The youth as a consumer of music begins to drive the market in the early 1960’s. This shift is driven by a continued development of the social gathering aspects of music, as in the 1920’s and the post WWII “Big Band” era. As Starr and Waterman note in American Popular Music, “a new kind of social dancing developed, inspired by “The Twist” and a spate of other dance oriented records that gave rock ’n’ roll for the first time a new and distinctive set of movements and social customs to accompany it.” ( p. 285) American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark, provided a growth avenue for popular music. Movies such as “Grease” in the 1970’s reflect the influence of popular music in high school, on the TV, and as a cultural bonding element.
Barry Gordy, Jr. and his Motown Records empire was wildly successful at creating music for a broad audience, and his influence on all aspects of the recording process established his label as a formidable economic and musical power. Drawing on influences from blues and gospel, the Motown sound had a pivotal role in the further development of rock and rhythm and blues for generations. Songs such as “My Girl” by the Temptations define a musical generation, offering a strong combination of the foundations of the subsequent rock sound - bass, guitar, and drums. The use of orchestral strings, brass, and harmonic background vocals create a sonic bridge back to the big band era, without the abrasiveness of the new rock ’n’ roll sound. “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes also is emblematic of the era, with universal lyrical content, and a sound that would be emulated by bands such as The Beach Boys in short order.
While the west coast or “surf" sound of The Beach Boys was popular in 1963, an impending invasion was developing, thanks in part to international commercial air travel and the television medium. A four man band from Liverpool, England was just the first in a line of ensembles that crossed the Atlantic to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show, known as The Beatles. The early sound of the Beatles, as on thePlease Please Me album, featuring “Twist and Shout,” draws on the dance vibe from the early 1960s, in a very catchy, hook driven song. The Beatles were quite ingenious in their pattern of rejuvenating song forms from the past with very upbeat guitar and drum patterns, with timeless lyrical content that spoke across generations. Starr and Waterman compare “A Hard Day’s Night” with a Fats Domino tune, “My Blue Heaven,” which share the same form, and with a modified tempo, a relatively similar feel. Tunes such as “Yesterday” and “Eleanor Rigby” are quintessential songs that are master crafted works of audio art, constructed with artistic purpose that is without equal.
“The Birth of Rock” is an interesting video chronicling how Jimi Hendrix redefined the Mississippi Delta Blues sound into the beginnings of rock. Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and B.B. King were certainly the blues icons that Hendrix emulated as he honed his craft touring on the “chitlins circuit”. The rhythm and blues music had a strong hold in English society, and bands began to emulate the sounds and structures of the tunes, almost note for note. Even the name of the band the Rolling Stones was taken directly from a Muddy Waters tune. As they began to write their own material, the iconic early British rock sound was derived from the form of the blues tunes, with different treatments of the rhythm and chords. Guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck used the blues influences, with a much more distorted and raw sound, to drive development of the signature British sound.
These reinvented sound introduced musical influences to the American public that was ironically, derived from distinctly American influences. Hendrix, highly influenced by the music of Bob Dylan, assimilated the rhythm and blues elements, with a highly distorted guitar treatment, with a refined lyrical sensibility into an iconic sound that is still emulated by many artists. Artists who followed, including The Who, fed on the new sound, pushing rock into a more performance based art form. A listen to “Like a Rolling Stone,” recorded by Bob Dylan, reveals a more reflective lyrical content than the country music of two decades prior, although the narrative is more influenced by a very rapidly changing level of cultural unrest in the United States.
The continued development of the rhythm and blues genre is draws on elements of the social dance songs of the early 1960’s, a growing amount of cultural discord, and the need by artists to express themselves to a larger audience with similar viewpoints on the “development” in the United States. Sam Cooke’s tune, “A Change is Gonna Come,” uses imagery that could have been written in songs 100 years earlier, and is set to a hauntingly gorgeous string arrangement - reflective of the struggle for equality that was sadly lacking for all. “Respect” by Aretha Franklin is an exceptional work, composed by Otis Redding, and emblematic of the demand for respect for women by their men. James Brown and his song, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” reminds us of all the dance moves from the early 1960’s. Music from all of these artists would be a prominent feature of the 1980 film, The Blues Brothers, which pays a musical homage to these great rhythm, blues, and soul greats.
