Rock n’ RollRock n’ Roll
1.1.Elements of Elements of Rock and RollRock and Roll
2.2.Roots of Rock Roots of Rock and Rolland Roll
Rock and Roll is the combination of all the other styles of music we have learned about!
Without jazz, the blues, even R&B, Rock and Roll would have never formed!
Now that we have talked about all the other genres of music, we can dive into this extremely important genre!
Why do you think I saved Rock and
Roll last?
Cultural Influences
1. Western European 1. Melody: major/minor scales2. Modes– what are these….?3. Harmony
2. African American1. Melody: blues notes2. Rhythm: riffs, syncopation…what is
this?
Instrumentation• Electrically Amplified Instruments:
• Electric guitar• Electric bass• Microphones• Synthesizers• Electronic drums• Electronic effects
• Acoustically Amplified Instruments:• Acoustic guitar• Drum set• Piano• Traditional string and woodwind instruments
Lyrics• They are poetry set to music• This is what you will find in a typical rock song:
• Rhymes• Metaphors• Clichés• The “Hook”• Word paintings
• Common themes:• Sex• Drugs• Boy-girl themes• Protest songs
The Roots
Rock & Roll Becomes Mainstream in 1956• Top musicians in 1955:
• Perry Como, Dean Martin, & Frank Sinatra • Top musicians in 1956:
• Elvis Presley, Little Richard, & Chuck Berry
Think back to the very beginning…
How do you think rock developed? How
did it come into being?
Spirituals (1700s)• Songs sung by enslaved Africans living in America • Purposes:
• Spiritual expression of their struggles • Keep everyone working at the same pace
• Style: Combination of African and Western European Religions • Bible stories that expressed hope • Call & Response
Early Blues (1870s)• Roots in the Rural South • Secular equivalent of spirituals
• Call & Response • Shouts & moans (improvisation) • Church music “prays to God while the blues prays to what’s
human” • Purpose
• Response to Jim Crow laws, KKK, etc. • Self expression • A way to means to rid yourself of the “blues”
Review of the Blues• How many verses are there in a blues song?• What’s the form?
• Lyrics often tells a story • First two phrases (AA)
• often identical & expresses the feelings of the singer
• Third phrase explains “why” • Intent was to make the listener (& the singer) feel better
Ragtime (1890)• Style
• Played on a piano to imitate the sound of a banjo • Right hand: Fast, lively, syncopated melody • It’s here where jazz and rock ‘n roll split
Anyone remember the composer of this piece??
Ragtime Piano : SCOTT JOPLIN . " The Entertainer " (1902) - YouTube
Also…• Mississippi Delta Blues (1910)
• Gritty • Often accompanied by “bottleneck guitar” & harmonica
• Boogie Woogie (1920)• Roots in Kansas City • Evolution of Early Blues & Mississippi Delta Blues • Fast, Dance Music • Often played by a piano
Sweet Home Chicago [Remastered] ROBERT JOHNSON (1936) Delta Blues Guitar Legend - YouTube
Bluegrass (1920)• Roots
• Southern Appalachia • Anglo-Celtic folk ballads & fiddle tunes
• Style • Acoustic String Instrumentation • Distinct vocal harmonies
Tribute to Bill Monroe Jerusalem Ridge - YouTube
What things were going on to help rock emerge?• 1929-40
• Great Depression • Thousands from the south move to Chicago, looking for work
• 1936: Gibson manufactures 1st electric guitar • Hollow body & crudely made • Not technologically feasible to mass produce
• 1939-45: World War I • Wireless technology improves even more
Swing (1930)• Blend of:
• The Blues • Popular European-American Music
• Style • Dance Music • Also called Big Band
"SING, SING, SING" BY BENNY GOODMAN - YouTube
American Folk (1930)• Style
• Music of the common man • Songs that tell a story
• Folk Music of the Great Depression • Protest
Honky Tonk• Style
• Slang word for saloon • Blend of bluegrass, blues
• 12-bar blues form • Acoustic string instruments
• “Good ol’ Boy” songs (dancing, drinking, gambling, loving and then losing the one you love, etc.)
