American Popular Music - Final Exam -- Chapter 8-14, Athens Tech
Regional Center- Acid rock/psychedelic rock (Jefferson Airplane, Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, etc.)
Answer: -Ashbury in San Francisco, California
Bob Dylan
Answer: 1) his songs were covered by Peter, Paul, and Mary as well as The Byrds in the 1960s 2) incorporated electric guitars into his folk style, transforming folk to "folk-rock" and injecting a seriousness to the pop music scene, changing "rock n roll" to simply put, a grown-up "rock." 3) Received the Nobel Peace Prize for his musical lyrics (in Literature) in 2016.
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Bob Dylan
"Blowin in the wind" (1963) -Adapted for many different movements (CRM, Vietnam, women's liberation) -Not flashy → stripped down, focus on the lyrics Dylan goes electric → influences his songwriting and vocals, bridges folk and rock 1965 Newport Folk Festival: -Controversial appearance with Paul Butterfield Blues Band -Normally solo with acoustic guitar and harmonica, went electric and fans booed -Opened the niche for folk rock
2Pac (TUPAC SHAKUR AKA THE LOVE OF MY LIFE)
"Brenda's Got a Baby" (1991) -Debut single - "2Pacalypse Now" -Cycles of violence, doesn't hold anything back in his lyrics -True stories of Black experiences in America Considered one of the greatest artists of all time -Politically and socially conscious -Producer, actor, poet, activist -Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 4/7/17
Jay-Z
"Hard Knock Life", rapper
Madonna
"Like a Virgin" - 1984 -Got flak from feminists and conservatives throughout her whole career for how she displayed her sexuality -Had power over her sexuality which is important in and of itself -Imagery of predator (lion), contrasted with her "innocence" and child-like voice -"Good girl" VS "bad girl" -No range! But visuals are so iconic that the song has a staying power → dancing kept her popular -Creative control in the industry -Leveraged the video medium to promote albums -Controversial image, but paved the way for female dance superstars
Professor Griff
"Minister of Information" with the influential hip-hop ensemble Public Enemy until he was forced to resign after making anti-Semitic comments.
The Who
"My Generation" (1965)
British Invasion
"Phenomenon" in 1960s: The other British Invasion acts that made a long-term impact in America started as the Beatles did: with firm roots in American R&B and rock 'n' roll. *Opened up a flood of recordings by British bands in the American market, American bands started mimicking, even going to Britain to record their albums On the whole, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Who, the Kinks, and Eric Clapton all remained closer to these roots during their careers than the Beatles did. Sparked a rock revolution: Harmonic freedom, creative control, electric bass, melodic hook, multitrack recordings
Eminem
"Rap God", a hip hop singer
Big Joe Turner
"Shake, Rattle, and Roll" (Kansas City Nightclubs)
Beach Boys songs
"Surfin' Safari", "Surfer Girl" , "The Warmth of the Sun", "California Girls"
Simon & Garfunkel song
"The Sounds of Silence"
Dixie Chicks
"There's Your Trouble" (1998) Political controversy: -Spoke out against Bush and the Iraq war in 2003 in London → a LOT of backlash when they returned to USA -Fans burned CDs, radio stations stopped playing or even banned their music Can you separate music from an artist's social/political views? -Money as a factor -Opinion based
Ray Charles songs
"What'd I Say" "I'm Moving On" "Georgia on My Mind" "I Can't Stop Loving You" (biggest success)
The Beatles' Middle Period
"Yesterday" (1965) -Represents a musical departure -Cuts across generational divide -Isolated words demand attention -String quartet -Acoustic guitar, solo voice "Eleanor Rigby" (1966) -Orchestral accompaniment -More mature; less poppy → more -somber content → could cut across divide and genres
The Kinks
"You Really Got Me" - 1964 -Sound like the Stones, image like the Beatles -Ray and Dave Davies -Greater success in US than in Britain -Identifiable guitar riff, influence of R&B -Harmonies like the Beatles, gritty vocals like the Stones → middle ground -Beginning of punk, short riffs throughout the whole song
Kanye West
"gold digger", "Heartless"
N.W.A.
*****z Wit Attitude: Dr. Dre, Easy-E, Ice Cube West Coast Gangsta Rap "Straight Outta Compton" (1988) -Protest police brutality, racial profiling -Controversial and explicit lyrics
Janis Joplin
-Commanding presence -Influence of blues and soul: Bessie Smith and Otis Redding -Raw sound -Died of heroin overdose "Ball and Chain" (1967) -Intensely emotional: screaming, pain in her voice
Run-DMC
-East coast, middle class, college-educated rap group -Considered the group that crossed rap into white mainstream America "Walk this Way" - 1986
David Bowie [Glam Rock]
-Elaborate, showy, theatrical -Glam rock pioneer -Ziggy Stardust = alter ego "Fame" (1975) -1st #1 hit in US -Co-wrote with Lennon
Brian Wilson
-Innovative producer, arranger, and songwriter -Mastermind of Beach Boys -Multi-track recording: each part of performance recorded separately, mixing into complete performance
Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria
-Latin soul artist -Congo drum player -Played in the bands of Perez Prado and Tito Puente -Released "Watermelon Man"
The Rolling Stones
-Modeling the Beatles early on → manager eventually has them go in a different direction -Less clean look than the Beatles, edgier, black leather, long hair -Cultivated a "bad boy" image → deliberate contrast to the Beatles' friendly public image -"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965) "As Tears Go By" (1966) -Orchestral strings, somber and soft voices Experimental Atypical for the Stones Influence of Muddy Waters and the blues → started by covering blues songs Pulling on the grittier sounds of vocals in R&B style → this song is different, more smooth and soft vocals
The Beatles' Later Period
-Much less pop-y "A Day in the Life" (1967) -Experimental 😏 → "chaotic orchestral sweep" -Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club -Psychedelic, drug influenced -Tape edits -Distorted final chord that fades
Urban Folk Revival
-Political activism connected to music → serious and earnest lyrics Folk elements -Strophic song form, non-distorted vocals, downplay of rhythm, stringed instruments -Bob Dylan
Berry Gordy Jr.
1. Founder of Motown Records 2. Berry Gordy (b. 1929) was an expert songwriter and producer who created pop music based on blues and gospel. 3. His music was designed to appeal to the widest possible listening public.
Brill Building
1. Located at 1619 Broadway in New York City, 2. which once housed Tin Pan Alley publishers 3. During the 1960s, home to a new wave of pop-rock songwriting teams - Rock 'n' roll's VERTICAL Tin Pan Alley - Singer-songwriters and songwriting teams: 1. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill 2. Carole King and Gerry Goffin 3. Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Brian Wilson
1. formed the Beach Boys with his two brothers, a cousin, and a friend in Hawthorne, California 2. Changed Americas passion from dancing to surfing with his lyrics
Elvis Presley
1950s; a symbol of the rock-and-roll movement of the 50s when teenagers began to form their own subculture, dismaying to conservative parents; created a youth culture that ridiculed phony and pretentious middle-class Americans, celebrated uninhibited sexuality and spontaneity; foreshadowed the coming counterculture of the 1960s The biggest star of the rock 'n' roll era (and arguably of the entire history of American popular music) who made his most influential recordings early in his career for Sam Philips and Sun Records.
Gretchen Wilson (b. 1973 in Illinois)
1st hit in 2004 was "Redneck Woman" and her number 1 album All Jacked Up in 2005 showed the marketability of her cultural identity. Emerged in her 30s with a fully formed artistic profile, which she has maintained consistently. The subject matter of her songs embraces many standard country subjects, demonstrated by tracks on her 2007 album One of the Boys: hard drinking ("There's a Place in the Whiskey"), hard loving ("Come To Bed"), hard losing ("Pain Killer"), and country pride ("There Goes the Neighborhood" and "Good Ole Boy"); her next album (2010) was titled I Got Your Country Right Here. Favor a strong, rock-oriented sound.
Union Station Band
A Blue Grass Band. An excellent fiddler with a high, fragile voice whose platinum recordings with Union Station helped bring blue grass to a new audience
Nickelback Band
A Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hann, Alberta, Canada. Chad Kroegar, lead vocalist
Velvet Underground
A New York group promoted by the pop art superstar Andy Warhol. Their music was rough-edged and chaotic, extremely loud, and deliberately anticommercial. The lyrics of their songs focused on topics such as sexual deviancy, drug addiction, violence, and social alienation. Leaders were singer and guitarist Lou Reed (b.1942), who worked previously as a pop songwriter in a Brill Building-style "music factory:, and John Cale (b.1942), a viola player active in the avant-garde art music scene in NY who introduced experimental musical elements into the mix. Represented the self-consciously experimentalist roots of 1970s new wave music.
Soul Music
A combination of the intensity of African American gospel with popular R&B styles, exemplified in the late 1960s recordings of Aretha Franklin and James Brown.
Bugalu
A fusion of rumba and mambo with black American popular music. "Watermelon Man" is considered this genre (also called latin soul)
Ali Farka Toure (1939-2006)
A guitarist and traditional praise singer (griot) from the West African nation of Mali. His style was directly influenced by American blues musicians.
Streaming
A method of sending audio and video files over the Internet in such a way that the user can view the file while it is being transferred.
Countrypolitan
A popular style of country music that emerged in Nashville in the mid-1960s and combines elements of traditional country with mainstream pop sounds. Popular performers in the style included Glen Campbell and Kenny Rogers.
Willie Nelson
A progressive country music artist, he was from Austin, TX, grew a beard and had long hair, wore a headband, earrings, and blue jeans. His music bridged the gap between rock and country, but with the style which merged hippie-country.
Mash-Up
A recording that digitally combines 2 or more preexisting tracks, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song over the music track of another. Can be seen by Gloria Estefan's "Dr.Pressure," which was a collaboration with Scottish musician Mylo that combined his techno/electronica hit "Drop the Pressure" (2005) and Miami Sound Machine's 1984 single "Dr. Beat."
Speed Metal
A sub-style of heavy metal that exudes the high level of intensity inherent in thrash metal but incorporates even faster tempos and a persistent, driving quadruple subdivision of the beat
Peter Gabriel (b. 1950 in England)
Achieved celebrity as a member of the art rock group Genesis before embarking on a solo career. Gabriel's best-selling single "Sledgehammer" became Number One pop and Number Sixty-one R&B in 1986. The award-winning video version of "Sledgehammer" was an eye-catching, witty, and technically innovative work that pushed the frontiers of the medium. He left Genesis 1976 and released 4 solo albums, all titled Peter Gabriel, then he released the album So, which was an interesting and accessible amalgam of various musical styles that reflected his knowledge of new digital technologies; his budding interest in world music; and his indebtedness to black music, particularly R&B and soul music of 1960s. "Sledgehammer" features a horn section led by trumpet player Wayne Jackson.
Stevie Wonder
African American singer and songwriter, negotiated a contract with Motown that guaranteed him to be in control of all aspects of his music. He himself played many of the instruments in his song, Superstition.
What is AOR
Album Oriented Rock
Sonic Youth
Alternative Rock band who were pioneers in noise rock
Soul Train and its Importance
American musical variety TV program - 1971 -Featured AA in-studio dancers -35 year history -Live performances: R&B, soul, hip hop, funk, jazz, disco Allowed black people to see themselves on TV; enjoying and performing music
R.E.M.
An American Alternative rock band based in Athens, Georgia who were instrumental in bringing alternative rock into the mainstream in the 80's and 90's
Hector Lavoe (1946-1993)
An icon of Nuyorican (NY Puerto Rican) immigrant identity during the 1970s. Helped reinforce the popularity of Colon's band. Was its lead singer.
The Grateful Dead
Answer: Lead by Singer/songwriter Jerry Garcia, this band had a loyal following of hundreds of thousands of fans. The band is known for their live performances and long versions of songs, called "jams."
Sang Tin Pan Alley songs, including "Georgia on My Mind," which went to #1 on the pop charts, and eventually became the official state song of Georgia. Loved country music, and after much success in the pop charts, went on to release a song of exclusively Country Music songs, much to the dismay of his producers. Was considered a "genius," he played jazz piano, arranged his own music, and was a creative songwriter, with a distinctive vocal sound. He was considered a pioneer of a new kind of music: Soul Music. Caused some scandal with the song, "Hallelujah I Love Her So," because of the sacred and secular mixture.
Answer: Ray Charles
What blind African-American pianist loved country music, and even released an album of all country music covers in his own jazz band influenced style?
Answer: Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
The King of Soul
Answer: Sam Cooke
Regional center- Grunge
Answer: Seattle, Washington
Eurythmics's song, "Sweet Dreams" Describe the source of musical sound in
Answer: Synthesized sound (not live instruments)
Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol. What did the press and his fans call him during this time? Explain why he did this!
Answer: The Artist Formerly known as Prince
Michael Jackson's original group
Answer: The Jackson 5
AM Radio played ____________________and FM radio played ______________________
Answer: Top hits, AOR
By the late 1980's, metal music was 50% of the top 20 albums on the Billboard charts. T/F
Answer: True
David Bowie's character Ziggy Stardust is an example of a rock album with characters, adhering to the concept album T/F
Answer: True
In the 1970s, Salsa and Latin music were able to become successful because of a rise in independent labels in Latin-oriented communities, such as Fania Records. T/F
Answer: True
This Latin American singer's hit it big with his rock n roll song, "La Bamba," sung entirely in Spanish. He was tragically killed in a plane crash at the age of 18.
Answer: Valens
The "wall of sound" or "the teenage symphony" refers to
Answer: the addition of strings, choirs, piano, percussion, and background vocals, doubling each part, and having an echo, all put into the engineered mix of a song to create a lush texture.
Outkast
Atlanta duo whose blend of gritty Southern soul, fluid raps, and funk epitomize hip-hop's rising force, the Dirth South, during the '90s
Tower of Power
Backup/background musicians integrated "What is Hip?" -Everyone treated as a percussion instrument -Staccato, syncopated
Krist Novoselic (b. 1965 in Compton, California)
Bassist for the Seattle-based alternative rock trio Nirvana.
Nature of Country music in 90s and 00s
Big names dominate music in 90's and 00's → moving away from honky tonks and more towards arena concerts
Doris Day
Big-band singer and solo artist was regularly on pop charts from late 1940s through late 1950s. Famous for "A Guy Is a Guy"
Public Enemy
Black America's CNN Chuck D and Flavor Flav Politically charged rhymes, promoting black self-empowerment, critiquing white supremacy "Don't believe the Hype" - 1988 -Mention false media, hard life as Black people in America
Reggae
Born in the impoverished shantytowns of Kingston, Jamaica, reggae first became popular in the United States in 1973, after the release of the Jamaican film The Harder They Come and its soundtrack album. The heart of reggae music consists of "riddims," interlocking rhythmic patterns played by the guitar, bass, and drums. The guitar often plays short, choppy chords on the second and fourth beats of each measure, giving the music a bouncy, up-and-down feeling. The bass-drum combination is the irreducible core of a reggae band, sometimes called the "riddim pair." Political messages were central to reggae music. Mixture of Caribbean folk music and American R&B. Was the first style of the rock era to originate in the 3rd world. Popularity related to earlier "exotic" music crazes and to the coming world beat movement of the 1980s and 1990s. During the 1970s a handful of Jamaican musicians (Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff) achieved a measure of commercial success in US, while numerous American and British rock musicians found inspiration in the style. Rap music of the 1980s strongly influenced by Jamaican "dub," a branch of the reggae tradition in which verbal performances are improvised over pre-recorded musical accompaniments. Complex composite of influences, some from US. Under the influence of Rastafarian religiosity and Rude Boys street politics, this genre took shape in late 1960s. The term is derived from "raggay," a Kingston slang term meaning "raggedy, everyday stuff." Further extension of the evolution of ska to rock steady. Tempo is slowed even more, creating wide spaces between notes and emphasizing polyrhythmic heritage. Heart consists of "riddims," interlocking rhythmic patterns. Enlivened by the influence of contemporary black American popular music. Political messages were central. Most American listeners became conscious of reggae as a distinctive style only with the steadily increasing popularity in this country of Bob Marley and the Wailers in the mid- to late-1970s.
