1. Emergence of Rock & Roll 1950’s Style

2. Some things you kinda need to know… What’s up with the charts? Is it really a gold record? Crossover, Cover, or Sample? Radio: before satellite and mp3s…

3. The Charts Billboard Magazine has been around since 1884. They publish charts tracking the top selling albums and singles for each week. The Billboard 200 tracks the top albums regardless of category. The Hot 100 refers to the top 100 singles.Hot 100

4. Gold, Platinum, Diamond… The Recording Industry Association of America gives awards based on album or single sales: Currently, the RIAA certification criteria for albums are: 500,000 units: Gold album. 1,000,000 units: Platinum album 2,000,000 or more units: Multi-Platinum album 10,000,000 units: Diamond album These criteria have changed over time, the award represents the criteria used when awarded. It is estimated Thriller has sold 51-65 million copies since its release

5. Who sang (or stole) that again? Crossover- Songs or artists known for one genre but do well on the pop charts Cover- A song by one artist and remade by another artist. Sampling- Taking a portion of a song (a sample) and using it as an instrument or sound in another song.

6. Crossovers Gospel- Amy Grant, “Baby Baby” Country- Johnny Cash, “Ring of Fire” Soundtrack- Star Wars, “Main Title”

7. Covers “Careless Whisper” –George Michael => SeetherGeorge Michael Seether “Smooth Criminal” –Michael Jackson => Alien Ant FarmMichael Jackson Alien Ant Farm “Smells Like Teen Spirit” –Nirvana => Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the MachineNirvanaRichard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine “I Will Always Love You” –Dolly Parton => Whitney HoustonDolly Parton Whitney Houston

8. Sampling Has nothing to do with the music of the 1950’s Top Gear sampling Sampling tends to create most legal problems for artists Under Pressure –By Queen & David Bowie, “sampled” by Vanilla Ice in “Ice Ice Baby”Queen & David BowieIce Ice Baby Miserlou –By Dick Dale and his Del-Tones, sampled by Black Eyed Peas in “Pump It”Dick Dale and his Del-TonesPump It

9. Radio Television did reduce the popularity of radio, but its portability and accessibility still proved profitable. Stations began to specialize in specific styles, and Top 40 radio was also born.

10. Music of the 1950’s Three distinct genres existed: Rhythm & Blues; Country & Western; and Pop They coexisted, but were separated, almost like having walls between them Between 1954 and 1956, bricks were removed from the “walls.” Soon the walls collapsed and Rock and Roll began emerging

11. Heavyweights of 1950’s Rock Bill Haley and Elvis Presley

12. Bill Haley (1925-1981) Bill Haley was a C&W singer who made the transition to rock While his “Rock Around the Clock” is considered a major rock song of the day, Haley did not become as popular as Elvis because he was not as young and good looking.Rock Around the Clock

13. Elvis (1935-1977) Over one billion records sold worldwide 150 certified gold, platinum or multi- platinum No less than 149 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop Chart 114 songs would reach the top 40; 40 songs would be in the top 10; 18 songs would reach #1

14. Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock was based on R&B. The vocal style and instrumentation were similar. Rhythm played a major role Artists that had rock hits (though may not be considered “rockers”): –Little Richard; Chuck Berry; Buddy Holly; Jerry Lee Lewis; Ray Charles

15. Little Richard (1932-Present) Little Richard was considered the best example of hard, mainstream rock He was loud, raucous, egotistical, and very much the showman He even claimed to be the king of rock and roll

16. Chuck Berry (1926-Present) He was one of the most influential guitarists of rock. He was an R&B artist whose songs crossed over to the pop charts. His songs were easily understood by his fans.

17. Buddy Holly (1936-1959) He was from Texas and was mostly influenced by C&W. He was very serious about his music and was one of the first performers to work in production He was also one of the first stars to die young; he was killed in a plane crash that also took the lives of the Big Bopper and Ritchie Vallens

18. Fats Domino (1928-present) Played piano and was more “refined” than Little Richard Was considered an R&B artist He had no less than 12 hits in the top ten on the R&B charts; “Ain’t That a Shame” would be #1 on the R&B charts and reach #10 on the pop charts

19. Jerry Lee Lewis (1925-Present) He played piano and had an R&B background, but his performing style was loud and wild His personal life was very controversial and would end his popularity as a rock and roll star

20. Ritchie Valens (1941-1959) Was born Richard Steven Valenzuela. Was a singer/ songwriter and played the guitar. Was rock music’s first Latino star Was killed in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly

21. Between January 1955 and December 1960, 109 songs reached number 1 15 of these songs would be recorded by “major artists;” Elvis had 14 and Bill Haley had 1 Combined, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis only placed 25 songs in the top 10 during the same period. So who else had chart topping hits?

