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America’s Musical Landscape�8th edition

Part 4:

Vernacular Musics Since Rock and Roll

Chapter 13: Rock and Roll

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Part 4: Vernacular Musics Since Rock and Roll, 1

With the coming of rock and roll, American popular music diversified as never before

Pop and country-western struggled to hold their own

In time, various styles found audiences and vied for popularity with rock and within their own ranks

Disco, new wave, gospel, rap, jazz, and more

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Vsernacular Art

The beat generation of the 1950s

Term coined by Jack Kerouac

Originally involving his talented friends who provided some of the twentieth century’s most inspired poetry and prose

Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, friends and colleagues stood for nonconformity

Concept was in vogue in Europe

At the same time, performers shared a similar spirit to the literary Beats

James Dean, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley

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Vernacular Art: Visual Arts

Visual arts found new means of expression and established new artistic ideals

Pop artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Puzzled and intrigued his contemporaries

Made revolutionary silk-screen prints
His “serial” paintings featured multiple repetitions of an image; often common objects in American pop culture

Movie stars, advertising logos, political figures, more

Identified with some vernacular musicians of his day

1965: Proto-punk rock group Velvet Underground accompanied the showing of one of Warhol’s artworks

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Vernacular Music

During the twentieth century, popular or vernacular music became significant culturally and an important business

Recent decades have produced an unprecedented variety of popular music

Grunge, hip-hop, alternative rock, new-school country, teenybop, Latin pop, rave, more

All of these styles have not replaced but rather joined the ranks of rhythm and blues, classic rock, light pop, and other music of our popular culture

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Vernacular Music: The 1990s and Early Twenty-first Century

1990s: one of pop’s most experimental periods

Technological advances brought down recording costs
Computerized inventories allowed record stores to carry more stock

Early 21st century

Downloading of music changed the nature of the pop marketplace

Challenged major labels to find new ways to make money in the post-CD era

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Vernacular Music Today

Pop music remains in a prodigiously productive period

Richer than any earlier time

As rich or richer than other contemporary culture in variety, quantity, and quality

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Chapter 13: Rock and Roll�The Generation Gap

Independence and rebellion among American youth

Gap in communication between adolescents and their parents

Shift in popular music; interest moved from instrumental music to song

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Rhythm and Blues, 1

Shared elements of Black Gospel Music including hand-clapping, call and response vocals, melodic improvisation

1949: Billboard Magazine referred to black popular music as “rhythm and blues”

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Rhythm and Blues, 2

Shared elements of Black Gospel Music including hand-clapping, call and response vocals, melodic improvisation

1949: Billboard Magazine referred to black popular music as “rhythm and blues”

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Rhythm and Blues, 3

Key Figures:

Joe Turner “Boss of the Blues” (1911-1985)
Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton (1926-1984)

Doo-Wop

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Country Music Meets R & B

Shared Characteristics:

Rooted in the South
Danceable
Featuring guitar
Frank or provocative lyrics
Sung in dialects different from those of white urban populations

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Birth of Rock and Roll

Music industry was convinced that white listeners would reject the raucous sound; rhythm-and-blues was not generally programmed on mainsteam radio

Alan Freed: Disc jockey in Cleveland, Ohio who realized that white teens preferred R&B to mainstream popular music

credited with coining the term “rock and roll”

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Bill Haley (1925-1981)

Bill Haley and His Comets (1925-1981)

Combined white western swing with black rhythm and blues
Rock Around the Clock was the first international rock and roll hit

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Elvis Presley (1935-1977)

Rockabilly: term is a hybrid of rock and hillbilly

Achieved an unprecedented degree of popularity

Elvis - “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)

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Early Characteristics of �Rock and Roll

Accompanying instruments included amplified guitars, saxophone, trumpet

Quadruple meter

Danceable tempo

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Chuck Berry (b. 1926)

One of the most talented of the early black stars of rock and roll

Fused rhythm-and-blues with country-western elements

Songwriter, guitarist, singer and dynamic performer

Known for his “duckwalk” stage move
Strongly influenced the Beatles and the Rolling Stones

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End of the First Era, 1

Elvis was drafted into the army

Little Richard left R & R for some time

Buddy Holly died in a plane crash

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End of the First Era, 2

Chuck Berry was arrested

Jerry Lee Lewis was the focus of a scandal

Payola investigations (1959-60) revealed evidence of artists and record labels bribing disc jockeys

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Listening Example 53

School Day

by Chuck Berry

Listening guide page 235

Meter: Quadruple. Notice how uneven subdivisions of the strongly accented beats result in a “shuffle” effect
Timbre: Male vocal solo (Chuck Berry), accompanying himself on guitar, with piano and drums
Texture: Homophonic. Listen for the call-and-response between Berry and his guitar.

