frutti’
‘Long Tall Sally’
‘Blueberry Hill’
‘Heartbreak Hotel’
‘Don’t Be Cruel’
‘Hound Dog’
‘What About Us’