Skip to content
Class Notes

Popular Music in the U.S.A, Updated Edition, 6th Edition Class Notes

  • Music
  • 77 pages
  • Shared February 2025
  • 72 downloads

Popular Music in the U.S.A, Updated Edition, 6th Edition Class Notes helps you review course material quickly and effectively.

Preview 24 of 77 pages

See the first 24 pages exactly as they appear in the document.

  1. Page 1
    Read page 1 as text

    i Instructors Manual and Test Bank for Rockin’ Out Sixth Edition Update by Reebee Garofalo and Steven Waksman

  2. Page 2
  3. Page 3
    Read page 3 as text

    iv Table of Contents Using the Instructor’s Manual v i Introduction Instructors Manual 1 Test Bank 74 Chapter 1 Instructors Manual 5 Test Bank 80 Chapter 2 Instructors Manual 9 Test Bank 86 Chapter 3 Instructors Manual 1 3 Test Bank 92 Chapter 4 Instructors Manual 1 8 Test Bank 98 Chapter 5 Instructors Manual 23 Test Bank 104 Chapter 6 Instructors Manual 28 Test Bank 110 Chapter 7 Instructors Manual 35 Test Bank 116 Chapter 8 Instructors Manual 43 Test Bank 1 22 Chapter 9 Instructors Manual 50 Test Bank 1 28 Chapter 1 0 Instructors Manual 55 Test Bank 1 34

  4. Page 4
    Read page 4 as text

    v Chapter 11 Instructors Manual 60 Test Bank 139 Chapter 1 2 Instructors Manual 68 Test Bank 1 45

  5. Page 5
    Read page 5 as text

    vi Using the Instructor’s Manual • Outline The outline provides the salient points of each section of the book. • Suggested activities Suggested Activities provide you with ideas that will help you to encourage your students to work independently or in groups. They are intended to help students creatively explore ideas and relate to them in a more personal way. They are designed to help students to interact with the music in as many ways as possible through research, listening, clapping, writing, singing, and dancing. • Discussion Questions Discussion Questions are suggested ways to open dialogues with your students. These are focused on the implications of the ideas in the text and how they relate to the students’ present - day experiences. Special attention is paid to how concepts in the book relate to each other. • Recommended Listening Recommended Listening lists are a mixture of well - known and obscure examples. Listening is the most important part of this course, so find ways to have your students listen in as many ways as possible. These ways would include listening for a particular instrument, a change in feel, a section of a song, the quality of singers’ voices, a signature studio sound, or the identity of a sample. The possibilities are endless.

  6. Page 6
    Read page 6 as text

    1 Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the U.S.A. Introduction : Definitions, Themes, and Issues Outline I: Introduction: Definitions, Themes, and Issues a. Popular music must be considered within its social and historical context. b. Quantitative measures of popularity are necessary in its analysis. c. Blackface minstrelsy exemplifies the fundamental role of race and racism in American popular music. d. The pivotal moment was the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, as the transition from Tin Pan Alley pop to rock ‘n’ roll. I.1: Popular Music and Mass Culture I.1: Distinguish between popular culture and mass culture in the cultural lexicon of the mid - twentieth century a. Tin Pan Alley is a descendent of European culture . b. Among three tiers of music — folk, popular and classical — it was an example of the newly created popular realm . c. It combined elements of high and low culture . I.1.1 : Technology Makes Mass Culture Possible a. Mass culture was commoditized co rporate industry rather than a step in the continuum of popular culture . b. Rock was both a popular music and a mass cultural form. c. It did away with the importance of discussions of high vs. low culture . I.2: The Birth of a New Era I.2: Assess the qualities of rock and roll that made it the most popular form of mass culture a. The emergence of rock ‘n’ roll as a genre co incided with the beginnings of youth culture as a phenomenon. b. The emergence of the Beatles completed th e creation of a dominant youth market . I.2.1 : New Technologies, New Sounds a. Rock ‘n’ roll coincided with cha nges in the manner in which the electric guitar was played and the kinds of sounds that it was used to create. b. Thr ough multiple track recording, sound recording became a creative avenue in its own right . c. Music became organized sound rather than a mere pattern of notes . I.2.2: Going Against the Musical Grain

