History Of Rock Music

Musical Form

The term to describe the structure and organization of a song or piece of music

Beat

The regular, underlying pulse found in the music

Meter

The recurring pattern of strong and weak beats that are found in a given piece of music

Duple Meter

Music with a beat pattern/meter is divisible by 2

Triple Meter

Music with a beat pattern/meter is divisible by 3

Simple Meter

Music whose individual beats are divisible by 2

Compound Meter

Music whose individual beats are divisible by 3

Simple Verse Form

Consists of a series of verses, all of which use the same underlying music

12 Bar Blues

A common chord configuration with a distinctive pattern of four-beat measures that fall into three groups of four

The Rhythm Section

Drums, bass guitar, and non-solo guitars- lays a solid foundation for singers, instrumental soloists, and other members of the group who focuses on the melody

Live Rock Repertoire

Offers energy, spontaneity, and a shared audience experience

Recorded Rock Repertoire

Emphasizes precision, detail, and polished production.

Reverb

Artificially created ambience, or room sound. It is an accumulation of many sound reflections arriving at different times.

Echo

Occurs when a sound bounces back to the listener to create 2 sonic impressions of the same event. It is a single, distinct repetition of a sound after a significant delay.

The Regional Aspect of Early Rock Music

Was a primarily regional, southern phenomenon. It was built upon the African American musical traditions of the Mississippi Delta, the Blues, R&B, and gospel.

Tin Pan Alley

A New York City music publishing district, in a small section of West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Ave. The name originated because so many song writers had clustered together in this small area, they were constantly plunking out their song ideas on rows of pianos that sounded to the locals like a bunch of people banging on pans.

AABA Form

A 32-bar scheme with four 8-bar phrases: the first 2 phrases in this form are similar, the third contrasts, and the last is similar to the first 2.

Frank Sinatra

Started out performing with big bands, then went solo in 1942. Made the singer, not the band, the star, and paved the way for early rock and roll singers.

Les Paul

Inventor of one of the first solid body electric guitars, of sound-on-sound recording, and the technique of recording sound at half speed for playback at full speed.

Overdubbing

Also known as sound-on-sound recording; a music production technique where new sound layers are recorded on top of an existing recorded track.

Ralph Peer

A producer, who was looking for what record companies would call "hillbilly music", is credited with capturing some of the earliest recordings from this region.

Country Music

Can be traced to various folk traditions; "hillbilly music."

Western Music

Defined in part by Hollywood portrayals of cowboys and life on the open prairie. Western swing was a style that put a cowboy twist on big band music and incorporated fiddles, steel guitar, and sometimes mariachi music.

Jimmie Rodgers

The first star of country music. Known as "The Blue Yodeler" and "The Singing Brakeman", he often portrayed a wandering hobo image based on rustic stereotypes. Died at age 36 of tuberculosis.

Nashville as a Center of Country Music

After WWII, Nashville became a center for country music recording and publishing, thanks in part to the Grand Ole Opry and the influential publishing firm Acuff-Rose.

Origins of Bluegrass Music

Developed during the post-WWII era. This music showcases virtuosic instrumental soloing but also often includes singing. This style can be traced to the group, Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys. The banjoist Earl Scruggs, from this band, is credited with advancing banjo technique.

Early Blues Artists

W.C. Handy- Father of the Blues, sold sheet music, including his "Memphis Blues" nationally. Bessie Smith- Black female singer, had a million-selling hit with "Down Hearted Blues", her style influenced many singers. Robert Johnson- Performed as an itinerant solo artist and sang to his own acoustic guitar accompaniment, had a very flexible style (added extra beats and measures depending on his mood at the time).

Memphis as a Center of Blues Music

As Rural Blacks began to migrate north in search of better work in the 1930s and 1940s, they helped make the city of Memphis a center for black music.

Chicago Electric Blues Style

Developed in part due to an independent label called Chess. The style is a loud, urban, and amplified form of blues music that emerged in the 1940s and 50s. Combos featuring electric guitar, bass, piano, drums, and harmonica.

Doo-Wop Music

Emerged as a form of R&B in urban neighborhoods following WWII. Consisted of a cappella vocal arrangements that often contained nonsense syllables because these singers in these groups often could not afford instruments.

The Stagger Lee Myth

A racial stereotype that held that young black men were often defiant, sexually driven, and that white women were their greatest conquests. This stereotype helped to lead many white parents to believe that R&B were dangerous influences on their teenagers.