Pet Sounds
Brian Wilson's album ____________ was the first example of a concept album.
British Invasion - Beatles
British boy band by the name of The Beatles made their first appearance on America television with a highly publicized performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Attracting 73 million viewers, the performance was both a music and cultural phenomenon.
What band did the Beatles model their band name after?
Buddy Holly (Crickets)
Sean "Puffy" Combs (a.k.a. Puff Daddy, P. Diddy)
CEO of the New York independent label Bad Boy Records
Drake
Canadian rapper singer songwriter. Child actor turned pop superstar.
Civil Rights Movement of 1960s
Civil Rights movement had been a success, more African Americans began to move into the middle class, experience higher graduation rates in high schools and colleges. - Popular music after Motown and the 1960 soul singers made an African American pop star seem as natural as a Caucasian star. - The largest record companies had relatively few black stars.
Rise of the Producer
Controls many elements of a song (book time in studio, hire backup singers/instrumentalists, engineering process, responsible for sound of finished record) Becomes person the people know
CBGB & OMFUG (Country, Bluegrass, Blues & Other Music for Urban Gourmandizers)
Converted folk music club in the Bowery area of Manhattan. It became the home to many pioneers of punk music, including Patti Smith, the Talking Heads, and the Ramones. Influential groups who played here in the mid-1970 included Television, Blondie, and the Voidoids.
Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler; b. 1958 in Barbados)
DJ and leader of the furious five, he developed many of the turntable techniques that characterized early hip-hop music. He refined the backspin technique of Kool Herc. He adopted the mixing techniques of disco DJs, particularly their use of headphones to synchronize the tempos of recordings and thus create smooth transitions from one dance groove to the next. Using headphones, he could more precisely pinpoint the beginning of a break by listening to the sound of the disc being turned backward on the turntable. He spent many hours practicing this technique and gained local fame.
Alan Freed
DJ for Moondog Show, creator of term "rock and roll" (Cleveland)
New Wave
Developed alongside punk rock, approached the critique of corporate rock in more self-consciously artistic and experimental terms. Term picked up by record companies, who began using it in the late 1970s. Punk rock's commercial cousin. Example is Talking Heads.
Synthesizer
Device that enables musicians to create or "synthesize" musical sounds. Began to appear on rock records during the early 1970s.
Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen of the band "Van Halen" is one of the premier guitarists in rock.
Dave Stewart
English keyboardist and technical whiz best known for his work with the Eurythmics.
TIDAL
First music service with High Fidelity sound and quality. High definition music videos and curated editorial. Expertly crafted music
Twist was <--Answer:
First released as a B-side of a 1959 single by Hank Ballard, and then covered by Parkway recording artist Chubby Checker in 1960, this song rose to #1 in the charts and swept the nation as an individual free-form dance.
Urban Folk
Folk music (grew a lot in the 50s - 60s) • Acoustic guitar based, aloof from the mainstream • Expresses the feelings of a particular region • Huge emphasis on lyrics • Viewed rock as juvenile and looked down on it - Folk music offered a more serious look at society & culture
Harry Belafonte
Folk singer of Jamaican and West Indian parentage who popularized calypso music in the mid-1950s.
Eazy-E Wright
Former drug dealer, member of N.W.A. (*****z With Attitude), and later solo rap artist in the 1990s.
Beach Boys
Founded in California in 1961, they popularized the "California sound" in early 1960's.
Jazz Fusion/Jazz Rock
Freedom, improvisation, virtuosity of jazz + elements of rock music Miles Davis: trumpet player -Major developments in bebop, cool jazz, jazz fusion -"Bitches Brew" (1970)
Nirvana
Front man = Kurt Cobain → talented songwriter -BUT lots of drug use, commits suicide in April of 1994 (possibly some foul play?) Album called Nevermind knocks MJ out of #1 spot "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991)
Stevie Wonder
Funk One of the most popular artists in 1970s -Signed with Motown -"Little Stevie Wonder" "Superstition" (1972) -Tuneful melody -Dense textures -Syncopated funk riffs -Clavinet -Performed on Soul Train
James Brown
Godfather of soul Father of Soul Music - He took control over his business as he grew in popularity, and he became one of the first African American performers who owned a diverse portfolio of businesses. - He hired many black employees and promoted them into management positions, helping to realize the promise of the Civil Rights movement. Songs - "Please, Please, Please", "Say It Loud—I'm Black and I'm Proud", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"
George Clinton
Guided development of funk Parliament-Funkadelic Originally signed to Motown as doo wop group Flamboyant costumes, psychedelic influence "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" (1976) -Danceable -Heavy driving bass line; syncopated -Tone of guitar (wap, wap)
K.D. LANGE (b. 1961 in Alberta, Canada)
Has always occupied a marginal position in the conservative world of country music. She began her career in 1982 as a Patsy Cline imitator, going so far as to christen her band the Reclines. lang never sat quite right with the Nashville establishment, who found her campy outfits (rhinestone suits and cat-eye glasses) and somewhat androgynous image off-putting. Raised in an isolated rural town on the high plains of Canada, she listened to classical and rock music as a young girl, discovering country music somewhat later when she played a Patsy Cline-type character in a college play. Early 1980s she released 2 albums on the Edmonton-based independent label Bumstead Records, but only in 1987, when Sire Records released her Angel with a Lariat, that she came to the attention of a broader audience. Her subsequent albums - 1988's Shadowland and 1989's Absolute Torch and Twang - moved toward a more traditional honky-tonk sound. A scandal over her appearance in a commercial for the "Meat Stinks" campaign of PETA led stations in the cattle-producing areas of the Midwest to boycott her records and generated an impressive volume of hate mail. 1992 officially announced her homosexuality, which led to her being christened an "icon of lesbian chic." 1990s moved toward adult contemporary pop music, becoming an "alternative" star in that category as well. Ingenue (1992) had a single, "Constant Craving" reached the Top 40. "Nowhere to Stand."
Dionne Warwick & Burt Bacharach
He wrote, she sang • Hits like "What the World Needs Now" & "One Less Bell to Answer" • She had a gospel background but smoothly adapted to be a crooner • His songs were like Gershwin and Porter, but with a new twist - highly original phrasing and rhythm - similar to art music and jazz • Parted in 1970
Beyonce Knowles
Houston, TX singer; She rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of R&B girl-group Destiny's Child. *Lemonade* "Formation" *Dangerously in Love* "Crazy in Love" "Baby Boy" *I Am... Sasha Fierce* "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Barbra Streisand
Impactful recording artist who has delighted audiences on Broadway, in movies, and in concert, also known for her successful LP sales.
Ice-T (Tracy Marrow b. 1958)
In 1987, he recorded the theme song for Colors, Dennis Hopper's violent film about gang-versus-police warfare in South Central Los Angeles. Both the film and Ice-T's raps reflected ongoing changes in southern California's urban communities, including a decline in industrial production, rising rates of joblessness, the continuing effects of crack cocaine, and a concomitant growth of drug-related gang violence. Had an outlaw swagger.
iPod
Introduced in 2001 by Apple Computer; an MP3 player that can store up to 1,000 CD-quality songs on its internal hard drive. The iPod and other MP3 players enable listeners to build unique libraries of music reflecting their personal tastes ("playlists"). The ability of the iPod to "shuffle" music exerted an influence on personal listening habits but also provides a metaphor for the contemporary state of consumer culture.
Stan Getz
Introduced timbre style of Brazilian music to American Jazz? was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young
San Francisco Rock
Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, & the Grateful Dead • During the late 1960s, an "alternative" rock music scene established itself in San Francisco. • "Psychedelic rock" encompassed a variety of styles & musical influences, including folk rock, blues, "hard rock," Latin music, & Indian classical music. • San Francisco's psychedelic music scene was focused on the Haight-Ashbury
Led Zepplin
Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, were the members of this heavy textured rock group, pioneering the sound of "heavy metal."
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What famous guitar builder helped develop magnetic tape recording, and pioneered overdubbing?
LAnswer: es Paul
Ray Barretto
Latin soul artist who released the influential song "El Watutsi" in 1962.
Spotify
Lets you pick a genre of music and it will play tunes accordingly; over time it learns what you like
Herb Alpert
Los Angeles-born trumpet player and songwriter who lead the Tijuana Brass and cofounded A&M records.
Chuck D
MC and songwriter best known for his work with Public Enemy.
Connie Francis
Mainstream pop singer emerging in the late 1950s who appreciated the importance of appealing to the new young audience and occasionally performed bona fide rockers like "Stupid Cupid" and "Lipstick on Your Collar."
Phil Spector
Major producer of 1960s -Leiber and Stoller apprentice Supervised every aspect of record's sound -Obsession with detail and involvement Created "wall of sound" -Multiple instruments double each individual part in arrangement -Use of echo -Teenage symphonies: thick texture, use of strings, use of "wrecking crew" in LA studio "Be My Baby" (1963)
Alternative Rock
Marketing category that emerged around 1990; it is most often used to describe bands like R.E.M., Sonic Youth, the Dead Kennedys, and Nirvana. Emerged when the underground bands made it big. Most influential indie rock bands of the 1980s were R.E.M. (formed 1980 from Georgia) and NY's Sonic Youth (formed 1981).
This African American mega star's lengthy, cinematic music video was the first to be aired on MTV with any frequency.
Michael Jackson (Thriller)
Supremes
Motown Soul girl group that followed the Motown sound template. Lasted from 1961 through the 1970s.
Recording Industry Association of America - RIAA
Music industry group that works to reduce illegal copying of music.
Lou Reed
New York-based singer and songwriter who cofounded the Velvet Underground with John Cale.
Rolling Stones
Of all the British Invasion acts other than the Beatles, the Rolling Stones have had the greatest cumulative influence in America. (promoted as bad boys vs. good boy Beatles)
Rave
One of the main venues for techno. Semipublic event modeled partly on the be-ins of the 1960s counterculture. A controversial aspect of raves - which started in England in the late 1980s and spread, in a more limited fashion, to the US - is the prevalent use by participants of a psychoactive drug called Ecstasy (MDMA), which creates visceral sensations of warmth and euphoria
Eddie Palmierie (b. 1936)
One of the most influential figures of early salsa. Born to Puerto Rican immigrant parents in NYC. His musical development was influenced by his older brother, Charlie Palmierie. His approach to piano was strongly shaped by modern jazz of 1950s and 1960s, and his breakthrough albums Sentido (1973) and Sun of Latin Music (1974) juxtaposed his deep knowledge of stylistic history of Latin music with various experimental moves. His band pushed the compositional and harmonic limits of Latin dance while always maintaining a connection to the tipico style.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Pakistani musician, primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis
Nashville Sound
Patsy Cline, Elvis, and Ray Charles were known for this sound Country music style involving polished arrangements and a sophisticated approach to vocal presentation. The recordings of Patsy Cline were among the most important manifestations of the Nashville sou
Charlie Palmieri (1927-1988)
Pianist and bandleader. Began playing with Tito Puente's mambo band in the late 1940s and had a key role in the Latin music of 1960s.
Jan (Berry) and Dean (Torrence)
Popular duo • Worked with Brian Wilson & the Beach Boys on a number of projects • Wilson co-wrote Jan and Dean's biggest hit, "Surf City" (#1, 1963) • The beginning of true surf music!
Ricky Nelson
Popular teenaged musician in the 1950s who was marketed to teenagers as a "rock 'n' roll" artist.
Garage Band
Predecessor of punk rock. American institution that was typically a neighborhood operation made up of young men who played mainly for themselves, friends, and the occasional high school dance. Some groups enjoyed commercial success. Roch-and-ready, do-it-yourself attitude, somewhat akin to a rock 'n' roll-based folk music movement, paved the way for punk rock.
Prince (b. Prince Rogers Nelson, 1958)
Prince is one of the most talented musicians ever to achieve mass commercial success in the field of popular music. He has sold almost forty million recordings. Between 1982 and 1992, he placed nine albums in the Top 10, reaching the top of the charts with three of them (Purple Rain in 1984, Around the World in a Day in 1985, and Batman in 1989). Born in the industrial north of the midwestern US. He had been making music professionally since 13 and an occasional member of his father's jazz trio. His career developed in the regional metropolis of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His hit recordings, inspired by early 1970s example of Stevie Wonder, were composed, produced, engineered, and performed solely by himself, many at his own studio in Minneapolis. "The Artist." One of the most talented musicians ever to achieve mass commercial success in the field of popular music. Parents migrated from Louisiana to the North and identified as African Americans while acknowledging a mixed-race heritage including Italian and Native American. Parents separated when 7. The instability of this time and ambivalence of his relationships with his parents have formed the source material for some of his best-known songs. Amazing productivity. His recorded output has encompassed a wide range of musical inspirations, from funk and guitar based rock 'n' roll to urban folk songs, new wave, jazz, and psychedelic rock. Dominant impression of his approach is open-mindedness, but he has also sought to exert tight control over his music, marketing, and its distribution. Owns his own studio and produces his own recording, plays most of the instruments on his recordings, and has worked for years to maintain control over the master tapes recorded in his studio. His musical and commercial breakthrough came with Dirty Mind 1980. Introduced a captivating new fusion of soul, synth-pop, and new wave sensibilities juxtaposed with a hard-edged rock sound that centered on his virtuoso guitar work. Number of tracks were explicitly sexual in content, establishing his controversial public image as an exuberant and graphic eroticist. Next album had songs ranging from pop and rock 'n' roll to the apocalyptic dance-club funk. Mid-1980s his album track "Darling Nikki" was the 1st recording ever to receive a Parental Advisory warning. His commercial success was accompanied by an increasing frustration with Warner Brothers. 1993 changed his name to a visual symbol, the Love Symbol, that combined male and female elements and being dubbed "The Artist." 1995 separate from Warners and turned toward and introspective and self-indulgent approach and released Emancipation (1996) on his own label, NPG Records. 1 of the 2st artists to sell his own music via the Internet. 2000 readopt name Prince, but relationship with fans deteriorated. Recent return to charts has been astonishing. New albums go back to his blend of funky jams, sensuous grooves, and hard rock guitar, bring back fans.
Clear Channel
Publicly traded corporation that owns more than 1,200 radio stations, 39 television stations, 100,000 advertising billboards, and 100 live performance venues, ranging from huge amphitheaters to dance clubs, enabling them to present more than 70 percent of all live events nationwide. Strategy known as "vertical integration," in which a corporation gains control over all aspects of the production of a commodity and its promotion and delivery to consumers. Critics assert that Clear Channel's use of its radio stations and billboards to advertise their booked shows at their venues was in essence a monopoly. Received criticism for using "voice tracking," a practice in which DJs at the company's headquarters in Texas record radio shows that are played on stations nationwide but are presented as though being broadcast locally. 2010 announce plans to lay off more local employees and further centralize its broadcast operations. Their dominance declined as outside forces, including 2008 crash, impinged on their attempt to build a vertically integrated business. Now owns only 850 outlets and has divested itself of its TV and live concert operations.
Jo-Ann Campbell
R&B-influenced recording artist showcased by disk jockey Alan Freed as "the blonde bombshell" who failed to achieve commercial success. Born Florida
O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson
Rapper and actor best known as a founding member of the gangsta rap ensemble N.W.A. (*****z With Attitude).
M.C. Hammer (Stanley Kirk Burrell, b. 1962)
Rapper from Oakland, California; hit the charts in 1990 with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, which held the Number One position for twenty-one weeks and sold over ten million copies, becoming the bestselling rap album of all time. His celebrity was boosted by music videos that highlighted his impressive abilities as a dancer, his appearances in corporate soft drink advertisements, and even a short-lived kid's cartoon show Hammerman. He was attacked by many in the hip-hop community for lack of skill as a rapper and for pandering to a mass audience. His success pushed rap fully into the mainstream, continuing a trend started in mid-1980s. His pop-friendly rap style opened the door for Vanilla Ice.