  7. Page 7
    Read page 7 as text

    2 a. Rock ‘n’ roll did not adhere to th e traditional parameters of musicological analysis . b. Coming from an African tradition, its foundation was rhythmic . c. Its repertoire of pitch and rhythm effects belied its harmonic simplicity . I.2.3: Rock ‘n’ Roll Hybridity a. Since the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, there has been a continuing debate regarding the relative proportions of A frican American and European American influences in popular music. b. This debate is exemplified in the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry , and doo - wop groups among countless others. I.3: Marketing and the Politics of Race, Language, and Gender I.3: Evaluate the racial, language, and gender barriers that limited the development of musicians who were not white men a. The marketing categories of the music industry have often classified performers as much by race as by musical style. b. Only after WWII did the categories begin to loosen. I.3.1 : Crossing Over a. Historically the term connot ed movement from a marginal marketing category to the mainstream. b. The term “rhythm and blues” was coined a s a crossover replacement for the term “race music” I.3.2: Racial Categories and Musical Classification a. The identification of music with ra ce masks the amount of cross - cultural collaboration that has actually taken place. b. Rap has pushed African American styl es more to the center of the commercial mainstream than it has ever been. I.3.3: No Hablamos Español: The Language Barrier a. The language barrier is even more intractable than the race barrier. b. As a result, artists who might sing in other languages feel compelled to record in English when they approach the U.S. market. I.3.4: The Long, Hard Climb: Gender Discrimination a. Women performers have often been pressured by the industry to assume personas based on the stereotypes of angel and baby to earth mother and sex goddess to bitch and “ho . ” b. Technical processes such as record pro ducing, engineering, mixing, and mastering are still overwhelmingly male dominated. c. More recentl y, artists like Madonna and Lady Gaga have moved the barriers slightly.

  8. Page 8
    Read page 8 as text

    3 I.4: Regulating Popular Music I.4: Analyze how popular music has become the ideological battlefield on which struggles for power, values, and identities take place a. Popular music often serves as a lightning rod for the political controversies that invariably accompany change. b. Tin P an Alley was accused of depravity . c. Throughout the second half of the twen tieth century, popular music was connected quite explicitly with social change and politica l controversy. d. In the 1980s and 1990s, the c ustodians of culture became convinced that rap and heavy metal had gone too far. Suggested Activities 1. Have students bring in examples of current songs that might be considered examples of cultural appropriation. 2. Have students do an Internet search for artists who refuse to have their work on streaming sites such as Spotify. Report findings to the class. 3. Play the YouTube video of Jimi Hendrix playing T he Star Spangled Banner . Put students in groups of 3 and have them list the ways that Hendrix uses his guitar to produce “extra - musical” sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKAwPA14Ni4 4. Have students bring in examples of recordings by women playing instruments on rock ‘n’ roll or blues songs. 5. Play the studio version of the Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome - instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF - 8#q=good%20vibrations%20beach%20boys Have students predict the differences in what the live version would be like. Then play the live version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVKCRpOewco Are there any surprises, or was it what they suspected?

  9. Page 9
    Read page 9 as text

    4 Discussion questions 1. Play a YouTube video for the class of Al Jolson singing “Mammy . ” Then play Iggy Azalea singing “Fancy . ” What connects these two videos? 2. It what ways did rock ‘n’ roll both break down and support racial barriers? 3. In the 20 th century, mass culture was driven by the mass production of sheet music, records , and radio. What drives mass culture now? What do you think will drive it in the future? 4. Is there still a place for “popular” as opposed to “mass” culture? 5. What are some examples of current ways (such as auto - tune) in which technology influences music making? 6. Play a version of Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You” for the class. Is there anything you hear that signals the race of the singer? 7. How far is “too far” when it comes to music and videos portraying subjects like sex and violence ? Is there a line you believe cannot be crossed? 8. Why do you think it is that songs sung in English are popular in other countries, but non - English hit songs are rare in the U.S.? Suggested Listening 1. Tonight We Love by Ray Austin and Bobby Worth 2. Lover by Les Paul 3. Maybellene by Chuck Berry 4. Mona by Bo Diddley

