The First Wave of Rock and Roll

MUS 1240Fall 2014

Early Rock Stars: Country-influenced

ELVIS PRESLEY(1935-1977)

Elvis (1935-1977)• Born in Tupelo, MS; moved to Memphis, TN as a young boy

– Memphis had a thriving black music scene, and Elvis was well versed in that as well as Southern country music

• The most important figure in early Rock & Roll• “Bad Guy” – Negative influence on youth• Sun Recording Service – opened in 1950 by Sam Phillips (becomes Sun

Records) – initially focused on recording black blues artists– Elvis records a 1953 demo for his Mother, Phillips then starts using him on some

songs for the label.• “That’s All Right” – First big hit for Sun; 1954

– Dewey Phillips, DJ (no relation to Sam Phillips) plays the song on his show Red, Hot, and Blue

– Crossover appeal: Country and R&B• Elvis becomes a local celebrity, begins touring as “The Hillbilly Cat”

– Stints on Grand Ole Opry (did not go well), Louisiana Hayride

Elvis (1935-1977)• Colonel Tom Parker – takes over management of Elvis, gets Elvis signed to

RCA records, Sam Phillips sells for $35,000– First “Rock and Roller” to sign to a major label– Presley’s first RCA single (1956) was “Heartbreak Hotel”, hits No. 1 on Pop,

Country, and No. 5 on R&B• TV appearances in 1956; famous appearance on Ed Sullivan

– First TV appearances came just before his breakout with “Heartbreak Hotel”. He had made $1250 for those appearances. By the end of 1956, he made $50000 for the Ed Sullivan performances (3).

– “Elvis the Pelvis”– By 1957, he was the biggest star in the world, with a new movie out (Love Me

Tender)• Elvis’ deal with RCA changed the landscape for Rock and roll artists in

terms of potential success. Big labels would now sign rock and roll artists.

Elvis’ Style

• “Song Stylist”, much like Frank Sinatra or Pat Boone• Experiments in the studio• Many different types of songs

• Total Creative Control• “Rockabilly” – mixture of Rock and Hillbilly• Warm reverb and “slap-back” echo• General absence of drums, or very light drums

– His voice is a hybrid, just like his repertoire: some influence of crooners like Dean Martin, but other mannerisms from R&B.

Elvis (1935-1977)• Elvis drafted into the Army, March 1958. This move, and Elvis’ absence from the

spotlight for a few years, allowed the door to be opened to other artists to shine.– Other “Rockabilly” stars: Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison

• Elvis’ career after 1960 was carefully orchestrated to keep him relevant. Much $$$ had been invested in his career. He moved away from the Rock and Roll sound, and became a true “song stylist”.

• His contributions to the music industry before 1960 are considered the most important of his career.

• Presley’s extraordinary popularity established rock ’n’ roll as an unprecedented mass-market phenomenon.

• His reputation as a performer and recording artist endured up to his death in 1977 at the age of forty-two.

• Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee, is now a public museum visited by upwards of 600,000 people annually.

• Elvis Presley’s principal importance as a musical influence and innovator rests on his achievements during the early years of rock ’n’ roll.

• Is Elvis really dead?

Listening: “Don’t Be Cruel”• Based on the twelve-bar blues • Presley’s vocal is heavy with blues-derived and country

inflections.– Striking regional accent– “Hiccupping” effect – Strong backbeat from R&B – Opening electric guitar figure from western swing bands

• Imposed on all these diverse and intense stylistic elements is a wash of electronic reverb

• An attempt by the engineers at RCA’s Nashville studios to emulate the distinctive “slap-back” echo sound of Presley’s previous recordings on Sun Records

“Hound Dog”

• Presley’s version of a song that had been a major R&B hit in 1953 for Big Mama Thornton On the other side of “Don’t Be Cruel”

• Big Mama Thornton’s version is full of sexual innuendo.

• Such sexual implications are gone in Presley’s rendition.

Interesting Elvis Conspiracy Theories

• Gravesite• Death Certificate• Wax Body Theory• Plane Tickets• Numerology

Other “Rockabilly” stars:

• Mostly recorded at Sun Records post-Elvis’ departure in 1955.• Carl Perkins

– “Blue Suede Shoes” – rose up all three charts– Idolized by the Beatles’ George Harrison

• “Carl Harrison”

• Jerry Lee Lewis– 1957 “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”– Wildman style (Little Richard had done this two years prior)– A few more hits in 57’-58’ such as “Great Balls of Fire”– Scandal regarding his new wife derails his career

• Johnny Cash– “Folsom Prison Blues” 1956 (country hit), “I Walk the Line” 1956 (crossover hit)– Both Cash and Perkins signed contracts with Columbia in 1957

• Gene Vincent/Eddie Cochran – Signed to other labels (Capitol, Liberty)– Vincent – had a resemblance to Elvis Presley– Cochran – made a big impression on Paul McCartney at a young age

Women in Rock and Roll – “Rockabilly Ladies”

• Wanda Jackson– Knew Elvis well; he convinced her to sing rockabilly– “Let’s Have a Party” - Top 40 in 1960

• Janis Martin– “Female Elvis” – 1956 “Drugstore Rock and Roll”, “My

Boy Elvis”• Brenda Lee– Began recording at the age of 12 – “Bigelow 6-200”– “I’m Sorry” - 1960– “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley) (1936–59)

• Clean-cut, lanky, bespectacled• Born in Lubbock, Texas• Began career with country music• As rockabilly moves into the mainstream, a new group of artists

emerge that focus on the pop styles instead of the country side of this genre, like Ricky Nelson or the Everly Brothers.

