Popular Music Test 3

Who is James Brown?

"Godfather of Soul" - gospel influenced. Dramatic/energetic style. Song "Papa's got a Brand New Bag" began a style known as funk.

Who is Aretha Franklin?

"Queen of Soul"--Memphis, TN--Mahalia Jackson was a family friend. Mother at 16. Pop/Jazz singer at 19, endured abusive relationships. Recorded a ton--"RESPECT." Deeply personal, universal appeal.

What was one of the first big rock & roll hits? Characteristics? What is this piece better described as?

"Rock Around the Clock" -- identified with rock *It has the jump band sound R&B *Haley's voice is not a blues-inflected one *Rhythm section has the guitar played in a high register *Drumsticks tap shuffle *Upbeat *ROCKABILLY

What is surf music?

(1962-64) Centered around the West Coast, white class middles class music *Idealized laid back lifestyle of hot rods, woodies, Hawaiian shirts, and sandals, leisure on the beach, and of course, surfing.

What specific roles do musicians play in jump bands?

*Bass walks *Drummer plays a shuffle beat *Guitar and/or piano helps keep the beat; pianist fills solo *Saxophone plays riffs

Rock and rollers would often listen to a recording or a performance, find something they liked, copy it or use it as inspiration for something new. Who was one of the best at doing this? Write a little about him.

*Buddy Holly - TX, grew up in a musical family, started as part of a country duo, formed Crickets, for the rest of us, he was rock and rolls first EVERYMAN.

What are some of the social and political issues that were important to the 1960s?

*Civil Rights *Sexual Freedom *Drugs *Vietnam *The Counterculture

In what different ways did doo-wop present pop? Did it serve as a bridge between pre-rock pop and black pop of the 1960s?

*Different vocal sounds *New tempos *Richer textures *Frequent nonsense syllables *Different rhythmic foundations *YES

How did the Beatles play a key role in reshaping the music and the industry (The Ascendency of Rock)?

*During the latter half of the 1960s, rock swept away pop--1970 rock music was now mainstream--Beatles are the poster boys--they helped make rock popular, international, act, and expanding the music's range.

What are the new sounds of rock?

*Electric guitar *Electric bass *Drums *Rock Rhythm *Sharing Melody (melody spread out to other instruments).

Who are the O'Jays?

*Formed as a quintet in 1958 playing R&B *Chart success came in 1972 *Rhythm sound fuller than Motown reinforced the beat strong

What is a shuffle rhythm? Is it characteristic of rock music?

*Long and short pattern 2:1 ratio *Long = first two notes of a triplet *Short gets the third note

What was the Motown Sound?

*Melodic Saturation *Good, unobtrusive blend *Broad sound spectrum *Predictable forms

How was the melody shared between instruments?

*Melody spread out to other instruments *An instrument lick is what catches ones attention and sets up the song before the melody comes in *Helps to identity song immediately

What is gospel's influence on R&B?

*More elaborate production *Richer accompaniment *More complex arrangements

What is the rhythmic differences between rock and roll and R&B?

*More upbeat *Rock & roll=white/R&B=black *R&B builds on shuffle rhythms *More active rhythm

Who is David Bowie?

*Most well for Glam Rock and androgynous characters in rock (Ziggy Stardust). Role-playing rock artist of the 1960s then 70s--remains popular musician today.

What was the Payola Scandal?

*Payola--playing for pay (bribery)--was not new--had issues with subject matter--government researched--BMI charged in conspiracy to dominate the market (accused of paying off the other guys). Major labels went after the little guys. DJs attacked. Nobody assumed they actually liked it.

Who is Chuck Berry? In his "Johnny B. Goode," what three main influences on rock and roll come together?

*Recommended by Muddy Waters *Provided the first important model for lead guitar playing *Provided the first definitive rock rhythm guitar style

What is the Philadelphia Sound?

*Take over the mantle of capital of black pop music from Detroit *Similar to Motown *Lush orchestrations, solid rhythms coming from seasoned, experienced rhythm section *Supported vocal groups singing about the ups and downs

What is cross-marketing?

*Tours-bands to help promote record sales *Little spontaneity in performances *Spectacles included *New norms: lights, fog, costumes, makeup, pyrotechnics

What is soul? Soul and Black Consciousness?

