Steve Kohn

1
Early Rock Roll, 1950 - 1970

• Steve Kohn
• Music Appreciation 1306
• 23 April 2015

2
Before we begin

• Discussion, not lecture
• goal 2-way conversation
• What follows just my opinion
• any resemblance to textbook purely coincidental

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America after WWIIAge of Innocence and
increasing wealth
4
black or white, rarely together or equal
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954,
9-0 Separate schools for blacks and whites
unconstitutional.
5
College students feeling empowered
1950s, Trinity University
Student protests, even takeovers, at many
colleges in 1960s
scholarly article on student activism
1966, St Marys University
6
1960s turbulent decade

• Civil rights
• Civil disobedience (boycotts, sit ins, marches),
  Freedom Riders, MLK
• CR Act of 1964
• Sexual liberation
• the Pill available 1960 The Feminine
  Mystique, 1963
• Abortion Colorado first state to decriminalize
  (1967) others soon follow
• Anti-war movement
• 58,000 US dead (Iraq 4500 AFG 2400)
• Kent State (OH), May 1970 Natl Gd fires on
  student protesters 4 die, 9 inj
• Assassinations
• Pres John Kennedy 1963 Malcolm X 1965 Martin
  Luther King 1968 Senator Robert Kennedy 1968
• Cities burn in riots
• 1962 1966 11 cities 1967 9 1968 4

Good reference https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afr
ican-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_281954E280
936829
Then 1) draft 2) population 200M
Source https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethn
ic_riotsCivil_Rights_and_Black_Power_Movement.27s
_Period_1955.E2.80.931977
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And if not crazy enough already
1967, the Summer of Love
Hippies LSD Grateful Dead Timothy Leary
mind altering drugs go mainstream
art goes psychedelic
100,000 young people from all over America
converge on one neighborhood in San Francisco
Scott McKenzie sings their anthem
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What came before rock?

• A For teens, not much
• for adults, sometimes not much either

42 yrs old in 1954
How Much Is that Doggie in the Window? Patti
Page, 1, 1953
Top 30 Hits for 1954 01. Little Things Mean A
Lot Kitty Kallen02. Wanted Perry Como03.
Hey There Rosemary Clooney04. Sh-Boom Crew
Cuts05. Make Love To Me Jo Stafford06. Oh! My
Pa-pa Eddie Fisher07. I Get So Lonely Four
Knights08. Three Coins In The Fountain Four
Aces09. Secret Love Doris Day10. Hernando's
Hideaway Archie Bleyer11. Young At Heart
Frank Sinatra12. This Ole House Rosemary
Clooney
13. I Need You Now Eddie Fisher14. Cross Over
The Bridge Patti Page15. The Little Shoemaker
Gaylords16. That's Amore Dean Martin17. The
Happy Wanderer Frank Weir18. Answer Me My Love
Nat King Cole19. Stranger In Paradise Tony
Bennett20. If I Give My Heart To You Doris
Day21. If You Love Me (Really Love Me) Kay
Starr22. Skokiaan Ralph Marterie23. Hold My
Hand Don Cornell24. Changing Partners Patti
Page
list continues next slide
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But things are about to change
24. Changing Partners Patti Page25. Papa Loves
Mambo Perry Como26. Shake, Rattle And Roll
Bill Haley His Comets27. Rags To Riches Tony
Bennett28. In The Chapel In The Moonlight
Kitty Kallen29. Stranger In Paradise Four
Aces30. Here Tony Martin
Any of these guys look like a teenager?
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1955 when rock recognized (to
disgust and dismay)
Top 10 Hits for 1955 01. Cherry Pink And Apple
Blossom White Perez Prado02. Rock Around The
Clock Bill Haley His Comets03. The Yellow
Rose Of Texas Mitch Miller04. Autumn Leaves
Roger Williams05. Unchained Melody Les
Baxter06. The Ballad Of Davy Crockett Bill
Hayes07. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing Four
Aces08. Sincerely McGuire Sisters09. Ain't
That A Shame Pat Boone10. Dance With Me Henry
Georgia Gibbs
2 !!!
sometimes with sanitized, no-shame
plagiarism Roll With Me Henry, by Etta
James Dance With Me Henry, by Georgia Gibbs
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1956 game over, rock wins
Top 15 Hits for 1956 01. Heartbreak Hotel
Elvis Presley02. Don't Be Cruel Elvis
Presley03. Lisbon Antigua Nelson Riddle04. My
Prayer Platters05. The Wayward Wind Gogi
Grant07. The Poor People Of Paris Les
Baxter08. Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera
Sera) Doris Day08. Hound Dog Elvis
Presley09. Memories Are Made Of This Dean
Martin10. Rock And Roll Waltz Kay Starr11.
Moonglow And Theme From "Picnic" Morris
Stoloff12. The Great Pretender Platters13. I
Almost Lost My Mind Pat Boone14. I Want You, I
Need You, I Love You Elvis Presley15. Love Me
Tender Elvis Presley
portent
http//longboredsurfer.com/charts/1956
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Where were rocks roots?