The Beatles' Early Period
Really pop-y "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) -AABA form -Dissonant opening guitar chord -Effective hook -Lennon/McCartney composition "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1964)
Brenda Lee
Recording artist of the early 1960s known as "Little Miss Dynamite" who sang hits like "Sweet Nothin's." Georgia Born
Janis Martin
Recording artist signed by RCA at the age of sixteen and marketed as the female Elvis.
Alesis ADAT
Recording system introduced in 1992 that consisted of an eight-track digital synthesizer/recorder that could be expanded to 128 tracks with the addition of units. With the ADAT, consumers could set up basic home studios inexpensively, while professionals could use the same technology to build highly sophisticated digital sound facilities. Alesis Digital Audio Tape.
Counterculture associated Beliefs
Rejection of "the establishment": -Anti-social norms of the older generation -Young people incited big social revolution -Drugs, free love [coincide w Women's Liberation], Vietnam, etc.
cadence
Rhythmic rise and fall of music
Tension surrounding CCM
Rock associations of promiscuity, rebellion, and the devil contrasted with biblical text and religious lyrics to glorify God Tensions surrounding use of CCM → younger generations have strongly adopted CCM as it appeals to popular tastes and transforms religious experiences, but the older generation is not happy because it threatens the future of traditional churches Labeling of Evanescence song as Christian music -Christian radios picked up and used as Christian music, Evanescence got pissed!! "Not our intent, we don't want people to worship with it" -Is it up to the listener's discretion or up to the artist to determine how the music can/should be used? Controversial Difference between Christian rock and rock made by Christians
Dick Clark
Rock's first superpromoter and host of American Bandstand.
Counterculture's Home
San Francisco Bay area: -Center for radical thought -Hippies gather in Haight-Ashbury district -"Make love not war" -LSD trips -1967 migration: 75,000 young people gather for summer of love
Annie Lennox
Scottish singer of the Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams"
Taylor Swift
Shake It Off
Basic elements of Punk
Short (say what you want and move on) Loud (guitar/bass distortion) Fast (repeat chords and notes)
Ry Cooder (b. 1947 in LA)
Singer and guitarist that produced the album Talking Timbuktu. His career as a session musician and bandleader had already encompassed a wide array of styles, including blues, reggae, Tex-Mex music, urban folk song, Hawaiin guitar music, Dixieland jazz, and gospel music. The sound and sensibility of Talking Timbuktu are derived from the music of Ali Farka Toure.
Herman ("Little Junior") Parker
Singer, songwriter, and harmonica player who achieved some success with his rhythm & blues band Little Junior's Blue Flames.
Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman)
Singer, songwriter, boogie-woogie influenced pianist, and cultivator of a deliberately outrageous performance style that appealed on the basis of its strangeness, novelty, and sexual ambiguity.
Carole King
Singer-songwriter who wrote many hits in the 1960s with Gerry Goffin. In 1971, the success of her album Tapestry made her a major recording star. Early Brill Building songwriter → emerges as a recording star "It's Too Late" (1971) -Adult relation song → mature approach to heartbreak -Maturing audience -Acoustic piano, light saxophone -Sophisticated chord progression
Alison Krauss (b.1971 in Illinois)
Sings tradition material on the O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000) soundtrack, but whose career before she reached the age of 30 had already ranged much further from strict traditionalism than Ralph Stanley ever desired to go. A fiddling champion and bluegrass fan by the time she was 12, she quickly went on to establish her credentials as a bandleader, vocalist, and producer, as well as a valuable collaborator on numerous recordings by other artists. Collaborated with Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin to make Raising Sand in 2007. Her fine albums with her band Union Station demonstrate both her close connections to traditional bluegrass and her interest in creating a distinctive and original sound that grows out of those connections.
Bill Black
String bassist who recorded with Scotty Moore and Elvis Presley for Sun Records.
Thrash
Style that blended the fast tempos and rebellious attitude of hardcore with the technical virtuosity of heavy metal guitar playing. Continued aspects of hardcore's style and attitude. Harder, faster version of the commercially successful speed metal style. Didn't produce any superstars, Suicidal Tendencies the most famous, but it did exert an influence on alternative rock bands of the 1990s. Never developed a mass audience, it's fans remained devoted, keeping the style alive as an underground club-based phenomenon through the 1990s.
Pearl Jam
Surpassed Nirvana in record sales Signed with Epic Records Combo of riff-heavy guitar sound + angst of 1980's post-punk + memorable choruses Help establish grunge in mainstream "Alive" (1991) -Chord progression less somber -Vocals following the chords, words much clearer than Nirvana → melodic and "prettier" while maintaining angst -More produced than Nirvana -Closed off throat vowels
Waylon Jennings (1937-2002)
Texas-born musician. Centerpiece of the Outlaws. Began his career as a musician and DJ. 1958 joined the Crickets (Buddy Holly's band). Early 1960s, set up at a nightclub in Phoenix with a diverse audience that encouraged him to develop a broad repertoire. 1965 signed by RCA Victor and relocated to Nashville. Producer Chet Atkins attempted to push him in the direction of the countrypolitan sound, he resisted and got substantial leeway in his choice of material. Remain close to the music industry in Nashville, cultivated an image as a rebel. 1972 record album called Ladies Love Outlaws and on the cover appeared in "bad guy" dress.
Madonna
The 1980's Pop star who was second in popularity to Michael Jackson, first breakthrough hit was "Holiday," and the second album, Like A Virgin, which had several top hit singles: "Like A Virgin," "Material Girl," "Angel," and "Dress You Up.
Synth-pop
The 1st type of popular music explicitly defined by its use of electronic sound synthesis. Died out by the end o the 1980s, it helped to establish the centrality of the synthesizer in popular dance music. The perfect example is "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by the Eurythmics.
Uptown
The Crystals About inequality, recorded in New York, most likely about the Spanish Harlem. Very apparent latin feeling to the song. The song "Spanish Harlem" was produced just a year before. Latin American contribuation to Rocknroll in 1960's apparent
Motown's Response to counterculture
The Motown image doesn't go w/image of counterculture • Occasional bits of alternative rock • The Supremes - "Reflections" - Electronic Beep • The Temptations - "Cloud Nine" (1968) • Drug references • More like folk rock than alternative • A new hybrid style for Motown - New rock & Folk rock • Led to other Motown part-psychedelic hits • Temptations - "Run Away Child, Running Wild", "Psychedelic Shack", "Ball of Confusion" & " Papa was a Rollin Stone • Edwin Starr's "War"
counterpoint
The art of combining in a single texture two or more melodic lines.
Ramones
The first punk rock band. Formed in 1974 in New York City, the Ramones' high-speed, energetic, and extremely loud sound influenced English punk groups such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash and also became a blueprint for 1980s L.A. hardcore bands. Although they projected a street-tough image, all of the band's members were from middle-class families in the New York City borough of Queens. The band consisted of Jeffrey Hyman (Joey Ramone) on vocals, John Cumings (Johnny Ramone) on guitar, Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone) on bass, and Tom Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone) on drums. Their 1st manager, Danny Fields, worked with the Stooges and Lou Reed so knew their potential audience. HAd a look to evoke the sneering, rebellious ethos of 1950s rock 'n' rollers. Began playing regularly at CBGBs 1975. End of the year, had a recording contract with Sire Records. Their debut album recorded 1976 which gained some critical attention. Their concerts in English cities, where their records had created an underground sensation, were attended by future members of almost every important British punk band. 1977, scored a UK Top 40 hit with "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," which announced that the center of the rock 'n' roll universe had shifted to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Their music reflected their origins as a garage band made up of neighborhood friends. Songs had catchy, pop-inspired melodies, played at extremely fast tempos, and lasted no more than 2 and a half minutes. Their raw, hard-edged sound was anchored by a steady barrage of notes. Technical limitations and aesthetic goal of rejecting the flashy virtuosity of progressive rock music - so few guitar solos. "I Wanna Be Sedated" show their twisted sense of humor. "Sick bubblegum music." Played alongside self-consciously "cutting-edge" bands, but identified themselves as a band that played real rock 'n' roll. SOme songs provided grim "news flashes" on the facts of life in many working-class and middle-class homes during a period of severe economic recession.
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
The most influential and economically successful member of N.W.A. He founded an independent record label (Death Row/Interscope), cultivated a number of younger rappers, and continued to develop a distinctive hip-hop production style, christened "G-Funk" in homage to the P-funk style developed in the 1970s by George Clinton, and was often sampled on Dre's productions. His 1992 album The Chronic - named after a particularly potent strain of marijuana - sold over 3 million copies and introduced his protege Snoop Doggy Dog.
Eric Clapton
The most influential of young British guitarists of the mid-1960s influenced by Robert Johnson and B. B. King • Member of the Yardbirds, a band that had little pop success but served as a training ground for young guitarists, including Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
The most original, inventive, and influential guitarist of the rock era & the most prominent African American rock musician of the late 60s • Started with R&B bands, then in 1966 moved to London, & joined up with bassist Noel Redding & drummer Mitch Mitchell; eventually formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience. • 1st in America in 1967 at the Monterey Pop Festival, where Hendrix stunned the audience w/ flamboyant performance style.
Ventures
The most successful instrumental group associated with surf rock • Seattle-based ensemble • Adopted aspects of the style after it became popular in California
Janis Joplin (1943-70)
The most successful white blues singer of the 1960s • Born in Texas - Came to SF in mid-1960s • Big Brother & the Holding Company - Appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 led to a contract w/ Columbia • Joplin's full-tilt singing style and directness of expression • Inspired by singers like Bessie Smith & Big Mama Thornton Song - "Summertime"
Analog Recording
The norm since the introduction of recording in the nineteenth century. Transforms the energy of sound waves into physical imprints (as in pre-1925 acoustic recordings) or into electronic waveforms that closely follow (and can be used to reproduce) the shape of the sound waves themselves.
Eddie Vedder (b. 1966 in Chicago)
The singer for the Seattle-based alternative rock band Pearl Jam; he collaborated with Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on the track "The Face of Love" from the album Talking Timbuktu.
Scratching
The sound produced when a record disc is spun backward and forward on a turntable. The distinctive sound of scratching became an important part of the sonic palette of hip-hop music. Developed by Flash's young protege, Theodore, who broke away and formed his own hip-hop crew when 13. 1978 he debuted a new technique that quickly spread through the community of DJs. Discovered that turning the disc counterclockwise produced scratchy, percussive sound effects which could be punched into the dance groove. In 1990s after digital sampling displaced turntables, these sounds were used as a way of signaling a connection to the "old school" origins of hip-hop.
Alternative Music
The term "alternative"—like the broadly equivalent terms "underground" and "independent"—is used across a wide range of popular genres, including rock, rap, adult contemporary, dance, folk, and country music. It is used to describe music that challenges the status quo; anticommercial, and antimainstream, it is thought by its supporters to be local as opposed to corporate, homemade as opposed to mass-produced, and genuine as opposed to artificial. The music industry's use of "alternative" is bound up with the need of the music business to identify and exploit new trends, styles, and audiences. Emerged as a more-or-less underground movement in the early 1980s, combined the rebellious spirit and youth appeal of rock 'n' roll with the nihilism of punk rock, and during the 1990s led to the confounding spectacle f vociferously anticommercial artists playing at corporate-sponsored rock festivals and releasing multiplatinum albums for major record companies.
Twist changed social dance
The twist was individual, non-contact dance without any real steps - free form! • Could be male-female OR groups • All ages, classes, races, & experience levels • Was done to rock - not jazz or society dance • Birth of discotheques & live rock show dance element • The pony, mashed potatoes, monkey, etc • Peppermint Lounge • "Go-go" dancers - got very racy • Led to all of our free-form dance • Mosh pits, popular music just for dancing
Frank Ocean
This artist doesn't always allude to his sexuality in his lyrics, however, in class we listened to "Chanel," a song that makes a subtle, yet, clear reference to bisexuality.
Tin Pan Alley; What Happened to Tin?
Tin Pan Ally had been absorbed by Philles & Motown • Old & new performers still had a hold in the style • Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Johnny mathis
Importance of soul music
Umbrella term for black popular music → black music for black people -Merges R&B and gospel music -Becomes a source of pride for AAs -Emotional delivery of gospel music Soul and Black consciousness -1964: Civil Rights Act, 1965: Voting Rights Act, 1968: MLK assassinated (RIP) in Memphis [also Malcolm X assassinated in 1965 😔]; rise of the Black Power movement -Black Pride, marker of identity -Vehicle for social commentary
Joni Mitchell
Unique confessional songs -Complexities of love, self revelation "All I Want" (1971) -Opens door to her racing mind -Emotional inconsistency: in story, voice (vocal range) -Strophic -No story, no resolution
Bob Dylan
Was most responsible for the shift away from acoustic in the folk genre. And he single-handedly dragged urban folk music into the modern era of rock Songs #1 "Blowin in the Wind" "Positively 4th Street"
Digital Samplers
Were capable of storing both pre-recorded or synthesized sounds ("patches"). A example is the Mirage keyboard.
What made James Brown's performances unique?
What made his performances unique? -Shouts, grunts, shrieks → vocalization of weird-ish noises -Song and choreography equally important -Drops to his knees, puts a cape on him, pretend to walk him off the stage, throws off the cape and continues to perform, repeat
Cover Answer:
When a song is written and by one person, but then recorded by another, the second (and any subsequent) version is called a _________________. Answer: Cover
Aretha Franklin
Who was the queen of Soul? Daughter of 1950s evangelist & singer Reverend C. L. Franklin • Sang in her father's gospel church choir • Discovered by John Hammond • Signed a record contract with Columbia in 1960 • Columbia (against Hammond's wishes) had her record jazzy, popular Tin Pan Alley songs. #1 Song RESPECTLady Soul" -Gospel choir background "Natural Woman" (1968) -Vocal control -Melodic and rhythmic nuances -Amazing range, emotional expression -Easy crossover to white America -A lot of energy, makes it look effortless
The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, 1972-97)
Worked with producer and rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs (a.k.a. Puff Daddy, P. Diddy). He was shot to death in Los Angeles in 1997.
Leiber and Stoller
Wrote many songs their acts recorded -Meticulous planning/production -laid groundwork for later producers -range for hit: 2:20-3:40 -Playlets: told funny story with serious overtones (e.g. "Charlie Brown" and "Yakety Yak")
Bossa Nova
a style of Brazilian music derived from samba but placing more emphasis on melody and less on percussion.
Acid rock
a type of rock music, mainly of the late 1960s, associated with or inspired by the use of hallucinogenic drugs
YouTube
a video-sharing website in which users can upload, view, and comment on videos
Counter Culture
a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.
Be My baby
a) Composed by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry b) Performed by the Ronettes c) Number Two, 1963 d) This was one of the biggest hits among the many produced by Spector. It is an excellent illustration of Spector's "wall of sound." (1) Full orchestral string section (2) Pianos (3) Full array of rhythm instruments (4) Background chorus e) Simple but effective verse-chorus form f) Drum pattern opens the song—an effective hoo
Concept Album
an album by a solo artist or group that contains related songs on a common theme or even a story, rather than a collection of unrelated hits or covers
Nicki Minaj
anaconda, super bass
Antonio Carlos Jobim
from Brazil, the legendary composer of bossa nova songs
Latin soul
fusion of rumba and mambo with black American pop music; pushed its way onto the pop charts in 1963; biggest hit: "Watermelon Man" by Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria
Flavor Fav
known for a dance by that name which consisted of jerky arm movements
Grace Slick
lead singer for Jefferson Airplane, had a great female rock voice. She represented the love-hate image of the 60's.
Pandora
music streaming program, Pandora let you type in a song or artist you like and instantly find other music that might fit your taste. Pandora relies on a Music Genome that consists of 400 musical attributes covering the qualities of melody, harmony, rhythm, form, composition and lyrics. It's a project that began in January 2000 and took 30 experts in music theory five years to complete.
