Music History: From Rock and Roll to Folk Revival (1950s-1960s)

Task: Create a playlist using 16 provided tracks and answer questions about selected tracks.
Objective: Familiarize with different types of music, some of which are instrumental.
Required Tracks: At least 16, including artists like Little Richard (New Orleans), Johnny Cash, Betsy Klein (Nashville country stars), and Elvis Presley.

New Record Labels: A new record label and studio emerged from Brooklyn, New York City, aiming to record new music styles.

Southern Tones and Vocal Inflections: Artists would copy vocal inflections from sources like gospel recordings directly into their music, becoming skilled at this approach and creating hit songs.
Scandal in Music Genres:
- The gospel world was often scandalized when its styles were reinterpreted in new ways.
- Comparatively, the country world was scandalized by Elvis Presley for taking the standard country waltz and transforming it into a rock and roll tune.

Television's Impact: A hallmark of great performers during this era was the shift from solely radio music to performances seen on television.
Key Performers: Artists like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis excelled at bringing their music to life visually.

Style: Little Richard was a pianist known for his "rock and melly fashion" of playing, characterized by overt sexuality.

Sensation and Stalled Momentum: Jerry Lee Lewis was an initial sensation, but his career momentum was significantly halted when he traveled to England with his 13-year-old cousin, who was also his child bride.
Controversy and Deportation: He faced public backlash and was forced to cancel further media campaigns, with calls for his deportation.
Infamous Quip: Upon returning home, he addressed the controversy with the remark, "She'll be 14 in July, but she's all woman." The scandal, involving a minor across state lines, severely impacted his career, which "was never quite the same again."

Radio Accessibility: Boone's versions of popular songs were often played more frequently on radio stations because they were less controversial than the raw, screaming vocal deliveries of artists like Little Richard.
Book Quote on Pat Boone's Style: From a book discussing Boone's approach to Richard's anthems:
- Boone's style suggested his notion of fun extended "no further than snoozing in a rocking chair" compared to Richard's "raw" sound, which was like "asking me to jump into the middle of the Zulu dance."
- Boone was described as an "expert balladier" – more controlled than Danny Crosby and more relaxed than Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra.
- He was "unfairly pilloried for his crimes against rock and roll" because he was merely attempting to "translate raw exuberance into genteel family entertainment."
Implication: Boone's sanitization of music made it more acceptable for a broader, family-oriented audience, enabling him to achieve commercial success.

Teacher's Example (Titanic):
- The movie Titanic (1997) was in theaters for over six months due to its popularity.
- The soundtrack song by Celine Dion, with its distinctive flutes, was inescapable, leading to a strong aversion for the teacher even today.
Student Examples: Weezer, Zach Efron, Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'."
- This phenomenon highlights how overexposure can turn popular songs into irritants for some listeners.

Late 1950s Trend: A new, almost industrial approach to making pop music emerged in the late 1950s.
Songwriting Techniques: Songwriters began using formulas and techniques designed for quick marketability and instant, albeit potentially short-lived, popularity.
Target Audience: This music was largely aimed at teenagers.
Disney's Role: The Mickey Mouse Club, which started in the 1950s with figures like Annette Funicello, served as a platform.
- Disney has a long history of creating music stars, evident then and even in recent years with artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.
Example: "Sixty Minute Man" by Billy Ward & The Dominoes (1950s), known for its chorus detailing a date every 15 minutes.

ASCAP's Influence: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) exerted political pressure, advocating for a return to what they considered "good music."
Independent Label Boom: Many independent labels were emerging and gaining significant traction.
Threat to Major Labels: In $1957$ , during the peak of the original rock and roll era, $40$ out of $70$ top 10 hits originated from independent record labels, posing a major threat to established major labels.
Major Label Response:
- Lobbying against independent labels.
- A common practice that would continue for decades: buying up independent labels to absorb their success and talent.

Anthology of American Folk Music: A significant turning point was the release of "The Anthology of American Folk Music", a six-LP set compiled by Alan Lomax, featuring recordings from the $1920s$ , $1930s$ , and $1940s$ .
- This collection made people realize the "authentic American" quality of this simple music.
Woody Guthrie: A pioneering figure in folk music.
- He traveled extensively (trains, hitchhiking) to gather traditional songs and melodies.
- He also wrote his own lyrics, documenting contemporary events.
- Met Alan Lomax in the late $1930s$ and $1940s$ .
Musical Form: Folk music often features a strophic form, with a basic tune repeated over and over, typically dominated by a verse and a refrain.
Protest Songs: Guthrie wrote numerous protest songs against World War II in Europe, directly targeting figures like Hitler and Mussolini.
Legacy: This folk music movement became a crucial precursor to the protest movements of the $1960s$ , linking music to political and social change.
Popularity in the 1950s: Folk music experienced a surge in popularity during the $1950s$ before fully blossoming into the $1960s$ protest era.
Sanitized Folk: The Kingston Trio, a popular group of three musicians, became known for presenting a more "sanitized version of folk music," making it accessible to a mainstream audience.

Assassinations: The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in $1968$ marked a deeply unsettling period in the country.
Vietnam War: The United States was heavily involved in the Vietnam War, beginning in $1964$ and continuing into the $1970s$ .
The Draft: Conscription played a significant role, with approximately $2,200,000$ men drafted into service in the United States during this era.

Stereo vs. Mono Sound:
- Mono: One single sound channel.
- Stereo: Multiple (two or more) independent sound channels, offering a higher quality and more immersive sound experience.
Increased Amplification: Improved amplification capabilities allowed for much larger concerts and festivals. By the end of the decade, events with hundreds of thousands of attendees were possible.
Mixing Sounds: Stereo technology facilitated the mixing of sounds without cancellation, improving audio quality.
Simulcast: A cool innovation where radio stations would broadcast the same program that was being shown on television.
Portable Music: The advent of 8-tracks and plastic cassettes made it possible to listen to music in cars, a significant convenience not possible with LPs (records).