• A rhythm blues, gospel, black music
• Sun Records, Memphis, TN
• founded 1952 by Sam Phillips
• loved RB, sure other whites would too
• white musicians who started at Sun
• Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison,
  Jerry Lee Lewis,
  Johnny Cash,
  Carl Perkins

Good argument for Chuck Berry as
pioneer of RR.
If you tried to give rock and roll another name,
you might call it 'Chuck Berry'. John
Lennon
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Late 50s, early 60s RR gets blacker, younger
Top 10 Hits for 1962 01. Stranger On The Shore
Acker Bilk02. I Can't Stop Loving You Ray
Charles03. Mashed Potato Time Dee Dee
Sharp04. Roses Are Red Bobby Vinton05. The
Stripper David Rose06. Johnny Angel Shelley
Fabares07. The Loco-Motion Little Eva08. Let
Me In Sensations09. The Twist Chubby
Checker10. Soldier Boy Shirelles
black artists young white artists
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1964 The Beatles / British Invasion
1, 2 5 in top 16
Top 20 Hits for 1964 01. I Want To Hold Your
Hand Beatles02. She Loves You Beatles03.
Hello, Dolly! Louis Armstrong04. Pretty Woman
Roy Orbison05. I Get Around Beach Boys06.
Everybody Loves Somebody Dean Martin07. My Guy
Mary Wells08. We'll Sing In The Sunshine
Gale Garnett09. Last Kiss J. Frank Wilson
The Cavaliers10. Where Did Our Love Go Supremes
11. People Barbara Streissand12. Java Al
Hirt13. A Hard Day's Night Beatles14. Love Me
Do Beatles15. Do Wah Diddy Diddy Manfred
Mann16. Please Please Me Beatles17. Dancing
In The Street Martha The Vandellas18. Little
Children Billy J. Kramer The Dakotas19. Love
Me With All Your Heart Ray Charles Singers20.
Under The Boardwalk Drifters
Black artists
Beatles / British Invasion
Senior Citizen Music
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By 1965 Perry Como et al gone, gone, gone
Top 20 Hits for 1965 01. Wooly Bully Sam The
Sham The Pharaohs02. I Can't Help Myself
(Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) Four Tops03. (I Can't
Get No) Satisfaction Rolling Stones04. You
Were On My Mind We Five05. You've Lost That
Lovin' Feelin' Righteous Brothers06. Downtown
Petula Clark07. Help! Beatles08. Can't You
Hear My Heartbeat Herman's Hermits09. Crying
In The Chapel Elvis Presley10. My Girl
Temptations
11. Help Me, Rhonda Beach Boys12. King Of The
Road Roger Miller13. Birds And The Bees
Jewel Aikens14. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
Mel Carter15. Shotgun Jr. Walker The All
Stars16. I Got You Babe Sonny Cher17. This
Diamond Ring Gary Lewis The Playboys18. The
"In" Crowd Ramsey Lewis Trio19. Mrs. Brown
You've Got A Lovely Daughter Herman's
Hermits20. Stop! In The Name Of Love Supremes
Compare lyrics in https//sites.google.com/site/hi
phopmusiclyrics/top-10-degrading-songs-towards-wom
en with above
Motown (just Motown)
British
Senior Citizens Music
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1960s classic rock melting pot with 4
ingredients
and great home-grown groups like CCR
Santana The Doors

• Black
• British
• Folk
• Country

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Black (soul) music never better
but went mostly wrong in 1970s
and then crashed and burned in 1980s with rap

• Big 4 Motown, Stax, Atlantic, Chess
• Motown sophisticated, urban, groups
• Supremes, Temptations
• Stax unsophisticated, country, stars
• Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett
• Atlantic both
• Ray Charles, the Drifters, Aretha Franklin
• Chess mostly blues (and jazz)
• Howlin Wolf, Otis Spann
• and many others on many labels
• Chambers Brothers, Sly Family Stone

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Of first 11 top albums of 1960s, 9 British
1960s Top 100 Best Selling Albums Worldwide

• Full list http//www.rockmusictimeline.
  com/1960s.html

Led Zeppelin Sucks
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Best of British groups / artists

• The gods
• Beatles
• Rolling Stones
• Animals
• Eric Clapton
• Lesser deities
• Van Morrison
• Fleetwood Mac
• John Mayall

long careers
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Folk Rock
Civil rights anti-war folk music

