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Clifford F. Adams
Adjunct Professor of Vernacular Music
College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati
For
THINK Rock
FIRST EDITION
Kevin Dettmar
ISBN: 02-0-57729-86
2
Table of Contents
1. The Prehistory of Rock & Roll 3
2. The “Birth” of Rock & Roll (1951-1955) 7
3. The Establishment Strikes Back (1954-1966) 11
4. American Bandstand, Teen Idols, and Race Lines (1957-1961) 15
5. Changin’ Times (1962-1966) 19
6. The British Invasion (1964-1966) 23
7. The Summer of Love and Psychedelic Rock (1967-1979) 28
8. Sirens, Soul Singers, and Sellouts (1967-1975) 33
9. Disco, Punk, & New Wave: Strange Bedfellows (1973-1979) 37
10. New Wave & Synth Pop (1977-1987) 42
11. Alternative Rock (1982-1987) 46
12. American Punk: The Second Wave (1987-1994) 51
13. Hip-Hop and Rap (1973- ) 55
14. Smooth Sounds, Slick Packaging: The Persistence of Pop (1994- ) 61
15. Hyphenated-Rock & Explorations of the Postmodern Self (1994- ) 65
16. Remix Culture 70
3
Chapter 1: The Prehistory of Rock & Roll
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Tin Pan Alley songs
a. were meant to be sung by professionals.
b. had complex melodies.
c. confined melodies within a range that anyone could sing.
d. were not written down.
2. Lyrics to Tin Pan Alley songs were
a. often suggestive.
b. vague enough to be open to interpretation.
c. simple enough for a child to understand.
d. controversial.
3. Microphone technology led to a new singing style called
a. declamatory.
b. country.
c. crooning.
4. The Pace and OKeh record labels
a. released Tin Pan Alley songs.
b. released only hillbilly songs.
c. provided opportunity for blacks to record.
d. released only race records.
5. New Orleans Hot Jazz was intended for
a. a sedate audience.
b. a black audience.
c. a dance audience.
6. The jazz played by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra was
a. very hot.
b. controversial among polite society.
c. watered down to suit white audiences.
d. Latin-tinged.
4
7. “Swing” refers to the bands
a. of the 1890s.
b. of New Orleans in 1910.
c. of the late 1920s and 1930s.
8. Which of the following is NOT a recognized blues style?
a. Country blues
b. Classic blues
c. Northern blues
d. Chicago blues
9. Country artist Roy Acuff provides an example of an early crossover success
with his
a. “Smoky Mountain Breakdown.”
b. “Here Comes Santa Claus.”
c. “Great Speckled Bird.”
d. “Crazy Blues.”
10. Rhythm and blues
a. recalled the energy of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.
b. recalled the energy of New Orleans jazz.
c. relied on singers in the crooning style.
d. recalled Tin Pan Alley methods and styles.
11. Doo wop music
a. was intended for an ethnic audience.
b. did not crossover into the pop music mainstream.
c. substituted vocal sounds for instruments.
d. is a country style.
True/False Questions
12. Early multi-track recording methods were developed by Les Paul.
a. True
13. A 1944 appearance by Frank Sinatra led to a riot.
a. True
14. The impact of the Great Depression ended the big band era.
a. True
b. False
15. After the Great Depression, popular singers could find no work.
a. True
b. False
16. OKeh Records released race records for an underserved market.
a. True
b. False
17. Folk music in the 1930s is associated with The Great Depression and mass
migration of citizens.
a. True
b. False
18. One of the styles that entered the mainstream was the singing cowboy style.
a. True
b. False
19. The Paul Whiteman approach to the business failed to cross over into the pop
music mainstream.