Motown
not directed primarily at black audiences; designed to cut across divisions of race, region, and class but was "the sound of young America" (Westward trend - music recordings moving away from NY) based in Detroit but later moved to LA
Chubby Checker
real name was Ernest Evans, was a Parkway recording artist; cut a cover of Hank Ballard's "The Twist" in 1960
Wrecking Crew
the studio musicians who Phil Spector worked with regularly at Gold Star Studios; made essential contributions to a remarkable number of hits from the 1960s. Hal Blaine (drummer), Carol Kaye (bassist), and Jack Nitzsche (arranger and percussionist) were part of this group
Wall of Sound
use of orchestral instruments; multiple tracks and overdubs; use of multiple instruments double each individual part in the song and use echo; thick texture and presence of strings also led this to be called "teenage symphonies"
Sam Cooke
was very different from Ray Charles in that he was known as the graceful voice in soul music. His voice had a more floating quality compared to Charles. Songs- "Y Send Me", "A Change is Gonna Come"
slap-back echo
Answer: the effect created when an original signal repeats as distinct echoes that decrease in level with each repetition
Rolling Stones song
Answer: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
Phish
American rock band noted for their musical improvising, extended jams, blending of musical genres, and a dedicated fan base. Formed at UVM in the 80s
Temptations
American vocal group who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. My Girl, etc.
James Brown
"Godfather of Soul" -Legendary showmanship -Elaborate sequences "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag/I Feel Good" (1964/65) -Focus on performance experience [did the knees thing] -Rhythm > melody/harmony -Simple, repetitive, syncopated
Beatles songs
"Please Please Me", "Yesterday", "Eleanor Rigby"
Grateful Dead
"Quintessential live band" -Records don't do justice Jam band -LSD parties/acid tests Career spanned over 3 decades -Jerry Garcia: lead guitarist, singer, songwriter -"Deadheads": one of the most loyal audiences in history of pop music Influence of blues, country, folk, rock "Casey Jones" (1970) -Really mellow and chill -Country vibezzzzz
Taylor Swift (b. 1989)
"Teen idol" and singer-songwriter pop phenomenon who self-identified as a country artist. Still a teen when her 2nd album, Fearless (2008), became the longest-running number 1 album of the 2000s up to that time. The music nor the lyrics reflect standard country traditions. The songs center around teen romance and heartbreak. Obvious country markers are inaudible in the music, which has a mainstream pop sheen, and she does not project a particularly noticeably southern accent. Born in Reading, Pennsylvania. Her 1st album from 2006 helps clarify her status as a country artist. Now a central figure in the overall pop landscape.
Selena (1971-1995)
"The Queen of Tejano (Texas-Mexican) music." Born Selena Quintanilla-Perez in Lake Jackson, Texas. Father was a working musician and began performing when 10 backed by his band, Los Dinos. After financial challenges, relocated to Corpus Christi, Texas, where they made a living performing at fairs, weddings, and quinceanera. 1983 13 Selena recorded her 1st album for Freddie Records, a local independent label. Her reputation as a singer continued to spread in the region. 1989 she signed with the Latin division of EMI Records. Mid-1990s released a series of popular albums drawing on the traditional accordion band style of Texas-Mexican music, romantic ranchera song tradition of Mexico, and a pan-Latin dance music style called cumbia. 1994 played role in the film Don Juan DeMarco and won Grammy with Amor Prohibido [Forbdden Love]. 1995 she was recording her 1st English-language album and preparing for her breakthrough into the pop charts when her life took a tragic turn. Her family alerted her that Yolanda Saldivar, president of her Texas fan club, was embezzling money from the club, she fired her. She agreed to meet Yolanda at a Corpus Christi motel to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes. Became an argument, Yolanda pulled out a gun, Selena tried to run, shot in the back ran to the lobby, transported to a local hospital and died from a loss of blood.
Radiohead
(Alternative/Art Rock, 1992) their message was very subtle and confusing. Words and music of alienation. The conflicts within the music and lyrics force the listener to engage the song in a much more intense way reminiscent of the Beatles. October 2007, they made their album In Rainbows available on the Internet, asking fans to pay whatever they wanted. More than a million copies were downloaded, and the average price paid was $2.26 an album, making the band $2.7 million in direct profits. "Bodysnatchers."
Kendrick Lamar
- New King - Tale of Ducking Compton's rougher culture to pursue his career in music
Dick Dale
- Southern California guitar style for surf music Dick Dale of the Del Tones. - Solid-body guitar - High-wattage Fender amplifier, Lots of reverb, "Wet" sounding surf guitar - Rapid, descending tremolo - Never really famous thru the 1960s - Misirlou," was used as opening music in the hit film Pulp Fiction.
Origins and content/elements of Hip Hop
-Emerged in South Bronx → economic hardship, lack of jobs, drug industry, gang violence, diminished affordable housing -Cultural form of expression -Fashion, graffiti, breakdancing, rap music -Rap = lyrics that are a part of hip-hop -Social commentary, "Black America's CNN", promoting Black self-empowerment -Ghettoization, Deindustrialization, policing of Black neighborhoods and police brutality -Women rappers addressing domestic abuse, harassment on streets, slurs against women, violence and sexism of rap scene
Punk as a reactionary movement
-Emerges in mid-70's, captures the simplicity of early rock -Reactionary movement → anticommercialism to mainstream rock -Takes shape in NY → CBCG club Shock factor -Working class youth, outlet for frustration -Image associated with movement = swastika (not bc they are Nazis but bc the image was shocking -Bleak economic outlook
Jefferson Airplane
1st nationally successful band from San Francisco scene. • One of the original San Francisco "acid rock" bands. • Founded in 1965, originally a semiacoustic folk-rock band, performing blues & Bob Dylan covers • The biggest celebrity in the group - vocalist Grace Slick (b. 1939), who—along with Janis Joplin—were the most important female musicians of SF Song -"Somebody to Love."
Ani DiFranco (b. 1970 in Buffalo, New York)
A folk singer dressed in punk rock clothing, DiFranco has spent her career resisting the lure of the corporate music business, releasing an album and playing upward of two hundred live dates every year, and building up a successful independent record label (Righteous Babe Records) and a substantial grassroots following. Folk singer-songwriter. She began performing publicly at age 9, performing covers of Beatles songs. At 19 she had written over 100 original songs and relocated to NYC to pursue a musical career. 1989 recorded a demo album and pressed 500 copies of an eponymous cassette to sell at shows. The tape - a spare collection of intensely personal songs about failed relationships and gender inequality, accompanied with acoustic guitar - quickly sold out, and in 1990 she founded Righteous Babe Records to distribute her recordings more effectively. By mid-1990s, the mainstream media took notice of her homespun, low-tech music. Her 1995 album Not a Pretty Girl garnered notice from CNN and the New York Times, although it didn't appear in the Billboard charts. 1996 Dilate, an eclectic work recounting a love affair with a man, which debuted in the Top 100. The live album Living in Clip (1997) became her 1st gold album. 1998 released studio effort Little Plastic Castle. All these albums were released on her label, despite many offers from major record companies. In "Not a Pretty Girl" she blends the progressive outlook of urban folk music with the rebellious energy of alternative rock. 2006 she received the Woman of Courage Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW).
King Sunny Ade
A guitarist that led the Nigerian group called the African Beats. 1982 released album Juju Music. It featured an infectious brand of urban African dance music that blended electric guitars, Christian church hymns, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms with the pulsating sound of the Yoruba "talking drum," Juju Music sold over 100,000 copies and rose to number 111 on Billboard's album chart. The African Beats' next album, Synchro System, reached as high as number 91 on the chart, but they were soon thereafter dropped by Island Records and never again appeared on the American pop charts. The fact he sang in Yoruba, a language spoken by precious few American listeners, doomed him to failure from the beginning. He did succeed in establishing a market for so-called Afro-pop music, opening the door for African popular musicians.
Salsa
A rhythmically charged, harmonically advanced style of music coming into its own in the dance clubs of NY in the 1970s. Called "[hot] sauce," a verbal metaphor for the intensity, passion, and rhythmic flow of well-played dance music that had long been in circulation among Latin American musicians. It was an aesthetic sensibility, a genre classification, and a marketing label. Izzy Sanabria, publisher of Latin New York magazine, played an important role in promoting the music during the 1970s. Its emergence also due to the rise of independent Latin-oriented record companies, the most successful was Fania Records. An extension of the experimental blend of Latin ballroom dance, Afro-Cuban rumba drumming, and modern jazz that was forged by Mario Bauza, Machito, and Dizzy Gillespie in 1940s. Salsa is a product of the stylistic and ideological tension between tipico (traditional) roots and modernist experimentalism, Latino community identity and urban cosmopolitanism.
Peter, Paul, & Mary's performance
A sense of touching serenity and simplicity. • The various questions posed by the lyrics are sung by different numbers and combinations of voices, at various levels of intensity, while the answer is always provided by Mary's gentle solo sound. • None of the syncopation and rhythmic angularity of Dylan's recording.
Ska
A style of Jamaican music that led to reggae. It combined elements of Jamaican folk music and American R&B. It is an onomatopoeic term derived from the style's typical sharp offbeat accents. THe instrumentation derived from R&B, with a rhythm section and a horn section. Usually played at fast tempos. Singing strongly influenced by R&B, ranging from rougher blues-influenced styles to romantic crooning. The biggest star of Jamaican ska was Don Drummond, a trombonist and band leader of the Skatalites, who also worked as a studio band, backing many popular singers and exerting a substantial influence on the youth culture of Kingston.
MTV Importance
ANSWER: -Visual element enhances the song → song and video = success -Synthesizers dominate the scene in 80's music -MTV initially refused to air MJ's videos because they were only playing white rock artists → Columbia records said you can't play our artists unless you also play Black artists, so they complied -Madonna leveraged her MTV videos as a medium to promote her albums -For Prince, MTV videos were used to add a further layer to his androgyny and sexuality
Roots Rock - song by________________
ANSWER: CCR (Credence Clearwater Revival
Lauryn Hill
Addresses violence and sexism of rap scene, builds upon Queen Latifah's example "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (1998) -Soulful harmony, horn sections -Admonishes both men and women -Split video: 1960s vs. modern day -Dragging people the whole song
Bob Marley (1945-81)
Although not the first to represent Jamaican reggae music, he was surely the most popular. He was a national hero in Jamaica, donned dreadlocks, sang of his faith in the Rastafarian religion, and was the leader of the musical group, the Wailers.The leader of the Wailers and a national hero in his native Jamaica, Marley was reggae's most effective international ambassador. His songs of determination, rebellion, and faith, rooted in the Rastafarian belief system, found a worldwide audience that reached from America to Japan and from Europe to Africa. National hero in Jamaica. Migrated to Kingston when 14. Early career reflects the economic precariousness of the music industry in a 3rd world country. Made a few singles for producer Leslie Kong. 1963 formed the Wailers and signed with Coxsone Dodd's studios. Little financial success, they signed with the producer Lee Perry, who added the "riddim pair" of Aston and Carlton Barrett. 1972 Chris Blackwell signed Bob Marley and the Wailers to Island Records and advanced them the money to record at their independent Tuff Gong studio in Jamaica. His recognition abroad was boosted by the success of Eric Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff." 1974 their 1st major concert in US in Boston. 1975-1980, he record 6 bestselling LPs for Island Records, including Rastaman Vibration. Wounded in a politically motivated assassination attempt 1976.Died of cancer 1981 at the age of 36. His appeal and popularity in America and worldwide continues to grow.
Linkin Park
American rock band from Agoura Hills, California; In 2014, the band was declared as the Biggest Rock Band in the World Right Now by Kerrang! *Hybrid Theory* *Meteora* *Minutes to Midnight*
Rude Boys
An informal and unruly Jamaican youth movement that included anyone against "the system." They were the main patrons of rock steady. A social category that included anyone against "the system": urban Rastas, thugs hired by competing political parties, and lower-class youth. They increasingly came into conflict with the Jamaican police, and media coverage of their exploits helped to create the image of romantic outlaw heroes. The Harder They Come (1972) was a thinly disguised biography of 1 ghetto hero (Vincent Martin a.k.a Rhygin'). Bob Marley's song "I Shot the Sheriff" is about a young man who is persecuted by the local sheriff and then accused of murdering both the sheriff and his deputy in cold blood.
Name a few innovations of 1980's musical technical innovations
Answer: Digital recording synthesizers digital sampling digital sequencers drum machines
Professor Longhair
Answer: Rhythm & blues pianist whose real name was Henry Roeland Byrd who strongly influenced Fats Domino.
Rock 'n' roll music
Answer: Signified the development of consumer-oriented, middle-class youth culture in the United States
Antoine "Fats" Domino
Answer: Singer, pianist, and songwriter, who was an established presence on the rhythm & blues charts for several years by the time he scored his first large-scale pop breakthrough with "Ain't It a Shame" in 1955 and ultimately became the second best-selling artist of the 1950s. Born in New Orleans and grew up bathed in the rich and diverse musical traditions of the city.
reverb
Answer: an effect used to alter music so that it sounds as if it was recorded in a reverberant, echoey space
Double-tracking
Answer: doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or "bigger" sound that can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. It is a form of overdubbing; the distinction comes from the doubling of a part, as opposed to recording a different part to go with the first. The effect can be further enhanced by panning one of the performances hard left and the other hard right in the stereo field.
Rockability
Answer: refers to a mix of Appalachian/country/rock n roll - Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis were all a part of that sound in its early days.
Why/How were the Beatles the right band at the right time?
Answer: 1963: JFK assassination (RIP) 11 weeks before Beatles come to US → Young people ready for change in national mood Beatles were uplifting, fun, and exotic
Eurythmics had how many members
Answer: 2
Patsy Cline
Answer: A country artist with crossover (to pop) success, this singer had a crooning background to her voice giving it a sheen. Her hits were songs such as "Crazy," and "I Fall to Pieces."
Regional origin for REM
Answer: Athens, GA
Teen pop/boy bands similar to girl groups/Motown era? How?
Answer: Boy bands = all attractive male singers, expected to sing and dance well Craze starting in 80's and swept through the 90's Lou Pearlman: -Smooth harmonies, choreographed dances -"Lou Pearlman package" just like Berry Gordy -Assembly line teen pop bands → songs about romance and heartbreak not meant for social commentary but to get teenage girls to buy records -Major record labels of these teen pop boy bands hit it big
What is the British Invasion? Who was at the forefront? What time period?
Answer: British musical groups increased popularity in America. The Beatles, the 1960's.
Hip Hop/Rap regional origin
Answer: Bronx, NYC
Regional origin- the Beach Boys
Answer: California (surfer rock)
What classically trained famous diva in the 1990's was famous for having an extremely large vocal range (including a whistle tone range) and melismatic singing?
Answer: Carey
Maybellene singer
Answer: Chuck Berry
British Invasion -Historical Context
Answer: Civil Rights Movement, Women's Liberation, Vietnam War, JFK assassination, psychedelic shit/drug culture People turned their songs into anthems about causes they supported
Regional origin- N.W.A.
Answer: Compton (Los Angeles)
Who is Ziggy Stardust?
Answer: David Bowie
Original regional center- Motown
Answer: Detroit (before they moved to California)
Who is credited for being the first famous Rock n Roll singer? (He didn't invent it, and wasn't even the first, but he was the most famous for all of the 1950's in this genre).
Answer: Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll (Maybe)
Answer: Elvis Presley or Chuck Berry
What white rapper was friends/musical collaborator with Dr. Dre in the late 1990's?
Answer: Eminem
Regional origin the Beatles
Answer: England/UK/Britain (...the "British Invasion")
Analog recording was introduced in the 1980's (T/F)
Answer: False - Digital recording was introduced in the 1980's with CD's
Elvis Presley was a singer-songwriter. T/F
Answer: False - NEVER WROTE SONGS
Lady Soul (The Queen of Soul)
Answer: Franklin
Rap was a part of what culture?
Answer: Hip Hop
Soul Brother Number One
Answer: James Brown
Who was the Soul Brother #1
Answer: James Brown
What television network began in 1981 that changed the music industry of the 1980's?
