The advent and early development of rock and roll

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • The advent and early development of rock and roll

    Is this a fair bullet-point breakdown?:
    • When rock first came on the scene in the US, it was pretty wild and untamed: Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Elvis Presley and so on.
    • Sometime in the late 50s/early 60s it became more bubble-gummish and tamer (Jan and Dean for example -- this isn't necessarily a value judgment: there was some great pop-rock from that phase).
    • In the early 60s, British groups rediscovered the wildness and brought it back to America and the rest is history.


    Does that sound reasonable?

  • #2
    Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

    I would start with gospel and blues leading to rhythm and blues on black radio stations, white people copying/co-opting that music before black people were allowed on segregated radio stations and dance shows such as American Bandstand. (There's a lot to read about this, and the movie Hairspray is about this.)

    I personally think of the Sixties as Motown, which gradually lost airtime to the British invasion (still more white people influenced by Motown and the rhythm and blues that came before it.) But that's my rhythm and blues-loving perspective. There are always different types of music at the same time, the bubble gum with the metal and the r&b.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

      rock and roll (a euphemism in itself for ****ing), was already tamed by the time it broke in the United States. the whole point of Elvis and the other white artists was that's the only way that an originally black art form could ever be sold en masse to the public. even Chuck Berry, Little Richard, or any of the other black artists at the time were deemed safe and non-threatening by the white record companies, compared to the real blues and R&B artists whose songs were stolen and prettyfied for mass consumption.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

        Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
        rock and roll (a euphemism in itself for ****ing), was already tamed by the time it broke in the United States. the whole point of Elvis and the other white artists was that's the only way that an originally black art form could ever be sold en masse to the public. even Chuck Berry, Little Richard, or any of the other black artists at the time were deemed safe and non-threatening by the white record companies, compared to the real blues and R&B artists whose songs were stolen and prettyfied for mass consumption.
        I realise the racial element to it -- but if you look at footage of Jerry Lee Lewis in full flight he was pretty charged with sexual energy (and also a Country influence, incidentally). It might have been safer than what had been going on in down-south juke joints for decades, but compared to what had previously been on offer to middle-class white youth it must have seemed like the gates of hell had been opened.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

          but "race music" (as rhythm & blues was called before it crossed over into white culture) had been around for 30+ years before Jerry Lee and Elvis made it acceptable for white listeners on a mass scale to consume essentially the same songs. that was still threatening to certain segments of white society, i.e., the South/Bible Belters, but they were able to go where no black artists had been able (allowed, really) to go before them

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

            To see that you are right, go to google or directly to youtube and look up "preacher condemning rock 'n roll"

            Originally posted by 60WordsPerHour View Post
            compared to what had previously been on offer to middle-class white youth it must have seemed like the gates of hell had been opened.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

              Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
              but "race music" (as rhythm & blues was called before it crossed over into white culture) had been around for 30+ years before Jerry Lee and Elvis made it acceptable for white listeners on a mass scale to consume essentially the same songs. that was still threatening to certain segments of white society, i.e., the South/Bible Belters, but they were able to go where no black artists had been able (allowed, really) to go before them
              One little event that captured the race music/rock n' roll phenomenon and its attendant issues was The Moondog Coronation Ball. (Little Steven's Underground Garage program had a great little segment about it.) It was one of the first race music rock n' roll shows to feature black and white performers.

              Alan Freed co-promoted the show.

              The blues, R&B and jazz caught on in Europe more than in the U.S. where others have pointed out blues/jazz was co-opted and turned into Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, still some great music. However, more than a few black artists were ripped off in the process, though, as Joe points out.

              Don't forget about jazz, while it had already been white-ified by the swing jazz movement into danceable fare, there were successful black artists and bandleaders like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington who were also popular to white audiences, and the radio. The era created danceable, swing music.

              The alchemy of the electric blues, swing jazz and then country led to mainstream rock n' roll. The white artists Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Bill Haley and of course Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips and Sun Studio jumped on that sound. The black rock n' roll artists like Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Little Richard and James Brown had hits in the 50's and by the early 60's there were more black artists in the mainstream of pop/rock. Sam Cooke.

              Atlantic Records rose to prominence with mostly black artists, e.g. Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Note that James Brown's hits in the late 50's were ballads. Little Richard was the more controversial, at the time but his flamboyance sold records.

              Berry Gordy came on the scene and put the formula to soul music.

              Truthfully, the blues that evolved into real rock n' roll e.g., Cream and Led Zeppelin, was left in old, dusty record bins and as noted British bands ate that stuff up. The Rolling Stones, Cream i.e., Clapton, and Led Zeppelin were all disciples of the blues.
              #writinginaStarbucks #re-thinkingmyexistence #notanotherweaklogline #thinkingwhatwouldWilldo

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

                Originally posted by Ire View Post
                The Rolling Stones, Cream i.e., Clapton, and Led Zeppelin were all disciples of the blues.
                Yup. If I had a time machine -- one of my stops would be this event in 1981:

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32YQYJuxyn0

                Muddy Waters and Jagger. Jagger looks all at once kind of ridiculous, kind of great and kind of awestruck.

                And when Muddy rises from his chair -- it's goosebumps stuff.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: The advent and early development of rock and roll

                  Originally posted by 60WordsPerHour View Post
                  Yup. If I had a time machine -- one of my stops would be this event in 1981:

                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32YQYJuxyn0

                  Muddy Waters and Jagger. Jagger looks all at once kind of ridiculous, kind of great and kind of awestruck.

                  And when Muddy rises from his chair -- it's goosebumps stuff.
                  Yeah, he was their guy. The rolling stone.
                  #writinginaStarbucks #re-thinkingmyexistence #notanotherweaklogline #thinkingwhatwouldWilldo

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X