  10. Page 10
    Read page 10 as text

    5 Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the U.S.A. Chapter 1: Constructing Tin Pan Alley Outline 1.1: Minstrelsy and the Making of Mainstream U.S. Culture 1.1: Describe minstrelsy, where white performers appropriated qualities of blackness for their own economic and cultural gain to the amusement of white onlookers a. The initial audiences for blackface minstrelsy tended to be white, working class, and male. b. Blackface dates back at least to the Middle Ages in Britain an d Europe in certain ritual dr amas such as morris dancing and mummer’s plays . c. Rituals of West African origin involving parading, reveling, and grotesque masking th at worked their way to the “New World” during the slave trade. d. Thomas Dartmouth Rice is credi ted with institutionalizing the practice of racial impersonation through his character “Jim Crow . ” 1.1.1: Minstrelsy Comes into its Own a. In the 1840s the genre began to take shape as a self - contained ensemble performance of its own. b. By 1890 nearly one hundred minstrel groups could be identified. c. African American performers also performed . 1.2: Sheet Music, Sound Recording, and the Sounds of Music 1.2: Explain how the music industry came to be driven by sales of sheet music and then by sales of recorded sound a. After the Civil War, minstrelsy wa s replaced by vaudeville . b. Sheet music was the main vehicl e for the mass dissemination of music . 1.2.1: Musical Reproduction Dominates Sound Recording a. Edison’ s phonograph was not intended for music . b. The cylindrical graphophone performed better . c. The companies ’ manufactu ring prerecorded cylinders grew independently of Tin Pan Alley. 1.2.2: Sound Recording Takes a New Turn a. With the establishment of the Victor Talking Machine Company, flat discs began thei r dominance of the recording industry until the radio era . 1.2.3: Cultural Hierarchies in the Golden Age of Acoustic Recording a. Early in the 20 th century the sales of discs vs. cylinders expressed the fragmentation of the public along class, geographical and racial lines.

  11. Page 11
    Read page 11 as text

    6 b. Tin Pan Alley and the recording industry effectively developed as separate industries la rgely due to Tin Pan Alley’s reliance on songwriting and publishing. 1.3: Tin Pan Alley Creates Musical Tradition 1.3: Identify the various music forms that Tin Pan Alley came to be associated with a. Tin Pan Alley centralized the U.S. popular music business during the ascendancy of vaudeville . b. Irving Berlin was the most prolific and popular composer of the era . 1.3.1: Tin Pan Alley Incorporates Ragtime a. C onnections between Tin Pan Alley and ragtime exemplified the inequitable pattern of cultural borrowing and economic reward in American popular music. b. For Tin Pan Alley, ragtime wa s a craze to be incorporated into popular song. 1.3.2: Blacks, Whites, and the Blues a. Unlike ragtime, the blues preserved the original patterns of African music. b. W. C. Handy was one of the first songwriters to bring the blues into the world of popular composition. c. Blues songs comprising the “blues craze” that swept the country in the second decade of the twentieth century were actually watered - down versions of the blues. 1.3.3: Jazz Enters the Mainstream a. Early appropriations of jazz created the imp ression among mainstream listeners that jaz z was the product of “polite society” white dance bands. b. George Gershwin’s identificatio n with jazz was the exception to the rule that Tin Pan Alley w as isolationist toward black music. 1.3.4: Dance Crazes, Latin Influences, Musical Theater, and Records a. The Copyright Act of 1909 bro ught Tin Pan Alley in closer association to the recording industry. b. The dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle brought the “Latin tinge” to America via the tango. c. James Reese Europe led the firs t black jazz orchestra to be awarded a recording contract. d. Black artists were routinely e xcluded from ASCAP, and were thereby denied copyright protection.