• Folk music very popular at colleges
• Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger,
  Phil Ochs, Peter Paul and Mary, Simon Garfunkel
  more
• the spark Dylan goes electric
• Newport Folk Festival, July 1965
• purple-faced Pete Seeger allegedly running
  around backstage with an axe, threatening to chop
  the wires to the soundboard.
• later denied by Seeger, but good metaphor for
  event
• bringing folk and rock together
• giving us Paul Simon, Judy Collins, Jackson
  Browne, John Denver, Tim Hardin, John Prine,
  Iris Dement, Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty,
  Neil Young, Mark Knopfler, Cat Stevens, Lucinda
  Williams, Joe Ely more

albums, not singles
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Country rock

• mix of soul, rock, and country
• often southern based

• Allman Brothers Band
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Eagles
• Emmylou Harris
• Mother Earth Tracy Nelson
• more

lives on today in Americana Avett Bros, Hooray
for Riff Raff, JJ Grey more
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2 concerts in 1969

• August Woodstock
• "3 Days of Peace Music
• when rock still fun
• December Altamont
• Hells Angels protect stage
• assault musicians, fans kill one of them
• rocks end of innocence

More https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Free_
Concert
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Q So what was rock n roll? A
Youths

• reaction to bland, effete, old
• voice of rebellion to perceived hypocrisy in
  society
• the times, they were indeed a-changin
• Civil rightsSexDrugsStudent PowerVietnam War
• popular music Rock n Roll in center of it
  all
• Or maybe you just had to be there.

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Early Rock Roll, 1950 - 1970

• Steve Kohn
• Music Appreciation 1306
• 23 April 2015

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Supplemental
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1970s, early years mostly great

• Many musicians mature, get even better
• Neil Young, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Allman
  Bros, Cat Stevens, Bill Withers, many more
• Some wasted on drugs, some died
• Wasted
• Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, many more
• Died
• Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison (Doors), Tim
  Buckley, Janis Joplin, Keith Moon, Gram
  Parsons and Elvis Presley!

musicians who died of drug overdose, full list
1970s not so great heavy metal, punk, funk
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Mid-1970s, when it all goes terribly wrong
RR, 1955 - 1975, RIP but 10 years later next
slide

• Disco!
• Saturday Night Fever (1977) cements popularity
• Donna Summer, maybe Bee Gees, only disco still
  listenable

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1980s 3 of rocks greatest albums

• Born in the USA (1984)
• Brothers in Arms (1985)
• Graceland (1986)

and 2 terrific concert films 1) Stop Making
Sense (1984), Talking Heads 2) Graceland
the African Concert (1986), Paul Simon
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Rock and Roll?

• The phrase rocking and rolling originally
  described the movement of a ship on the ocean but
  was used, by the early twentieth century, both to
  describe a spiritual fervor and as a sexual
  analogy.
• rhythm and blues music aimed at a black
  audience. In 1951, Cleveland-based disc jockey
  Alan Freed began playing this music style while
  popularizing the term rock and roll to describe
  it.

https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_rock_and_
roll
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Electric guitar no rock without it

• Invented in 1931 for jazz guitarists
• Les Paul not inventor, but arguably most
  influential
• June 9, 1915 August 12, 2009
• last concert just weeks before death
• also credited with many recording innovations
• overdubbing, tape delay, phasing effects,
  multi-track recording 

Gibson 1954 Les Paul Custom
Les Paul, 1947
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Before CDs, MP3s, and streaming vinyl

• 2 types not counting 78s

Singles Albums (aka LP)
RPM 45 33 1/3
Diameter 7 12
time/side, typl 3 min 20 minutes
typical music Rock Classical, Jazz, Rock
rock albums eventually more important than
singles

• Vinyl technically, audibly inferior to CD
• but today loved by purists / nostalgists / snobs

http//historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-h
istory-of-45-rpm-record.html
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What makes a great rock song?
any language, any century

• Melody
• Lyrics
• Rhythm
• Performance
• Relevance
• Danceable

How many elements needed 2/5? 3/5?
(why rap, metal, grunge not in my collection)
Great song writers, IMHO Leonard Cohen, Neil
Young, Paul Simon, David Olney, Terry Allen, John
Fogerty, James McMurtry, Mark Knopfler.
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References
lot of fun to browse these books on my shelves

• Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia 1969
• The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Rock 1993
• This Day in Rock Day by Day Record of Rock's
  Biggest News Stories 1993
• The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia Jazz
  Blues 2007

And an important one to read Hole in Our Soul
The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American
Popular Music 1996
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Early Rock Roll, 1950 - 1970

• Steve Kohn
• Music Appreciation 1306
• 23 April 2015