Answer: MTV (Music television)
Where was CBGB?
Answer: New York City
70s Singer-Songwriters
Answer: Performers who made personal statements in song Death of Joplin, Hendrix, Morrison; Beatles breakup -"Turning inward in American culture"
What type of music began usually began from neighborhood young men and their friends -- also known as garage bands?
Answer: Punk
Rock become big business --How ?
Answer: Radio targets specific markets Mass-audience concerts = Big money -Arena tours -Elaborate shows, sets, amplification -Live show at peak musical experience
Queen Latifah was famous for singing in this style (-----) and her first hit is (-------)
Answer: Rap, U.N.I.T.Y.
Sid Vicious
Bassist of The Sex Pistols; murdered his girlfriend.
Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
Began his performing career as a member of the Jackson Five. He achieved unprecedented success with his 1982 album Thriller, and his elaborately produced music videos helped boost the new medium of music videos. Jackson became the first African American artist to be programmed with any degree of frequency on MTV. Thriller was the zenith of a career as a solo artist that had been gaining momentum throughout the 1970s, even while he continued to be a pivotal member of the Jackson Five, who became Jacksons after departing from Motown organization in 1976. Thriller was state-of-the-art pop music, an album dedicated to consolidating his dominance of the contemporary pop scene by showcasing his versatility as a performer of a stylistically wide range of up-to-date material. He worked with veteran producer Quincy Jones to create an album that achieved boundary-crossing popularity to an unprecedented degree. He revived the goal of Berry Gordy Jr. - to create and African American-based pop music that was aimed squarely at the mainstream center of the market. To accomplish this task, he had to be more than just "the sound of young America." Thriller represented an effort to find ways to mediate among the various genres of early 1980s pop music, to create points of effective synthesis from the welter of apparently competing styles, and to bridge the divides that separated different segments of the pop music audience. He worked with Paul McCartney on "The Girl Is Mine," and Eddie Van Halen on "Beat It." He wrote these radically different songs. Thriller consists of up-tempo, synthesizer- and bass-driven, danceable music that occupies a middle ground between the heavy funk and a brighter but still beat-obsessed sound that characterized many new wave bands. 7 out of 9 songs on Thriller were released as singles, it was not a concept album and all were Top 10 hits. 1983 he appeared on TV special 25 Years of Motown and introduced his "moonwalk" dance while performing "Billie Jean." His videos helped boost the power and prestige of MTV because they were so carefully, creatively and elaborately produced. Thriller contributed to the breakdown of another emerging color line in pop culture.
Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) (b. 1944)
Born in Dallas, moved to San Francisco with his family in the 1950s. Stone gradually developed a style that reflected his own diverse musical experience, a blend of jazz, soul music, San Francisco psychedelia, and the socially engaged lyrics of folk rock. Part of Sly and the Family stone, an interracial "psychedelic soul" band whose recordings bridged the gap between rock music and soul music. They were an important influence on 1970s funk music. Began his musical career at 4 as a gospel singer, studied trumpet/music theory/composition in college, worked as a DJ at both R&B and rock-oriented radio stations in SF. Formed his 1st band, the Stoners 1966. The Family Stone's national popularity was boosted by their fiery performance at Woodstock 1969. 1968-1971 they recorded a series of albums and singles that reached the top of both the pop and the soul charts, like "Dance to the Music." Their sound was anchored by the electric bass of Larry Graham and by an approach to arranging that made the whole band into a collective rhythm section.
Gloria Estefan (b. 1957)
Born in Havana, Gloria Maria Fajardo Garcia fled Cuba with her family when Fidel Castro and the Communists rose to power in the late 1950s. 1975 she auditioned for the Miami Latin Boys, a local wedding band headed by keyboardist Emilio Estefan. Group changed name to Miami Sound Machine, and 4 years later she married Estefan. Their fusion of pop, disco, and salsa earned a devoted local following, and their breakthrough 1985 album Primitive Love which included the energetic salsa-meets-disco party song "Conga," 1st record to crack Billboard's pop, dance, black, and Latin charts simultaneously. Next album Let It Loose (1988). She took top billing, and her 1989 album Cuts Both Ways yielded her 2nd number 1 hit "Don't Wanna Lose You." In accident then resurfaced 1991 with the album Into the Light, with "Coming Out of the Dark." Throughout 1990s she stayed in the public eye, recording her 1st Spanish-language album, the international hit Mi Tierra (My Homeland) (1993). Capitalized on the late-1990s revival of popular interest in disco music with the dance album Gloria! (1998), which included the single "Oye!" Still continues her formula of alternating among dance-oriented pop, English-language love songs, and Spanish-language tracks aimed at an international Latin American audience. "Dr. Pressure" big in England. 2007 release 90 Millas, an album of original Spanish-language songs inspired by her native Cuba that featured a roster of veteran Latin musicians.
Kool Herc (Clive Campbell; b. 1955)
Born in Jamaica, immigrated to New York City at age twelve. Herc was one of the pioneering celebrities of hip-hop in the 1970s. He was the 1st to adapt the technique of "mixing" between 2 turntables to create smooth transitions between records to the hip-hop aesthetic. Noticed that young dancers in his audiences responded most energetically during the so-called breaks on funk and salsa records, brief sections where the melody was stripped away to feature the rhythm section. He isolated the breaks of certain popular records and mixed them into the middle of other dance records. These rhythmic sound collages came to be known as "breakbeat" music, a term subsequently transferred to breakdancing. Mid-1970s he began to put 2 copies of the same record on his turntables. Switching back and forth between the turntables, he found that he could "backspin" 1 disc while the other continued to play over the loudspeakers. This allowed him to repeat a given break over and over by switching back and forth between the 2 discs and backspinning to the beginning of the break. He was the 1st DJ to recite rhyming phrases over the breakbeats produced on his turntables. Some of his "raps" were based on a tradition of verbal performance called "toasting," a form of poetic storytelling with roots in the trickster tales of West Africa.
Willie Nelson (b. 1933)
Born in Texas, Nelson was one of the most influential figures in the progressive country movement. Nelson's rise to national fame came in the mid-1970s, through his association with a group of musicians collectively known as "the Outlaws." He had already developed a successful career as a professional songwriter when he left Nashville to return to Texas in 1971. He settled in Austin. At "cosmic cowboy" venues and on Austin radio station, a movement that fused country music and counterculture sensibilities was underway. He fit into the Austin scene, letting his hair and beard grow and wearing a headband. Sang in an unpolished, almost controversial voice. He bridged the gap between rock and country without losing touch with his honky-tonk roots. Summer 1971, organized an outdoor festival that brought thousands of rock fans into the fold of country music and prepared his way as the preeminent male country music star of the 1980s. His initial rise to national fame came in the mid-1970s, through his association with a group of musicians collectively known as "the Outlaws."
Funk Music
Centered on the creation of a strong rhythmic momentum or groove, with the electric bass and bass drum often playing on all four main beats of the measure, the snare drum and other instruments playing equally strongly on the second and fourth beats (the backbeats), and interlocking ostinato patterns distributed among other instruments, including guitar, keyboards, and horns. Funk brought the focus on dancing back into the pop mainstream. Another back-to-basics impetus: the impulse to dance. Brought the intensive focus on dancing back into the pop mainstream, along with disco. "Funky," probably derived from the Central African BaKongo term funki, meaning "healthy sweat," was already in wide use by New Orleans jazz musicians during the first decade of the 1900s. Today it still carries the same meaning - strong body odors (those related to sex) and a quality earthiness and authenticity that is quintessentially expressed in music. Was the profane and decidedly down-to-earth counterpart of soul. Early 1970s the term was being used as a label for a genre of popular music characterized by strong, dance-oriented rhythms, catchy melodies, call-and-response, and heavy reliance on repeated rhythmically interlocking patterns. Consisted of a rhythm section and a horn section. Initially targeted mostly at the predominantly urban black audience for soul music, funk groups scored number 1 pop hits in 1970s. Represented a vigorous reassertion of African American musical values in the face of soft soul's dominance of the R&B/pop crossover market, and paved the way for more commercialized sounds of disco music in mid-1970s.
Role of authenticity and image in 90s and 00s Country music
Classic Americana images, themes of nationalism, faith, pride Pop elements continue to change sound of Country → "Hunks in hats" Alan Jackson: -Downplays the concern with novelty and popular trends with a consistency of his style -Writes many of his own songs "Gone Country" (1994) -Satire/commentary on the country music scene -Mocking people going to Nashville chasing the country music fame by "going country" for money inauthentically -People jumping on the bandwagon for success → problem with authenticity of new singers in country genre
Buddy Holly
Clean-cut, lanky, and bespectacled singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the 1950s who, along with his band, the Crickets, recorded influential hits like "That'll Be the Day" and made frequent use of double-tracking. Texas born
Def Jam
Co-founded in 1984 by the hip-hop promoter Russell Simmons and the musician-producer Rick Rubin. During the 1980s, Def Jam cross-promoted a new generation of artists, expanding and diversifying the national audience for hip-hop, and in 1986 became the first rap-oriented independent label to sign a distribution deal with one of the "Big Five" record companies, Columbia Records. 1986, released the first 2 multiplatinum rap albums, Raising Hell by Run-D.M.C. and Licensed to Ill by the Beastie Boys.
"peer-to-peer" (p2p)
Computer file sharing networks in which users share files containing audio, video, data or anything in digital format. Several p2p file-sharing networks were established in the wake of Napster's closure, including Grokster, Morpheus, and Kazaa. Their claim of exemption from copyright law was based on the fact that in a p2p network there is no central server on which files are even temporarily stored thus there is no "place" in cyberspace to which the act of copyright violation can be traced, apart from the millions of computers of the network's users. P2p was the ultimate realization of musical democracy, a decentralized system made up of millions of individuals exercising free choice. RIAA saw it as mass theft, a maddeningly complex cybernetwork that challenged the ability of corporations to apply traditional conceptions of music as a form of property. 2005 US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Grokster, Morpheus, and Kazaa had violated copyright "on a massive scale," and within months the online firms stopped distributing their file-sharing software
Eurythmics
Consisted of a core of only two musicians—the singer Annie Lennox (b. 1954 in Scotland) and the keyboardist and technical whiz Dave Stewart (b. 1952 in England). Eurythmics' first chart appearance in the United States came with the release of their second album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), in 1983. The popularity of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" in the US was boosted enormously by a video produced to promote the record, which was placed into heavy rotation by MTV. The stylishly androgynous image of Annie Lennox - a female David Bowie in a business suit and close-cropped orange hair - is often identified as an important ingredient of their success.
Jam Master Jay
DJ known for his influential work with the hip-hop trio Run-D.M.C.
DJ Kool Herc
DJ's in Harlem and the Bronx played at discos and block parties Played percussion breaks from funk and disco songs on turntables -many people say that the "hip hop movement" began when he DJed at a party in the Bronx in 1973 "Masters of Ceremony" (MCs) speak over "sound world" Used James Brown as a foundation for a lot of hip-hop
Major influences of Funk
Danceable from R&B/soul music James Brown brought the groove -Emphasizes rhythmic groove of bass -Dense textures -Catchy melodies -Call and response -Interlocking patterns -Syncopated riffs
Digital sequencer
Device that records musical data rather than musical sound and enables the creation of repeated sound sequences (loops), the manipulation of rhythmic grooves, and the transmission of recorded data from one program or device to another.
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
Device that standardized digital technologies, enabling devices produced by different manufacturers to "communicate" with one another.
Drum Machines
Drum machines such as the Roland TR 808 and the Linn LM-1—almost ubiquitous on 1980s dance music and rap recordings—rely on "drum pads," which performers strike and activate, triggering the production of sampled sounds.
Dave Grohl
Drummer for Nirvana, but since Cobain's death has been the leader of Foo Fighters
Sugar Hill Gang
Early rap "Rapper's Delight" (1979) -1st generation rap -Commercial potential of the new style -Disco song "Good Times" by CHIC as foundation -Big Bang Hank manager for Grandmaster Caz → stole Caz's raps for his own group the Sugar Hill Gang -"Casanova fly" was Grandmaster Caz's nickname → in the song! Didn't even try to hid that he stole it
Rap
Emerged during the 1970s as one part of the cultural complex of hip-hop. It consisted of rhymed speech accompanied by funk-derived rhythmic grooves. Vital link in the centuries-old chain of cultural and musical connections between Africa and the Americas, as the authentic voice of an oppressed urban underclass, and as a form that exploits long-standing stereotypes of black people. Based on principles ultimately derived from African musical and verbal traditions. Constitute a cultural response to oppression and racism, serving as a system for communication among black communities throughout the US and as a source of insight into the values, perceptions, and conditions of people living in America's beleaguered urban communities. Its audience has become multiracial, multicultural and transnational.
Adele Adkins
English song writer, Alternative Pop/Rock singer, "Home Town Glory", "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You", "Set Fire to the Rain", "Skyfall", recorded for the James Bond film.
Hard Core
Extreme variation of punk, pioneered during the early 1980s by bands in San Francisco (the Dead Kennedys) and Los Angeles (the Germs, Black Flag, X, and the Circle Jerks). These groups took the frenzied energy if the Ramones and Sex Pistols and pushed it to the limit, paying some riff-based songs at impossible fast temps and screaming nihilistic lyrics over a chaotic wall of guitar chords. Their audiences developed the practice of "slam dancing" or "moshing." Most recordings released by independent kennels and typical disc was produced to look and sound as though it had been made in someone's basement. Few bands got contracts with major labels.
Lorrie (Lawrencine) Collins
Female rock 'n' roll artist who was half of the duo "Collins Kids" who, despite their scintillating rockabilly records, failed to make the charts. Oklahoma born
Arcade Fire
First "alternative" rock band to win Grammy best album of the year (The Suburbs, 2011) Musically eclectic EX. "Wake Up," from Funeral (2004)
The Kingston Trio
Folk-inspired pop trio composed of Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane known for hit LPs and the single "Tom Dooley," which were released in the 1950s.
Stooges
Formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967, the Stooges were the working-class, motorcycle-riding, leather-jacketed ancestors of punk rock. The lead singer of the Stooges, Iggy Stooge (a.k.a. Iggy Pop, born in 1947 as James Osterburg), was famous for his outrageous stage performances, which included flinging himself into the crowd, cutting himself with beer bottles, and rubbing himself with raw meat. Guitarist was Ron Asheton. their 1st album (1969), produced by John Cale, created a devoted if small national audience for the band's demented "garage band" sound. Sensibility underlay much of their work, especially the depression of unemployed Michigan youth caught in the middle of a severe economic recession. "1969" evokes a world light-years distant from the utopianism of the hippie movement and the Woodstock Festival, held that same summer.
New York Dolls
Formed in New York City in 1971, they dressed in fishnet stockings, bright red lipstick, cellophane tutus, ostrich feathers, and army boots. The all-male Dolls were an American response to the English glam rock movement. Exerted a major influence on the musical and visual style of the punk rock movement. Their career began at a Christmas party in a seedy welfare hotel in Manhattan, but by late 1972 they had built a small and devoted following. They soon succumbed to drug and alcohol abuse, they did establish certain core features of punk antifashion and helped to create a new underground rock music scene in NYC.
Lionel Richie (b. 1949)
Former member of a vocal R&B group called the Commodores. African American singer and songwriter whose career overarches conventional genre boundaries. Although his big hits of the 1980s were soul-tinged variants of adult contemporary music, Richie also placed two singles in the country Top 40 during the 1980s. Wrote and produced "Lady." Was a superstar of the 1980s. Mid-1980s, he became one of the few black musicians admitted to the Country Music Association during a period when country and black popular music had less overlap than ever before.
