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Popular Music 1950s: The Emergence of Rock n Roll

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Day 2 Background on life in the 1950s What is the music industry today? Independent Labels regional Major Labels RCA, CBS, Decca, & Capital Records Marketing Categories: Regional vs. National Development of the lightweight unbreakable 45 rpm record Top 40 Radio was created

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Day 3: Sounds of the Cities First stop New Orleans Cosimo Matassa (J&M Studio) Antoine Fats Domino Little Richard

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Fats Domino Piano Charted 36 Top 40 pop hits Transcended racism Had an elegant gentleman persona

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Little Richard Originally from Macon, GA Contract bought out for $600 Went to New Orleans to record at J&M Studio Most outrageous rocker First to use mascara

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Next stop Los Angeles Johnny Otis Bobby Day The Champs Ritchie Valens

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Johnny Otis First to make successful transition from jazz to rock n roll Big hit was Willie and the Hand Jive Catalyst for African American culture and talent

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Bobby Day Rockin Robin

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The Champs Drew on Mexican rhythms Tequila

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Ritchie Valens First Chicano rock n roll star Died 3 months before his 18 th birthday in plane crash with Buddy Holly & Big Bopper (February 3, 1959) Known as the day the music died La Bamba

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Day 4: Sounds of the Cities Moving on to Chicago Chess Records Bo Diddley Chuck Berry Vee Jay Records AndCincinnati King Records

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Bo Diddley First instrument was the violin Usually performed in all black with a black Stetson hat Known for shave and a haircut diddy Performed with oddly shaped guitars

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Chuck Berry King of Rock n Roll?? Was told he sounded too country for a black man Songs were too socially relevant for many people Could relate to a white teen culture R&Rs first guitar hero

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Cincinnati King Records Crossroads for blues and country music Encouraged c&w artists and r&b artists to record each others songs

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Day 5: The Gospel Connection R & B artists did not perform in church. Gospel singers were expected to steer clear of devils music. The Dominoes

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Ray Charles The Genius Blinded by glaucoma as a child Did not see a contradiction between gospel and r&b 58-year career, won 12 Grammy Awards He virtually created the gospel blues style

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Day 6: Doo Wop The Intersection of Gospel, Jazz & Pop Doo Wop was the product of urban vocal harmony groups, mostly African American and almost invariably male. Influenced by gospel, jazz, pop, and blues styles. Group Names (bird groups and car groups) The Ravens

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One Hit Wonders New York City was the center for doo wop. The Clovers Love Potion No. 9

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The Coasters Major hit makers from 1950-1961 Yakety Yak Charlie Brown Poison Ivy The Drifters

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Race in Doo Wop Groups Italian Americans Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers Johnny Maestro and the Crests Dion and the Belmonts The Dell Vikings

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Gender Balance Only a few groups had females All-female groups were even fewertheir songs defined male-female relationships Doo Wop ended in 1961 Those Oldies But Goodies Little Caesar and the Romans

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Day 7: Rockabilly (The Country Strain) Sam Phillips Started the Memphis Recording Service in 1950 Cost $2 per side Founded Sun Records in Memphis, TN in 1953 Wanted to filter the African American style through white performers, making it more accessible to the mainstream audience Bill Haley & His Comets Balding and looked somewhat middle-aged Rock Around the Clock sold 17 million copies

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Elvis Presley Born to poor, white Mississippi parents on January 8, 1935 At Sun Records he recorded 10 sides (each of the 5 records had a r&b song backed with a c&w song) Contract sold to RCA-Victor for $35,000 Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, & Dont Be Cruel Was not a songwriter Elvis the Pelvis Joined the Army from 1958-1960 Charted 149 Top 40 hits and 92 albums on the charts Also starred in movies

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Carl Perkins The son of poor, white southern parents Blue Suede Shoes Said, Rockabilly is a country mans song with a black mans rhythm. Career ended after he was nearly killed in a car crash. In 1964, the Beatles invited him to a recording session where they recorded 3 of his songs. Day 8: Rockabilly continued

