Popular Music Midyear Exam 2

Frank Sinatra

Crooner who rose to fame through media exposure and TV; part of postwar big stars

Nat “King” Cole

African American singer and pianist; crossed over to white pop charts; first Black musician to host weekly radio and network TV shows

Big Mama Thornton

R&B singer, drummer, harmonica player; early performer of “Hound Dog”

Chuck Berry 

Rock ‘n’ Roll pioneer blending R&B and country music; targeted teen audiences 

Damaso Perez Prado

Latin musician who popularized mambo in the U.S. and Latin America; song, “Mambo No 5”

Wanda Jackson

Female rockabilly singer; encouraged by Elvis to record rock style

Janis Martin

Early Rock ‘n’ Roll female performer; marketed as “female Elvis”

Ritchie Valens

Short but influential career in Rock ‘n’ Roll; combined Mexican folk, country, and R&B

Ruth Brown

“Miss Rhythm”; popular R&B female vocalist in early 1950s

Fats Domino 

Pianist and singer; successful R&B artist who crossed into pop charts

Little Richard

Rock ‘n’ Roll perfomer with flamboyant, energetic style; song, “Tutti-Frutti”

Elvis Presley

King of Rock ‘n’ Roll; combined country and R&B influences

Phil Spector

Producer and songwriter; created “Wall of Sound” production technique

Berry Gordy Jr.

Founder of Motown; kept creative and financial control in African American hands

Brian Wilson 

Leader of The Beach Boys; songwriter, arranger, producer 

The Beatles 

British rock band; first famous studio rock band

The Rolling Stones

“Bad boy” image; song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

The Who

Focused on youth rebellion and frustration; song, “My Generation”

Ray Charles

R&B and soul pioneer; song, “I’ve Got a Woman”

James Brown 

Soul and funk innovator; song, “Please, Please, Please”

Aretha Franklin

Gospel-trained singer turned pop and soul; famous cover, “Respect”

Bob Dylan

Urban folk singer-songwriter; politically and socially conscious

Jefferson Airplane

Psychedelic rock band from San Francisco; song, “Somebody to Love”

Janis Joplin

Psychedelic rock singer influenced by blues and R&B; died at a young age

Jimi Hendrix 

Revolutionary guitarist; fused blues, psychedelic rock, and R&B

Payola

Record companies paying DJs to put songs in heavy rotation; influenced radio Top 40 playlists and popular music marketing

Magnetic Tape Recording

Allowed full-range recording, layering, and re-recording of music; revolutionized production quality and studio experimentation

Television

Key outlet for advertising; launched new performers and promoted recorded/live music

Tempo Rubato

"Stolen time” in Italian; flexible tempo for expressive performance (Frank Sinatra)

Cover Version

Recording of a previously recorded song by a different artist; supposed to sound different from original song (“Sh-Boom” The Chords - Crew Cuts; “A Little Bird Told Me” Paula Watson - Evelyn Knight)

The Album

Long-playing record (LP); allowed thematic, integrated listening experiences (Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys) 

“Wall of Sound”

Production technique by Phil Spector; dense layers of instruments and echo

The Twist

1960s dance craze; individual, non-contact, simple hip-swiveling dance (Chubby Checker’s cover of Hank Ballard’s song)

Beatlemania

Massive fan adoration and media frenzy around The Beatles; began with their first American #1 hit in 1964 (The Beatles)

Concept Album 

Album arranged to express larger theme or narrative; The Beach Boys, “Pet Sounds” 

Sample 

Borrowing a segment of music from an earlier recording; Ray Charles’ gospel melodies sampled in Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” 

Counterculture

Subculture opposing dominant social norms; 1960s youth movement (Janis Joplin; Jefferson Airplane)

Urban Folk

Inspired by rural folk, performed by urban artists; often political (Bob Dylan; The Weavers; Pete Seeger)

Mambo

Latin dance music; repeated horn patterns, call-and-response (Perez Prado)

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Blend of R&B and country; aimed at teenage audience (Chuck Berry, Elivs Presely, Little Richard) 

Rhythm & Blues (R&B)

Music by Black artists; rooted in southern folk/blues (Louis Jordan, Big Mama Thornton, Ruth Brown)

Motown

Pop-soul blend, produced in Detroit; founded by Berry Gordy Jr (The Supremes, The Temptations)

Soul

Developed from gospel and R&B; emotional vocal intensity (Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin)

Rock

Guitar-driven, youth-focused; mix of influences including R&B and country (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beach Boys)

Psychedelic Rock

1960s counterculture; distorted sounds, improvisation, abstract lyrics (Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix)

Eric Clapton

Played in band called Cream; song, “Crossroads”