Exam 2 - Rock and Roll

The Wall of Sound

creating a dramatic effect with production by building a sound layer by layer with a large number of musicians and instruments often a full orchestra Started out simple and slowly added instruments to build drama

Don McLean

sings the song American pie Song about day the music died, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Big Bopper died

Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

wrote nearly all the hits for the Coasters, as well as writing for the Drifters and Elvis The Coasters were the brain child of Leiber and Stoller

Ike and Tina Turner

possibly the biggest gem Spector ever discovered Found a young woman named Anna Mae Bullock singing in a club and rebranded her as Tina Turner Spector was obsessed with Tina's voice even more than Ronnie's Ike Turner is one of the founders of rock n roll Spector found them on the "Chittlin' Circuit" - theaters in the Eastern and Southern U.S. that were safe for black musicians to play at River Deep, Mountain High" (1966) o A quintessential "Wall of Sound" song o Was Phil's biggest commercial failure at the time Tina is often referred to as "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" One of the few American artists whose popularity is greater in Europe than in America · Both Ike and Tina did not do much in the 70s, as they were consumed with a painful divorce process · Had a comeback in 1984 with a solo career Spector was heartbroken that "River Deep, Mountain High" was not as successful as he had hoped.Shut down his Philles Records and retired at age 26

"Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins

"Blue Suede Shoes" (1956)- a historic song for Perkins and Sam Phillips 1 million copies sold and #1 on several charts and top 10 in the UK Perkins was the first artist at Sun to sell 1 million records

"You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin" by the Righteous Brothers

#1 most played song on radio ever, written by Mann/Weil, sang by Righteous Brothers Label says it's a 3:05 song but it's really 3:45, Phil lied to get it on their air

Chuck Berry

(1926-2017) Some say that rock 'n' roll was officially born in 1955 "If you had to give rock 'n' roll another name, you would call it Chuck Berry." - John Lennon The Father of Rock 'n' Roll - the first great creative artist of the era and epitomized the sound of rock as a singer, player and songwriter Was an extremely important figure in the history of rock 'n' roll He was rock's first guitar hero The turning point in his career came when he met pianist Johnny Johnson and joined his band The Sir John Trio (The roles would reverse later - Johnny would become the piano player for Chuck Berry's band) Berry was an "instant" artist - He would release songs as they were ready, did not have to wait for albums to be put together His songs strike a balance between blues/ R&B and hillbilly/country music; similar to Elvis's style He was a black man performing songs in a white style; broke down racial barriers as a black man Got started recording after Muddy Waters suggested that he should meet with Leonard Chess at Chess Records in Chicago Breakout Song "Maybelline" 1955 Allegedly named that b/c Leonard Chess saw a Maybelline container on the floor in the studio Duck Walk Served 3 years in prison for armed robbery in high school "Johnny B Goode" 1958 supposedly about Elvis, Rolling Stone's #1 guitar song of all time Chuck Berry's only #1 single was Dave Bartholomew's "My Ding a Ling" 1972 Went back to prison for breaking Mann act and transporting girl across state lines Wrote a best selling autobiography in jail Legend has it that he only signs one autograph a day

Carl Perkins (Sun Class of 55)

(1932-1998) A member of the "Million Dollar Quartet" Grew up in a family of laborers- his first guitar was fashioned out of a cigar box by his father Sun Record's first really big star - Elvis became a big star after Sun with RCA In 1954, he heard Elvis singing Blue Moon of Kentucky on the radio- inspired him to audition for Sun Records ________________________________ "Blue Suede Shoes" (1956)- a historic song for Perkins and Sam Phillips 1 million copies sold and #1 on several charts and top 10 in the UK The first artist at Sun to sell 1 million records __________________________________ Carl Perkins' songs personified the Rockabilly era more than any other artist of the era Toured with Elvis in 1955, was good friends with him Perkins was a prime inspiration for The Beatles - who covered some of his songs Career was revived in the 1980s, when there was a resurgence of rockabilly music

The Crickets

Buddy Holly's band a model rock and roll band 1 singer with lead guitar, 1 rhythm guitar, a bass, and a drummer Beatles named themselves in homage to the Crickets Brunswick Records "That'll be the day" 1957 from Brunswick and best-known song, an overnight sensation, got it from casual convo, wrote it in 30 minutes

Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich

Famous for the songs they wrote for the most prominent girl groups of the 1960s (Their primary clients) such as the Crystals and the Ronettes Formed the group The Raindrops- which featured both as singers (This is where they started before they became songwriters) Discovered Neil Diamond, who started out as a songwriter Collaborated greatly with Phil Spector- who was just emerging on the scene as a producer ____________________________ Clients included: The Ronettes with "Be My Baby" (1963) Featuring Ronnie Bennett- who later became Phil Spector's wife The Dixie Cups with "Chapel of Love" (1964)