  12. Page 12
    Read page 12 as text

    7 1.4: Commercial Broadcasting and Private Enterprise 1.4: Explain the growth of commercial radio broadcasting a. Two years after the advent of commercial radio broadcasting in 1920, annual record revenues showed a decline. 1.4.1: The Growth of Network Radio a. RCA was set up as a ho lding company for the major radio patent holders in the United States. b. Radio developed as a pri vate entity with NBC and CBS locking up most available channels. 1.4.2: The Advertisers Versus the Programmers a. Early radio broadcaste rs clashed with advertisers over radio content. b. Great Depression put the a dvertisers in a position to determine the t one of radio more than the programmers. 1.5: Tin Pan Alley Goes Hollywood . . . and Latin 1.5: Summarize the major role played by Tin Pan Alley compositions in Hollywood and especially in Latin - themed films a. The success of 1929’s Broadway Melody , released in 1929, made it clear that Tin Pan Alley composit ions would play a major role in talking films. b. The rise of musicals led to the success of Bing Crosby and his “crooner” style. 1.5.1: The Latin Tinge Colors U.S. Popular Music and Film a. The Good Neighbor policy toward La tin America led to exposure to Latin styles (albeit confused) and Latin performers. b. The Tin Pan Alley writers who contributed to the “latune songbook” included luminar ies such as George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Suggested activities 1. Have students research early 20 th century sheet music and bring in examples of blackface and other racist images from the covers. 2. Play Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag for the class. Juxtapose it with a version of Berlin’s Stop Dat Rag . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AJtM5Rip9I Discuss the differences and similarities between the two pieces.

  13. Page 13
    Read page 13 as text

    8 3. Have students research a typical radio playlist from 1930 . Put them in groups of four to select 2 or 3 songs to share with the class. Have one of them act as the DJ to introduce the songs and perhaps provide some banter related to the era. Discussion Questions 1. How are cultural stereotypes expressed in the music of the modern era? Is there still some version of blackface going on today? 2. How was Tin Pan Alley able to thrive in the absence of a close relationship with the recording industry? 3. Discuss the distinction between music for “ polite society” and “low culture ” music as it existed in the early teens and 20s. Is there still room for such a distinction now? 4. How much control should advertisers have over the musical content they sponsor? Recommended Listening “ Alexander’s Ragtime Band ” Artist: Bessie Smith Music/Lyrics by Irving Berlin (published 1911) Label: Columbia (1927)

  14. Page 14
    Read page 14 as text

    9 Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the U.S.A. Chapter 2: The Segregation of Popular Music Outline Introduction a. Before recording, music companies did not differentiate their audience . b. Musics that enjoyed considerable overlap in cultural terms have been documented and discussed as if they had separate histories. 2.1: Blues, Jazz, and Country 2.1 : Describe multicultural influences in blues, jazz, and country a. The terms hillbilly and race separated musics more in terms of the color of the musician than the s t yle . b. The blues were fundamentally African A merican, originating in field hollers and African call - and - response . c. Jazz combined improvisatory blues styles with the notated tradit ion of syncopated rags. 2.1.1: The Multi - Ethnic Roots of Country a. The fiddle was a central binding age nt in country music, which was influenced by a wide variety of cultures. b. Despite its African derivation the ban jo became progressively less identified with black musical styles over time. c. The guitar was simultaneously used b y black and white musicians. As a blues instrument, its vocal qualities were developed . 2.1.2: Crossing the Racial Divide a. Folkloric musical characters also cut across racial lines. b. Segregated groups were often pl aced in the opposite racial marketing category because they “sounded” white or black. 2.2: Race Music and the Segregation of Sound 2.2: Summarize the careers of prominent musicians of the race - music genre 2.2.1: The Birth of the Blues a. Early blues can be divided into “country blues” and “classic blues.” b. The era of women blues singers began with the recording of “Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith in 1920. c. The surge of classic blues was fo llowed by more recordings of country blues artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson . d. Field recordings brought wider r ecognition for country blues artists like Robert Johnson.