*Updated version of jump bands *Expression of the positive sense of racial identity that emerged during the decade. "Black is Beautiful" there was a shift in attitude for the pursuit of racial equality. Diff: Rhythm, Instrumentation, Texture. Centers: Memphis, TN/Muscle Shoals, AL.

Who is Elvis Presley?

*Very poor family in Tupelo, MS *Influenced by black music *Elvis' musically significant years only lasted 3 years--it ended when he was inducted into the army *Elvis helped define what a rock star was *Uninhibited and sexually charged

How did integration broaden rock's base?

*White song writers writing for black girl groups *White promotes hiring black artists *Billboard magazine suspended the R&B chart from late 1963 through early 1965 *Because there had been little differences between R&B and pop charts

Who is Marvin Gaye?

1939-1984--He joined Gordy by marrying Gordy's sister. Freed from contacts, gained artistic freedom. Shot by father in argument.

Who is Muddy Waters?

1944--played it so he could be heard over the noise in the bars. Born McKinley Morganfield, from Clarksdale, MS--Delta. Learned to play blues via listening to Robert Johnson. Hard life, labored in the fields, lived at subsistence level.

Who is Stevie Wonder?

1950 Blind from birth -- Had artistic control over work *Antithesis of Motown *No tuxes *No slick choreography *Solo act *Created his own recording

Who is Bob Dylan?

1960s folksinger--Began adding electric instruments to folk. Stream of consciousness and surreal lyrics. Went from folk to rock in "Hwy 61" -- Inspired by Guthrie. Importance: Incorporated diverse styles integration of words provocatively unique lyrics.

What is the Counterculture?

A small minority of people who decided to reject the mainstream--hippies, hipsters, etc. They "[turned] on, [turned] in, and [dropped] out" (Leavy).

What was the role of the producer in the early rock era?

A&R Man (artist and rep) *Song writer *Arranger *Contractor *Recording engineer, in some cases (Sidenote: the musician was like the surrogate for their work)

Who put the two words rock and roll together to describe rhythm and blues music? What is a major distinction between the two?

Alan Freed--rock mostly featured white performers to black performers.

What is Glam Rock?

Androgynous images *Giant extravaganzas with glittery sets *Fantasy version of rock *Rock as an artifice

Discuss song ownership and creative process.

Before Elvis a lot of the performers used to perform their own songs, but with Elvis, the song existed beforehand and the performer just performed it. They could record it in layers multitrack (one man band).

Who is the Who? Why are they significant?

Began in 1964 as a powerhouse band with a heavy bass sound that displayed the strong influence of 1960s--R&B--used synthesizer *Tommy (rock opera)

Who are the Coasters?

Began working with Leiber and Stoller in 1954 and the hits started coming *Humorous *"Young Blood"

What is the Harlem Hit Parade?

Billboard magazine that charted race records. Reverted back to race records.

Who is Ray Charles?

Blinded at age six by glaucoma, already started on piano and other instruments *Most successful and influential artists in all of popular music during the early 1960s. "What I'd Say"

Who is Janis Joplin?

Blues diva--didn't sing Blues songs--she did bring the blues feeling and style into everything. She defined a new role of women in rock. No longer just a pretty face--she matched men, black and white, in power and presence.

Compare the relatively "organic," "pure," and "authentic" music of such an artist as Joni Mitchell with the "Glam" productions of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust. Which holds more appeal? In your estimation, does either more "truly" capture the spirit of popular music or rock or do these two extremes simply represent equally viable alternatives in approaching popular musical genres?

Both of these examples are equally viable alternatives in approaching musical genres; however, Joni Mitchell would appeal to a larger, general audience, whereas David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust would appeal to a more specific audience. The pure music from Mitchell provides an unconventional approach to rock/pop, whereas Ziggy Stardust puts rock/pop into a different environment--a much more fantastical one, whereas Mitchell's environment is set in reality.

Who is Led Zeppelin?

British heavy metal band--Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals) & John Paul Jones (bass) & John Bonham (drums) *Shared interest in the occult, mystic, and mythical could handle extremes

Who is Jimi Hendrix?

Brought solo-oriented rock to life. Drew deeply on the blues. He pioneered the use of the instrument as an electronic sound source. He made a controlled art; used improv, helped define rock based improv as an art.

Who is Pat Boone?

Cover artist of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame"

What is electric blues? Who are some artists known for it?