MTV (Music Television)
Founded in 1981, MTV changed the way the industry operated, rapidly becoming the preferred method for launching a new act or promoting a superstar's latest release. Byproduct of the growth of cable TV due to deregulation of the entertainment industry. First song broadcasted was"Video Killed the Radio Star." MTV and its spin-off VH-1 worked synergistically with radio and other media to boost record sales and create a new generation of rock superstars. It strongly influenced the direction of popular music early 1980s, sparking a 2nd British Invasion. Focused on white rock artists. Executives claimed that their format focused on rock, a style played by few black artists. Only put Michael Jackson's videos into rotation when Columbia Records threatened to ban its white rock groups from performing on MTV.
Public Enemy
Founded in 1982, Public Enemy was organized around a core set of members who met as college students, drawn together by their interest in hip-hop culture and political activism. The group included the standard hip-hop configuration of two MCs—Chuck D (a.k.a. Carlton Ridenhour, b. 1960) and Flavor Flav (William Drayton, b. 1959)—plus a DJ—Terminator X (Norman Lee Rogers, b. 1966). It was augmented by a "Minister of Information" (Professor Griff, a.k.a. Richard Griffin) and by the Security of the First World (S1W), a cohort of dancers who dressed in paramilitary uniforms, carried Uzi submachine guns, and performed martial arts-inspired choreography. NY-based group that pushed for the tradition of socially engaged rap that chronicled the declining fortunes of the urban black communities. Their second album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) was a breakthrough event for rap music. It fused the trenchant social and political analyses of Chuck D with the streetwise interjections of his sidekick Flavor Flav. Their complex verbal interplay was situation within a dense, mutlilayered sonic web created by the group's production team, the Bomb Squad. Tracks like "Countdown to Armageddon," "Don't Believe the Hype," and "Party for Your Right to Fight" turned the technology of digital sampling to new artistic purposes and effectively insisted that rap music continue to engage with the real-life conditions of urban black communities. "Night of the Living Baseheads."
Alan Jackson (b. 1958)
From Georgia. Came from a working-class background, was a car salesman and construction worker, didn't fully establish career as a country music until in his 30s. Came into prominence in the mid-1980s, still one of the top country artists. Song "Midnight in Montgomery" (1992) which pay tribute to Alabama's Hank Williams as an enduring presence in his mind, heart, and music. His range can embrace an old-fashioned, tear-jerking country waltz (like "[Who Says] You Can't Have It All" 1994); a knowing satire on those who rushed to embrace suddenly-fashionable country clothing and music in the 1990s ("Gone Country" 1994); and a gentle and touching response to 9/11 ("Where Were You [When The World Stopped Turning" 2001-2002).
Toby Keith (b. 1961)
From Oklahoma. Came from a working-class background, worked in the oil fields and as a rodeo hand. Didn't fully establish a career as a country music performer until in his 30s. Song "Should've Been a Cowboy." In "Country Comes to Town," he asserts his country roots over music that sounds for all the world like a rock anthem, lacking any obvious country markers. Released his own aggressive, flag-waving response to 9/11 with "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" (2002). Made a stab at rapping on the clever "I Wanna Talk About Me," an attempt successful with listeners.
David Byrne (b. 1952)
From Scotland. Formed Talking Heads in 1974 with Chris Fantz and Tina Weymouth, who met as art students at the Rhode Island School of Design. They represented the self-consciously artistic and exploratory side of the alternative rock scene of the mid-1970s. They 1st appeared at CBGBs in 1975 as the opening act for the Ramones, though they attracted a somewhat different audience. 1976 sign recording contract with Sire Records and made 1st record Talking Heads: 77, which achieved critical acclaim. Their style reflected their interest in an aesthetic called minimalism, which stresses the use of combinations of a limited number of basic elements, popular in NY art music scene of 1960s and 1970s. Also used interlocking, riff-based rhythms pioneered by African American popular musicians. Songs were generally quite simple in structural terms, with strong pop hooks and contrasting sections marked off by carefully arranged changes in instrumental texture. Project image of cerebral but nerdy college students. His awkwardness established a new kind of cool. "Psycho Killer" provided him with a durable stage persona. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, they recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums. This commercial success can be partially attributed to the accessibility of their music, which mixes in influences from R&B, funk, and West African music with its complexly interlocking but catchy polyrhythmic patterns. He went on to become a major figure in the world beat movement of the 1980s and 1990s, introducing American audiences to recordings artists from Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean.
George Strait (b. 1952)
From Texas. Came from a working-class background, was a rancher, didn't fully establish career as a country music performer until in his 30s. Came into prominence in the mid-1980s, still one of the top country artists. Song "Heartland" (1993). Has until recently relied on professional songwriters for his material. His recordings of songs like "All My Ex's Live in Texas" (1987) and "Ace in the Hole" (1989) have become classics.
Madonna (b. Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, 1958)
From the late 1980s through the 1990s, Madonna's popularity was second only to Michael Jackson's. She created controversial songs and music videos, including "Papa Don't Preach" (1986), "Express Yourself" (1989), and "Like a Prayer" (1989). Born in the industrial north of the midwestern US. Was a dancer and photographic model who moved into music almost by accident. 1st emerged out of NY's thriving dance club scene. Her hit recordings depended on a high degree of collaborative interaction among the singer, the songwriter(s), the producer, the recording engineers, studio session musicians, and others. Late 1980s - 1990s, her popularity second only to Michael Jackson. Has been one of the most reliable sources of profit for Warner Entertainment. SHe also paved the way for female dance superstars of the 1990s. Purposefully controversial figure. Tended to elicit strongly polarized reactions. Interpreted as a reactionary committed to turning back the advances of feminism, a post-modern performance artist, a politically savvy cultural subversive. Born into Italian American family and moved to NYC 1977. Became a presence at Manhattan discotheques where DJ Mark Kamins played her demos and introduced her to the executives at Sire Records. 1983 he breakthrough single "Holiday" established certain elements of a distinctive studio sound that was rooted in the synth-pop dance music of early 1980s. Worked with manager Freddie DeMann who oversaw the production of her 1st 2 music videos which featured glimpses of her navel and led to more explicit sexual provocations. Like a Virgin was promoted on MTV through a series of videos and formed the basis for an elaborately staged concert tour, all carefully coordinated as part of a campaign to establish her as a national celebrity. 1985 she had a leading role in Desperately Seeking Susan. She exerted an unusual degree of control over her music and over the creation and promulgation of her media image. Late 1980s she began to write and record songs with deeper and more controversial lyric content. 1992 Sex publicized with nude and S&M-garbed photos of her and other celebrities synchronized with the release of her album Erotica. 1994 release a warmer and more subtly sexual album, Bedtime Stories. She has returned to the disco-derived synth-pop sound and the core audience that launched her career in the early 1980s. Challenged the accusation that her recordings, videos, and concert productions reinforce old, negative stereotypes of women.
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus, b. 1972)
Gangsta rapper born in Long Beach, CA, he was a protégé of Andre "Dr. Dre" Young and collaborated on Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic. Snoop's soft drawl and laid-back-but-lethal gangster persona were featured on Doggystyle, which debuted at the top of the album charts in 1993. The million-selling single "What's My Name?" - a so-called "clean" remix of the opening track on the Doggystyle album - gives a sense of his prowess as a rapper and Dr. Dre's distinctive G-funk production style.
Paul Simon (b. 1941)
Got his start in the 1960s as a member of the famous folk rock duo Simon and Garfunkel. His album Graceland (1986) was a global collaboration recorded in South Africa, England, and the United States. It is the album responsible, more than any other, for introducing a wide audience to the idea of world music. Simon and Garfunkel disbanded when he went to a productive solo career in the 1970s. Graceland revived his career, which had been declining in the early 1980s. The album used African musicians, African music, and sometimes African subject matter, along with other "exotic" touches. The album launched him to the forefront of the new category called world music. His songs had manifested his interest in music that was not indigenous to the US for a long time, such as "El Condor Pasa." Graceland was an album in which many of the songs present his vocals and lyrics over and accompaniment performed in South African style by South African musicians. A considerable portion of the music was actually recorded in South Africa, which resulted in some awkward political problems for him. This album became a focus of political attention. He broke a UN boycott by recording in South Africa, but claimed he was not supporting the ideology of the South African government. The album's success helped bring black South African musicians and styles to a much wider and racially more diverse audience than they had ever been able to reach before. He ultimately made a forceful statement about the virtues of free intermingling and cultural exchange. He came to a mutual understanding with the UN and stopped performing in South Africa until apartheid was dismantled. Recorded in 5 different locations on 3 different continents. Sometimes he brought South African musicians to NY to work with him. This album is distinguished by the extent to which the album explores the concept of collaboration among artists of different races, regions, nationalities, and ethnicities, thus a collaboration among diverse musical styles and approaches to songwriting. Graceland is "about" the joys, complexities, and perplexities of living in an increasingly diverse, multicultural world. It is the album responsible for introducing a wide audience to the idea of world music.
Jefferson Airplane
Grace Slick = lead singer -Good looks, extroverted,uninhibited stage presence "White Rabbit" (1967)
Joao Gilberto
Guitarist/singer credited with creating Bossa Nova, Girl from Ipanema
Johnny Cash (1932-2003)
Had the largest resurgence with his series of "American Recordings" beginning in 1994. He began his career in the mid-1950s as one of the rockabilly stars of Sun Records, was acclaimed as a country artist throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and had served as the host and star of the television series The Johnny Cash Show. By the 1980s, he seemed well past his primer commercially, and well-known rap producer Rick Rubin's signing of Cash to his American Recordings label in the early 1990s appeared initially to be a rather eccentric move on the part of both. His 5 "American Recordings" proceeded to garner critical raves and popular attention. His inclusion on these albums of contemporary rock material along with the more expected country-oriented and traditional folk repertoire attached the attention and approval of a new generation and brought hit renewed fame and respect. 2 years after his death, the release if the extremely popular biopic Walk the Line brought the story of his life and the sound of his music to many additional millions of people and cemented his now-unquestionable status as an icon of American music.
Sugarhill Gang
Harlem-based crew who recorded the first rap hit, "Rapper's Delight." The record reached Number Four on the R&B charts and Number Thirty-six on the pop charts and introduced hip-hop to millions of people throughout the United States and abroad. The unexpected success of "Rapper's Delight" ushered in a series of million-selling twelve-inch singles by New York rappers.
World Music or World Beat
Heterogeneous category that includes artists from Africa, the Near East, and Asia—the ultimate margins of the American music industry. 1st systematically used in the late 1980s by independent record label owners and concert promoters, and it entered the popular music marketplace as a replacement for longer-standing categories such as "traditional music," "international music," and "ethnic music." A pseudo-genre, taking in styles as diverse as African urban pop (juju); Pakistani dance club music (bhangara); Australian Aboriginal rock music; and even the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir; Spanish flamenco music; Tibetan Buddhist chants; and diverse collaborations between American and English rock stars and musicians from Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.
Lauryn Hill (b. 1975)
Hip-hop artist whose work is a self-conscious alternative to the violence and sexism in the work of rap stars such as Dr. Dre, the Notorious B.I.G., and 2Pac Shakur. Her commitment to female empowerment builds on the ground-breaking example of Queen Latifah, but Hill raps and sings in her own distinctive voice. Born in South Orange, New Jersey. She started her recording career with the Fugees, a New Jersey-based hip-hop trio that scored a number one hit in 1996 with their 2nd album, The Score. Hir debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), extended the Fugees' successful blend of rap, reggae, and R&B. Spawned the number 1 hit "Doo Wop (That Thing)."
Hip-Hop
Hip-hop culture, forged by African American and Caribbean American youth in New York City, included distinctive styles of visual art (graffiti), dance (an acrobatic solo style called breakdancing and an energetic couple dance called the freak), music, dress, and speech. Hip-hop was at first a local phenomenon, centered in certain neighborhoods in the Bronx, the most economically devastated area of New York City. The youth culture that spawned hip-hop can on one level be interpreted as a response to the destruction of traditional family- and neighborhood-based institutions and the cutting of funding for public institutions and an attempt to lay claim to and alienating and hostile urban environment. The young adults who pioneered hip-hop styles belonged to informal social groups called "crews" or "posses," each of which was associated with a particular neighborhood or block. Began as an expression of local identities. Profoundly shaped by the techniques of disco DJs.
Vanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle, b. 1968)
Ice's first album, To the Extreme (1990), monopolized the Number One position for sixteen weeks in early 1991, selling seven (11) million copies. When it was discovered that Van Winkle, raised in reasonably comfortable circumstances in a middle-class neighborhood, had essentially invented a gangster persona for himself - form of misrepresentation known as "perpetrating" - many fans turned their backs on him. Hip-hop's icon of "wackness" (weakness). White rapper from Florida. Widely regarded as being merely the latest in a long line of untalented white artists seeking to make a living off the fruits of black creativity.
Progressive Country
In progressive country, performers wrote songs that were more intellectual and liberal in outlook than their contemporaries and were more concerned with testing the limits of the country music tradition than with scoring hits. The key artists included Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall, and Townes Van Zandt. Generation of country music that embraced the music and attitudes that had grown out of the 1960s counterculture. Was inspired by the honky-tonk and rockabilly amalgam of Bakersfield country music, the singer-songwriter genre, and the country rock style of musicians like Gram Parsons. The key artists were not polished singers by conventional standards, yet they wrote distinctive, individualistic songs and had compelling voices. They developed a sizable cult following and this genre began to inch its way into the mainstream, usually in the form of cover versions.
The Eagles
Influenced by country and folk rock music Their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975 first RIAA certified platinum album Embodied distinct CA culture "Take It Easy" (1972) -"Country rock" -Southern twang in voiceCertain images like "flat bed Ford" -Use of banjo -Some of riffs sound like country riffs -Harmonies boiz! → reminiscent of Kingston Trio, folk, and country
Scotty Moore
Influential guitarist who recorded influential music for Sun Records in the 1950s with bassist Bill Black and Elvis Presley.
Bill Haley and the Comets
Influential rock 'n' roll band influenced by western swing music who recorded the first number one rock 'n' roll hit "Rock around the Clock."
Mike Stoller
Influential songwriter and producer who, along with Jerry Lieber, crafted hit songs for Elvis Presley, the Coasters, and many other artists.
Jerry Leiber
Influential songwriter and producer who, along with Mike Stoller, crafted hit songs for Elvis Presley, the Coasters, and many other artists.
Cynthia Weil
Influential songwriter of the 1960s who, along with her songwriting partner Barry Mann, worked at the Brill Building in New York City.
Barry Mann
Influential songwriter who, along with his songwriting partner Cynthia Weil, worked at the Brill Building in New York City during the 1960s.
Napster
Internet-based software program that enabled computer users to share and swap files, specifically music, through a centralized file server. A federal court injunction forced Napster to shut down operations in February 2001. 1999, 18 year-old college dropout Shawn Fanning developed Napster. RIAA charged Napster with tributary copyright infringement (charged for contributing to and facilitating other people's violation of the law). Countersuit argued that because the actual files were not permanently stored on its servers but were rather transferred from user to user, Napster wasn't acting illegally. Federal court injunction financially forced Napster to shut down operations, with users exchanging some 2.79 billion files in the closing days of Napster's existence as a free service. After an unsuccessful purchase bid by multinational media conglomerate BMG in 2002, Napster was placed in receivership.
Jimmy Cliff (b. 1948)
Jamaican musician who popularized reggae music in the United States in the 1970s through his starring role in the Jamaican film The Harder they Come and its soundtrack. A teen when he went to Kingston in 1962 and made his first record within a year. Worked with producer Leslie kong and recorded a series of Jamaican Top 10 hits. Met Chris Blackwell of Island Records in 1964 and moved to London. 1969 return to Jamaica and recorded "Many Rivers to Cross" which inspired the director Perry Henzel to offer him the lead role. It created a devoted audience for reggae music in US. His 1972 recording of "The Harder They Come" exemplifies the reggae style of the early 1970s: a moderate tempo, strong guitar chords, R&B-influenced singing, and a gritty lyric about the individual's struggle against oppression. First Jamaican musician to gain recognition in US.
Johnny Mathis
Latter-day crooner and bestselling recording artist who appealed as much to the rock 'n' roll generation as he did to their parents.
