Musc 200 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture II. Chuck Barry listeningIII. Bill Haley and His CometsIV. Elvis PresleyOutline of Current Lecture V. Elvis Presley (cont.)a. Sun Records periodb. RCA periodCurrent LectureElvis Presley (cont.)- Marketing played a huge role in making Elvis successfulo On TV 12 times in 1956o 107 top 40 singleso 5 #1 hits in 1956o Held the #1 position for 56 weeks in 1956-57- Sam Phillips, from Sun Records in Memphis, was looking for a white artist who could do rhythm and blues o This was where Elvis’s career begano Sun Records was a small independent label, but ended up signing several huge artists- 1954: Elvis recorded 5 45s with Sun Recordso A 45 was a small record that could hold 1 track per sideo All of Elvis’s 45s had the same format: one side held his own version of an established country tune and the other had his own version of an established R&B tune- Elvis didn’t write any of his own music, him and his band (at this time a trio) spent long amounts of time reworking already established songsThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.o Artists who were part of major labels didn’t have the time or opportunity to work on songs for that long of a time- The band consisted of Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore on guitar, and Bill Black on bass- Instrumentation: stripped down country bando Acoustic guitaro Electric guitaro Acoustic bass played in the slapping style  This gave the sound of having drumsListening: “That’s All Right Mama” by Elvis Presley- 1954 song in verse/refrain form- Originally a rhythm and blues tune- R&B influence seen by use of blues notes and sliding between pitcheso Strongly accents words with a raspy timbre and aggressively delivers the first lineso Bending of notes- Country influence is seen in the middle of the second phrase when the roughness is gone, his voice becomes quieter and smoother, then higher and more nasally o Double stopso Chord selection- Presley epitomizes “cool” by jumping from being angry and tough, to stepping back and acting not bothered- This song was a huge hit in Memphis due to local radio stationso People would call in to ask what Elvis’s race was- 1956: RCA bought Elvis’s contract from Sun Records for $35,000o This has been called one of the worst business decisions in the music industryo But Sam Phillips had several other big artists and didn’t necessarily need Elvis- Elvis signed with RCA who was able to promote him in ways Sun Records couldn’to Gained massive marketing power- 1956-58: 1st RCA periodo Elvis becomes a nationally known figure Puts rock and roll in the spotlighto He toured constantly and began to make a series of movies, along with TV and radio appearanceso The band grew: drums, backup vocals, and a piano were addedo His music style changed and expanded to doing ballads, pop-influenced songs, as well as rock and roll Was becoming more mainstreamo Appeared several times on the Ed Sullivan Show – a variety show on TV which was regarded as a high prestige venue The first time Elvis appeared, he performed in a very sexual manner and people freaked out and criticized the show So for his next appearance, Elvis was only shown on TV from the waist upo By the end of the year, Elvis did a Gospel song, steering towards the mainstream and notwanting to upset people His style of speech was also becoming more mainstream. He originally had a heavy southern accent, but later on it was pushed to the background and he spoke without it.o Two main things to know: Elvis was from a working class family (like all of the other rock and roll stars we’ve discussed) RCA was a major label at this point in time and Elvis was the 1st rock and roll artist signed to a major labelo 1958: Elvis was drafted into the army and he turned this to a marketing advantage (moreon this later)Listening: “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley- Rhythm and blues song originally performed by Mama Thornton and written by two Jewish kids (Leiber and Stoller)- Elvis’s vocal style in this song is in the rhythm and blues style- The backup vocals by the Jordanaires gave it a more pop feel- Instrumentation: electric guitar (Scotty Moore), bass (Bill Black), drums and hand clapping (DJ Fontana), backup vocals (The Jordanaires), and a piano way in the background- Groove: rhythmic texture of the accompaniment (drums, bass, etc.)o Rhythmic texture created from repeating patterns- Snare drum with the strong backbeatso Drums don’t have a huge role- Bass lines are Boogie Woogie derived- Hand claps are in an interlocking pattern with the backbeat- Electric guitar pushes the rhythm forwardo Distorted, plays on lowest 3 strings, constant flow of 8th noteso 1st guitar solo: distorted sound, starts in the lower range with a snarling growl and builds higher and higher and then shifts to double stops to keep the same level of distortion Backup vocals give a pop sound and balance out the distorted guitar More bends as the solo progresseso 2nd guitar solo: starts higher and full of double stops and bends, guitar pick is held hard to give an aggressive, biting sound Listening: “Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley- Steering more in the mainstream pop direction- Drummer using a guitar case as a drum, there’s no cymbal or snare in this song- Boogie Woogie derived bass lines- Backup vocals- Lots of vocal embellishments and devices by Elviso Vibrato, cry-like breaks, etc. gives it a distinctive mark and shows the other side of Elvis’s personaListening: “Love Me” by Elvis Presley- To be covered in the next