Song Writers & Producers & people

Leiber and Stoller

wrote for Elvis before the army, wrote songs with certain people in mind, rock records that were sophisticated and self-conscious

Pomus and Shuman

one was already well established and they wrote for Elvis after the war

Barry and Greenwich

worked with Phil Spector and helped with the success of many 60s girl groups H&W

Mann and Weil

the drifters, righteous brothers, wrote for British band then wrote for American band as a response to British invasion H&W

Goffin and King

wide range of musical spectrum with many top hits and Paul McCartney wanted him and Lennon to be like them H&W

Carole King

after divorcing, she became a solo musician and her 2nd solo album was a best seller for 11 years

Willie Dixon

songwriter, producer, and bassist for Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf

John Lee Hooker

inventor of “talking blues” with electric guitar

Fats Domino

one of the first black artists to reach over to a white audience who established piano as a rock n roll instrument and sold more records in the 50s than anyone but elvis

Dave Bartholomew

a driving force behind Fats Domino’s success and played 4 instruments

Cosimo Matassa

owned J&M studio where fats domino recorded and was close with Fats and Dave Bartholomew

Jelly Roll Morton

claims to have invented Jazz and was leader of Red Hot Peppers - one of the first jazz ensembles

Carl Perkins

Honky Tonk, could write his own songs and first national-wide superstar of Sun records but flopped because he wasn’t charismatic enough

Roy Orbison

wasn’t comfortable with rockabilly or Sam Phillips so he left sun records and created a new blend of rock n roll and had a great voice — part of the traveling wilburys

Norman Petty

Buddy Holly’s manager and producer who was a backstabber and took a lot of his money

Big Bopper

coined the term music video and made the first one, but also died in the plane crash of the day the music died

Pat Boone

“next frank Sinatra” a white person who covered songs that tended to be more popular but this also led to the songs becoming popular later

Bill Haley and his Comets

one of the first bands of rockabilly and first to go international

Eddie Cochran

one of the first idols and his song “Twenty Flight Rock” is the reason we have the Beatles — died in a car crash

Gene Vincent (and the Blue Caps)

one of the first artists to sign with a major label and was in a car crash and never really recovered

Everly Brothers

centered around Appalachian tradition and popular duo/teen idols in rockabilly

Buck Ram

arranger and producer for The Platters

Felice and Boudleauz Bryant

a couple that wrote a string of hits for the Everly Brothers

The Platters

had a lead female singer and most songs were arranged and produced by Buck Ram, but their biggest hit was actually a white upperclassman broadway show tune

The coasters

the brainchild or Leiber and Stroller and some of the members played their own instruments. Unlike other doo-wop bands, they were much more up beat and teen orientated. Also the first band to be inducted in the rock and roll hall of fame

The drifters

many members and different lead singers, but possibly one of the greatest vocal groups of the 1950s as their harmonies were unmatched. Ben E. King was with their top song and they held on strong from 50s-60s as they evolved their songs to fit the time

Alan Freed

a dj who coined the term rock and roll and the payola “martyr”

Dick Clark

made rock music more digestible and clean for white audiences and didn’t get in trouble for Payola

Dion and The Belmonts

Italian-Americans who were one of the 4 headliners at The Winter Dance Party

Frankie Valli and Four Seasons

lead singer had a captivating voice and powerful falsetto, wrote their own songs and played their own instruments — their broadway musical is Jersey Boys

Billy Joel

made songs that were homages to 50s-60s music

The Wrecking Crew

Phil Spector’s band who mostly worked in LA’s gold star studios and were some of the best session musicians on the west coastHal

Hal Blaine

drummer of the wrecking crew and first session musical to be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame

Veronica Bennet/Ronnie Spector

Phil Spector’s wife who was the lead singer of a girl group

Darlene Love

backing singer for different girl groups that helped Spector with his success

The Righteous Brothers

they have a song that is #1 most played in America and spector lied about the time of their songs so it could be played on the radio. They became their own Genre — “Blue Eyed Soul”

Otis Redding

signed to Stax Records under Atlantic original singer for the song respect, from Memphis which was also famous for blues

Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown

featured in the Movie Blues Brothers

Berry Gordy

founder of Motown records who used to work at Ford

The Funk Brothers

Motown’s house band that only worked with them

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

the lead singer was a successful businessman who helped with Motown’s success and Barry Gordy’s right hand man

The Temptations

a group that mastered the motown sound from ballad to psychedelic — pioneers of psychedelic soul

Maxine Powell

a woman who ran the Motown finishing school as an instructor, fashion designer, and consultant

The Supremes

the group Diana Ross came from and was a favorite on the Ed Sullivan show

Stevie Wonder

“Ray Charles jr” who is the youngest solo member and youngest hall of fame inductee who also helped create MLK jr as a holiday

the Commodores

a funk jazz band that was one of the strongest Motown groups throughout the 70s and the best selling Motown artist of the 80s

Lionel Richie

apart of the Commodores and one of the most successful balladeers who helped break the color barrier on MTV with witty fun music videos