The Beatles
Lennon, Harrison, McCartney, Starr -Group name = collective identity → no one member is more important -Beatles = right group at the right time; Beatlemania → amazing how widespread it is -Brian Epstein: manager, responsible for image (clean that bad boi up) -George Martin: producer, "The Fifth Beatle"; experimented with studio techniques -Stopped touring by 1966 -Rock group from Liverpool, England, who dominated American popular music during the mid-1960's and started the "British Invasion." The most commercial success & popularity of all popular musicians of the 20th century. • Started out modeled after Buddy Holly & the Crickets. • Some initial personnel shifts, then stable lineup by '62:
Music scene in early 1970s
Like the 1960s, pop. music is fragmented More choices -Specialized types of pop music → a lot of subgenres of rock -AM Top 40 radio is limiting -FM radio stations increase → Specialized radio stations
Tina Turner (b. Annie Mae Bullock, 1939)
Made her recording debut in 1960 as a member of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. In 1983 she was offered a contract by Capitol Records. Her first album, entitled Private Dancer (1984), reached Number Three on the album charts. By the time she recorded "What's Love Got to Do with It," she had been in the popular music limelight for over 20 years. Ike and Tina scored big crossover hits during the 1960s with "A Fool in Love" (1960). She tired of the abusive behavior f her husband, left him 1976 to start own career. By 1981, the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart hired her as an opening act on their concert tours. She continued to build her career, released a series of platinum albums and appeared in movies such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). The combination of poignancy and toughness projected in her recordings and live performances was linked by her fans to the details of her biography and helps to explain her appeal as the 1st black woman to attain major status in the predominantly white male field of arena rock music.
Michael Jackson
Many consider the greatest entertainer of all time Thriller album -Worked a lot with Quincy Jones (producer) -Greatest selling album of all time -State of the art popular music "Billie Jean" - 1982 -Live performance, 1st does the moonwalk -MJ raises the music video to an art form → he was the whole package (white glove, dance moves, showmanship) -Influence of James Brown and Elvis in his style of showmanship "Thriller" - 1984 -New standards for production -Quality, creativity, cost → musical horror movie → makeup and costumes at a new level -Movements genuine → can hear feet moving during the dance scene while he is singing, filmed all at once -Sets precedent for modern pop performances with backup dancers -Influences so many later acts
Jimi Hendrix
Most prominent AA musician of late 1960s -Electric blues, guitar virtuoso -Feedback and distortion -Played guitar with teeth, behind back, surprised audiences "Purple Haze" (1967) -"Excuse me while I kiss the sky" -Played with teeth Performed Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock -Counter-statement: how America is warped -Especially with Vietnam era
Grunge (influences, scene, etc.)
Music scene grew out of Seattle -Seattle scene → sound emerges thanks to underground rock scene and local radio stations -Indie label "Sub Pop" signs many early artists and helps develop the grunge scene Punk influences, few chord progressions, dark themes, lamenting style Raw, unpolished sound Brings punk to the mainstream -Fashion = flannel shirt, ripped jeans, mountain boots -Very DIY attitude -Sign that the 80's are definitely over "We make music for us, not for mainstream/for money" → but ends up becoming mainstream
Pro-Tools
Music software program designed to run on personal computers. This software enabled recording engineers and musicians to gain even more control over every parameter of musical sound, including not only pitch and tempo but also the quality of a singer's voice or an instrumentalist's timbre. One of the most obvious examples of ProTools' potential for altering the sound of the human voice was Cher's number 1 hit "Believe" (1998) which featured a highly processed vocal sound, courtesy of a newly introduced audio processor plug-in called Auto-Tune, and a variety of postproduction effects. Complaint is that it allows the correction of musical errors - including the erasure and substitution of individual notes and phrases and the alteration of a musician's sonic identity, the very aspect of his or her sound that makes him or her recognizable and unique.
House Music
Named after the Warehouse, a popular gay dance club in Chicago, it was a style of techno dance music. Many house recordings were purely instrumental, with elements of European synth-pop, Latin soul, reggae, rap, and jazz grafted over an insistent dance beat. By the mid-1980s, house music scenes had emerged in New York and London, and in the late 1980s, the genre made its first appearances on the pop charts, under the guise of artists such as M/A/R/R/S and Madonna. The Chicago house scene was pioneered by Frankie Knuckles, a DJ from New York who worked at the Warehouse from 1979-1983. He introduced NY turntable techniques to Chicago, manipulating disco records to emphasize the dance beat even more strongly.
Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)
Nashville's other cash cow -- "Jesus music" gained popularity among baby boomers, developed out of the Jesus movement in the 60s -- Successful music and entertainment industry -- Catholic church losing people to more contemporary Christianity → Vatican 2 allowed more contemporary music to try to win people back/keep people -- Commercialized worship music = rock music + religious lyrics that glorify God
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Seattle, WA hip hop duo; They are the first duo in the Billboard Hot 100 chart's history to have their first two singles both reach the peak position. *The Heist* "Thrift Shop" "Can't Hold Us"
Queen Latifah (b. 1970)
Not the 1st nationally popular female hip-hop artist (belongs to Salt-N-Pepa with Very Necessary). She is the most important woman in the history of hip-hop, in terms of both her commercial success and her effectiveness in establishing a feminist beachhead on the male-dominated field of rap music. She provided an alternative to the misogynist braggadocio of gangsta rappers, while her strong R&B-influenced voice and assertive persona evoked earlier R&B and soul artists. Born in inner-city Newark, New Jersey, Dana Elaine Owens received the nickname (Arabic for "gentle" or "pleasant") from a cousin when 8. Began rapping in high school, in college participated in Arika Bambaataa's Native Tongues collective, a group dedicated to the political consciousness of hip-hop. Debut album All Hail the Queen (1989) and spawned hit single "Ladies First" (1990), a direct challenge to the putative supremacy of male rappers. The album had R&B, reggae, and house music influences. 2nd album, Nature of a Sista 1991, not do well go on a hiatus and sign with Motown Records 1992 released Black Reign with her biggest hit single "U.N.I.T.Y." Appeared in several movies Chicago, Hairspray, and Life Support. Received several awards and released album The Dana Owens Album.
Ralph Stanley (B. 1927 in Virginia)
One of the artists featured on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) soundtrack. Was a bluegrass veteran. He and his brother Carter (1925-1966) performed as the Stanley Brothers beginning in 1946 and produced a body of outstanding bluegrass recordings. After his brother's death, his own career as the leader of the Clinch Mountain Boys, another traditional-based ensemble. Can hold his own simply as a solo vocalist, and his unaccompanied performance of the eerie tradition lament "O Death" is remarkably powerful.
Willie Colon (b. 1950)
One of the most influential figures of early salsa. Born to Puerto Rican immigrant parents in NYC. Grew up during the bugalu era and was less directly influenced by the Cuban tipico style. His distinctive approach to salsa music added touches of West African, Panamanian, Colombian, and Brazilian music as well as Puerto Rican styles such as jibaro ("country") songs and the plane (an African-influenced narrative song genre with percussion accompaniment). Gave his trombone a lead role in the horn section. HIs first album, El Male (The Bad Dude), released by Fania 1967, helped to create an image of him as a tough, streetwise guy - reinforced by his band's restlessly energetic, gritty sound, an alternative to the more polite flute-and-violins texture of the then still-popular charanga. The popularity of his band was reinforced by a series of excellent lead singers.
Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997)
Performed and composed the song "Poncho and Lefty." The song is an example of the idiosyncratic sensibility of much progressive country. Born in Texas, was a singer-songwriter who became a cult hero of the progressive country movement. His 15 LPs became underground classics and his songs were covered by prominent country musicians. Used a spare, unpolished vocal style with guitar accompaniment that often uses more complex harmonies than are typical in country music. He died prematurely at the age of 52. His songs have inspired country and rock musicians ranging from Lyle Lovett to Neil Young.
N.W.A. (*****z with Attitude)
Pioneered West Coast gangsta rap with the release of the album Straight Outta Compton. Their recordings expressed the gangsta lifestyle, saturated with images of sex and violence straight out of the prison toast tradition. The nucleus of the group was formed in 1986, when O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson (b. 1969), the product of a middle-class home in South Central Los Angeles, met Andre "Dr. Dre" Young (b. 1965), a sometime member of a local funk group called the World Class Wreckin' Cru. They teamed up with Eric "Eazy-E" Wright (1973-95), a former drug dealer, and the three began working together as N.W.A., eventually adding D.J. Yella (Antoine Carraby) and M.C. Ren (Lorenzo Patterson) to the group. Ice Cube and Dr. Dre shared an interest in writing rap songs. Eazy-E used the proceeds of drug dealing to fund a record label, Ruthless Records. When they started work on their 2nd album, Straight Outta Compton, the idea of establishing a distinctive West Coast identity within hip-hop was clearly in their minds. Album released 1989, it's attitude, sound, and sensibility was indebted to earlier hip-hop recordings (Public Enemy), but were in some ways unlike anything heard before, with tracks like "**** the Police" and "Gangsta Gangsta," which were underlain by a soundtrack that mixed the sound of automatic weapon fire and police sirens with samples from funk masters; a bouncy drum machine-generated dance groove called new jack swing; and high-pitched, thin sounding synthesizer lines. Raps were harrowing, egocentric accounts of gang life, hearkening back to the bleakest aspects of the prison toast tradition. The cover of the CD reinforced the aura of danger, one of the main appeals of the group for the young suburban audience that pushed the album to multiplatinum sales. Their breakup 1989 disseminated their influence over a wider territory. In 1990s Ice Cube made AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, a more explicitly political album recorded in NY with Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad; and The Predator 1992. Eazy-E sold over 5 million albums in 1990s on his Ruthless Records label. M.C. Ren Kizz My Blazk Azz 1992. Most influential and economically successful member was Dr. Dre.
Afrika Bambaataa (Kevin Donovan; b. 1960)
Pioneering hip-hop DJ from the Bronx; his song "Planet Rock" was Number Four R&B and Number Forty-eight pop in 1982.
Chuck Berry --- Charles Edward Anderson
Pioneering singer, songwriter, and guitarist who synthesized diverse influences from R&B and country music in rock 'n' roll songs about teenage life like "Maybellene." Born California, grew up in St. Louis.
auto-tune
Pitch correction software that is commonly used in all rock-pop genres and rap.
Ravi Shankar
Played the sitar and worked with George Harrison of The Beatles.
Iggy Pop
Punk rock singer and leader of the Stooges famous for his outrageous stage performances, which included flinging himself into the crowd, cutting himself with beer bottles, and rubbing himself with raw meat.
Queen Latifah <3
Raps about issues of Black women → domestic abuse, harassment on streets, slurs against women Afrocentric pride, unity among African Americans "U.N.I.T.Y" - 1993 -Taking command of the word "bitch" -Grammy winning song -Representing women in a men-dominated scene -"Ho", "Who you callin a bitch?", "You gotta let them know you ain't a bitch or a ho"
Ceed band
Scott Stapp's hard rock band's soaring hooks and quest for spiritual meaning made them rulers of the post-grunge universe. 199-2009. From Tallahassee, Florida.
Grunge Rock
Regional style of alternative rock from Seattle that blended heavy metal guitar textures with hardcore punk. Bands from Seattle included Green River, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden. This genre and the demise of Kurt Cobain provide some insight into the opportunities and pressures facing alternative rock musicians in the early 1990s.
Punk Rock
Rock style that emerged in the late 1970s. It was a "back to basics" rebellion against the perceived artifice and pretension of corporate rock music—a stripped-down and often purposefully "nonmusical" version of rock music. 1975-1978. The musical genre and the sensibility with which it was associated continue to exert a strong influence today on alternative rock musicians. Much a cultural style and a musical style. An attitude defined by a rebellion against authority and a deliberate rejection of middle-class values. Encapsulated by the song "I'm Against It," recorded by the Ramones 1978 which was reminiscent of the teen rebellion film The Wild One (1954). It was the apotheosis and the ultimate exploitation and the ultimate exploitation of rock 'n' roll as a symbol of rebellion, a tradition that began in 1950s with white teenagers co-opted the energy and overt sexuality of black R&B to annoy their parents and continued through the 1960s. It represented a turn toward the authentic, risk-taking spirit of early rock 'n' roll and away from the pomposity and self-conscious artistry of album-oriented rock. Fashion system in its own right. Progressive response to the conservatism of the record industry. The Ramones are widely regarded as the first punk rock band. It was a stripped-down and often purposefully "nonmusical" version of rock that was a return to the wildness of early rock 'n' roll stars, but with lyrics that stressed the ironic or dark dimensions of human existence. Took shape in NYC during the mid-1970s.
Creedence Clearwater Revival, CCR
Ruled the pop charts despite the new styles • Deliberately old-fashioned rock & roll • Played originals & 50s rock tunes • No exoticism, no unusual instruments, no experimentation • John Fogerty lead singer and guitarist • "Bad Moon Rising" & "Fortunate Son"
Digital Recording
Samples the sound waves and breaks them down into a stream of numbers (0s and 1s). A device called an analog-to-digital converter does the conversion. To play back the music, the stream of numbers is converted back to an analog wave by a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The analog wave produced by the DAC is amplified and fed to speakers to produce the sound. Initially, many musicians found this style to be too "cold," today, almost all popular recordings are digitally recorded.
James Brown and Aretha Franklin --Contrast between
Showmanship: -He a crazy boiiii on stage → super extra; entertaining performance → song and choreography equally important -However, she just kind of stood on stage/didn't do a lot of extra showmanship/performance. Because of her vocal control and melodic and rhythmic nuances, her voice was enough.
Kurt Cobain (1967-94)
Singer and guitarist who founded the alternative rock band Nirvana. His recordings broke through to the commercial mainstream and popularized grunge rock. He shot himself in Seattle in 1994. Center of the Nirvana trio. From Hoquiam, Washington. Nirvana released 2 multiplatinum albums that moved alternative Rock's blend of hardcore's punk and heavy metal out of the back corners of specialty record stores and into the commercial mainstream. Met Novoselic 1985 in Aberdeen, an economically depressed logging town. His parents divorced when 8, troubling him deeply and leaving him shy and introspective. They formed Nirvana 1987 after being inspired by underground rock and hardcore and Beatles, and frustrated with the limitations of small-town working-class life. Signed by independent label Sub Pop Records 1988. Debut album Bleach (1989). 1991 sign with major labels DGC, release Nevermind 1991, which in 1991 reached number 1, displacing Michael Jackson's Dangerous. Success destroyed Nirvana. 1992 married Courtney Love, leader of an all-female alternative rock group called Hole. Rumors concerning the couple's use of heroin began to circulate, and an article in Vanity Fair charged Love with using the narcotic while pregnant, leading to a public struggle with LA child services bureau over custody of the baby. In the midst of adverse publicity, released In Utero, a return to the raw sounds of their early Sub Pop recordings. 1994 overdosed on champagne and tranquilizers, remaining in a coma for 20 hours. Believed to be an accident, but suicide note discovered. 4/8/1994 his body was discovered in his home, he had died 3 days earlier of a self-inflicted shotgun wound. Viewed as a matter of alternative music, and as a self-indulgent rock star.
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Singer-songwriter who wrote many hits in the 1960s with Gerry Goffin. In 1971, the success of her album Tapestry made her a major recording star.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
South African vocal group that collaborated with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. Their member Shabalala who cowrote the music and words of "Homeless" with Paul Simon.