Memphis Rockabilly

1 of the 5 Styles of rock in 1954-1959 that developed independently by Charlie Gillett Called the "most complete" of early rock 'n' roll styles- it was a marriage between R&B and country/western Therefore, it was rock 'n' roll in its truest and most authentic form Emerged from Sun Studio and Sam Phillips Includes: Elvis and the Class of 1955 Life on the road is a way of life - but it also has a long tradition of killing performers Ex Includes: Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Burnette and the Rock N Roll Trio, Sid King and the 5 Strings, The Collins Kids, The Everly Brothers,

Northern Band Rock N Roll

1 of the 5 Styles of rock in 1954-1959 that developed independently by Charlie Gillett Concerned with expressing "high-spirited feelings of togetherness" for the audience Big band swing approach Best example: Bill Haley and His Comets from Pennsylvania Bill Haley (1925-1981) Bill Haley was the first rock artist to make it big overseas - specifically in England. Not Elvis, he never toured outside the US The early years of rock 'n' roll divided the old generation and the new generation

New Orleans Dance Blues

1 of the 5 Styles of rock in 1954-1959 that developed independently by Charlie Gillett Little Richard and Fats Domino Associated with Pat Boone

Vocal Group Rock and Roll

1 of the 5 Styles of rock in 1954-1959 that developed independently by Charlie Gillett This is the style that bridged the gap between pop music and the emerging genre of rock 'n' roll Rhythm is less important to vocal groups More about harmony and melody The members rarely played instruments The most sentimental of the five styles Came to be known as "doo-wop" Music that was easy to love and difficult to hate; sexually innocent, racially blind and not threatening Were the first representatives of the black musical culture to be televised regularly and played on major radio stations Women had bigger impact in vocal groups than in other genres Showed America that RnB could be widely popular and commercially successful Includes: The Bird Groups, The One Hit Wonders, White Vocal Groups, The Platters, The Coasters, The Drifters

Chicago Rhythm and Blues

1 of the 5 Styles of rock in 1954-1959 that developed independently by Charlie Gillett We've pretty much covered this territory when we covered Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker Includes: Koko Taylor, Marion Walter Jacobson "Little Walter", Junior Wells, Otis Spann

Sonny Charles & The Checkmates

1969 Phil Spector came out of retirement and made a record with this obscure Las Vegas lounge act just to prove he could get a great song out of anyone "Black Pearl" #13 hit from an absolute nobody

La Bamba

A hit song that made the charts by Ritchie Valens. Got #22 on the charts Covered by Los Lobos and made it a #1 hit Mexican folk song into rock

Alan Freed and Dick Clark

Alan Freed was the first rock 'n' roll DJ One of the first inducted into the hall of fame, as both were in Cleveland Alan Freed organized the Moon dog Coronation Show at the Cleveland arena 1952 -- Considered to be the first ever rock n roll concert Alan Freed was caught in the middle of payola scandal, targeted by gov't investigation. Got fired from his own radio show, seen as instigator of teen rebellion 1962 - found guilty of commercial bribery ___________________________________ · Dick Clark was also indicted in the payola scandal with his show American Bandstand He promoted a sanitized version of rock - probably why he came off clean in the scandal and was found innocent Came off clean in hearings unlike Alan Freed, went on to have long career

Brill Building (Aldon Music)

Aldon Music, located at the Brill Building, was the most successful of the businesses located there Founded by Al Nevins and Don Krishner It employed most of the songwriters covered Where most NY songwriters worked, regarded as most prestigious place for music business professionals

Doo-Wop

Also known as Vocal Group Rock and Roll Taken from the nonsense words spoken by back-up singers Bridged the gap between mainstream pop and rock n roll, easy to love and hard to hate Music that was easy to love and difficult to hate; sexually innocent, racially blind and not threatening Were the first representatives of the black musical culture to be televised regularly and played on major radio stations Kept schlock rock

Dion Dimucci

An "Elvis Lite" Elvis Lites were groomed to be a substitute boyfriend for young American girls Have stood the test of time by reinventing himself beyond his teenage years Started out as lead singer for Dion & the Belmonts, headliners at Winter Dance tour The second biggest Elvis Lite of the period but the biggest in the long-term Created some of the most well-recognized songs during his solo career in the 1960s Was still going strong in 2015 - still producing work

At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash

By late 1960's, after some years of limited success with Columbia, he curbed his drug problem for a little while and made a live album to turn his career around his best-selling album Recorded in front of Folsom Prison inmates in California A milestone album of rock n roll bc it was so unique Cash always wanted to perform at a prison Recorded another album at San Quentin, backed up by Carl Perkins, which was a prison in California and it was filmed "Folsom Prison Blues"

