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Issue #10 In this issue we continue with "A History of Rock and Roll", a summary of a Rock and Roll unit compiled by Mentor editor/publisher Fred Maybee and used as lessons in music history classes - grades 6 through 10. The content was supplemented by recordings and photos and also presented as a video in class. See Mentor's Issue 3 for Rock and Roll links to help you with audio and visual enhancements for these lessons. Always be mindful of copyright issues any time you use other people's material. Yes, we give you permission to copy and use any portion of "A History of Music". Send any comments to Fred by email fred@baylite.ca |
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| ZOOM is a sister publication of Mentor and the publisher would like to invite your students to write an article. ZOOM is primarily for subscribers in the Truro area but stories from all across Nova Scotia are appropriate. We are looking for articles about local volunteers (perhaps your playground at school, a youth group organizer, a parent, band coordinator, or cub leader), and young stars (award winning vocalist, a young athlete, an entertainer in your school, or an all-round exceptional student). For more details please go to http://www.baylite.ca/zoom/zsubmit.html. To subscribe to zoom go to http://www.baylite.ca/zoom/zsubadd.html |
Alan Freed is probably the most famous disc jockey in rock and roll history and is the man who is credited with the term "rock and roll". He was among the first in radio to program rhythm and blues for a white teenage audience. In 1951, he began using the term "rock and roll" to make rhythm and blues more acceptable to a white audience. He had legal problems when he was accused of accepting gifts from record companies in exchange for playing their records on the air more often. Dick Clark was a TV personality and the host of the national show called "American Bandstand". It was first aired nationally on August 5, 1957 on ABC-TV. The show grew and soon, with a large number of viewers, if a new song was played on the show virtually guaranteed that thousands of the record would be sold in the next week. Agents attempted to get their acts on the show. Soon the power of the show became a concern within the music business. This show, and Clark himself, can claim a large responsibility for bringing rock and roll to a teenaged public in the 1950's. In the Forties, the major record companies decided to abandon the black artists, race records and their black audience largely due to racial bias. The Mills Brothers, The Ink Spots, and Nat "King" Cole were exceptions as they had consistently shown as ability to appeal to whites. This left room for several smaller independent record companies. Smaller record companies often were local and therefore the owners knew the performers they represented. Because of high costs many of these companies did not survive. Also, the Society that calculated royalties on songs chose not to license race or hillbilly songs because they thought they were just a fad. In this case, as well, a smaller agency called BMI was formed and they licensed rhythm and blues, country, and eventually rock and roll. A crossover is when the same record appears on more than one music chart. For example, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins was listed on the Country, and Pop, and R&B Charts at the same time. The first records to crossover were by black vocal groups and signaled the beginning of rock and roll. Their songs became more melodic with younger lyrics and universal themes that appealed to the younger audiences. The major record companies had always considered rock and roll a fad. The success of crossovers was forcing them to finally face reality. The industry's response would be one of "covering". A cover tune was a second version of a song, performed by an act other than the original recording artist. Covering a song in the recording industry was nothing new. What was different was the purpose of the covers. To help here's a bit of information about the recording industry's history. After the depression, the major companies decided to abandon the "race" record market which they deemed no longer profitable. The void was quickly filled by a number of small independent companies made up of men who knew and loved black music. At about the same time BMI was formed as an alternative to the major's licensing arm called ASCAP. ASCAP chose not to license country, and rhythm and blues songs. BMI began licensing these songs that ASCAP chose to ignore. When country and rhythm and blues became popular rock and roll, ASCAP found itself out in the cold. By the mid fifties, the independents were dominating the rhythm and blues and pop charts. The majors counter attacked by covering their records. The cover record was meant to appeal to the largest market possible. To do this they kept the same melody, tempo, chords and cleaning up the lyrics if necessary. The record could then appeal to teenagers and adults. 1954 became the year of the cover. Major companies would choose a suitable song such as "Earth Angel", of "Sh-Boom" and then hire a white group to record a cover. With their greater resources, the majors could be competing in a week or two. In most cases, the covers sound quality was superior which gave them an advantage in the market place. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Eddie Cochran were among prominent new singers that appeared in 1957. They had a clean-cut look and they sang a new type of rock. Their songs had innocent lyrics, melodic "hooks" and hummable tunes while keeping the beat, excitement and vitality. Cochran and Holly were both creative and adaptable "rockabillies" who could have given the pop world of the early sixties the depth and energy that it needed, but that was not to be as they died young. Cochran in an automobile accident and Holly in a plane crash, with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Southern California Surf music was about surfing, parties, the beach, the sun, girls, and hot rods. The surf music had two strains; vocal and instrumental. Jan and Dean started vocal surf music off in 1959 with classics such as "Surf City" and "Deadman's Curve", featuring their trademark high harmony vocals and bouncy guitar. The Beach boys came along soon after, and scored a series of huge hits. Instrumental surf music featured for example, The Ventures' "Walk, Don't
Run" in 1960. Because The Ventures produced so many instrumental hits,
they have ensured that instrumental surf music is forever a part of rock
music history.
Web Site prepared by Baylite Studios, December, 2000 |
