Beginnings of Rock ‘n’ Roll- Alan Freed: “Moondog’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Party” (1951)- Important youth culture films:o The Wild One (1954) starring Marlon Brandoo Rebel Without a Cause (1955) starring James Dean; influenced style of dress, speech, movement, and attitudeo The Blackboard Jungle (1955); first film to use rock ‘n’ roll in its soundtrack Rock Around the Clock- Five styles of rock ‘n’ roll (1954-1956); Gillett, The Sound of the Cityo Northern Band Rock ‘n’ Rollo New Orleans Dance Blueso Memphis Country Rock; Rockabillyo Chicago Rhythm and Blueso Vocal Group Rock ‘n’ RollNorthern Band Rock ‘n’ RollBill Haley and the Comets- Began as a Western Swing Band (“Country Jive”)o Four Aces of Western Swing (1948)o Haley and the Saddlemen (1950)o Haley and His Comets (1953)- Cover songs include:o Rocket 88 (1951)o Rock the Joint (1952)o Crazy, Man, Crazy (1953)o Shake, Rattle, and Roll (1954)Style Characteristics:- Steady, mechanical meter- Fast tempos- Quick and even surface rhythms- Staccato guitar chords on the backbeat- Slapped, walking baseline- Boogie woogie ostinato (often, not always)- Combines Western Swing string band (lead and background vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, pedal steel guitar, and electric lead guitar) with the Rhythm and Blues band (bass, drums, piano, and tenor sax)New Orleans Dance Rock ‘n’ RollStyle Characteristics:- Overall bass foundation- Boogie woogie barrelhouse rhythm- The basic beat is often subdivided into three quick pulses (triplet feel)- Rhythms and meters are looser than the stiff, mechanical meters of Bill Haley and the Memphis country rock style- Surface rhythms vary from a lively, bouncy beat to a slow, intense shuffle beat- Lead vocalists feature prominently- Rarely any backup singing- Rhythm and Blues bando Lead vocalo Pianoo Acoustic basso Drumso Guitaro Tenor sax- Standard song form:A A B A (B A)8 8 8 8 8 8 [measures; 32 total]o B= bridge; contrast, brief change in keyo (B A)= chorus and a halfPeople to Know:- Cosmo Matassa: owner and recording engineer of J&M Studios- Dave Bartholomew: artist and repertoire (A&R), trumpet player, arranger, manager, band leader- Antoine “Fats” Domino; Blueberry Hillo Warm Creole accento 2-handed boogie woogie styleo Clear song structure- “Little” Richard Pennimano “Fire and Brimstone” singing styleo Gospel oriented, influencedo Frenetic, energetic performing styleo Tenor sax solo about two-thirds into songMemphis Country Rock“Rock-a-billy”- Rhythm and Blue elementso Emphasis on backbeato 12-bar blues format- Country and Western elementso Instrumentation (string bands)o Strict rhythmso Nasal singing styleo Pronunciation (Accent)o Overall treble-dominated sound (twangy)- Instrumentationo Lead vocal Stuttering, yelps, cracked falsetto Sometimes slur words together Nasal singingo Lead electric guitar Bright, tinny character Corresponds with nasal vocal Primarily country-style finger picking, secondarily on delta blues style (slides)o Acoustic rhythm guitaro Acoustic bass (slap bass, two-beat bass)o Drums, piano (after 1956)o Generally no backup singersOther Characteristics:- Generally fast tempo- Propelled by slap bass- Looser sense of rhythm than Haley, but stricter than New Orleans- Recorded with natural studio echo- Developed principally at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN (Sam Philips)Important Performers:- Elvis Presley- Carl Perkinso Finger pickingo Dampens stringso Single, double bendso Syncopated rhythmso Anticipate chords- Jerry Lee Lewiso Boogie woogie emphasiso Glissandos (slides up and down the keyboard)- Eddie Cochrano Double-trackingo Overdubbing- Roy Orbison- Gene Vincent- Ricky NelsonElvis PresleyInfluence by several musical styles:- Rural delta blues- Urban blues- Country and western (southern country)- Gospel (Black and white gospel)- Popular (pop) singerso Sinatrao Comoo Martin (his hero)Vocal style combines influences:- Countryo Clear pronunciationo Southern accento Sense of melodic phrasingo Hiccup, stutter (from yodeling)- Rural Blueso Vocal delivery (growl blue notes)o Sensual stage presence- White Gospelo Clear, 4-part harmonies (backing)- Black Gospelo Exuberant performing style (shouting, etc.)- Pop Singerso Crooning (slow ballads in low range)o Vide vibratoElvis’ band (pre-1960s):- Col. Tom Parker- manager- Scotty Moore- lead guitar (electric)- Bill Black- bass- DJ Fontana- drums (by end of 1955)- The Jordanaires- backing vocals*Post-1960 band was majority studio players and the Jordanaires*Songs:- That’s All Right (1954)- Heartbreak Hotel (1956)o First number one single on pop singles billboard charts- Love Me Tender (1956)o Movie: The Reno Brotherso Leads to a string of Elvis movies that are all the same- Can’t Help Falling in Love (1961?)- [Watch] 1968 Comeback SpecialChicago Rock ‘n’ Roll- Developed in Chess Studios, Chicago; Phil and Leonard ChessStyle Characteristics:- Time:o Generally fast tempoo Hard-driving beato Even beat subdivisions- Sound:o Guitar-based bandso Soloists are guitaristso Instrumentation like R&B band: lead vocal, electric guitar, bass, drums, pianoo May use horns for background riffingo Generally no backup singers- Harmony:o 12-bar blues progression- Form:o strophic- Texts:o Often narrative- Guitar style derived from Chicago Blues:o Slide guitaro Finger sliding on stringso Multiple stopped (and bent) stringso Hard, percussive picking styleChuck Berry (b. 1962)Style Characteristics:- Strong use of syncopated rhythms- Use of repeated rhythmic, melodic figures (riffs)- Guitar accompaniment from boogie woogie accompaniment- Use of double and multiple stops- Use of bent notes and bent double stops- Finger slides, single and double notes- Cliché introductory figure- Lyricso “classic two and a half minute novellas”o Songs about and for teenagerso Simple lyrics; easy to understand and remembero Full of vivid imageryo No overt risqué-ness; relatively G-ratedBackground:- From St. Louis, Missouri- Grew up listening to gospel, blues, R&B, country, big band, etc.- Went to Chicago and was taken in by Muddy WatersInfluences:- Vocalo Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner (R&B)o Muddy Waters (blues)o Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra (Pop)o Hank Williams (country)- Guitaro Charlie Christian, Carl Hogan (jazz)o Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker (blues)o Melodic Sense: Illinois Jacquet (jazz saxophone)Songs:-Maybelline- first single-Johnny B. Good- classic sound of Berry