Roy Orbison (Class of 55)

Another tragic case of a rock musician - faced a lot of tragedy in his life His wife died in a motorcycle crash, his 2 sons died in a fire in his home while he was on tour, he died in 1988 during a career resurgence Took a different kind of musical path- never felt like he was a rockabilly artist Played rockabilly in high school but never really associated with it like the other 3 did Decided he wanted to be a musician at age 7 "Ooby-Dooby" was the only song to chart from his Sun Record years. This led Sam Phillips to let him go Signed with Monument Records in 1960. Conveyed a quieter, desperate vulnerability with his music and it worked - departed from rockabilly roots This was successful for Orbison as many of his songs (22) made it to the Top 40 charts in the first half of the 1960s 1965 Roy Orbinson's agent took him from Monument records to MGM for $1 million and a 5 movie deal. His first movie flopped and no more movies were produced. Had a "Wall of sound" style made famous by Phil Spector later on Joined a super group in 1988 called the Travelling Wilburys

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Barry and Cynthia met after they wrote songs on opposite sides of a 45 record Barry Mann was a singer himself (Wrote a self-referential parody about songwriters writing about goofy lyrics) ______________________________ Clients included: The Drifters The Righteous Brothers - the defining work for Mann and Weil Were the first blue-eyed soul artists of the era - performed classic soul music in the rock era "You're My Soul and Inspiration" - #1 hit The Animals - "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" (1965) This song specifically was popular during the Vietnam War Mann and Weil were at the peak of their game at the time of the British Invasion- wrote a lot of rock-oriented songs Paul Revere & the Raiders- "Kicks" "Who put the bomp?" 1961 #7

Let It Be

Beatles had already broken up by the time he was brought in to produce their last album as a group: "Let it be" 1970 & it had the credit "re-produced by Phil Spector The recording of this album is known as the "get back" sessions of 1969 They had stuff recorded but not finished, gave it to Spector "long and winding road" was their last single, 1970 McCartney was furious about Spector's work, as he didn't know about it In 2003, the Beatles released an "un-Philed" version of the Let it Be album called Let it Be...Naked ------------------------------ Both John Lennon and George Harrison worked with Spector during their solo careers Spector produced George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album

Norman Petty

Became an integral part of Buddy Holly's success as he owned a studio in New Mexico. So did his wife Vi Petty also work with Buddy Holly Working as his manager and producer until 1958 By 1958, The Crickets broke up and Buddy separated himself from Norman Petty as Buddy moved to NY

Tapestry by Carole King

Carole King became a performer after divorcing Goffin Her album Tapestry (1971) was unbelievably big Was #1 for 15 weeks - won 4 Grammys - on the charts for 6 years Was the best-selling solo album until 1982. It was replaced by Thriller

"Maybelline" by Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry's Break Song 1955 allegedly named after Leonard Chess saw a makeup compact/container laying on floor in studio Previously called "Ida May"

3 Founding Fathers of Rock and Roll

Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Little Richard

Johnny Cash (Sun Class of 55)

Crossed many genres of music - in the Rock 'n' Roll, Country and Gospel Hall of Fames Given name "J.R. Cash" bc, as legend goes, his parents couldn't decide on a real name Started writing songs and playing guitar around 12 years old Moved to Memphis in 1954 - auditioned for Sun Records but was turned away because he was signing gospel songs. Came back in 1955 as a Rockabilly musician Became a rockabilly singer in 1955 - first song with Sun Records was "Cry! Cry! Cry!" Invented a rockabilly formula which included country and folk on top of lyrics about prisons and trains Power and honesty to his music which few could match "I Walk the Line" - one his most popular songs from the Sun Records Era (Was #1 on the country charts) The embodiment of a flawed and contradictory American - complicated and paradoxical Constantly troubled by drugs and alcohol and sang songs with dark lyrics, but also a very Christian and religious man By late 1950's, he was famous enough to leave Sun to go to a major label - Columbia "Ring of Fire" (1963)- his most well-known record from Columbia Records At Fulsom Prison album was his best-selling album Earned the nickname "The Man in Black" for his dark clothing Sang "Boy named Sue" which became the biggest hit of his career 1969 Rejuvenated his career in the 1990s when he switched record labels to American Recordings and got inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame "The Man comes around" is his last album Became involved with a band called The Highwaymen- considered a saving grace for Cash (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash)

"The Twist"

Dance sensation that helped keep rock n roll alive in the era of schlock rock in early 60's

American Pie

Don McLean 1971 Song about day the music died, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Big Bopper died