  15. Page 15
    Read page 15 as text

    10 2.2.2: All That Jazz a. The New Orleans mixture of styles tha t became jazz started in New Orleans at the turn of the century with Buddy Bolden . b. In 1914 the New Orleans style of sync opated dance music spread across the nation. c. Fletcher Henderson was credited with inaugurating the “big band” era of jazz in New York in the mid 20s. d. Duke Ellington began his rise at the Cotton Club in the late 20s. e. Count Basie’s band remained commit ted to the dance orientation that paved the way for rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll. 2.3: Hillbilly Music and the White Working Class 2.3 : Describe the success of hillbi lly music and the musicians who popularized it a. Hillbilly music suffered and profited fro m a conflicting set of images held by Americans that ranged from stability and enchantment to decadence and cultural degeneracy. b. The Carter Family explored the traditional folkl oric component of country music. c. Jimmy Rodgers represented the archetypal “ramblin’ man . ” 2.3.1 : The First Country Star a. Rodgers performed across rac ial lines and with Hawaiian steel guitarists. b. He influenced a generation of country musicians. 2.4: Disseminating Blues, Jazz, and Country 2.4 : Explain the temporary decline in popularity of blues and jazz vis à vis country music in the early twentieth century . a. Broadcasters and film producers i n the late 20s and 30s favored country musicians over blues and jazz . b. Radio featured mainstream tastes, not grittier forms of music. c. Eventually, the Grand Ole Opry ov ershadowed all other country broadcasts. d. Western motifs and the “singing cowboy” image became prevalent. e. Country’s cultural mixing paved the way for Rock ‘n’ Roll. 2.5: The Long Road Back for Records 2.5 : Describe the role of the jukebox and o ther technological advances in bringing the record industry back to its earlier levels of prosperity a. After the Depression, bars and ni ghtclubs began using jukeboxes leading to a mass audience for records. b. In 1932, the Duo Jr., a record player tha t could run through a radio, was marketed. c. Columbia producer John Hammond brought a diverse array of talent into the recording studio, influencing the music world in significant ways.

  16. Page 16
    Read page 16 as text

    11 Recommended Activities 1. Play this video for the class of June Carter singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoUn1ffpKsA Play a bit of the banter. At 5:47 June sings a song. Ask them what kind of music this is. Have everyone write down one word on a piece of paper. It’s actually a typical blues form with a bridge. How many say country? Discuss the implications of this. 2. Put students in groups of three. They will write the words to a classic blues in the style of Bessie Smith. This means a 4 - bar phrase that is repeated, followed by another phrase in an aab rhyme scheme. Have each group write the a phrase. Then have each group pass their words to the next group. This group will write the b phrase. Pass it along. The third group will assign melody to the words. One or more student from each group will perform the song for the class. Discussion Questions 1. Is it possible to talk about popular music without using terms that were employed to segregate music to sell to different audiences? What kind of terminology would you use? 2. From Electro - Rock to Air Pop, there are many new musical terms out there today. Ask students to list musical designations that exist for genres of music today. How fine can they slice it? 3. Have students listen to Robert Johnson’s Me and the Devil Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MCHI23FTP8 Now listen to Blind Lemon Jefferson’s Black Snake Moan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3yd - c91ww8 Discuss the differences between the two in terms of form. 4. How have the two opposing images from early country music played themselves out over the years in different strains of music? Who can be identified as in the “ramblin’ man” camp and who might fi t with the “family values” camp? 5. Why is it that the first country star, Jimmie Rodgers, often played across cultures and yet there is so little of that now in country mu s ic? 6. Watch this video from a Shirley Temple movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtHvetGnOdM

  17. Page 17
    Read page 17 as text

    12 What kinds of thoughts and emotions arise watching this? 7. Have the class watch St. Louis Blues with Bessie Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6kbQmjD_Jk Is there a discern i ble difference between images of African Ame ricans in this movie as opposed to those in Hollywood movi es of that era (and later eras)? 8. Ask the class: What typical images come to your mind when you think of “country music”? What have you learned that does not fit your stereotypes? 9. There has been a market recently for a return to records. Why do you think that is? What is your preferred medium for listening to music? 10. John Hammond called for a “lessening of differences between country and popular music, between folk, rock, jazz, gospel, and other categories.” To what extent has his plea been an s wered? Recommended Listening “Crazy Blues” Artist: Mamie Smith (1883 – 1946) Music/Lyrics: Perry Bradford Label: OKeh (1920) “Blue Yodel #9 (Standin’ on the Corner)” Artist: Jimmie Rodgers Music/Lyrics: Jimmie Rodgers Label: RCA Victor (1931) “Crossroad Blues” Artist: Robert Johnson Music/Lyrics: Robert Johnson 1937 Vocalion Records “St. Louis Blues” Artist: Bessie Smith Music/Lyrics: W.C. Handy 1925 Columbia Records