Deep blues moved from MS to Chicago and went electric. Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Lowell Fulson, Elmore James, etc.

What was the makeup of R&B bands in the 1950s? What are some other characteristics?

Electric guitar piano, bass, drums, plus two saxes. Lyrics tell a story over a blues progression *Dealt with cars *Obligatory sax solo

What events near the end of the 1950s signaled the end of the first wave of rock and roll?

Elvis joined the Army in 1958 *Little Richard gave up his career to become preacher *Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13 year old cousin before divorcing his wife *Buddy Holly died in a plane crash *Chuck Berry arrested for violation of the Mann Act

Discuss "solo singers."

Ex: Ray Charles --They were essentially one-man bands. Ray Charles did his own vocals and instrumentation.

Who are the Beatles? Briefly discuss their musical evolution and legacy?

Famous band from England--reshaped rock the music industry, and Western culture. 1962-1964--Beatlemania, Dylan--inspired seriousness: 1966--1967 Return to roots: 1968-1970.

Who is Bill Haley?

First big rock & roll hits came from him. From Pennsylvania and he created "Rock Around the Clock." He and his band were able to combine country and R&B into a new sound.

Who is Jefferson Airplane?

First major group in acid rock with San Francisco as its epicenter. Became Jefferson Starship, then Starship when another member left.

Who is Little Richard?

Georgia -- "Tutti Frutti" -- outrageous rock and roll star *Claims to be architect of rock *Some early hits were based on R&B *Liked to add whoops in between singing *Claimed he was responsible *"Lucille"

What is Motown? Who is Berry Gordy?

He founded Motown Records. Motown was the largest black-owned corporation in the USA. Completely in-house system. Grew out of the pyramid structure.

Who are the Rolling Stones?

Helped bring blues sensibility into the mainstream. Built new sound from rock & roll, blues, and their own inspiration. Groove/driving rhythm. Dark, nasty sound.

What are jump bands? What are some of their characteristics (i.e. rhythm, singers, instruments)?

Kept rhythm section of big bands, ensemble but only kept a few horns. 4-beat rhythm moved to shuffle. More emphasis on singing.

Discuss the art of recording.

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences began presenting Grammy Awards for Engineering in Music. Complex layering with multitracks could be involved.

What is AOR (Album Oriented Rock)? Why is it important?

New trend in 1970s--Choosing music to be played on the radio; appeal to the broadest audience and offend the least

Discuss the singer-songwriter?

Often women--mostly artists who write and record for themselves rather than others *Make their personal statements in song *Accompaniment typically supported by an often acoustic instrument *Feminist issues presented

Who is Louis Jordan?

Pivotal musician in the development of R&B--Tympany Five, brought African American working class sensibilities.

Who are the Supremes?

Popular female Motown group in 1960s; competed w/Beatles in the charts. Follows Motown templates: *Hand claps *Extra phase *Other phrases being completed by the Supremes

What is significant about tape players and cassettes?

Portable and customizable -- mixtapes/playlists *Most enduring *Walkman (1979)

Talk about the rise of the "Girl Groups" and the Shirelles

Producers brought out a score of black girl groups. 4 members in the Shirelles -- formed as the Poquellas in 1958 while still in highschool.

What is Doo-Wop? Characteristics? What is interesting about the group names? Were they often one or two hit wonders? Were there any white and/or female doo-wop groups?

Product of urban vocal harmony groups mostly black and almost all male. *Songs featured a lead tenor vocalist, nonsense background vocals *Imitated instruments, scat-singing *Vocalizations *Rhythmic backups *Yes white and female groups *Yes, one or two hit wonders

Most of the R&B artists were from the South. What elements of their culture and upbringing influenced their music?

R&B artists from the South brought influences of blues, hokum, and big-band swing, primarily black music that got jump-start after WWII. Most of the music helped increase the interest in black music. The lyrics often included Southern influences (funny stories; wanderers; begging; rarely big city stories in lyrics; working class, no white collar). For instance, Muddy Waters, from MS, started on the harmonica and went to the guitar. He was a farm laborer as a boy and he was influenced by Robert Johnson and brought in the regular blues form, rough-edged vocals, vocal like responses and solos from the lead guitar or harmonica, a dense texture, with several instruments playing melody like lines behind the singer. A rhythm laying down a strong beat, usually some form of the shuffle rhythm. The lyrics from "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" about voodoo charms and sexual prowess are influences brought from the deep south.