The Day Music Died

February 3, 1959 Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper Happened during a tour called "The Winter Dance Party" Part of the problem with the tour was that they traveled heavily between three mid-west states Buddy Holly and his two bandmates had chartered a private small plane to get to the next stop on their tour After a few exchanges, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens ended up on the plane with Holly instead of Holly's two bandmates The three main acts were on the plane together · The plane crashed just a few minutes after taking off due to a combo of bad weather and pilot error

American Graffiti

Film, nostalgic portrait of teenage life in the US in the late 50's, early 60's Rock n roll was the center of attention and soundtrack was radio of the time Directed by George Lucas and had 41 original songs, 1973

The Righteous Brothers

First blue-eyed soul artists, sounded black, weren't actually brothers Had more singles with Philles records Left Philles Records after "Unchained Melody" to go to Bird records "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin" (1965) The single-most played song in radio history The song was too long as it was over 3 minutes; Spector refused to cut-it short and lied about the time to get it played on the air "Unchained Melody" (1965) A cover of a 1950s song; was not written in the Brill Building

Charlie Rich

In the latter part of his life, Rich got the nickname the Silver Fox. best known for a pair of 1973 hits, "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl"

The Highway Men

Johnny Cash's saving grace in the 1980's was the Highway Men who became a country super-group and saved Cash Quite successful in the beginning, but didn't do much after the first album's success The group members: Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash

Little Richard

Made the piano the definitive instrument of his music and of rock Recorded in New Orleans for Specialty Records One of the first rock artists to truly provoke shock with his musical performances "The Architect of Rock 'n' Roll" Little Richard often called himself "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" Challenges the boundaries of masculinity and femininity · Robert "Bumps" Blackwell - Richard's songwriter and creative partner. Most of Richard's hit songs were collaborative projects between Richard and Blackwell Music deeply rooted in gospel- as he grew up and was influenced by the church · His single was a defining song of rock 'n' roll for its lyrics "Tutti Frutti" (1955) · Jimi Hendrix played in Little Richard's early band "The Excitors" · The movie "The Girl Can't Help It" featured a Little Richard song by the same name - it was the theme song · Eventually had a comeback and helped to bridge the gap between new rock 'n' roll artists and old rock 'n' roll artists · In the RNR Hall of Fame · "The Ageless Wonder" he doesn't look old even though he is · His lifestyle included alcoholism, drug use and homosexuality · Was a fashion icon - his style made him one of the most unique performers of his time He said that he wore makeup because it was the reason that white parents allowed their kids to listen to his music

The Ronettes

Made up of two sisters and one cousin Notable for including Spector's future wife Veronica Bennett (Ronnie Spector) Had a strange and turbulent relationship as Phil was very insecure; Spector kept her more as a belonging than as a wife Spector's favorite instrument was Ronnie's voice "Be my baby" 1963 #2 famous drum solo intro that's known as the "be my baby drums"

· The Everly Brothers

Memphis Rockabilly Introduced the Appalachian tradition into rock - style defined by close vocal harmonies and innocent melodies Came from a musical family, this was a family tradition Felice and Boudleaux Bryant - the creative partners of the Everly Brothers; wrote most of their material The brothers were teenagers and were singing to teenage audiences and were appealing to parents Came off as a non-threatening rock group, which parents didn't mind their kids listening too Were the Poet Laurites of love - many songs centered around the theme of love __________________________________ "Love Hurts" - was covered by many future artists But the Everly Brother's version was the most popular of them all

Wanda Jackson

Memphis Rockabilly Possibly the first female rock artist, first female rockabilly artist - was the Queen of Rockabilly "The Nice Girl with the Nasty Voice" Was a country artist until her boyfriend, Elvis Presley, encouraged her to try out rockabilly One of the most distinctive voices in the history of music

Eddie Cochran

Memphis Rockabilly Started as a country western artist, soon transitioned to rockabilly "Twenty Flight Rock" (1957)- his first rockabilly hit, from the movie "The Girl Can't Help it" Without Eddie Cochran, there might have not been The Beatles- Paul McCartney impressed John Lennon by knowing the lyrics to this song "Somethin' else" 1960 inspired Led Zeppelin in their early years Best known for "Summertime Blues" - song about teenage alienation in the 1950s Died in a car crash in England in 1960

Gene Vincent

Memphis Rockabilly Was in the accident with Eddie Cochran but survived in England in 1960 However, he was never the same after surviving the accident "Race with the Devil" 1956 and "Blue Jean Bop" 1956 Had a signature song "Be Bop a Lula" from the movie "The Girl Can't Help It"

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant

Memphis Rockabilly the creative partners of the Everly Brothers; wrote most of their material broke off from Bryants in 1960's and started writing their own music, also success

Blackboard Jungle

Movie about teen delinquency Generated bad publicity for rock n roll when teen viewers got rowdy from watching The film and the song marked a cultural shift - cemented the connection between teenage rebellion and rock music The changing youth culture led the rise of anti-establishment sentiment in the 1950's Even a movie named after the song