a. True
b. False
Short Answer Questions
20. Compare the European sheet music business to the Tin Pan Alley version of
21. Name the early classic blues song that became the most popular song in the
22. The group most often associated with jump band music is ____. (Answer:
Short Essay Questions
24. Why is it difficult to establish a date for the birth of rock and roll?
25. How did crossover hits pave the way for rock and roll?
26. Describe the musical characteristics of the Western Swing style.
27. What is a string band?
28. Compare a jump band ensemble to a big band.
29. Describe the musical characteristics of a bluegrass band.
30. How did Hank Williams advance country music genre?
7
Chapter 2: The “Birth” of Rock & Roll (1951-1955)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In what city was the blues from the South transformed into a beat driven,
amplified version of the Delta blues?
a. New York
b. Chicago
c. Philadelphia
d. Memphis
2. Chess Records was one of the first important independent labels. Which of
the following artists was NOT a Chess Records star?
a. Muddy Waters
b. Chuck Berry
c. Elvis Presley
d. Howlin’ Wolf
3. A technological development that advanced the new 1950s rock and roll
music was the
a. 78-rpm record.
b. 45-rpm record.
c. 33 1/3-rpm album.
4. On “I Got A Woman” Ray Charles focused on
a. boogie-woogie piano technique.
b. crooning vocal style.
c. getting important messages across to the listener.
d. portraying his emotions and showing his feelings through movement and
playing.
5. In 1951 “Rocket 88” hit the top of the charts. It is considered a pioneer for its
use of
a. echo reverb.
b. multi-track tape recording.
c. distortion guitar.
d. electric bass guitar.
8
6. “Rocket 88” is considered the first of many
a. songs on the teen aged rebel theme.
b. car-inspired and hot rod themed songs.
c. flying saucer songs.
d. songs to mythologize the piano as a rock and roll instrument.
7. Wynonie Harris popularized a singing style that is typically referred to as
a. shouting.
b. crooning.
c. blues.
d. hog-callin’.
8. Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” helped pioneer a rock and roll music style with
songs that
a. included veiled references to his bisexuality.
b. were careful to not offend mainstream listeners.
c. built up to an explosive finale.
d. reflected his religious beliefs.
9. His live performances set the standard for rock and roll.
a. Little Richard
b. Ray Charles
c. Elvis Presley
d. Chuck Berry
10. He is credited with bringing the concept of rock and roll to a mainstream teen
aged audience.
a. Colonel Tom Parker
b. Alan Freed
c. Elvis Presley
d. Sam Phillips
11. Memphis deejay who played Elvis Presley’s records first.
a. Sam Phillips
b. Dewey Phillips
c. Tom Parker
9
12. The first person to see that rock and roll stars could become commodities
was
a. Leonard Chess.
b. Sam Phillips.
c. Colonel Tom Parker.
13. He developed films that were attached to rock and roll themes and music,
predating the music video.
a. Colonel Tom Parker
b. Alan Freed
c. Sam Phillips
d. Ike Turner
14. Chuck Berry broke the color barrier in a new way:
a. by integrating country music into R&B.
b. by passing as a white man.
c. by hiring an all-white back-up band.
d. by affecting a hillbilly accent on his records.
15. This star brought the piano to rockabilly.
a. Elvis Presley
b. Jackie Brenston
c. Ike Turner
d. Jerry Lee Lewis
16. One of the first songs about the automobile as a cultural icon.
a. “Tutti Frutti”
b. “Johnny B. Goode”
c. “Rocket 88”
d. “Good Rockin’ Tonight”
Short Answer Questions
17. ________________ is considered to be the first black musician to
10
18. He was the prototypical bisexual glam rocker: ________________________.
19. This performer put secular lyrics to gospel songs:
20. In his early recordings, Elvis Presley tried to capture the feel of the vocal style
of the Mississippi blues singer known as _____________________________;
21. Presley’s Sun Records years broke the ________________ barrier in
22. Some called him the white Little Richard: __________________________.
23. He seemed a likely replacement at Sun Records for Elvis Presley:
Short Essay Questions
24. Describe how the role of the singer changed with the advent of the rock and
25. Describe what Sam Phillips heard in Elvis Presley that created such
excitement.