References
Starr, L., & Waterman, C. (2014). American popular music: From minstrelsy to MP3 (Fourth ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
[mADAMeve]. Seven Ages Of Rock - 1 : The Birth of Rock. [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ylq99_seven-ages-of-rock-1-the-birth-of-rock_music.
Barry Gordy, Jr. and his Motown Records empire was wildly successful at creating music for a broad audience, and his influence on all aspects of the recording process established his label as a formidable economic and musical power. Drawing on influences from blues and gospel, the Motown sound had a pivotal role in the further development of rock and rhythm and blues for generations. Songs such as “My Girl” by the Temptations define a musical generation, offering a strong combination of the foundations of the subsequent rock sound - bass, guitar, and drums. The use of orchestral strings, brass, and harmonic background vocals create a sonic bridge back to the big band era, without the abrasiveness of the new rock ’n’ roll sound. “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes also is emblematic of the era, with universal lyrical content, and a sound that would be emulated by bands such as The Beach Boys in short order.
While the west coast or “surf" sound of The Beach Boys was popular in 1963, an impending invasion was developing, thanks in part to international commercial air travel and the television medium. A four man band from Liverpool, England was just the first in a line of ensembles that crossed the Atlantic to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show, known as The Beatles. The early sound of the Beatles, as on thePlease Please Me album, featuring “Twist and Shout,” draws on the dance vibe from the early 1960s, in a very catchy, hook driven song. The Beatles were quite ingenious in their pattern of rejuvenating song forms from the past with very upbeat guitar and drum patterns, with timeless lyrical content that spoke across generations. Starr and Waterman compare “A Hard Day’s Night” with a Fats Domino tune, “My Blue Heaven,” which share the same form, and with a modified tempo, a relatively similar feel. Tunes such as “Yesterday” and “Eleanor Rigby” are quintessential songs that are master crafted works of audio art, constructed with artistic purpose that is without equal.
“The Birth of Rock” is an interesting video chronicling how Jimi Hendrix redefined the Mississippi Delta Blues sound into the beginnings of rock. Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and B.B. King were certainly the blues icons that Hendrix emulated as he honed his craft touring on the “chitlins circuit”. The rhythm and blues music had a strong hold in English society, and bands began to emulate the sounds and structures of the tunes, almost note for note. Even the name of the band the Rolling Stones was taken directly from a Muddy Waters tune. As they began to write their own material, the iconic early British rock sound was derived from the form of the blues tunes, with different treatments of the rhythm and chords. Guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck used the blues influences, with a much more distorted and raw sound, to drive development of the signature British sound.
These reinvented sound introduced musical influences to the American public that was ironically, derived from distinctly American influences. Hendrix, highly influenced by the music of Bob Dylan, assimilated the rhythm and blues elements, with a highly distorted guitar treatment, with a refined lyrical sensibility into an iconic sound that is still emulated by many artists. Artists who followed, including The Who, fed on the new sound, pushing rock into a more performance based art form. A listen to “Like a Rolling Stone,” recorded by Bob Dylan, reveals a more reflective lyrical content than the country music of two decades prior, although the narrative is more influenced by a very rapidly changing level of cultural unrest in the United States.
The continued development of the rhythm and blues genre is draws on elements of the social dance songs of the early 1960’s, a growing amount of cultural discord, and the need by artists to express themselves to a larger audience with similar viewpoints on the “development” in the United States. Sam Cooke’s tune, “A Change is Gonna Come,” uses imagery that could have been written in songs 100 years earlier, and is set to a hauntingly gorgeous string arrangement - reflective of the struggle for equality that was sadly lacking for all. “Respect” by Aretha Franklin is an exceptional work, composed by Otis Redding, and emblematic of the demand for respect for women by their men. James Brown and his song, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” reminds us of all the dance moves from the early 1960’s. Music from all of these artists would be a prominent feature of the 1980 film, The Blues Brothers, which pays a musical homage to these great rhythm, blues, and soul greats.
References
Starr, L., & Waterman, C. (2014). American popular music: From minstrelsy to MP3 (Fourth ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
[mADAMeve]. Seven Ages Of Rock - 1 : The Birth of Rock. [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ylq99_seven-ages-of-rock-1-the-birth-of-rock_music.
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