Pat Boone

NOLA Dance Blues Pat Boone (1934- ) Known for ripping off Little Richard and Fats Domino for "sanitizing" their original songs; made a living my covering songs by black artists Despite this, his success directly increased interest in rock His covers were much bigger sellers than the originals - white radio played them more often Is from Jacksonville, FL Eventually, white teens realized that Boone's covers were not the original songs; they began to seek out the songs by the original artists and play those instead

Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman

No other songwriter better personified the love of black culture than Doc Pomus At a time where racial segregation was a reality Doc Pomus was a paraplegic- who lost the use of his legs due to polio Doc teamed up with Schuman for Aldon musicThey wrote for Ray Charles and Joe Turner, wrote "Hushabye" for the Mystics Mort Schuman was a pianist and songwriter for Aldon Music _______________________________ · Together they wrote hits for: Ray Charles Elvis Presley (25 songs after his time in the Army) The Drifters (the band's only #1 hit) Andy Williams

Bill Haley and His Comets

Northern Band Rock and Roll Signature trait: pin curl of hair and "Rock around the clock" First rock n roll artist to make it big overseas, esp. England Mobbed by thousands of fans in London when arriving for his tour Called the "second battle of waterloo" by English press Bill Haley's cover of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" in 1954 was the first major international rock 'n' roll hit - even before Elvis "Rock Around the Clock" was actually the first rock song Haley released - took a while to gain popularity but sold 25 million records

The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson)

Not very well-known because he was just becoming a musician Started as a DJ Had two singles on the chart both released in 1958 Coined the term "music video" - thought that music and video would work well together He wrote 2 #1 hits: George Jones "White Lightning" and Johnny Preston "Running Bear"

Jerry Leiber And Mike Stoller (Pt. 2)

One of the first and most important songwriting teams Most innovative songwriting and production team of the early rock era Never performed or sang songs, just wrote them and produced them in the studio o The Fathers of Rock 'n' Roll songwriting Ex of Songs They Wrote: First big hit: "Hound Dog" for Big Mama Thornton 1952, 7 weeks at #1 on RnB chart "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog" for Elvis Presley Their biggest client was The Coasters

Jerry Lee Lewis (Class of 55)

Only one still alive of the class of 1955 Nicknamed "The Killer" as a kid Began playing on the piano and singing with his cousins (Jimmy Swagger and Mickey Gilly) - his parents had to mortgage their farm to buy him his first piano Had a slower start to his career than the other 1955 members Kicked out of Bible College Mixed a variety of styles in his music - R&B, boogie-woogie and rockabilly First hit "Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the south in (1956) but never got national distribution Known as the white man's Little Richard The best raw performer in the history of rock 'n' roll The first wild man of rock 'n' roll He is more remembered for his one big scandal than for his music (In 1958, Lewis married his third wife. Mayra Gale Brown, who was his first cousin, once removed and was 14 at the time. Had married her before divorcing his second wife) Had a fall from grace - was married at least 7 times in total Was part of the first class of musicians inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1986 Still a respected artist by other musicians, despite his fallout "High School Confidential" was the theme song for a movie of the same name which Jerry Lee Lewis guest appeared in. Had Charlies Chaplin Jr in it and John Barrymore

Sam Phillips

Owner of Sun Records great engineer and producer After letting Elvis go to RCA, Sam Phillips had $40,000 to expand his business and was able to sign more upcoming artists He signed: Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison All white performers that had a crossover appeal to black audiences

Bo Diddley

Real Name Ellis Otha Bates Known as "The Originator" - as he created the rhythm known as the "Bo Diddley Beat" Most famous for the Bo Diddley Beat - a combination of different music styles including Rock and Roll, African rhythms and a sanctified guitar chord · Bo Diddley wrote the song that became Muddy Water's theme song - "I'm a Man" (1955) · "Say Man" - his only Top 40 Hit · Spent his last years in the Gainesville area - Bo Diddley Plaza is located in downtown Gainesville