Who is Elton John and why is he important?

Reginald Dwight (1947)--first band = Bluesology *Top live acts of the 1970s and best-selling recording artist of the decade.

What is heavy metal? What are its two outstanding qualities?

Rhythm is very free *Distortion *Massive amplification *Use of modes, pentatonic scales & power chords, basic rhythms *Power trio instrumental nucleus *Metal riffs were stronger and more pervasive *More non-vocals

Who is Jerry Wexler and what did he do? When did Billboard magazine begin tracking R & B.

Rhythms & Blues term was created by Jerry Wexler. 1949.

What is the rock rhythm?

Rock beat is the layer that moves twice as fast as the beat *It is an 8-beat sound now, with the bass as the key player.

What are cover versions? Were they successful?

Rock era concept--shift of signals, the shift of song identity *Abstract entity to a particular performance captured on record *YES

What is Sun Records? Who is Sam Phillips?

Sam Phillips is the man who started Sun Records *Sun Records published Elvis (located in Memphis, TN)

Discuss group oriented rock verses solo-oriented rock.

Solo-oriented rock wasn't pure solo, but bare-bones: guitar, bass, and drums.

Who are Leiber and Stoller?

Songwriters/producers--meticulous in planning and production, often recording up to 60 takes to get the right sound.

Who is Joni Mitchell?

Strictly folk background *Established career after divorce *Had guitar and mountain dulcimer

Who is Steely Dan?

Studio band whose experience in Jazz was extensive. Lyrics not clear but engineering won awards. Provocative lyrics, accessible sounds, rhythms, riffs, jazz influence, and perfectionist approach to performing.

"Protest Music" was an outgrowth of the Folk Music "boom" of the early 1960s. What political subjects were the targets of the protest singers? Explain how the restrictions on the lyric content of pop music led to the folk singers gaining an expanded following.

The political subjects involved in protest music were civil rights, sexual freedom, drugs, Vietnam (peace), and the Counter Culture. The restrictions on lyric content may have shifted to folk singers because folk singers in the 60s, such as Bob Dylan, included lyrics that were down to earth, surreal, and streams of consciousness--raw and real. Lyrics didn't have to be formatted for the traditional audiences; therefore, it could be used to get points, such as political subjects across, because that was the developed stereotype of 60s version folk music.

What did amplified guitars and the increased prominence of the rhythm section instruments result in?

The rhythms of the rhythm section came out from behind the rest of the band.

What three styles came together to form rock and roll? What did rock and roll borrow from each style? In what ways was rock and roll different from these styles?

The verse/chorus form and heavy backbeat from R&B, the prominence of the guitar from the electric blues, and the 8-beat rhythm from boogie woogie helped form Rock & Roll. Rock and roll was different from R&B in that rock and roll was mainly by white performers to white audiences where as R&B was the exact opposite. Musically, the rhythm difference in R&B and rock and roll was that R&B had shuffle rhythms, and rockers who had a more active rhythm. The difference in the electric blues and rock was the level of distortion, amplification, and prominence in the guitar. The main difference in boogie-woogie and rock was that rock was usually relied more on the guitar/bass/rhythm section and less on the piano for a beat.

Who are the Beach Boys?

Three brothers, cousin, and a neighbor *The group's sophisticated close harmonies comes mainly from Brian Wilson *Their voices are that tight, clear harmony, and soaring single line melody over harmonizing riffs.

What is Acid Rock?

Tripping on Acid became more widespread--integral to psychedelia--could contribute to the experience, depict the experience, be a product of it, subsided around 1970--didn't evolve, get permanent status.

What is Rockabilly?

White Southern music *Aka rock & roll *White countryman's song with a black man's rhythm *Memphis was Rockabilly's home

Was doo-wop the most successful R&B style in the latter part of the 1950s?

Yes

Was rock considered mainstream in the 1970s?

Yes

Did doo-wop often use voices to imitate instruments? Examples?

Yes, mainly percussion and rhythmic back sounds. Scat-Singing, rhythmic word nonsense. The Chords.

Did rock and roll become the epitome of a new rebellious attitude for teens?

Yes--it was a new subculture--they wanted their own music and rock was their outlet.