Whole Lotta Shakin Jerry Lee Lewis b. Sept. 29, 1935 Only had 3 top 10 hits in the first phase of his career, considered just as talented as Elvis –Could have been as successful if his music wasn’t so relentlessly wild & his persona so hard-edged Parents were poor and he grew up listening to swing and Al Jolson records –Earliest big influence was country star Jimmie Rodgers First played piano at 8; first performed at 15 Religion played a major role in his early life; often said Rn’R was the Devil’s Music

Debut single “Crazy Arms” 1957 – Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On (#3 pop, #1 C&W/R&B) Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going OnWhole Lotta Shakin’ Going On –After appearing on Steve Allen Show, managed to sell 6 million copies Followed w/ Great Balls of Fire (#2 pop, #3 C&W, #1 R&B) Great Balls of Fire Great Balls of Fire –Sold 5 million copies High school nickname was “Killer” Married Myra Gale Brown (his 13 yr old cousin) in 1957 Career went dry for nearly a decade In the late 60s re-emerged as a country act, which most of his work has been since 1986 – inducted into the RRHoF -Battled serious health & legal issues through most of the 90s & 2000s - played by Dennis Quaid in Great Balls of Fire (1989) - released Mean Old Man in 2009

The Everly Brothers The pride of Muhlenberg Co. Ky –Don - b. 2/1/37 –Phil – b. 1/19/39 Considered the most important duo in rock –emphasis on harmony influenced the likes of The Beatles & folk acts like Simon and Garfunkel Sons of country stars Ike & Margaret Everly –Grew up in the music business 1957 – signed w/ Cadence Records –Bye, Bye Love (#2) had been rejected by 30 previous acts Bye, Bye Love Bye, Bye Love -Heyday lasted through Cumulative record sales $35 million -Averaged a Top 10 hit every 4 months -Broke up in 1973, started making music again in mid- 80s

Buddy Holly Started in Lubbock, Tx Purely country when he started making music, failed recording w/ Decca Returned to Lubbock in 1956 Charles Hardin Holley –b. 9/7/36 d. 2/3/59 Back up band was The Crickets until 1958 –Waylon Jennings was a member for a short time Wrote his own material Pioneered what became the standard for rock instrumentation –2 guitars (lead, rhythm) bass & drums Huge influence on major rock figures such as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney

: Holly and drummer Jerry Allison played w/ well- known stars as they passed through Lubbock –Once opened for a young Elvis Presley (influenced Holly’s change to pure rock n’ roll) Signed w/ Coral/Brunswick label –First hit was That’ll Be The Day (#1) That’ll Be The Day That’ll Be The Day –Due to a contractual agreement, some singles were released by the Crickets, some w/ Holly’s name only –Next hits under this arrangement was Peggy Sue (#3) & 1958’s Oh Boy! (#10) Peggy Sue Oh Boy! Peggy Sue Oh Boy! 1958 – Holly left the Crickets & his money was tied up due to legal issues between the two parties –Prompted him to do a tour of the Midwest in winter of ‘58-’59 –Backed up by Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch and Waylon Jennings on tour –Holly produced Jennings first album Jole Blon

“The Day the Music Died” February 3, 1959 While in Clear Lake, Iowa – tired of riding the bus and wanting to get some rest, Holly, The Big Bopper & Richie Valens chartered a plane The plane took off for Moorhead, Minnesota & crashed only minutes later, killing everyone on board Holly left behind enough old demos and unreleased recordings for several posthumous releases 1978 – The Buddy Holly Story was released staring Gary Busey as Holly 1986 – inducted into the RRHoF British rock band The Hollies were named after Buddy Holly Don McLean’s American Pie inspired by Holly’s death Weezer released a song called Buddy Holly & Nirvana’s video for In Bloom pays tribute to Holly

The Times, They Were Already A-Changing American Bandstand hosted by Dick Clark, starting in 1956 Was the first outlet for rock n’ roll music on television –Clark helped mainstream rock n’ roll & give it a more wholesome image Clark also became rich along the way buying into record labels, publishing companies and managing acts Teens watched it to learn the newest dances

Technological Advances In the early 50s, American families become more mobile –It becomes more common for families to have 2 vehicles –More common for teenagers to go out, thus radio becomes more influential as a form of entertainment The 78 rpm (10 in.) disc is replaced by the “45” as the primary method of distributing singles –45s are smaller and play at a slower speed, allowing for more music on a smaller space, cuts production costs RCA begins offering stereophonic LPs –“Stereo” is where the sound is delivered in 2 discrete (separate) channels –Mononeutral (mono) the same sound comes out of both speakers Due to the success of stereo LPs, home electronics begin using components that utilize stereo sound Headphones (think earbuds…) are produced in the late 50s for privacy for listeners (and peace for parents)

Rock Experiences Growing Pains 1957 –Little Richard quits rock n’ roll –Elvis gets drafted into the Army 1958 –Jerry Lee Lewis’s fame bottoms out after the story breaks about his marriage to his cousin 1959 –Chuck Berry goes to prison for 5 yrs –Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, & Richie Valens die in plane crash By 1960, rock n’ roll had been dealt a succession of blows, losing it’s biggest stars; music will change as it’s early stars become the influences of the next generation