The Electric Guitar's Central Role in Early Rock 'n' Roll: American Popular Music, Lecture notes of Music

Download The Electric Guitar's Central Role in Early Rock 'n' Roll: American Popular Music and more Lecture notes Music in PDF only on Docsity! EARLY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL THE ELECTRIC GUITAR ¡  Rock ’n’ roll elevated the electric guitar to a central position in American popular music. ¡  Engineers began to experiment with electronically amplified guitars in the 1920s. ¡  The solid-body electric guitar §  Developed after World War II §  First used in R&B, blues, and country bands ¡  Came into the mainstream with a somewhat dubious reputation §  Carryover from the medieval European association of stringed instruments with the Devil §  Associated with the music of marginalized regions and people LISTENING: “HOOTCHIE COOTCHIE MAN” ¡ Muddy Waters, 1953 ¡ Features Muddy’s lineup in the early 1950s: § Two electric guitars § Bass, drums § Amplified harmonica ¡ Combines blues form with strophic verse-chorus structure ¡ Typical Chicago electric/urban blues ROCK ’N’ ROLL, 1954–1959 ¡  The advent of rock ’n’ roll during the mid-1950s brought about enormous changes in American popular music. ¡  Styles previously considered on the margins of mainstream popular music were infiltrating the center and eventually came to dominate it. ¡  R&B and country music recordings were no longer geared toward a specialized market. ¡  The target audience for rock ’n’ roll during the 1950s consisted of baby boomers, Americans born after World War II . ¡  Much younger target audience COVER VERSIONS AND EARLY ROCK ’N’ ROLL ¡  Cover versions §  Copies of previously recorded performances; often adaptations of the originals’ style and sensibility, and usually aimed at cashing in on their success §  Often bowdlerized imitations of R&B songs §  Helped fuel the market for rock ’n’ roll BILL HALEY (1925–81) ¡  Former DJ and western swing bandleader from Pennsylvania ¡  Dropped his cowboy image, changed the name of his accompanying group from the Saddlemen to the Comets ¡  In 1954, the Comets were signed by Decca Records. ¡  Moved toward the R&B jump band sound §  Encouraged by A&R man Milt Gabler BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS ¡  Recorded commercially successful cover versions of R&B hits in the mid-1950s ¡  Largest success came in 1955 with “Rock around the Clock”, the first record to become a #1 pop hit ¡  Recorded in 1954 and not a big hit when first released §  Popularized in 1955’s Blackboard Jungle, a film about inner-city teenagers and juvenile delinquency ¡  Rock Around The Clock EARLY ROCK AND ROLL STARS: THE RHYTHM AND BLUES SIDE RICHARD WAYNE PENNIMAN (“LITTLE RICHARD”) (B. 1932) ¡  Ear ly career as an R&B performer §  Hit the pop charts in 1956 with the song “Tutti-Frutti” §  Delivered in an uninhibited shouting style, complete with falsetto whoops ¡  Epitomized the abandon celebrated in rock ’n’ roll lyrics and music §  The sound of his recordings and the visual characteristics of his performances made Little Richard a strong influence on later performers. LISTENING: “LONG TALL SALLY” ¡  Built on the twelve-bar blues, adapted to reflect the more traditionally pop-friendly format of verse-chorus §  The first four bars of each blues stanza are set to changing words—verses—while the remaining eight bars, with unchanging words, function as a repeated chorus. EARLY ROCK AND ROLL STARS: THE COUNTRY SIDE BUDDY HOLLY (CHARLES HARDIN HOLLEY) (1936–59) ¡  Clean-cut, lanky, bespectacled ¡  Began his career with country music, fell under the influence of Presley ’s and formed a rock’n ’roll band, the Crickets ¡  “That’ l l Be the Day,” rose to Number One on the pop charts in late 1957 and established his sound. §  Combined elements of country, R&B, and mainstream pop BUDDY HOLLY (CHARLES HARDIN HOLLEY) (1936–59) ¡ Holly’s vocal style exhibits elements of both fine country singing and fine blues singing, full of country twang and hiccups. ¡ Mixture of toughness and vulnerability ¡ The Crickets’ instrumental lineup § Two electric guitars (lead and rhythm), bass, and drums provided strong support for Holly’s voice. § During instrumental breaks, Holly’s lead guitar playing was active, riff-based, and hard-edged in a way that reflected the influence of Chuck Berry. LISTENING: “THAT’LL BE THE DAY” ¡ Form § Structured like a typical pop song, alternating verses and choruses of eight bars each § At the instrumental break, the Crickets play a twelve-bar blues pattern ¡ On some later records, like “Oh, Boy!” and “Peggy Sue,” Holly used a twelve-bar blues structure for the song itself ¡ That'll Be The Day