Bruce Springsteen (b. 1949)
Springsteen's music and personal image evoked the rebellious rock 'n' rollers of the 1950s and the socially conscious folk rockers of the 1960s. His songs reflected his working-class origins and sympathies. Born in the U.S.A. seemed more concerned with this country's past by depicting the adult working-class Americans whose better days were behind them. The album uses his typical roots-based rock sound. He was continuing to make the kind of music, and voice the kinds of concerns, that had been characterized by his career from its beginning in the 1970s. The unexpected mega-success of the album took him by surprise and left him anxious to ascertain whether his newly enlarged audience was truly understanding the less-than-cheerful messages he wished to convey. Throughout the 1970s he forged a progressively more successful career in pop music while continuing to cast both his music and his personal image in the light of the rebellious rock 'n' roller of the 1950s and the socially conscious folk rockers of the 1960s. His songs reflected his working-class origins and sympathies, relating the stories of young but aging men and women with dead-end jobs who are looking for romance and excitement in the face of repeated disappointments while seeking meaningful outlets for their seething energies and hopes in an America that doesn't have a dream to offer. Some of the song titles from his 1st few albums are indicative. He performed with his E Street Band, and their music was characterized by a strong, roots-rock sound that emphasized his connections to 1950s and 1960s music. The band included a saxophone to mark link with R&B and rock 'n' roll of earlier eras. Born in the U.S.A. is dominated by up-tempo, rocking songs, with him shouting away in full voice and grand style and band playing in full tilt. The album is a typically dire commentary by him on the current state of the union. On tour they played to huge, sold-out stadiums where people probably couldn't hear the lyrics. He had to explain he wasn't part of "feel-good" politics. Concept album about working-class Americans who face economic or personal difficulties, and whom sense the better times of their lives slipping into the past.
Techno
Style of electronic dance music that originated in the Detroit area during the 1980s. This genre encompasses literally dozens of subcategories, including jungle, drum 'n' bass, funky breaks, tribal, 'ardcore, gabba, happy hardcore, trance, trip-hop, acid jazz, electro-techno, intelligent techno, ambient, and ever-more subtly defined sub-categories each patronized by a loyal cadre of fans. Roots are often traced to the Detroit area, home of Motown, the Stooges, and George Clinton. During the early 1980s a group of young, middle-class African American men living in the predominantly white suburban town of Belleville developed a form of electronic dance music that Derrick May, a pioneer of the genre, likened to the sound that would be produced if George Clinton and Kraftwerk were stuck in an elevator with a just a sequencer. Detroit techno was grounded in a different cultural scene than that which had spawned the Motown sound; young men like May and Juan Atkins were obsessed with symbols of class mobility, Italian fashions, and European disco recordings, and they developed a form of electronic dance music that featured futuristic imagery; samples from European records; and a dry, minimalist sound that was underlain by a subliminal funk pulse.
Beastie Boys
The first commercially successful white act in hip-hop. Their early recordings represent a fusion of the youth-oriented rebelliousness of hardcore punk rock—the style they began playing in 1981—with the sensibility and techniques of hip-hop. The album Licensed to Ill, released in 1986 by Def Jam,was one of the 1st 2 multiplatinum rap albums. Not from the bronx. This rap trio's recordings were produced by Rick Rubin and released on Def Jam Records, and benefited greatly from the distribution deal signed by Russell Simmons with industry giant Columbia Records. Received criticism for ripping off a black style. 1985 signed by Def Jam Records, appeared in Krush Groove (film about hip-hop culture) and toured as an opening act. Most popular track on the album, the Top 10 frat-boy anthem "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" established their appeal for the most rapidly expanding segment of the rap audience, young white males. Leave Def Jam Records 1988 and continued to experiment with combos of rap, heavy metal, punk, and psychedelic rock, and scored critical and commercial successes in the 1990s, culminating with the release of their 1998 album Hello Nasty. They managed to gain acceptance as legit hip-hop artists despite being white, largely by the virtue of their ability to forge a distinctive style within the parameters of an African American tradition.
Patti Smith (b. 1946)
The first rock musician to perform regularly at CBGBs. She was a New York-based poet, journalist, and singer who had been experimenting with combining the spoken word with rock. 1975 began a stint at CBGBs, establishing a beachhead for punk and new wave bands, and signed a contract with Arista, a new label headed by Clive Davis, former head of Columbia Records. Critically acclaimed album is Horses.
Ritchie Valens
The forefather of Chicano and Latin Rock one of the earliest Hispanic celebrities "La Bamba"
Jello Biafra (Eric Boucher, b. 1959 in Boulder, Colorado)
The lead singer of Dead Kennedys. Wrote the lyrics to "Holiday in Cambodia" which was filled with merciless sarcasm.
George Clinton (a.k.a. Dr. Funkenstein; b. 1940)
The leader of two groups, Parliament and Funkadelic. Clinton's style of funk music included a mixture of compelling polyrhythms, psychedelic guitar solos, jazz-influenced horn arrangements, and R&B vocal harmonies. The Parliament and Funkadelic were a loose aggregate of about 40 musicians, they were the apotheosis of 1970s funk music. He was an ex-R&B vocal group leader and songwriter, hung out with Detroit hippies, listened to the Stooges, and altered his style during the late 1960s. Enlisting some former members of James Brown's band, he developed a mixture of what is listed above. Recorded for the independent record company Casablanca. Their reputation was in substantial measure based on their spectacular concert shows with wild costumes and elaborate sets, and their innovative concept albums, which expressed an alternative black sensibility, embodied in a patois of street talk, psychedelic imagery, and science fiction-derived images of intergalactic travel. He took racial and musical stereotypes and played with them, reconfiguring black popular music as a positive moral force. His blend of social criticism. wacky humor, and psychedelic imagination is captured in his revolutionary manifesto for the funk movement, "Free Your Mind, and Your Ass Will Follow." Biggest crossover single was "Give Up the Funk."
Sex Pistols
The most outrageous—and therefore famous—punk band, formed in 1975 in London. They were the creation of Malcolm McAllen, owner of a London antifashion boutique called Sex, which specialized in leather and rubber clothing. Glen Matlock (bass), Paul Cook (drums), and Steve Jones (guitar) were regular customers and were looking for a singer. McLaren introduced them to John Lydon, a young man who hung around listening to the jukebox and had never sung in public before, named Johnny Rotten by Steve Jones. They got their 1st gig by showing up and posing as the opening band. Rotten's stage act (sneering and screaming obscenities at the audience, commanding them and throwing beer on them) led to them being banned from many nightclubs. Had a rapid ascent and implosion. They were signed by Emi Records 1976, releasing their 1st single "Anarchy in the UK." Removed from record shops when Rotten uttered an obscenity during a TV interview. End contract 1977. Bassist Glen Matlock replaced by John Ritchie, a nonmusician friend of John Lyndon, who became Sid Vicious. Signed with A&M Records then fired.Signed with Virgin Record and released "God Save the Queen (It's a Fascist Regime)." Banned from airplay but did well. Featured in 1978 film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. The band broke up. 1977 Sid Vicious imprisoned in NY on charges of stabbing his girlfriend to death, then died of a heroin overdose while on bail. 1986 surviving members sued Malcolm McLaren for cheating them of royalties.
Wanda Jackson
The most remarkable of the pioneering rock 'n' roll women in the 1950s who recorded fierce, unapologetic rockers like "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," "Fujiyama Mama," "Let's Have a Party," and her own "Mean Mean Man," yet failed to achieve mainstream popular success in that style.
Ruben Blades (b. 1948)
The son of a middle-class family in Panama (with a Cuban father and a Colombian mother) who had attended Harvard Law School. Helped reinforce the popularity of Colon's band. Was its lead singer. Got his start in the music trade as a stock boy at Fania Records and soon rose to become one of the label's biggest stars. Gifted singer-songwriter, film actor, and political activist. Best known for a series of story-songs that capture the feel of life in a neighborhood barrio populated with memorable characters. His composition "Pedro Navaja" ("Pedro the Knife"), included on the album Siembra (1977) is the most popular song to emerge from the salsa movement of the 1970s, in large part because it drew upon the experience of millions of people living in urban neighborhoods throughout Latin America.
Tupac (2pac) Shakur (1971-96)
Tragic victim of conflicts between East and West Coast factions within the hip-hop business. He was an up-and-coming star with Los Angeles-based Death Row Records when he was shot and killed in Las Vegas in 1996.
Run-D.M.C.
Trio consisting of the MCs Run (Joseph Simmons, b. 1964) and D.M.C. (Darryl McDaniels, b. 1964), and the DJ Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell, b. 1965). Perhaps the most influential act in the history of rap music, they established a hard-edged, rock-tinged style that shaped the sound and sensibility of later rap music. Their raps were literate and rhythmically skilled, with Run and D.M.C. weaving their phrases together and sometimes even completing the last few words of each other's lines. Released one of the 1st 2 multiplatinum rap albums with Raising Hell released in 1986. Did not come from the Bronx. Released on new independent label called Def Jam. They were college-educated black men, raised in a middle-class neighborhood in the boroughs of queen. Worked with Russell Simmons (Run's older brother) and producer Rick Rubin. The "beats" produced by Rubin and Jam Master Jay were stark and powerful, mixing digitized loops of hard rock drumming with searing guitar sounds from heavy metal. Run-D.M.C. was the 1st rap group to headline a national tour and the first to appear on MTV. They popularized rap among the young, predominantly white audience for rock music; gave the genre a more rebellious image; and introduced a unique sartorial style to millions of young Americans. The now familiar connection between rap music and athletic wear was established in 1986 when the Adidas corporation and Run-D.M.C. signed a $1.5 million promotional deal. "Walk This Way."
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Turning point in Hip Hop → using Hip Hop as social and political commentary [activist music] "The Message" (1982)
Elton John
Unlikely star: Outrageous performances, glasses, costumes Bestselling artist of the decade "Crocodile Rock" (1972) -Capitalized on nostalgia of 70s for the 50s -Upbeat dance song What's nostalgic? -Lyrics: "I remember when rock was young" -Instruments: sounds that are reminiscent of classic rock 'n' roll -Danceable; "crocodile rock" → homage to dance moves with animal names
Rock Steady
Updated version of ska. Formed in 1966 and made by Rastafarian songs and chants that were mixed with an African-derived style of drumming called burru to create a heavier, slower sound. It is slower in tempo than ska and some of its leading exponents (Alton Ellis) began to record songs with social and political content. The main patrons were the Rude Boys.
MP3
Variant of MPEG; MP3 enables sound files to be compressed to as little as one-twelfth of their original size. In musical terms, the most influential medium associated with the internet. MPEG is a digital file compression system that was originally used to develop digital video discs (DVDs). Spurred a series of bitter struggles between entertainment corporations and small-scale entrepreneurs. 1997, MP3.com founded by Michael Robertson, who started his enterprise by making 3,000 songs available over the Internet for free downloading. By 2000 it had become the most successful music site. MP3 files not illegal, but the practice of digitally reproducing music and giving it away for free with the artist's or record company's permission arguably is illegal. 2000 lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the trade association whose member companies controlled the sale and distribution of about 90% of the offline music in US. Charged Robertson with copying 45,000 compact discs produced by these companies and making them available for free. MP3 made a countersuit against RIAA, but a court injunction forced the company to remove all files owned by the corporations.
Gangsta Rap
Variant of hip-hop music; its emergence was heralded nationwide by the release of the album Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. (*****z with Attitude). It included artists such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, 2Pac Shakur, and the Notorious B.I.G. A variety of alternative rap styles emerged in the 1990s that reflected the attitudes, experiences, and dialects of particular segments of the hip-hop audience. These marginal variants of hip-hop ended up generating millions and millions of dollars in profits for the record industry.
Kenny Rogers (b. 1938)
Veteran of folk pop groups such as the New Christy Minstrels and the First Edition, star of made-for-TV movies such as The Gambler and Coward of the County. One of the main beneficiaries of country pop's increasing mainstream appeal. Renegade from pop music so was not considered authentic by conservative country music fans, but did receive a number of awards from the Country Music Association, including Male Vocalist of the Year in 1979. He was a creature of the pop mainstream, and more particularly of a category called "adult contemporary."
Cultural context of counterculture
Vietnam War: -Vietnam divided North (supported by USSR and communist China) v. South (supported by old nations) =1965: US sends regular troops to Vietnam to aide special forces -Hostile reaction, especially those eligible to be drafted -Many (young) people saw war as pointless -Anti-war demonstrations popular
Good Vibrations
Virtually every aspect of the record is unusual. • No name for the form • Unique yet effective • Wilson uses a rich sound palette to communicate the sensuous experience that is the essential subject matter of "Good Vibrations." • Memorable melodic hooks and a wide, colorful palette of chords • Extremely costly recording to produce • Milestone in the developing history of rock production
Simon & Garfunkel
When folk rock hit the scene in 1965 & Bob Dylan went electric, Simon & Garfunkel's producer, Tom Wilson, pulled a trick • Took one of their unsuccessful folk songs on Wednesday Morning • Overdubbed a rock band with electric guitars, bass, & drums onto the original recording & increased the tempo slightly
Ray Charles
Who was called the first soul artist - Was a pioneer of soul music, or perhaps it's better stated that he was the pioneer of soul music. - Was the first rhythm 'n' blues artist that brought the frenzied energy of gospel music, and blended it with pop and blues, leaving the music now thought of as soul.
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Who was the queen of soul? Daughter of 1950s evangelist & singer Reverend C. L. Franklin • Sang in her father's gospel church choir • Discovered by John Hammond • Signed a record contract with Columbia in 1960 • Columbia (against Hammond's wishes) had her record jazzy, popular Tin Pan Alley songs. #1 Song RESPECT
Prince
Whole package entertainer → guitarist, singer, dancer, keyboardist, drummer Controversial public image → explicitly sexual First recording to receive PMRC warning (parental warning) Changed name to a symbol in 1993 Inspired by Little Richard "Kiss" - 1986 -So much more overtly sexual than the song by itself -Androgynous, symbol = combo of male and female
Eddie Van Halen
Widely recognized as a primary innovator in electric guitar performance. He was the guitarist for the heavy metal group Van Halen and contributed the stinging guitar solo on "Beat It" from Michael Jackson's 1982 album Thriller. One of the most important moments in the mainstreaming of heavy metal was the release of Van Halen's album 1984, which featured the number 1 pop single "Jump." According to Philip Bashe, the fact that Eddie played the bombastic opening theme of "Jump" on a synthesizer rather than a guitar was "a brave test of the Van Halen audience's loyalty." The success of the single was boosted by its corresponding music video, which was shot in home-movie style and featured the athletic prowess and oddball sense of humor of David Lee Roth, Van Halen's lead singer. Is famous for developing widely used techniques ("pull-offs" and "tapping") and for performing various operations on his guitars and amplifiers to modify their sound. In "Jump," the sounds he generates are closely analogous to his guitar style.
Phil Spector
at age 17 had a number one record as a member of a vocal group called the Teddy Bears, with the hit song "To Know Him Is to Love Him." Also played guitar and piano on the record. Followed the ideas of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and had established himself as a songwriter/producer working behind the scenes of rock and roll. By the time he was 21 he was in charge of his own label (Phillies Records). The Crystals and The Ronettes were part of his label
Grateful Dead
career spanned more than 3 decades • "The Dead" grew out of a series of bands involving Jerry Garcia, a guitarist, banjoist, singer who had played in various urban folk groups in the early 1960s. • This shifting collective of musicians gradually took firmer shape and in 1967 was christened the Grateful Dead (a phrase Garcia liked from an ancient Egyptian prayer book). • The Dead helped pioneer the transition from urban folk music to folk rock & acid rock • Adopted electric instruments, lived communally in the Haight-Ashbury district, participated in public LSD parties before the drug was outlawed • The Dead were the quintessential "live" rock band with long "jams" • Jerry Garcia died in 1995, and the remaining members of the band have gone their separate ways but the band periodically re-assembles to hit the road together, with their huge entourage in tow. • In the span of more than three decades, the band placed only one single in the Top 40 ("Touch of Gray," #9 pop hit in 1987). • Their albums continue to sell hundreds of thousands of copies to their loyal fans known as "Deadheads"
Like a Rolling Stone -Song
• Composed and performed by Bob Dylan (1965) • Unique timbre and sound for the time Changed standard ideas about Length, subject matter, & poetic diction • After the huge acceptance of this song, nothing was the same again. • Form - Strophic verse-chorus pattern w/long strophes