The lyrics to this catchy song describe a day in the life of a 1950s high school student.

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Surfing Music

Surfing songs described relaxed life in California

Brian Wilson (b. 1942) formed the Beach Boys in the 1960s

Pet Sounds: Influential themed album
Good Vibrations: a best-selling single featuring sounds non-traditional in rock music

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Motown

Formed by black songwriter, Berry Gordy Jr.; marketed Black rock and roll

Established in Detroit; “motor town”

Motown groups included

Diana Ross and The Supremes
The Temptations
The Miracles

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Listening Example 54

Stop! In the Name of Love

by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier,

and Eddie Holland

Performed by The Supremes

Listening guide page 238

Meter: Quadruple. Notice the constant steady pulse, no sophisticated cross-rhythms or polyrhythms
Form: Modified verse-chorus. The chorus, or refrain, serves as the “hook,” a catchy four-measure phrase that begins the song and recurs after each verse

This recording features the Supremes (female vocal trio) accompanied by the Funk Brothers backup band. The song is said to have had its origin in a real-life dispute between one of the songwriters and his girlfriend.

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The British Invasion

The Beatles were formed in Liverpool, England by John Lennon

Other members: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

Seminal 1964 performance on Ed Sullivan Show in the USA

Song I Want to Hold Your Hand led to Beatlemania

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Back to Black Rock: Gospel

Also called “religious blues”

Descends from spirituals created in slave cultures

Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993): “Father of Gospel Music”

Ray Charles fused gospel, blues, and country styles

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Listening Example 55

Down by the Riverside

Anonymous

Performed by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Listening guide page 241

Meter: Quadruple.
Timbre: Solo voice and guitar (both Tharpe), male chorus, piano, bass
Texture: Homophonic.

A traditional spiritual or gospel song performed by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who was known for her fiery R&B guitar playing as well as haer gospel singing.

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Back to Black Rock: Soul

Some black artists resented the essentially “white” flavor of Motown

Created a kind of updated rhythm and blues

“Soul” was a post-1950s term that represented black pride; updated the term “rhythm and blues”

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Soul, 1

Blended secular lyrics and gospel energy

Aretha Franklin, known as “Lady Soul” and “Queen of Soul,” imported her emotional church-derived style into popular and rhythm-and-blues songs

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Soul, 2

Ray Charles (1930-2004): the “Father of Soul”; sang secular songs with the abandon of gospel music

Used call-and-response to involve the audience

James Brown (1933-2007): the “Godfather of Soul”; pointed soul in a fiery new direction

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Listening Example 56

Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag

Composed and performed by James Brown

Listening guide page 244

Meter: Quadruple. Overlapping independent rhythm patterns (polyrhythms) add timbral and rhythmic interest
Timbre: Vocalist James Brown accompanied by bass, horns, drums, and guitar.
Form: 12-bar blues, with adaptation. The second line of text in each verse is original, departing from the traditional form.

The emphasis on African-influenced polyrhythms more than melody move this soul song in the direction of funk.

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Back to Black Rock: Funk

New expression of black consciousness

Rooted in soul

Interracial issues often addressed lyrics

Highly complex rhythms

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From Rock and Roll to Rock

Racial tensions, race riots, and the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed the mood and the music of the country

Popular music reflected the mood of protest

Discussed discrimination, authoritarianism, the war in Vietnam

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From Rock and Roll to Rock: Psychedelic Rock, 1

Also called “acid rock” after the psychedelic drug LSD

Began in San Francisco in 1965

Attempted to emulate the effects of LSD

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From Rock and Roll to Rock: Psychedelic Rock, 2

Music was often loud and distorted

Caused emotional effects in the listener

Shows featured special effects: dramatic lighting, smoke, fog machines

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From Rock and Roll to Rock: Psychedelic Blues

Janis Joplin (1943-1970)

White singer inspired by Bessie Smith and Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton

Jim Hendrix (1942-1970)

Sang of despair and frustration, anger and violence
Developed astounding new guitar techniques

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From Rock and Roll to Rock: Heavy Metal

Sound of the late 1960s was inspired by Led Zeppelin

Frenzied performances and distorted guitar sounds

Theatrics dominated rock performances (see Alice Cooper)

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A Future Unassured

Major rock festivals were held across the country

In August 1969, the Woodstock festival was attended by more than 400,000 people
Some festivals resulted in violence and tragedy

Rock music had grown popular and was richly varied, but its future seemed insecure as the 1970s began

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