Post WWII Popular Music• Style
• “Safe” music, nothing to do with WWII • No suggestive lyrics • Crooning: To sing in a subdued tone and reflective or sentimental
style
Doo Wop and Doo Wop and RockabillyRockabilly
1950s• Families worked & played together
• Disneyland • Strong Gender Roles
• Barbie for girls • Davy Crockett for boys
• Social:• Strong conservatism and anticommunist feeling
Doo Wop• Origins
• Urban east coast • African-American teenage boys • Goal: Impress girls
• Style• 4-6 singers; wide range of voices• Nonsense syllables• Simple Beat and Light Instrumentation • Simple Music and Lyrics
The Platters - Great Pretender, Only You (live) - YouTube
Abandon African-American Artists•Not profitable •Naïve to African-American tastes •Racial bias
Rockabilly
• Combination of • Rhythm & Blues • Gospel • Country • Bluegrass
• 12-bar blues progression • Electric Guitar
Rockabilly Artists
• Bill Haley & The Comets • Buddy Holly• Chuck Berry• Johnny Cash• Elvis Presley• Jerry Lee Lewis• Little Richard
Bill Haley - Rock Around The Clock - YouTube
Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode live - YouTube
Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue - YouTube
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire - YouTube
little richard good golly miss molly - YouTube
Elvis, Buddy, Elvis, Buddy, and the Death of and the Death of Rock and RollRock and Roll
The artist generally known as the “King of
Rock and Roll” is:
Elvis Presley
Elvis: Early Days• Born to a poor family in Mississippi • Moved to Memphis when he was a teenager • Surrounded by the four rock influences
• Gospel • R & B • Country • Bluegrass
Timeline• 1953
• Recorded his first record as a birthday present to his mother at Sun Studios (in Memphis)
• 1954• Creates songs like “Blue Suede Shoes”
Timeline• 1955
• Phillips sells Elvis’ contract to RCA for $35,000 • Rock & Roll is officially born in 1956 • TV appearances (shaking his hips)• Creates song such as “Hound Dog”
• 1958-1960• Elvis served in the US army
• 1977• Died from a drug overdose
Elvis Presley Milton Berle Show 5 Jun 1956: Hound Dog - YouTube
Fun Fact: TV station only filmed Elvis from the waist up because, during that time, they thought his dance moves
were too suggestive
Today people still visit his home, Graceland, in Memphis, TN
Buddy Holly• 1953
• Opened for Bill Haley & the Comets • Signed Record deal with Decca Records (Nashville)
• 1955• Wrote and arranged his own songs• Created his own style
• 1957• 1st Caucasian to perform at The Apollo Theatre
Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue [Very Good quality] - YouTube
1959• Died in Plane Crash in Clear Water, IA on February 3, 1959• Don McLean’s “American Pie” Immortalized Holly
Don McLean - American Pie better quality - YouTube
The Death of Rock and Roll• Holly Plane Crash in 1959• The death of other famous
rock artists• Little Richard:
• 1957 tour in Australia sees Sputnik overhead
• Thought it was a sign from God & went into the seminary
• Jerry Lee Lewis marries his 13 year-old cousin with divorcing his former wife (1957)
• Elvis is drafted into the army (1957)
• Chuck Berry is convicted of the Mann Act (1960)• Transported a 14-year-old girl across
state lines for allegedly "immoral purposes.
Surf, Louie Surf, Louie Louie, and SoulLouie, and Soul
Surf Music• Many surfing films being made during the post-WWII era
(1960s). Surfing was all the rage
• Surfer Culture• Middle-Class White Teenagers • Based on images of affluence and consumption • The Surfer look & language
Musical Style• Served as a bridge to the psychedelic style in the late 1960s • Falsetto: an unnaturally or artificially high-pitched voice or
register, especially in a man
• Lyrics:• Surfing• Fast cars• Girls
• The Original Surfer artist: Dick Dale and the Del-Tones
The Beach Boys• The band's early music gained popularity across the United
States for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance
• Quintessential surfer music• Known as one of the greatest bands of all time
Louie Louie
• Composed by Richard Berry • 1963: Two Seattle based Surf Bands
record Louie Louie simultaneously • Both claimed that they were the
first/original people to write the song• Public opinion declares The Kingsmen
winners
Controversy• The Kingsmen’s recording was made in a garage & the quality
of the recording was poor • The words were difficult to understand • Urban legend: “There are obscene words in Louie Louie” • 1964: Indiana bans the playing of Louie Louie on local radio
stations • FBI investigates • The Kingsmen testify before congress
Legacy• Almost became the state song of Washington and presently is
the state rock song • Over 1600 recorded versions of Louie Louie
Soul• Soul music was enabled by the commercial boom of "race"
music • Soul music was also, indirectly, helped by rock music, precisely
because rock music made white pop music sound so outdated
• Soul music became more than party music for young blacks: it became a rallying flag for the black nationalist movement
• Soul music was born thanks to the innovations of a generation of post-war musicians who, essentially, turned gospel music into a secular form of art.