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Jerry Lee Lewis Known for his boogie- powered pumping piano Had blonde, curly hair Turned out three Top 10 pop hits in a row for Sun Records, Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On, Great Balls of Fire, and Breathless

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Johnny Cash Started at Sun Records in 1955 After a few country hits, I Walk the Line became a Top 20 pop hit in 1956 Switched to Columbia Records in 1958 Career included gold and platinum records, films, and his own TV show Died in 2003 from complications from diabetes

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The Million Dollar Quartet Elvis Presley Jerry Lee Lewis Johnny Cash Carl Perkins

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Buddy Holly Enjoyed greater success in Great Britain than in US Was a Texas-born rockabilly who reached the pop audience Signed to Decca Records in 1955, wore coke-bottle glasses The Crickets Thatll Be the Day in 1957 Never had a country hit Died in plane crash Day 9: Rockabilly continued

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The Reaction to Rock n Roll The Eisenhower Era Dwight D. Eisenhower was conservative, old- fashioned, bland, polite, and conventional Only bland music was released Family Life in the 1950s Teenagers rebelled Rock n Roll represented everything that white, middle-class parents feared (the devils music, NAACP strategy for recruiting young whites, or a communist plot to undermine the moral fiber of the younger generation)

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Day 10: The Established Powers Fight Back Revenues from record sales climbed from $213 million in 1954 to $603 million in 1959 The pop market, and music industry, tripled during the 1950s Rock n Roll was here to stay War on Rock Established powers of the music industry joined forces with the US Government in an attempt to suppress the music ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers

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Covering the Bases Cover records not only altered the style of the music but also the lyrics Were released during the expected chart life of the original Often outsold the original How could cover records be beneficial? Pat Boone Built his career sanitizing the classics This kept him from being inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

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Pop Diversions U.S. Calypso RCA and Columbia records led the push Harry Belafonte Banana Boat, established the tone and content of the style Popular Folk Music Kingston Trio Clean-cut image, brightly colored matching shirts, and upscale college humor (white). Signed to Capital Records in 1957, released 18 albums that made the Top 20

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Schlock Rock Philadelphia was the major hub 3 Independent Labels: Chancellor, Cameo/Parkway, and Swan Transformed local teenagers into teen idols Focused on image, not talent (boy-next-door)

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Day 11: Schlock Rock continued Italian American artists Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Freddy Cannon, Bobby Darin, Annette Funicello Felt compelled to Anglicize their names Chubby Checker African American superstar The Twist was the first dance craze Original name was Ernest Evans

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American Bandstand TV Show that began in 1952 as a local Philadelphia broadcast on an ABC affiliate Dick Clark took over the show in 1956 and was known as the perpetual teenager In the early years, only white performers appeared on the show Promoted rock n roll via TV

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Televisions Greatest Hits Mickey Mouse Club Launched Annette Funicellos R&R career Started the mouseketeer craze The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Starred Ricky Nelson A Teenagers Romance went to #2

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Songwriters Paul Anka Diana Neil Sedaka Calendar Girl Brill Building (1619 Broadway, NYC)

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Day 14: The Official Attack on Rock n Roll By the mid 1950s, R&R had become the focal point for all of societys fears of violence, juvenile delinquency, and general moral decline. R&R brought styles of music that were considered class- and race-specific into the mainstream. Religious organizations supplied lists of inappropriate records. Towns set up review boards to screen new releases. Police confiscated offensive records and jukeboxes. Payola paying for play Payola Hearings

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Surfs Up! Surf music emerged in the early 1960s. Vocal and Instrumental varieties Only lasted from 1962-1964 Made R&R white and middle class. Surfing = easy going lifestyle British Invasion wiped out the genre

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Surf Groups Surfaris Wipe Out (only instruments) Guitar-Based Groups Duane Eddy and the Rebels The Ventures Established the instrumentation of the classic R&R quartet electric guitar, rhythm, bass guitar, & drums

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The Beach Boys Defined Surf Music A Family Affair Wrote songs that elevated the sport to a metaphor for the American Dream Surfin USA Signed with Capital Records in 1962 Brian Wilson was the groups main song writer, arranger, and producer