Phil Spector

Phil Spector was one of the most successful songwriters and producers of the 1960s Nicknamed the "Tycoon of Teen" Was not always the nicest guy- had a huge ego As great as he was, he was a first-class weirdo Spector helped to redefine and revitalize rock 'n' roll during its early-sixties slump by revolutionizing record production He also made himself, the producer, more important than the artists he produced Singers were just instruments to him- they were bricks in his "Wall of Sound" The suicide of his father at age 10- a defining moment in Spector's life Started first as a performer with The Teddy Bears Then moved to become a co-songwriter with Lieber and Stoller (Working in the Brill Building) Then started working as a co-songwriter/co-producer with Mann and Weil · Started Philles Records at age 21- the youngest label owner The Wall of Sound- creating a dramatic effect with production by building a sound layer by layer with a large number of musicians and instruments Spector's motto was "back to mono"- sound coming out as a solid mass so you can feel its full effect all at once "The Wrecking Crew" - a band of session musicians who played on all the Spector produced records ("The Wrecking Crew" - a band of session musicians who played on all the Spector produced records) In 1969, Spector came out of retirement The Beatles were already broken up by the time that Spector was brought in He produced the last album released, Let it Be (1970) Paul McCartney was furious about Spector's work- as it was completed without his knowledge or any opportunity for him to assess the results Both John Lennon and George Harrison worked with Spector during their solo careers Spector produced Harrison's All Things Must Pass album George Harrison was the first Beatle to have a #1 single in their solo careers "My Sweet Lord" (1970) Lennon produced 4 albums with Spector including Imagine and Instant Karma! The song "Imagine" is one of the most recognizable post-Beatles songs, which was produced by Spector Went into another semi-retirement after he suffered setbacks from a car crash in 1974 The most surprising move of Spector's career was partnering with The Ramones, a punk band. The Ramones were not happy with Spector at all. Spector was charged with second degree murder after shooting and killing actress Lana Clarkson

Back To Mono

Phil Spector's Motto the sound coming out as a solid mass so you can feel its full effect all at once. He didn't like stereo, sound coming from 2 channels

The Teddy Bears

Phil Spector's first as a performer with The Teddy Bears At 17 years old, Phil Spector wrote, arranged, played, sang back-up, and produced the best-selling record in the country: "To know him is to love him" 1958 #1 for 3 weeks w/ the Teddy Bears

Payola

Promoters and managers worked together to package rock n roll into something to be sold Record companies slowly realized that radio airplay helped sell records, so the practice of paying DJs to play certain records began The practice of producers paying DJs to play certain songs became commonplace and was soon discovered by American audiences known as payola Alan Freed was the first rock 'n' roll DJ When ppl realized this was happening, they blamed rock n roll, and believed rock was such terrible music that they had to pay ppl to listen to it Alan Freed was the target of these campaigns and ended up paying the price - losing his job and being charged with various crimes Dick Clark was also indicted in the payola scandal with his show American Bandstand

Red Scare

Rocks big sin was that it integrated the radio airways and was becoming mainstream Opponents of rock music began by targeting suggestive lyrics by creating lists of "bad records" and even some were banned in cities beginning in 1954 As the Cold War became prevalent, rock music became associated with Communism People lived in fear of being accused of being a Communist just for listing to rock music There was a significant group of American adults who believed that rock was a Communist ploy, which was designed to turn teens against their parents and the government People believed rock was part of a communist conspiracy to rot brains and contained subliminal messages to turn teens against their parents and gov't Comic books and movies, and later music, were targeted by religious leaders who believed they were influencing juvenile delinquency after WW2, when jobs were booming and the country was thriving so teens didn't have to work for family income

The Traveling Wilburys

Roy Orbison joined an American-English super-group in 1988 called the Traveling Wilburys Consisted of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. Their first album in 1988 produced 2 hit singles

Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran

Song Eddie Cochran was best known for. Made in 1958 classic hit, about teen alienation in the 50s

Philles Sound

Spector founded PHILLES records (1962-1966) at age 21 and became America's youngest label owner and signed all the artists he would produce, so he owned them Would sign all the artists he produced Of the 21 releases Phil put out, 18 of them were hits, sold over a mil copies each 1963 Christmas album "A Christmas gift for you" regarded as best holiday album ever

Phil Spector Downfall

Spector was charged with second degree murder after shooting and killing actress Lana Clarkson

The Winter Dance Party

The Winter Dance Party tour crisscrossed across 3 midwestern states and the travel was hectico Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota on a bus in the middle of winter The tour bus wasn't well equipped for the weather and its heating system broke February 2nd, 1959, Buddy chartered a small plane to take him and his bandmates to next stop Waylen Jennings gave up his seat on the plane to Big Bopper and Buddy jokingly said "I hope your bus freezes over" and Jennings replied "I hope your plane crashes" Tom Ulcep traded his seat to Ritchie Valens over a coin toss bc Valens had never been on a plane before and wanted to fly So the 3 main acts of the tour died just after midnight a few minutes after takeoff

Neil Sedaka and Jeff Greenfield

This pair wrote music for one of their own: Neil Sedaka, who was a singer They were a unique pair because of this Had a #1 hit with "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka (1962) Biggest hit together: Captain and Tennille "Love will keep us together" 1973 #1 Also wrote for other Performers