Soul Artists• East Coast
• Chubby Checker: The Twist• Sam Cooke: Twistin’ the Night Away• Isley Brothers: Twist and Shout• Aretha Franklin: Respect• James Brown: I Feel Good
• Memphis• Otis Redding• Booker T. and the MGs
The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Best Selling Band in the The Best Selling Band in the History of Popular MusicHistory of Popular Music
The Quarry Men (1956 - 1958)• Before they were the Beatles, they were the Quarry Men• Lennon meets Paul McCartney after a Quarry Men's
appearance. Lennon asks McCartney to join the group a couple of weeks later.
• George Harrison joins the Quarry Men after being introduced to Lennon by Harrison’s school friend McCartney
• Later they change their name to Johnny and the Moondogs in 1959
• Again, they changed their name to “The Silver Beatles” in 1960. The name was inspired by the Buddy Holly’s group the Crickets
Examples
THE QUARRY MEN THE SILVER BEATLES
“Beatlemania” in the U.K. 1962 - 1963• Abbey Road Studios offers The Beatles a contract if they
replace original drummer Pete Best • Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) becomes the group’s drummer • Begin touring England , television & radio appearances
• “Please Please Me”• #1 song on British charts for 30 weeks • The Beatle’s 1st popular song• Prototype British Invasion single
• Infectious melody • “Yeah Yeah” lyrics • Charging guitars • Tight harmonies
“Beatlemania” in the US 1964 - 1965• When Capitol Records released the song “I Want to Hold Your
Hand,” Americans went wild for the Beatles• 3,000 screaming fans greet them when they came to America• The Beatles were around at the perfect time: American
public was emerging from the Kennedy assassination--The Beatles' music was happy-go-lucky
• The Beatles were intelligent but fun; they were talented rock and rollers, but non-threatening
• Feb 1964, Beatles perform of the Ed Sullivan Show • 73 million viewers watch the show
The full effects of Beatlemania erupt by 1965• “Beatlemania”: a term used during the 1960s to describe the
intense fan frenzy particularly demonstrated by young teen girls directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success
• Mobs at airports, hotels and concert engulf them • Girls hide in air-conditioning shafts to see them • Fans are injured in the mad rush of the crowds • Kids fall from overhead beams, balcony rails, and elevated
walkways • Fans climb onto the wings of the Beatles airplane • The Beatles often escaped in armored trucks
Example of “Beatlemania”• This is a good example of how just one band can affect society
as a whole
Their Music• 23 songs in the American Top 100 • Lennon-McCartney collaborations • Upbeat rock and roll tunes • Easy to listen to, easy to dance to, and easy to enjoy
British Invasion!• Because of the Beatles having such great success in America, a
flood of other British bands started playing their music in the US
• Examples:• Rolling Stones- Satisfaction• Donovan- Mellow Yellow• The Turtles- Happy Together
Middle Style Period 1965 – 1966• Changes…• Lennon in an interview says that the Beatles are “more
popular than Jesus Christ “• No reaction in the U.K. • Negative reaction in the US
• Their music was getting too difficult to duplicate in a live performance, so they do their last performance in CA in 1966
• Lyrics:• Non-traditional themes• Double meanings: drug oriented
Instruments• Not rooted in rock & roll • Lennon discovers the music of Bob Dylan • Harrison discovers the sitar • All hear the new folk rock of America • Orchestral instruments
• Music:• Eleanor Rigby• Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds • Penny Lane• Yellow Submarine
Mature Style Period1967 – 1970• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band= 1st “concept” album
• Hugh success both critically and commercially• Definition of concept album: an album that is "unified by a
theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical"
• 1968: Beatles go India to study transcendental meditation with the Maharishi
• Later albums: John and Paul start moving in opposite directions and quarreling between the band mates begin
• The Beatles officially break up in 1970• After the break up, each member went on to do their own
solo work
India
Their Last Songs• All You Need is Love • Come Together • Helter Skelter • Hey Jude • Let It Be • Long & Winding Road • Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
Death of John Lennon• Assassinated outside the Dakota Hotel in 1980• Mark Chapman, an obsessive Beatles fan, shot him outside the
doorway of the hotel• The doorman of the hotel shouted at Chapman, "Do you know
what you've done?", to which Chapman calmly replied, "Yes, I just shot John Lennon."
