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Rock Music Style
The Country Roots of Rock Music
Origins of Country Music
• From British immigrants settled in the Southern and Appalachian rural regions the tradition of old-time folk music was born, mixing various music traditions from the British Isles, religious music and African-American music.
• Fiddlin’ John Carson from Georgia was one of the first old-time music player whose performance was recorded.
Origins of Country Music• Dance music was pl
ayed with fiddles (violins) and rhythm instruments.
• Songs are accompanied by a fiddle, a piano, harmonica, guitar or unaccompanied.
• West Virginia Fiddler, Edden Hammons accompanied by his son, James, on banjo.
Origins of Country Music
• African-Americans developed banjo and it was adapted by white Americans by the time of the Civil War.
Origins of Country Music
• Dock Boggs (1898-1971) - an influential singer, song writer and banjo player, mixing old-time Appalachian music and blues.
Origins of Country Music
• After the old-time music was broadcast on the radio and recording technology was developed, the folk-music from the Southern regions became to be called ‘hillbilly.’
Origins of Country Music
• Bluegrass - a form of American folk music, whose characteristics is to have from four to seven musicians, inc. rhythm section of guitar and string bass.
• Bill Monroe (1911-1996) ‘Blue Moon in Kentucky’
Origins of Country Music
• Honky-tonk - a bar with entertainment music. As its atmosphere is boisterous, it needed louder, heavier, and stronger music. Honky-tonk emphasizes rhythm more than melody and harmony, with a strong beat and boogie-woogie patterns.
• Hank Williams, “Honky-tonk Blues”
From Country to Rock’n Roll
• White musicians began to cover blues and R&B recordings, while blues and R&B musicians started covering country music.
• The styles are combined in various ways and rock’n roll was born.
From Country to Rock’n Roll• Bill Haley (1925-81)
was one of the first rock’n roll musician. Coming from Michigan, he was first country singer and guitarist. In 1951, his group, the Saddlemen, covered and recorded ‘Rocket 88’.
From Country to Rock’n Roll
• Bill Haley’s coverage was a bigger hit but many listeners sought out Joe Turner’s music. Turner’s songs are full of sexual references and his lyrics were incompletely cleaned up by white musicians who covered them.
From Country to Rock’n Roll• The record sale was not good.• Discovery: his white audience’s enthusiastic r
esponse during live performances. • Next year, began playing rock’n roll changing
their name into Bill Haley and His Comets. • Their cover of Big Joe Turner’s ‘Shake, Rattle
and Roll’ in 1954 - the worldwide hit. • Their most famous was ‘Rock around the Clo
ck’ though it was unsccessful at its launch.
From Country to Rock’n Roll• (Big) Joe Turner (1911-
85) - a jazz and blues singer and also known as ‘shouter’.
• His hit songs include ‘Chains of Love’ and ‘Sweet Sixteen’ but when Bill Haley and His Comets’ coverage of his ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ enhanced his career.
Rockabilly
• Sam Phillips and Sun Record
• Founded his record company at the age of 21 and recorded blues as he liked African-American music.
• By 1951 he founded Sun Record Company.
Rockabilly
• Sun Studio in Memphis where Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins made their first recordings.
Rockabilly• Sam Phillips’ recognition:
despite the rising interest in blues and R&B among the white Americans, they tended to buy more often the records of white musicians; sanitized versions.
• He let white American musicians record African-American music.
• Discovery of Elvis Presley• Formation of rockabilly (rock + hillbilly)
Rockabilly
• The earliest form of rock’n roll.• Combination of blues/ R&B and hillbilly.• General tendencies:
- Strong rhythm like blues and R&B- Loose twelve-bar structure like blues - Back beat- Tempo is generally faster than blues and R&B- Voice is softer, higher and smoother
Elvis Presley• Elvis Presley (1935-7
7) is singer and actor - “King of Rock’n Roll: or the King.
• Began his career as rockabilly musician.
• His characteristic rendition of existing songs mixing white and black sounds.
Elvis Presley
• Sun Records to RCA• In RCA Presley’s mus
ic refined with better recording technology and arrangement: doo-wop-style vocal backings and fine piano accompaniment.
• ‘Blue Suede Shoes’
Elvis Presley• Television Age• Presley appeared on T
V and excited the teenagers with twisting dance and seductive gaze and voice; scandalized the older generation with them.
• ‘Heartbreak Hotel’‘I Want You, I Need You’Hound Dog
Elvis Presley• ‘Hound Dog’ by Willie Mae
‘Big Mama’ Thornton- The lyrics were sung by a woman to a man who has cheated on her.- Classic blues style
• ‘Hound Dog by Elvis Presley– The lyrics were sung by a man to a woman who has less value than a hound d
og.– More smooth urban blues
Elvis Presley
• His Rock’n Roll career was cut short when he was drafted for two years.
• His greatest strength was his silky voice, sensual good look and musical versatility.
• Returning to civilian life, his music became less provocative and Rock’n Roll type.
• Various types of music from rock to smooth, pop like love songs.
Rock’n Rollers• Carl Perkins (1932-1
998) a rockabilly musician and rock’n roller.
• Successor to Elvis Presley though he wrote his own music.
• The car accident damaged his career.
• The composer of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’
Rock’n Rollers • Jerry Lee Lewis (1935 • Rock’n Roll singer, song
writer and pianist.• Truly virtuoso piano play
ing, for which he was nicknamed ‘the killer’.
• He did not sanitize lyrics, when he covered African American music
• ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ on’
Critical Thinking Questions
• What sort of decade was the 1950s, particularly in America.
• How was Rock’n Roll connected to this decade?- Culture, trends, economy, other media
- What were the music and images of Rock’n Roll musicians?
Critical Thinking Questions
• Rebelliousness• Can you find any equivalence to Rock’n
Rollers today?• What gender, class and racial issues do
you find in Rock’n Roll music?