Buddy Holly

The first "geeky guy" in rock Among the first group inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1986 In 1955, His career began after seeing Elvis perform in his hometown of Lubbock Texas. Later the same year, he would open for Elvis A member of "The Crickets" a model rock and roll band 1 singer with lead guitar, 1 rhythm guitar, a bass, and a drummer Model for the Beatles Before innovation, comes imitation. Artists usually start out by imitating the artists that inspired them. That's what happened with Buddy Holly, as his early demos were recordings of covers of artists that he liked · Norman Petty- became an integral part of Buddy Holly's success as he owned s studio in New Mexico. So did his wife Vi Petty also work with Buddy Holly as his manager and producer till 1958 Buddy had two different recording contracts at the same time - one for himself (Coral Records) and one for his band, The Crickets (Brunswick Records) By 1958, The Crickets broke up and Buddy separated himself from Norman Petty Was forced to go on tour as his royalties were still being withheld by Norman Petty Offered a spot in the Winter Dance Party tour - a three week tour across the Midwest (his plane crashed on the tour and he died at age 22) Two nights before his death, Bob Dylan attended one of his shows Paul McCartney bought all the rights to Buddy Holly's music and created a documentary about his life in 1987 influenced the Beatles, the rolling stones, etc. "That'll Be the Day" (1957) is, best-known song and #1 on the charts. First song he ever wrote and he wrote it in 30 minutes

Ritchie Valens

The first Mexican American rock 'n' roll star Father of Chicano Rock Accomplished singer and guitarist at a young age- career only lasted 8 months however Had three hits in his career, all of which made it onto the charts ·Died at age 17

The Crystals

The first group that was signed by Spector was The Crystals with songwriting help from Barry and Greenwich, and Barry and Weil "He hit me (and it felt like a kiss)" one of Spector's few flops, misogynistic "Da Doo Ron Ron" (1963) - one of the most popular and enduring songs created by girl groups of this era; written by Spector (and produced), Barry, Greenwich "He's a rebel" 1962 the Crystals' only #1 hit, produced by Spector Controversy over if The Crystals were really singing on that track, it's a replacement band called the Blossoms (The Crystals couldn't record the song fast enough bc they were out touring, so Spector got them to do it but wanted a popular name on the record)

Ricky Nelson

The most definitive Elvis Lite Elvis Lites were groomed to be a substitute boyfriend for young American girls Grew up on Tv, child star on "The adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" 1952-1966. No stranger to success and fame The term "teenage idol" was coined about him by LIFE magazine His movies were better than Elvis movies - was a great entertainer and singer He bounced back in 1970s with a hit single in country rock after people thought his career was ending "Garden party" 1972 song about how he was booed at Madison Square Garden after playing new stuff to an audience that wanted the old in 1971 Died in a plane crash in 1985 as he got involved with drugs and alcohol. Rumored that they were doing Cocaine on the plane The Nelson is the only family to have #1 hits in three successive generations His twin sons topped the charts in the 90's

Gerry Goffin and Carole King

The only divorced couple among these songwriting groups _______________________ The first big hit was for The Shirelles with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" Was the first #1 hit by a girl group EVER The song had some social commentary about dealing with grown up issues instead of teenage love __________________________________ Clients included: The Drifters The Monkees with "Pleasant Valley Sunday" Herman's Hermits with "I'm Into Something Good" Aretha Franklin with "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman" (An anthem of the 1960s) Little Eva with "The Loco-Motion" (1962) Was one of the most popular songs of the 1960s Little Eva was the babysitter for Goffin and King's kids - they had overheard her singing while working Was covered by other artists in other decades - reached #1 in two different decades by two different artists __________________________ Carole King became a performer after divorcing Goffin Her album Tapestry (1971) was unbelievably big Was #1 for 15 weeks - won 4 Grammys - on the charts for 6 years Was the best-selling solo album until 1982

Hal Blaine

The rhythmic foundation of the Wrecking Crew; a one-of-a-kind drummer The first session musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. The rock n roll hall of fame added a whole new category for him He played on 6 consecutive Record of the Year Grammy winners

Common Themes of Song Writers from the 1960s

They wrote in pairs Both male and female pairs They were Jewish descendants (mostly from Brooklyn) The Jewish role in rock 'n' roll is enormous- started with Chess Records, which was opened by two Jewish men Most worked at the Brill Building in New York City (Manhattan)

Veronica (Ronnie) Spector

Veronica Bennett, married Phil Spector for 5 years He was very insecure, would hide her shoes to stop her leaving alone Threatened to put her in a gold, glass-topped casket if he ever left her Bought her a car and made her put a Spector doll in front seat when alone She filed for divorce in 1974 Late 60's, Ronnie released an album and single written by Harrison and produced by Phil when Phil was with Beatles at Apple records

The Straycats

Vocal Group Rock and Roll Did the song "Rock this town" which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed as one of the 500 most important songs in the history of rock and roll.