  18. Page 18
    Read page 18 as text

    13 Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the U.S.A. Chapter 3 : “ Good Rockin’ Tonight” Outline Introduction a. The buildup to WWII caused a wide dispersal of local music, creating new exposure to blues and country. b. Soaring profits from economic recovery created power struggles that neither the law n or the industry were prepared for. 3.1: The Publishers and the Broadcasters: ASCAP Versus BMI 3.1 : Discuss the conflict between ASCAP and the BMI over music rights a. By 1939, ASCAP was dominant and demanding more. b. BMI was formed to counterbalance ASC AP’s financial and programming dominance. c. In 1941, a boycott of ASCAP proved that authentic regional music could compete with Tin Pan Alley, Hollywood , and Broadway. 3.2: Enter the Deejay 3.2 : Analyze how the conflict be tween the NAB and AFM affected musicians a. Records challenged the primacy of live pe rformance on radio and brought on a conflict between NAB and the AFM. 3.2.1: Recorded Music Begins to Push Out Live Music a. As deejays became more common, the practice of programming only live music on radio became harder to maintain. b. The Dee j ay became a VIP and record companies coddled them. 3.2.2: Musicians Push Back a. AFM president James C. Petrillo ordered a recording ban in 1942 to force the radio stations to revert to live music. 3.2.3: Resolution Paves the Way for Change a. The strike ended when the record companies agreed to pay a royalty on record sales. b. Records again dominated airplay. 3.3: From Big Bands to Solo Singer s 3.3 : Relate the rise of solo singers to the decline of big bands 3.3.1: Sinatra Sings His Way to the Top a. Frank Sinatra was the first pop vocalist to create hysteria among his fans. b. His success is an indicator of the rise of the so lo singer over the big bands.

  19. Page 19
    Read page 19 as text

    14 3.3.2: Big Bands Begin to Fall a. Conditions after WWII, such as a rise i n gas prices and a dwindling of dance culture, caused big bands to fold. b. This created a void in popular music. 3.4: The Major Labels Reclaim Country Music 3.4 : Describe how major record labels were able to dominate the country music business after World War II a. The end of the war did away with restriction on the number of records that could be produced, opening up a wider specialty market for music. 3.4.1: Country Music and Rhythm and Blues Enter the Mainstream a. After the war, labels replaced the term race with rhythm and blues and hillbilly with country or country and western. b. Country and Western musicians were again in the hands of mainstream labels . 3.4.2: Hank Williams, Country Hit Maker a. MGM records picked up Hank Wil liams, who went on to be the biggest star since Jimmie Rodgers. b. His Honky Tonk backbeat sound was an early influencer of rock ‘n’ roll. 3.5: The Independents Promote Rhythm and Blues 3.5 : Explain the rise in popularity of rhythm and blues in wo rking - class black communities a. Major labels rejected the raw sounds of R & B as inappropriate for the mainstream. b. Louis Jordan represents the transition from big bands to rhythm and blues. c. Jordan’s instrumentation was emulated by many later bands. 3.5.1: Rhythm and Blues Turns Up the Volume a. A schism existed between middle class jazz and working class R&B . b. After the war, working class blacks asserted their R&B tastes. 3.5.2: King Records Mixes It Up a. Cincinnati’s King Records had both R&B and c&w divisions . b. King’s Syd Nathan had the brilliant idea to have each division cover the other’s hits, creating a great deal of cross - pollination. 3.5.3: Chess Records Gives Chicago the Blues a. Chicago’s Chess records bought in many of the era’s great undiscovered blues players.