22. The “Others” Artists in other genres would fill out the rest of the pop charts: –Gospel and R&B derived Rock –Soft Rock –Instrumental Music –Novelty Music

23. Gospel and R&B Derived Rock Many artists would be influenced by the R&B and gospel music they heard growing up. Some of these artists would become crossover artists, like Lloyd Price and Sam Cooke

24. Ray Charles (1930-2004) Considered a pioneer in soul music with his fusion of R&B, gospel, and blues. Helped integrate pop and country music during the 1950’s and 1960’s He would have top ten hits on the Pop, R&B, and country charts

25. Soft Rock These were the teen idols of the 1950’s. Many became major stars after appearing on American Bandstand While these songs were aimed at young audiences, soft rock is more “pop” than rock.

26. Instrumental Hits While most people tend to enjoy songs with vocals, some instrumental songs did have some success. Duane Eddy, a guitarist, was one of the more popular instrumental artists.

27. Novelty Songs Novelty songs are usually humorous songs with a catchy musical or lyrical hook. Usually the success of novelties is short lived.

28. Effect of rock on the industry The major record labels would not be as dominant; smaller labels would have their fair share of the hits Music publishers lost money. Many rock songs can be played by ear, so there was no need for printed music A typical rock band has 3-5 members. Many musicians, producers, singers, arrangers, conductors, and orchestrators found themselves out of work.

29. Payola: The Dark Side of the Industry Payola is a secret or private payment in return for the promotion of a record If people didn’t hear a record, it didn’t sell. Promotional representatives would offer “advantages” to stations or DJ’s to play their music. Even today, DJ’s usually don’t have the freedom to pick their playlists; these are given to them by station managers.

30. Not everything was peaches and cream… By the end of the 1950’s, rock had started experiencing some rough times: –The shock has worn off –Little Richard has found religion –Jerry Lee Lewis is involved in scandal –Chuck Berry is in jail –Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens were killed in a plane crash (along with the Big Bopper) –People are just generally tired of hearing the same thing over, and over, and over

31. And all this brings us to the early 1960’s…

32. 1960’s Folk Rock: The Beginning Folk rock was composed to sound like folk music. The lyrics were serious and usually political in nature While 50’s rock was aimed at teenagers, folk rock was mostly aimed at (and produced by) 18- 24 year olds.

33. A little bit different than rock Folk artists produced albums and rarely had hit singles. Folk artists wanted their music to be “pure.” No electronics, no artificial assistance, just real people playing real instruments. Note: amplifying an acoustic guitar does not make it an electric guitar.

34. Surfing Music Was like folk music because it had its own culture, with its own dress, language, and behavior. Unlike folk music, surfing music featured electric instruments and musical gadgetry.

35. Surfing Music = Beach Boys Many would imitate, but the Beach Boys were the trendsetters of surfing music. The Beach Boys originated in California, logged over 30 top 40 hits and would eventually explore all sorts of textures in their music.

36. The Dance Craze Rock has always been associated with dancing. There were two types: Slow (the kind that would get you in trouble), and fast (almost acrobatic in nature)acrobatic However, in the early 1960’s, individual dances became popular. Many times the lyrics were the instructions for the dance, but sometimes teens created their own dances.

37. Dances we wish we’d never done The Twist Mashed Potato Electric Slide Hustle Roger Rabbit Cabbage Patch Running Man Macarena Cha Cha Slide

38. The Evolution of Dance Hound Dog; The Twist; Stayin' Alive; Y.M.C.A.; Kung Fu Fighting; Keep On; Greased Lightnin‘; You Shook Me All Night Long; Billie Jean; Thriller; Oompa Loompa; Mr. Roboto; Break Dance (Electric Boogie); Walk Like An Egyptian; The Chicken Dance; Mony Mony; Ice Ice Baby; U Can't Touch This; Love Shack; Apache; Jump Around; Baby Got Back; Tubthumping; What Is Love; Cotton Eye Joe; Macarena; Bye Bye Bye; Lose Yourself; Hey Ya!; Dirt Off Your Shoulder