26. What two factors drew a wide range of musicians to Sam Phillips to record?
27. Describe how gospel roots are evident in the music of Little Richard, Jerry
Lee Lewis, and Ray Charles. Compare.
28. How did Chuck Berry write and record his songs expressly for white
mainstream audience appeal?
29. Describe Chuck Berry’s use of “statement and answer” technique in his
songs.
30. Describe the difference between marketing a music performer and marketing
a performer as an icon.
11
Chapter 3 : The Establishment Strikes Back (1954-1960)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The division of a record company that handles acquisition of new talent
a. production
b. distribution
c. A&R
2. The 1950s establishment felt that rock and roll music was popular due to
a. its artistic merit.
b. the beat.
c. payola.
d. marketing campaigns.
3. Television _______ rock and roll.
a. banned
b. ignored
c. embraced
d. destroyed
4. In the social climate created by the McCarthy hearings, many suspected
that rock and roll
a. was the work of the devil.
b. was part of an insidious Communist mind control plot.
c. offered legitimate artistic ideas.
d. was harmless fun for teenaged Americans.
5. Radio
a. defied pressure to ban rock and roll.
b. banned only rock and roll records with suggestive themes.
c. was quick to play more acceptable, melodic music.
d. gave deejays full discretion in selecting records for broadcast.
6. The Ed Sullivan TV show censored a live Elvis Presley performance
a. with camera angles.
b. with audio beeps.
c. by rewriting lyrics to his songs.
d. by allowing only acceptable songs to be performed.
12
7. Buddy Holly was one of the first rock and roll performers to
a. become a commodity.
b. gyrate suggestively during a performance.
c. record cover versions of songs by other writers.
d. write his own songs.
8. Jerry Lee Lewis provided conservative social watchdogs with the means
to get him out of pop music when he
a. was sent to jail on a payola conviction.
b. shot a member of his own band.
c. married the 13 year-old daughter of his cousin.
d. appeared drunk on a national TV program.
9. Chuck Berry provided conservative social watchdogs with the means to
remove him from the pop spotlight with
a. songs containing vulgar lyrics
b. vulgar choreography during live performances
c. a violation of the Mann Act
d. a payola conviction
10. The rock and roll artist who was not deemed offensive, who wrote his own
catchy songs, and became extremely popular, only to have his career
abruptly ended by his tragic death.
a. Elvis Presley
b. Jerry Lee Lewis
c. Chuck Berry
d. Buddy Holly
True/False Questions
11. More than a mere threat to decency, rock and roll was thought by many to
be an illness or a psychological disturbance.
a. True
b. False
12. Rock and roll began as an underground movement.
a. True
b. False
13
13. In the 1950s, there was never an organized effort in government or the
music business to eliminate rock and roll music.
a. True
b. False
14. Some music industry witnesses in the payola hearings were motivated by
self-interest.
a. True
b. False
15. The head of A&R at Columbia Records wanted to eliminate rock and roll
music.
a. True
b. False
16. There was rioting at theater showings of the feature film Blackboard
Jungle.
a. True
b. False
17. Blackboard Jungle was deemed scathing social commentary.
a. True
b. False
18. “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Hayley and His Comets was deemed a
teenage national anthem.
a. True
b. False
19. The Congressional committee investigating payola made it very clear that
rock and roll would no longer be tolerated.
a. True
20. One major label A&R man wanted to simply ignore rock and roll and
continue with their usual MOR offerings.
a. True
b. False
14
Short Answer Questions
21. The first 12-track rock and roll album to reach number one on the charts
22. A cleaner version of MOR rock music was shown on the popular TV
23. Alan Freed supported the original hits by rock and r&b musicians, both
white and black, instead of the sanitized _______________________.
Short Essay Questions
24. Alan Freed and Dick Clark were both questioned at the payola hearings.
Which man was convicted and why?