Role of the Teenager in Early Rock and Roll

The postwar period was the first to have a pop culture devoted exclusively to teenagers, who wanted their own music. For white teens, listening to R&B was an act of social rebellion and juvenile delinquency became a concern for adults in the 1950s.

The Role of the DJ

Helped R&B break into the mainstream in the early 1950s

Alan Freed

Disc jockey best remembered from this era. His success took him to NYC in 1954, where he reached a much larger audience through his radio show. He faced continual backlash from the press, who often portrayed the concerts he sponsored as teen riots.

Crossover Songs

When a record or song holds a position on more than one of the three types of charts.

Chuck Berry

Crossed over from the rhythm and blues to the pop charts in 1955. Was the first person to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Fats Domino

One of the first early rockers to have consistent crossover success. Performed from the piano and had an easygoing style that sat well with white listeners.

Little Richard

One of the most flamboyant performers in the early years of rock. His style made it more difficult for him to advance in his career in the mainstream pop market. "Wild man" stage persona included screaming, playing with one leg propped on the piano, and a driving rhythm section- popular with teens.

The "Whitening" of Rhythm and Blues

The practice of changing the lyrics and music of rhythm and blues songs to appeal to white listeners. The artists Bill Haley did this in some of his records and helped establish a model for early rock and roll.

Elvis Presley

Blurred the boundaries between pop, country, and western, and R&B. He was the first rock and roll artist to draw intense interest from major record labels and have hits on all three charts. His sun records are considered some of his best and helped establish a style known as Rockabilly.

Jerry Lee Lewis

Had several hits that appeared on all three charts, and he was known for energetic performances at the piano. Married his 13-year-old cousin.

Buddy Holly

Developed a musical style that was more pop and less country. One of the first major artists influenced by the rock and rollers who were active in 1955 and 1956. In a band - The Crickets. Most influential as a songwriter, employing more song forms and stylistic influences than many of his contemporaries in 1950s rock and roll.

The Payola Scandal

A blow to rock came in the longstanding practice of payola (The illegal practice of secretly paying radio stations to play a particular song). Caused in part by struggles between major labels and independent labels, and between BMI and ASCAP, two organizations that collected royalties for songwriters.

Teen Idols

Starting in the late 1950s, record companies sought out attractive clean cut young men who could be marketed to preteen and teenage girls. The pop recorded by teen idols is sometimes labeled "bubblegum music" and it stars cultivated the image of the ideal boyfriend.

Girl Groups

Mostly composed of black teenagers with little professional experience. Like the male teen idols, girl groups were assembled to provide the right image to go with the songs they performed.

The Brill Building

Was both a place- a building housing music publishers in Manhattan- and a label applied to the methodical way companies such as Aldon Music produced songs. Similar to Tin Pan Alley, but the songs that were written were produced specifically for studio artists rather than for sheet music.

American Bandstand

Hosted most famously by Dick Clark. Was a television show devoted to teen pop, and it featured teens dancing to hit records and lip-synced performances by musical guest stars. Reinforced the idea of a national youth culture and also helped make rock and roll acceptable to adults.

Folk Music

College-age listeners helped make folk music into a popular alternative style. Folk music had some popularity in the 1940s and early 1950s. Folk Music had a history of addressing the problems faced by the less fortunate so folk songs often advocated for social change.

The Kingston Trio

Inspired by folk music being unpretentious, unpolished, non-mainstream, and could be performed at home, the Kingston Trio began performing folk music to college audiences in the late 1950's, helping to bring Folk music back to the mainstream.

Peter, Paul, and Mary

Trio folk group. Folk music more orientated toward the pop market.

Phil Spector

An ambitious producer who was the most important producer of girl-group pop. Developed an approach to production that became known as "Wall of Sound."

The Wall of Sound

Involved recording a large number of instruments in a small space and using reverb to create a wash of blended sounds.

Sweet Soul

In the late 1950s, a new and softer approach to Black pop emerged that turned out to have tremendous cross over potential. Sam Cooke.

Rockabilly Artists

The everly brothers- came from a country music background; shows influences of both country and R&B have lyrics that address teenage love. Roy Orbison- wrote most of his own songs and had a wide range of stylistic influences and developed a ballad singing style in which he frequently used his falsetto voice.

The Beach Boys

They had eclectic influences including doo-wop, mainstream pop, Chuck Berry, and Phil Spector. West coast surfing life.

Dick Dale

King of the Surf Guitar; Surf style featuring the guitar- based on mediterranean folk song. Increased attention to instrumental playing.