  20. Page 20
    Read page 20 as text

    15 b. Willie Dixon wrote hundreds of blues songs and discovered greats like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. c. Waters formed perhaps the first important electric band. 3.5.4: R&B with Integrity: Atlantic Records a. Atlantic Records was known for h onesty and integrity in its treatment of black artists. b. Atlantic featured Ruth Brown and Big Joe Turner. 3.6: Mass Technology and Popular Taste 3.6 : Examine the role of technological advances in developing tast es in music 3.6.1: High Fidelity/Low Overhead a. The development of magnetic recording tape, transi s tor radios , and high fidelity 45 and 33r pm discs all contributed to the rise of the independent record producers. 3.6.2: Television and the Suppression of FM Broadcasting a. The development of FM rad io was delayed in favor of television. b. The rise of television lured ad vertisers away from network radio, leaving room for independents. 3.7: Indepen dent Radio: Deejays in Your Face 3.7 : Summarize the role of deejays in further popularizing R&B music a. With the rise of i ndependents, local radio dee jays became dominant voices in radio. b. This led to the rise in R&B . 3.7.1: R&B Makes Radio Waves a. In the lat e 40s a new breed of black dee jays appeared whose primary role was entertainment. b. Because the airwaves were not segregated, white audiences for R&B grew. 3.7.2: Alan Freed Brings Rock ’n’ Roll Here to Stay a. Alan F reed was possibly the first dee jay to utter the words “rock and roll” on the radio. b. After his show The Moon Dog House Rock ‘n’ Roll Party mo ved to WINS in New York, it became the number one popular music station in the city. Suggested Activities 1. Have half the students research the top societal trends in 1939 in fashion, entertainment , and lifestyle. Have the other half do the same for 1949. Put them in groups to compare and make lists of differences and similarities.

  21. Page 21
    Read page 21 as text

    16 2. Have the students listen to the main pop radio station in the area for at least an hour. How much talk is there? How much time is spent on commercials? How much time is spent on music, and how familiar are the songs played? Have them also find a local FM station and apply the same analysis. 3. If you were a musician, which organization would you register your music with: ASCAP or BMI? Is there a real difference today? Have students research the organizations and report their findings. Discussion questions: 1. The question, “Who should benefit, and in what proportion, from the profits derived from the use and sale of intellectual property?” is as relevant today as it ever was. Discuss the question from the perspective of today’s technological musical environment. 2. How important is it when you hear a live performance of a favorite band on the radio? Is it significantly better than listening to a recorded track? 3. Can you imagine a recording ban happening today? Of course not. Why not? 4. Who is more dominant today: bands or vocalists? 5. Play Louis Jordan’s “Saturday Night Fish Fry” for the class. In what way did Louis Jordan fill the void left behind by the big bands? 6. What were the conditions that allowed Frank Sinatra to be the first singer to create hysteria among his listeners? 7. Listen to Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Describe the musical and emotional appeal of this song. 8. Listen to Frankie Laine’s “Mule Train . ” Why has this style been described as “halfway between country and pop”? Does it surprise you that his given name was Francesco Paolo LoVecchio? 9. Listen to Wayne Rainie’s “Why Don’t You Haul Off and Love Me?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUSvtWKgJLk Have the class predict how an R &B version would sound. Then play Bull Moose Jackson’s version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNZczYKipao Any surprises?

  22. Page 22
    Read page 22 as text

    17 10. Discuss the implications of Muddy Waters’ comment about the Rolling Stones: “They stole my music, but they gave me my name.” 11. Compare today’s portable devices with earbuds to the transistor radio. What is the effect of each on musical tastes? What are the major similarities and differences between the two? 12. What styles of music benefit the most from current advances in digital technology? 13. The early 1950s was an era of hometown deejays promoting local bands. Who are the current hometown stars in your area? Are they getting airplay on the radio? Why or why not? 14. At one point in his life, Louis Jordan said, “Rock ‘n’ Roll is just rhythm and blues played by white performers.” Do you agree or disagree? Suggested Listening “Hey Good Lookin’” Artist: Hank Williams Music/Lyrics by Hank Williams Label: MGM (1951) “I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry” “Hey Good Lookin’” Artist: Hank Williams Music/Lyrics by Hank Williams Label: MGM (1949) “Saturday Night Fish Fry” Artist: Louis Jordan Music/Lyrics by Louis Jordan/Ellis Walsh Label: Decca, 1949 “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” Artist: Ruth Brown Music/Lyrics by Herb Lance, John Wallace, and Charlie Singleton Label: Atlantic (1953)