• Police officers reported that Chapman had dropped the revolver to the ground, and was holding a paperback book, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman had scribbled a message on the book's inside front cover: "To Holden Caulfield. From Holden Caulfield. This is my statement." He would later claim that his life mirrored that of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the book.
What happened on the day John Lennon died
The Other Members• George Harrison: died in 1997 of throat cancer• Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr: still alive today and making
music! Paul McCartney was recently on tour
Popularity • They had a cartoon created about them in the 60s• They had an animated movie done • They had a television film done• Today in Las Vegas, Cirque De Soliel created a show using all
of the Beatles music• MUCH MUCH MORE
Why are the Beatles so Important?• They led the British invasion in the United States that would
change music forever• They are one of the greatest rock band s of all time and will
always be• Many years later, their music is still popular and continuing to
change peoples lives• The lyrics that John and Paul wrote will always remain some of
the most heart-felt, insightful, inspiring lyrics ever• The Beatles inspired other artists and continue to do so today• They made an impact on pop culture• They changed the perceptions of rock music
The 1960sThe 1960s
1.1.Early to Mid Early to Mid 60s60s
2.2.FolkFolk
What was going on in the 60s• Things were becoming more modern in the 1960s• Pop Art: Andy Warhol• Fashion: long hair, beards, bell-bottom jeans, afros
• All about self-expression• The 1950s were dominated by Republicans but in the 60s, it
was all about the Democrats
• Historical events:• JFK assassinated• MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech• Moon landing• Woodstock
Folk Music and Folk Rock• By the end of the decade
• Disillusionment • Violence & Anti-social behavior • Drugs
• Split between the "folkies" and the "rockers" : Folk lovers thought rock was mindless and commercial
• Example of popular folk artists in early 60s:• Peter Paul and Mary
Bob Dylan• Besides the Beatles, one of the most influential artists OF ALL TIME• Born as Robert Zimmerman• 1959
• Patterns himself after Woody Guthrie • Performs coffeehouses and small clubs
• His 2 goals in 1960• Become part of the Greenwich Village folk scene • Meet Woody Guthrie
• Dylan’s style:• Traditional Folk Style • Writes, sings, and arranges his own songs
• Guitar & Harmonica
Music• Thought-provoking messages , symbolism, sarcasm, dry wit • Music: The Times They Are A’ Changin’, Blowin’ in the Wind
Example
1965: Dylan Goes Electric• Starts to incorporate elements of Rock in his music
• Drum set • Bass Guitar • Electric Guitar
• Newport Folk Festival • Dylan was booed off the stage
• Music• Like A Rolling Stone- changed music forever
Newport Folk Festival• This is what happened
Other Folk Artists• Joan Baez• Sonny and Cher• Buffalo Springfield• Donovan
The Late 1960sThe Late 1960s
1.1.PsychedelicPsychedelic2.2.San FranciscoSan Francisco
Late 1960s• Counterculture: A way of life and set of attitudes opposed to
the prevailing social norm • Teens were disillusioned
• Assassinations• Vietnam War• Establishment
• Teens dealt with reality by • Turning to stronger drugs • Free Love • Violence & Protest
New Technology• FM Radio
• FM stations played more album-oriented rock • AM stations played top 40
• Improved Amplification • So loud it could be “felt” • Outdoor Concerts
The Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood• San Francisco was the “Mecca” of Counterculture movement• Drugs were an important element in the music of these
groups
Psychedelic• Lyrics become blatantly and explicitly drug oriented • Each band was unique in it’s own style • Emphasis on Instrumentalists
• especially the guitarists • Long improvisations, often lasting 20-30 minutes, were common
at concerts
San Francisco Artists• Jefferson Airplanes
• The first San Francisco band to get a major recording contract • Grace Slick joins and records their second album
• Grace Slick becomes the first real female rock star
• Songs: Somebody to Love, White Rabbit• Later change their names to Jefferson Starship• Band ends in the 90s
San Francisco Artists• The Grateful Dead
• Typical San Francisco band of the late 1960's • Roots were in early folk rock
• Janis Joplin• Grew up amidst blues, gospel, and country styles • Went to San Francisco to sing in a few folk clubs and bars • Found dead in Hollywood hotel (10/4/1970)
