UNIT 10

Rock & Roll Part 1 Overview

Step 1

Rock 'n' Roll overall seems to be some of the most original, controversial, and interesting music genre to ever be created. It broke down the barrier between black and white music and brought everyone together. The thought that it developed from American Folk and Roots music is absolutely amazing, and it has evolved into its own genre that speaks its own message. Major events in history greatly affected what the music was about and how it was presented. The British Invasion brought over a bunch of amazing bands from England, which lead to the development of Motown and Motown fighting back against the British Invasion. The Vietnam War draft caused a lot of controversy within the younger generations and lead to a lot of music talking about how it was unfair. Woodstock helped music festivals become much more popular and accepted, again bringing lots of people closer together. All of the music was greatly varied and original in almost every aspect, which is something not found anywhere else. People tried copying each other but in the end made it their own and special in very unique ways.

 

Step 2

  • Elvis Presley helped start the cultural mixing that occurred in America. He covered a bluegrass song and became very popular throughout America. He was a very controversial figure because his dancing made people very upset and the music he sang caused great discomfort in a still segregated country. Lots of states and radio stations did not allow the showing of his music, and lots of television stations recorded him from the waist up so people did not see the twisting of his hips and interesting dance moves.
  • The Temptations was an acapella-ish group that was greatly known for their success with Motown Records. They did not have any instrumentals, but were just a purely vocal group. They were a big influence in the evolution of soul and R&B music.
  • Bob Dylan was one of the leaders in taking Folk and Roots Music and turning it into Rock 'n' Roll. At a Folk Music festival, he decided to play an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one, and that caused a great disturbance in that community. People later on took it much further and developed Rock 'n' Roll into a very popular genre.
  • The Apollo is a very popular and well-known theatre that played a major role in exposing jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, and soul. These genres grew in popularity and evolved into more genres because they were exposed to the public through this theatre.
  • Jimi Hendrix created very original guitar pieces and overall very moving songs that were very popular among all people. He was very interesting and original with his music and overall personality, and was a major influence in Rock 'n' Roll's development.
  • The Beatles started out popular in England, then came over to America during the British Invasion. They were considered almost the "good guy" band that your parents approved of listening to.
  • The Rolling Stones were a similar band to The Beatles, but they acted like the bad boys and were good at it when The Beatles were not. They were also a part of the British Invasion, but this was the band that parents didn't want their kids listening to.
  • British Invasion was the migration of multiple British bands to America and their great explosion of popularity. Almost everyone loved the British bands, but others tried to fight back and create music that would counter the British Invasion.
  • James Brown reaches the top of the R&B singles chart, and was the embodiment of Funk and black pride.
  • Civil Rights Movement had a great impact on the music at this time. Racial segregation was ruled unconstitutional by the Brown v. Board of Education decision, and people were already becoming more accepting of black musicians and music before this decision. This lead to the grand change of music and how white musicians tried copying black musicians as well as other events.
  • The Twist was a dance introduced by Chubby Checker that started to break apart the classic way of dancing and let people let loose and feel more free while dancing. It suddenly became a dance that every young kid knew and used to dance to almost every song that they knew.
  • Other Musicians or Record Producers: The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Clive Davis, Woody Guthrie, Janis Joplin, The Animals, Little Richard, The Who

Step 3

1. How did the history of Jazz influence the roots of Rock and Roll?

Rock and roll basically evolved out of Jazz into its own independent genre. Jazz influenced a lot of instruments that were used in Rock and Roll. They started out sounding very similar, but over time Rock and Roll started to twist, bend, and change into something new that became the biggest craze in America.
2. How did Rock 'n' Roll affect America's color barrier?

The color barrier was really broken down by Rock 'n' Roll. No one cared what color you are, what people cared about was what the music was and how it sounded. All of the white musicians were trying to imitate the black musicians, in hopes trying to improve their music and how it sounded.
3. Explain how Motown fought back against the British Invasion.

Motown fought back by sort of being as American as possible to fight back the British influence coming to America. Motown was usually African-American musicians that were trying to be original as possible to they could rise in popularity and fight back the British Invasion.
4. Under what musical influences did Soul blossom?

Gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz were the main musical influences for Soul music when it truly came through and blossomed. Psychedelic rock was also an influence on Soul as it continued to grow and blossom.
5. Describe how the electric music scene helped to reinvent Rock 'n' Roll.

Rock 'n' Roll is basically based around the electric guitar and electric music. If there was no electric guitar, there basically would be no Rock 'n' Roll. Before the electric music scene, Rock 'n' Roll was very plain and not noticed as much as Rock 'n' Roll as it is now.