The Platters

Vocal Group Rock and Roll One of three bands that were the most popular of vocal groups in the 1950s First rock group to have a Top 10 album "Only You" (1955) - is their signature song, #5 pop, covered by many Buck Ram - creative partner, arranger, and producer "My Prayer" and "The Great Pretender" - went to #1 on the pop and R&B charts "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by the Platters #1 pop and #3 RnB

The Coasters

Vocal Group Rock and Roll One of three bands that were the most popular of vocal groups in the 1950s Were from LA - unlike the other two big bands Songs were written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Entertaining and humorous lyrics that teenagers could identify with The Beatles were huge fans of this band and of Leiber and Stoller "Searchin" and "Young Blood" - were smash hits for The Coasters both #1 RnB hits and top 10 pop "Yakkity yak" 1958 #1 Rnb and pop "Charlie Brown" 1959 #2 RnB and pop

The Drifters

Vocal Group Rock and Roll One of three bands that were the most popular of vocal groups in the 1950s. The Most popular of the 3 Four great lead singers over the years, who were really just hired singers No other group has had as many talented lead vocalists · As they left, a lot of splinter bands were formed Hired 60 vocalists who passed through the group over the years The greatest vocal group of the 1950s The model vocal group for this era All of the big songwriters of the era wanted their songs to be sung by this group "Save the Last Dance for Me", "On Broadway", "This Magic Moment" Vocal groups eventually turned into Mowtown

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by the Platters

Vocal Group Rock and Roll Platters cover of an oft-covered song, #1 pop and #3 RnB

Three Big Vocal Group Rock and Roll Bands

Vocal Group Rock and Roll White Vocal Groups The Drifters, The Platters, and the Coasters

Buck Ram

Vocal Group Rock and Roll creative partner, arranger, and producer of the Platters

"Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets

Was #1 in 1955 for 8 weeks, the first rock song to top the Billboard chart became the teenage national anthem "Rock Around the Clock" was actually the first rock song Haley released - took a while to gain popularity but sold 25 million records Featured in the opening to a film Blackboard Jungle (1955) - this was key to its success The film and the song marked a cultural shift - cemented the connection between teenage rebellion and rock music

The Wrecking Crew

Working mostly in LA's Gold Star Studios, Spector assembled his Wall of Sound with the best session musicians on the West Coast - also did a lot of film scores a band of session musicians who played on all the Spector produced records Considered the best in the business- were about 20 main musicians but some records included over 100 musicians

Burt Bacharach and Hal David

Wrote songs for pop crooners instead of rock 'n' roll artists Including Perry Como Wrote the entire score for the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" ·Burt Bacharach is considered the best songwriter from the Brill Building because of the variety of songs he wrote- wrote for genres including pop, R&B, jazz, country and rock ______________________________ · Clients included: o The Drifters o The Shirelles (one of the first girl groups of the era) o Dionne Warwick-Dionne Warwick and friends (Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder): "That's what friends are for" originally written for Rod Stewart but became one of the defining songs of the 1980's, 1985 #1 US hit - all proceeds went to AIDS research o Lou Johnson - "Always Something There to Remind Me" ______________________________ Bacharach separated from Hal David in the 1970s, as David was suffering from some health problems Bacharach went on to have the most successful decade of his career, all the way up into the 80s - while other songwriters were seeing their careers suffer Bacharach paired up with Elvis Costello to produce one of the most unique albums in the 1990s Appeared in Austin Powers to perform one of their songs

"River Deep, Mountain High"

an epitome of the wall of sound Not static and calm like others, this was dynamic and emotional Produced by Spector, written by Barry and Greenwich, #3 UK, #88 US Spector's biggest commercial failure but huge influence on rock unacceptable to Spector, so he retired at age 26 and shuts down Philles records

Darlene Love

lead singer of Blossoms, joined the Crystals Darlene Love was a Crystal, a Ronette, a Blossom, and a solo artist. Performs that Christmas song on Letterman every Christmas since 1986 Was an obsession of Spector

The Ramones

most controversial move of Spector's career was producing this New York punk rock group, iconic punk pioneers of the era Johnny Ramone and Phil argued a lot, the Ramones hated working with Spector Spector was said to "water down" their music in the 70s and 80s Spector pulled a gun on Dee Dee Ramone to force him to repeatedly play a riff

American Bandstand

o Dick Clark's 30-year-long show where rock n roll artists came and lip synced along with their track while teens tamely danced to it o Local Philadelphia show made national by the ABC network channel in 1957 o Had an audience of 20 million teens by 1961 o Promoted a sanitized version of rock n roll. Lots of vocal groups