• Lived life with no holds barred and at full speed • Dressed like a cheap hooker • Hair was usually unkempt • Rough complexion • Rarely without her bottle of Southern Comfort • Reportedly used every drug San Francisco could provide
Janis Joplin• Distinctive voice
• raw and strong • she was a white soul singer • Adapted into screaming and shouting to be heard over the band
• Mainstream rock with hints of: • R & B • Gospel • Country
Other San Francisco Artists• Steve Miller Band • Santana • Credence Clearwater Revival • Sly and the Family Stone • Most would have their biggest impact in the 70's
Acid Rock Acid Rock Outside San Outside San FranciscoFrancisco
1.1. Jim MorrisonJim Morrison2.2. Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix3.3.WoodstockWoodstock
Jim Morrison• IQ of 149• Avid Reader of French Symbolists• Lived life as an artist • Questioning authority • Primal lust • Into death• Vampirism and blood
Jim Morrison: 1965• Enrolled at UCLA to study film • Signed with Columbia Records, Changed to “The Doors”
• Poet William Blake: "There are things known, and there are things unknown and in between are the doors".
• Electric sounds • Cryptic lyrics • On stage • He was controlled by his music
• The Electric Shaman • Claimed that when performing, the spirits of dead Indians took
him over
Examples
Ed Sullivan Shaman Dancing
here was a catch, though. The band was to perform its chart-topping hit, "Light My Fire," but Sullivan didn't want the word "higher" sung on the show. Then the Doors went out and did the song exactly as they always did. Sullivan was so furious he didn't even shake their hands.
Wild Behavior• Later in life, Jim fell into more drugs and added alcohol to the
mixture• He later just wanted to become a blues artist rather than a
rock star• His main goal in life was to have his poetry published as a
book• In the late 60s, during a Miami concert, Jim was charged with
• 2 counts of indecent exposure • 2 counts for open profanity • 1 for public drunkenness • 1 for his "lewd and lascivious behavior for exposing himself and
by simulating an explicit sexual action”• Feld to France to escape his bad reputation and charges• Died in his bath tub in France on July 3rd, 1971
Jimi Hendrix• Not a great vocalist• Played a tremendous influence on post-1968 rock guitar styles• He played backup guitar for various black artists
• Little Richard • Ike and Tina Turner • Jackie Wilson
• Went to England • Formed a group called “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” in 1966• Several hits in the U.K.
• 1967: Returned to America
Jimi Hendrix Style• Unusual Playing Positions
• With his guitar with his teeth • Behind his back • Caressed his guitar • Attacked it in a sexually suggestive way • Drenched his guitar in lighter fluid and set it on fire
• First to experiment with the different types of guitar sounds • Fuzz boxes • Wah-wah pedals • Distortion
Hendrix’s death• He died in 1970• Inhalation of vomit resulting from barbiturate intoxication• Autopsy: 18 times the dosage in his system of sleeping pills,
tranquilizers, amphetamines, depressants, and alcohol
Club 27Picture Name Date of death Official cause of death Fame Age
Brian Jones July 3, 1969Having drowned in a swimming pool,[7] the coroner's report stated "death by misadventure."[8]
Rolling Stones founder and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist. 27 years and 125 days
Jimi Hendrix September 18, 1970 Autopsy showed he asphyxiated on vomit after combining sleeping pills with wine.[9]
Pioneering electric guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experienceand Band of Gypsys.
27 years and 295 days
Janis Joplin October 4, 1970 Probable heroin overdose.[10]
Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band.
27 years and 258 days
Jim Morrison July 3, 1971 Cause of death listed as "heart failure"; however, no autopsy was performed.[11]
Lead singer, songwriter and video director for The Doors. 27 years and 207 days
Woodstock• It was a music festival, billed as
"An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music".
• Held on a dairy farm in New York• During the sometimes rainy weekend,
thirty-two acts performed outdoors in front of 500,000 concert-goers.
• It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most pivotal moments in popular music history and was listed among Rolling Stone's 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.
• Performers: Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Santana, Joan Baez, The Who, The Band, CCR, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and more
Woodstock