Who was Alan Freed? What did he do for rock n roll? Why was Alan Freed s move to New York significant for rock n roll?

Transcription

1 Questions you should be able to answer based on the film, Rock n Roll the Early Years, that we viewed in class. (It is also on reserve in the Music Library.) How were teenagers significant to rock n roll? What was rhythm and blues? Who sang Rock Around the Clock? Why is this song important to early rock n roll? Who was Alan Freed? What did he do for rock n roll? Why was Alan Freed s move to New York significant for rock n roll? Where was Sam Philip s studio located? Who did he first record? Who was he looking for? What new type of blues did musicians in Chicago start to play in the 1950s? Who owned a club in Chicago that recorded these musicians? How was Chuck Berry significant to Chess Records and rock n roll? Who was Bo Diddley? Who was Pat Boone? What is a cover tune? What was important about New Orleans to rock n roll? Who recorded in New Orleans studios? Who were some of the people who lead the movement against rock n roll? How was this tied in with race and religion? Who bought Elvis contract from Sun Records? What happened to his career? How was he significant to rock n roll? Who was Carl Perkins? Who was Buddy Holly? Who was Jerry Lee Lewis? What is he known for? What lead to the cracking down of rock n roll shows in the late 1950s? What was payola? How did it affect rock n roll and Alan Freed? What happened to all of the old rock n rollers? What lead to the death of rock n roll? Who were the teen idols? How was their music different from rock n roll?

2 What is rock n roll exactly?: 1. A musical genre 2. The more acceptable term for African American Rhythm and Blues 3. A sexual metaphor

3 Rhythm and blues VS. Rock and Roll Musical genres were redefined: Race records became rhythm and blues= a combination of jazz, gospel and blues And Hillbilly records became country and western, a regional category Billboard magazine categories for black music: 1949= R&B 1969= soul music 1982= black music 1990= R&B

4 Rhythm and blues: at first R&B was characterized by a large rhythm section combined with a blues style singer Eventually rhythm and blues became the designation that was assigned to black artists. Ultimately there was very little difference musically between r&b and rock n roll.

5 What helped rock n roll happen? 1. Technology= rise of independent radio stations 2. Popularization of 45 RPM records= were lighter than the 78s, shipped more easily 3. Invention of the Top 40 Format

6 Some major cities where rock n roll developed: 1. New Orleans 2. Los Angeles 3. Chicago

7 New Orleans Rock and Roll New Orleans rock and roll was 1. A combination of jazz, delta blues, and boogie woogie piano styles 2. The recording studio of Cosimo Matassa, J&M Studio recorded most R&B/rock n roll artist in N.O. between1940s and 1960s Roy Brown Fats Domino

8 New Orleans, cont. Little Richard with band Little Richard as preacher Little Richard was known for his crazy stage presence and his ambiguous sexual orientation. In contrast to Fats Domino, he was seen as dangerous.

9 Los Angeles Rock and Roll sound L.A. sound was influenced by: 1. Big bands 2. Chicano music 3. N.O. rhythm and blues Ritchie Valens: considered to be the first Chicano rock n roll star

10 Chicago Rock and Roll Sound Chicago sound as influenced by: 1. Delta blues 2. Urban blues 3. Chess records= recorded many urban blues artists and Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley Chuck Berry doing the duck walk Berry is considered to be one the first rock n roll guitar hero= he especially made the guitar rock n roll s dominant musical element

11 Influence of Gospel on Rock n Roll Many religious African Americans saw Rhythm and Blues as degrading, low and the devil s music. However, many gospel artists moved to the secular world or rhythm and blues. Ray Charles: combined gospel and rhythm and blues: he saw no contradiction in combining the secular and the sacred. Changed the lyrics to gospel songs from sacred to secular

12 ROCKABILLY Elvis Presley Carl Perkins Rockabilly was considered to be a combination of rocking African American and hillbilly styles. The main person to be associated with rockabilly was Sam Phillips the founder of Sun Records in Memphis, TN He is quoted as having said If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.

13 ROCKABILLY, cont. Jerry Lee Lewis Buddy Holly

14 The Death of Rock n Roll Several events lead to the death of rock n roll : 1. The demise of several artists for various reasons 2. A conservative backlash against rock n roll 3. The rise of the teenage youth market 4. The marketing of white cover artists instead of the black artists 5. The payola scandals