Rock and Roll

What is Rock and Roll?

● Like A Rolling Stone (1965)○ “#1 Rock and Roll song of all time” (1976 by…?)

● On your own, write five single words that you feel best represent Rock and Roll

Early Rock and Roll (Late 40s and 50s)

● Grew out of the years after WWII○ Influence of teenagers in the marketplace

■ R&B, Country = adults; Rock and Roll = teens○ Rhythm and Blues, Swing, Chicago Blues, Jazz,

Boogie-Woogie● Almost always duple meter

○ Rock “backbeat”● “Moondog” Alan Freed: disc jockey, played Rhythm and

Blues to predominantly white teenagers; coined the term “Rock and Roll” (borrowed the term; meaning?)

Name Change

Rhythm and Blues → Rock and RollWhy the change?

Early Rock and Roll Artists

● Chuck Berry○ Maybellene○ Roll Over Beethoven

● Jerry Lee Lewis○ Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On○ Great Balls of Fire

● Little Richard○ Tutti Frutti○ Lucille

● Billy Haley & His Comets○ Rock Around The Clock

Racial Division

Ain’t That A Shame

Shake Rattle and Roll

Tutti Frutti

Ain’t That A Shame

Shake Rattle and Roll

Tutti Frutti

Billboard Charts

● Classified music by genre, best selling, and most played, among other things. ○ Pop(ular) Chart = “white music”○ Rhythm and Blues (R&B) Chart = “black music”

● Prior to mid 1950s, it was unheard of for a song/record/artist to “crossover” from one chart to another

Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977)

● Game Changer○ Not the first to have hits on multiple charts, but did

so many time and with much success ■ Heartbreak Hotel: Topped both Popular and

Country-Western charts, also made it to No. 5 on the Rhythm and Blues Charts

■ Blue Suede Shoes■ Jailhouse Rock

● Barriers are breaking down, but not gone

“If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.” -- Sam Phillips, Sun Records

Responsible for popularizing many artists including Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley

1960s

● Civil Rights● Vietnam War● Counterculture / Hippies● Second Wave Feminism ● Space Race

Music Mirroring Society● Young white listeners embracing black artists

and white artists who mimic the “black” sound● Brown vs. Board of Education (1954)

○ Spurred period of conflict, Southern opposition, violence, defiance of court orders

○ Sit-Ins, freedom Marches○ Martin Luther King, Jr.

● Civil Rights Act (1964); Voting Rights Act (1965)

1960s

● “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” -- JFK, 1961○ Who is “your”?

● Collective American identity? What is/n’t American?

● Political rights of minorities

Teenagers Growing Up

● College aged activists; music with a mission● Once listening to Rock/R&B of the 50s, now

identifying with folk music○ Rejecting mass culture, commercial success○ Mastering the “traditional” sound/style -- huh?

● Saving society from the oppression of government

The Folk Revival

● Early 1960s: Old and new musical ideas to comment on current issues; restrictive in the general idea of “folk sound”

● Revived from the political songs (sung in the folk style) of the 1930s -- especially those of Woody Guthrie○ This Land Is Your Land○ Massacre of 1913○ All You Fascists Bound To Lose

Popular Folk Artists of the 60s

● Pete Seeger● The Weavers● The Kingston Trio● Peter, Paul, and Mary● Joan Baez● Judy Collins● Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan as Folk Singer

● Fan of Woody Guthrie; pilgrimage to NYC, 1960

● Inspired by his political writings/songs○ 1963, “

The Times They Are a-Changing”● Uncomfortable being pinned down as

“folk” -- or any genre, really

Woody Guthrie, idolized by Bob Dylan

Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival

Bob Dylan (and friends) 1963Bob Dylan 1964 Bob Dylan 1965 (clips)

Bob Dylan “Gone Electric”

● Selling out? Becoming a part of the “establishment”?

● Folk-Rock○ Subterranean Homesi

ck Blues● Ever changing

sound

Rock in the 1960s

● Flavors○ Folk Rock○ Surf Rock○ Pop Rock○ Psychedelic Rock○ Blues Rock○ Progressive Rock○ Art Rock

■ Baroque Rock?

● Very difficult to categorize Rock

● Many directions at once

● Originality

The British Invasion

● Rock/blues becomes popular with UK teens○ Late 1950s○ Rebellious music/image

● US teens losing interested in US rock and roll, “one hit wonders;” looking for something new and different○ The Mod style

● Beatlemania

The Mod StyleTwiggy

The Strypes

The Beatles

● 1964, CBS Evening News: “The British Invasion this time goes by the code name Beatlemania.”

● Appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964○ A family show? ○ According to the Nielsen Ratings, 45% of Americans

viewed this show● Documentary: The British Invasion

Baroque Rock● AKA: Baroque Pop, Chamber Rock/Pop

○ A Whiter Shade of Pale■ Inspired by Bach

○ In My Life○ Eleanor Rigby○ Albatross

● Current(ish) Baroque Rock○ Regina Spektor○ Belle and Sebastian ○ Jem

■ Bach Prelude in F Minor (WTC Book II)

Surf Rock

● AKA: Surf Pop, Beach Rock, Hot Rod Rock○ Southern California: early 1960s

● Dick Dale and the Del-Tones○ “King of Surf Guitar”○ Misirlou (1963)

■ Black Eyed Peas: Pump It● The Belairs

○ Mr. Moto

Beach Boys

● Brian Wilson○ Musical mastermind○ Harmonies

● Good Vibrations (studio footage)● Surfin Safari● Sufin’ USA● Barbara Ann● Wouldn’t It Be Nice

Psychedelic Rock● Influenced by hallucinogenic drugs

○ Goal is to replicate and enhance the drug trips■ LSD / Acid

○ Beatles○ Yardbirds○ Grateful Dead○ The Doors○ Jimi Hendrix○ Pink Floyd○ Jefferson Airplane