• Holly is signed by Decca in 1956 to compete with Elvis, recording sessions don’t turn out well, Holly is dropped from the label; turns to small indie label in New Mexico run by Norman Petty.

• These recordings are picked up by Decca subsidiaries and released.• Holly’s first record in his new style, “That’ll Be the Day,” (#1 pop

charts, 1957) established his characteristic and highly influential sound.– Combined elements of country, R&B, and mainstream pop

• 7 Top 40 hits for Holly between 1957-59

Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley) (1936–59)

• Holly wrote much of his own material; only one or two of his hits did not came from his own writing– In this way, much like Chuck Berry

• Holly’s vocal style exhibits elements of both fine country singing and fine blues singing, full of country twang and hiccups.

• Expressive blue notes• Mixture of toughness and vulnerability • The Crickets’ instrumental lineup

– Two electric guitars (lead and rhythm), bass, and drums provided strong support for Holly’s voice.

– During instrumental breaks, Holly’s lead guitar playing reflected the influence of Chuck Berry.– However, his accompaniment style when not playing lead reflects the influence of a country

player (strumming open chords)

• Buddy Holly’s biggest influence is as a songwriter: he uses many different types of forms in his writing (12BB, Verse/Chorus, AABA, etc.), his music doesn’t fit one particular type of mold.– Holly and Chuck Berry were examples of 1950s singer-songwriters, a model that

would become the basis of much of rock music after 1964.

Listening: “That’ll Be the Day”

• Form – Structured like a typical pop song, alternating

verses and choruses of eight bars each– At the instrumental break, the Crickets play part of

a twelve-bar blues pattern• On some later records, like “Oh, Boy!” and

“Peggy Sue,” Holly used a twelve-bar blues structure for the song itself

Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley) (1936–59)

• The Beatles modeled their insect-based name, their four-piece instrumental lineup, and aspects of their vocal style on the Crickets.

• Killed in a plane crash in 1959 along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson)

“The Day the Music Died”Problems within the Early Rock and Roll movement

• Plane Crash kills Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper – Feb 3, 1959– “The Day the Music Died” – Don McLean

• Elvis goes into the Army in 1958• Little Richard quits music (at the height of his success) to

preach in 1957.• Chuck Berry is arrested for transporting a minor across state

lines for immoral purposes – Mann Act – 1959 (convicted for 2nd time in 1961, he serves 2 yrs. in prison of a 3 yr. sentence)

• Jerry Lee Lewis scandal - 1958– his 3rd wife was actually his cousin, and his 2nd marriage was not

final at the time

"American Pie"

[Intro]A long, long time agoI can still remember how that music used to make me smileAnd I knew if I had my chanceThat I could make those people danceAnd maybe they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiverWith every paper I'd deliverBad news on the doorstepI couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I criedWhen I read about his widowed brideBut something touched me deep insideThe day the music died

[Chorus]So bye-bye, Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dryAnd them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and ryeSingin' "This'll be the day that I dieThis'll be the day that I die"

PAYOLA scandals (late 1959)• The practice of payola had gone back to the 19th century

– Tin Pan Alley era – pay to get a song in someone’s act– Big Band era – bandleaders would get paid to play certain songs

• Each era had “Gatekeepers” – these people had the power to expose many people to a certain record – DJs, record store owners, etc.

• ASCAP and Big companies attacked the indie labels and BMI• Rock and Roll had VERY little resepct within the music industry in the

1950s.– Execs had made their careers in the 30s and 40s with big bands and song

stylists; saw rock and roll as primitive music. Many listeners over the age of 30 also shared same belief, and did not understand how it became so popular so fast.

– Does this sound familiar?

PAYOLA cont.• Congress had just completed a major investigation of TV Quiz Shows and cheating.• Large record companies were able to convince legislators in Washington that the indie labels were “cheating”.

They were really just upset they were losing their market share.• The testimony focused on radio stations that played rock and roll; no mention of the long standing history of this

practice THROUGHOUT the music industry– Instead, the congressional committee focused on negative stereotypes

• “R&B musicians and listeners were dishonest” – brings a cultural element into the argument, making race a factor.

• It was not illegal to take such gifts, but by law they had to be declared on the air, and declared on that person’s taxes. Most of the scrutinized DJ’s had not done this, therefore action (mostly for show) was taken. People were fired, etc.

• Dick Clark and Alan Freed – Biggest names involved in this scandal.• Dick Clark – comes out unscathed• Alan Freed -

– Very resistant to the charges against him– Accused of accepting bribes from record companies; fired by WABC in 1959

• Ex: Is listed as one of the composers of Chuck Berry’s Maybelline; had nothing to do with it.– In 1962, found guilty of commercial bribery – In 1964, unemployed and suffering from alcoholism, charged with income tax evasion – Died before his case came to trial

• What happens from this point is the music business takes over rock and roll in the early 1960s, trying to fix what this “Wild West” attitude of the indie labels had created in the Payola scandals. Plus, they now had a very large interest in seizing the attention (and $$$) of this new young market!