Rock & Roll Part 1 Research
Step 1

1.  In this historical context, why might it have been more acceptable for some people to hear African-American music from a white artist than from an African-American artist?

Segregation was still very heavily present in the United States at that time. The African-American children had segregated schools that were in much worse condition than the schools that the white children went to. Whites seemed to prefer everything that came out of white culture instead of accepting cultural differences, so it would make sense that they would prefer to hear a white musician over an African-American one, even if the white is performing African-American music.

2.  Why might any type of music bearing an African-American influence have been unacceptable to some people in this climate?

A lot of people, especially in the South, believed that they were superior to African-Americans. They would not accept listening to them, and would even hurt them if an African-American male would look at a white female. They didn't want to "stoop down to the level of the African-Americans", so listening to any music that had any African-American influence would probably never be considered by them.

Step 2

How would you describe this music? 

Elvis took the song and made it sound more like Rock 'n' Roll, whereas Arthur Crudup kept it as a country-sounding tune. Elvis's version is extremely powerful and has a harsher impact than the classic song that Arthur Crudup created.
How is Elvis’ recording similar to/different from Arthur Crudup's recording of the same song?

Their voices are very similar and have the same tone, and sound almost identical. Arthur Crudup's guitar part is much more laid back and relaxed, whereas Elvis added in a Rock 'n' Roll sort of feeling to it. Elvis's voice is much more powerful feeling overall, but the both of them sound quite similar. They are both very laid back and relaxed sounding songs, but Elvis just made it more powerful overall.
What barriers might have prevented artists such as Arthur Crudup from becoming major recording stars in the late 1940s and early 1950s?

A lot of America was still discriminating against blacks and was segregated, so it would've been very difficult for him to become popular during those times. Some radio stations would only play white musicians, and lots of people would not listen to any music by black musicians. This makes it very difficult for very talented black musicians to become a major recording star.

Step 3

How did the audience react to the record?

Their response was instantaneous, they were all calling in to talk to Dewey Phillips and get information about Elvis.
Why might listeners have thought Elvis was African-American? 

Elvis's style of music was very similar to African-American music, so people may have assumed he was African-American simply based on his style of music.

In 1954, how could a resident of Memphis have known the race of a person simply by knowing where he went to high school?

Memphis, Tennessee was still segregated and did not allow blacks and whites to go to the same high school. They were still supporting and keeping the segregated schools. This means that it was easy to tell what race someone is by knowing which high school they attended.

Why do you think Dewey Phillips wanted the audience to know that Elvis was white?

Elvis's style of music was much like African-American music, and in such a racially segregated area, people would probably get upset and stop listening to the radio station if the musician wasn't white. Everyone thought he wasn't white, so Dewey Phillips decided to indirectly answer the question as to what race Elvis was by asking what high school he went to.

Step 4

1.  What do you think the authors meant by the terms: “Savage jungle beat music”? “Tribal rhythms”?

He was describing the Rock 'n' Roll sounds that Elvis brought into his country music. This was often a mimic of black musicians' rhythms or an attempt to sound similar to them. These beats were not the classic ones that people were used to, and that's why teenagers enjoyed it and adults despised it.

2.  Why might these authors have used these terms to describe Presley’s music? What do they seem to fear about Presley?

Presley took the classic country rhythms and took them to the next level and made them more intense and intricate. They were a bit more rowdy than the classic beats that everyone was used to at that time. I think they feared Presley's musical style and way of dancing. He was taking black musical styles and playing them in a place that was still racially discriminate and segregated.

3.  What conclusions can you draw about racial tension in the mid-1950s in other parts of North America besides the South?

In other parts of North America they weren't as tense as the South, and were often less discriminate and segregated overall. Some black musicians actually became more well-known and popular throughout North America, but in the South it was different. Around the mid-1950s the decision for Brown v. Board of Education was put into place, so most places were no longer segregated, but the South still tried to enforce segregation.

4.  How did Elvis’ first single reflect the racial and social climate in America in 1954?

His first single's reactions from people really showed the racial and social climate in America. Brown v. Board of Education was passed in that year, so segregation was breaking down, but the South refused to abide to these requirements from the court's decision. Since people thought Elvis was a black musician or realized that his music was very similar to black musical styles, a lot of them refused to listen to him or play him on the radio at all. This shows that there was still a bit of racial tension in America, especially in the South, even though they tried breaking down these barriers.