  23. Page 23
    Read page 23 as text

    18 Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the U.S.A. Chapter 4 : The Eruption of Rock ‘n’ Roll Outline Introduction a. The term “rock ‘n’ initially referred to a sexual act . b. As a musical designation for purposes of this book, it began in the 1950s. 4.1: The Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll 4.1 : Examine the complex interplay of s ocial and cultural forces that gave rise to rock ‘n’ roll a. Rock ‘n’ roll resulted from a complex inte rplay of social and cultural forces that cannot be reduced to a simple formula. b. However, “Most of the first rock ‘n’ ro ll styles were variations on black forms…” such as the saxophone of Il linois Jaquet and the guitar of T - Bone Walker, among others. c. Women were treated as totally dependen t creatures or ideal, unreal apparitions. 4.2: Structural Changes in the Music Industry 4.2 : Describe the structural changes in the music industry with the entry of the independent radio stations, the 45 - rpm record, and rock ‘n’ roll a. Rock ‘n’ roll swept away the simple marketing categories that had held sway for years. b. Independent labels were able to com p et e with the majors because of the lightness of the 45rpm record and t he dissemination of more FCC licenses. c. With Top Forty radio, the deejay became a replace able element in a total sound formula. 4.3: Sounds of the Cities 4.3 : Describe the contribution of indigenous artists from different cities towards increasing the richness of the music industry 4.3.1: New Orleans: The Fertile Crescent of Rock ‘n’ Roll a. New Orleans was informed by diverse musical sources. b. Cosimo Matassa created the signature New Orleans studio sound. c. Never a sex symbol or a musical ico noclast, Fats Domino managed to transcend racism and ageism. d. Little Richard’s outrageous persona l appearance was the perfect complement to his uninhibited stage act. 4.3.2: Los Angeles: From Jump Blues to Chicano Rock

  24. Page 24
    Read page 24 as text

    19 a. The independent labels in Los Angeles in the late 1940s sought to satisfy the cultural needs of the poo r white, black, and Chicano migrants. b. Johnny Otis’ big band sound and form at was integral that of West Coast peers like Roy Milton, T - Bone Walker, and Joe Liggins. c. Otis, though white, was an important catalyst for African American culture and talent. 4.3.3: Chicago a. Chicago was a center for urbanized Delta blues musicians. b. Chess Records actively sought out Southern blues musicians like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. c. Chuck Berry had the uncanny ability to relate R& B to white teen culture without disowning his blackness. d. A strong drum backbeat, Berry’s repeating guitar riff, and the boogie - woogie piano sound are all typical of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll style . e. He was rock ’n’ roll’s first hero. f. Vee Jay Records main success was Delta bluesman Jimmy Reed. 4.3.4: Cincinnati: The Crossroads of Blues and Country a. Syd Nathan’s King Records enco uraged his artists — country and western and rhythm and blues — to record each other’s songs, contributing to the cultural cross - pollination that would yield rock ‘n’ roll. b. Its subsidiary, Federal, introduced g ospel - influenced vocal harmony groups, prefiguring doo wop music. 4.3.5: R&B Sanctified: The Gospel Connection a. In the early 1950s some gospel - trained singers began to move into the secular world. b. Atlantic produced the most influential gospel - tinged vocalist of all — Ray Charles, who saw no contradiction between gospel and R&B. c. Other gospel - influenced singers were Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. 4.4: Doo Wop Incorporates Gospel, Jazz, and Pop 4.4 : List some of the popular groups and labels of doo wop a. In addition to its gospel roots, doo wop could be traced back to the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots, wh o turned out nearly fifty hits between 1939 and 1951. b. Doo wop was the product of black male urban vocal harmony groups. 4.4.1: New York Was Doo Wop Central a. The New York label that had the most luck with vocal harmony groups was Atlantic. b. Two Atlantic vocal groups achieved greatness working with Leiber and Stoller — the Coasters and the Drifters.

53 more pages in the full document

Unlock it once and it stays in your library, ready to chat with or turn into flashcards.

Unlock the full document

More Music study materials

See all

Study this document with CramX

Once it is in your library, every tool can work from it.