25. How are the rise of rock and roll music and the desegregation issue in the
U.S. connected?
26. Why did schools condemn the film Blackboard Jungle?
27. Describe how and why “Rock Around the Clock” was added to the film
28. In what way did the payola hearings work to the advantage of the music
business establishment?
29. Describe the basis for the ASCAP vs. BMI legal battle.
30. What televised stunt did Elvis Presley use to redeem himself after his
outrageous impromptu performance on an earlier program? (He
15
Chapter 4: American Bandstand, Teen Idols, and Race Lines (1957-1961)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. After Elvis Presley, he was the biggest selling artist of the 1950s.
a. Bill Haley
b. Frank Sinatra
c. Pat Boone
d. Little Richard
2. “Schlock rock” emphasized
a. musical elements of the roots of rock and roll.
b. high production standards.
c. the artists’ visual appearance over musical abilities.
d. high-impact dance beats .
3. Paul Anka wrote songs on themes of
a. sexual desire.
b. teen angst.
c. infatuation.
d. dance.
4. Neil Sedaka
a. was a self-taught musician.
b. never learned to play the piano.
c. was a classical music student..
d. was the first guitar hero.
5. Surf music reflected themes of
a. affluence and consumption.
b. teen angst.
c. rebellion.
d. hard times .
6. Early surf music is associated with
a. vocal groups.
b. instrumental groups.
c. Brill Building songwriters.
16
7. Motown founder Berry Gordy insisted on records that
a. maintained R&B authenticity.
b. had mainstream crossover potential.
c. addressed the social issues of the day.
d. retained a gospel feel.
8. One of the earliest examples of a modern boy band:
a. The Temptations
b. Martha and the Vandellas
c. The Four Tops
9. The Motown business slogan:
a. The Sound of Soul
b. The Sound of Detroit
c. The Sound of Young America
d. The Soul of the Sixties
True/False Questions
10. Cover versions were originally efforts by record companies to serve both
black and white markets.
a. True
11. One of the earliest “hijackers” of R&B music was Elvis Presley.
a. True
12. Deejay Alan Freed always played the cover versions of the hits on his radio
program.
a. True
b. False
13. When viewers learned that performers on American Bandstand were lip-
syncing, they were outraged.
a. True
17
14. Despite being barely able to sing, Fabian went on to enjoy eight Top Forty
hits.
a. True
b. False
15. Ricky Nelson’s music career was promoted on a TV sitcom.
a. True
b. False
16. The Everly Brothers were family friendly and never found themselves
embroiled in a decency scandal.
a. True
b. False
17. Using his electric guitar, Dick Dale tried to musically reproduce the feeling he
had while surfing.
a. True
b. False
18. The members of doo-wop groups in the 1950s made fortunes from their hit
records.
a. True
b. False
19. While the Supremes were on tour with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, their
record reached number one.
a. True
20. Motown acts successfully tapped into both black and white audiences despite
the social restrictions of segregation.
a. True
b. False
Short Answer Questions
21. The collective name given to venues around the U.S. that catered to black
audiences and entertainment: _____________________________. (Answer:
22. The songs of rock and roll songwriter __________________________ are
23. The longest-running music show in U.S. TV history was
24. Inspired by Detroit industry, Motown founder Berry Gordy used the
_____________ ________ model for his music business. (Answer: assembly
25. Motown’s in-house band was known as ____________________________.
Short Essay Questions
26. Why did cover versions usually outsell the original R&B records?
27. Describe how Bill Haley’s version of “Shake Rattle and Roll” was sanitized.
19
Chapter 5: Changin’ Times (1962-1966)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Dylan’s switch to electric amplified music came as a response to the sounds
of
a. surf rock.
b. folk rock.
c. the British Invasion.
2. Pete Seeger was convicted for
a. violation of the Mann Act.
b. contempt of Congress.
c. assault.
d. vagrancy.
3. A type of folk song that uses music to deliver a topical message:
a. sing along
b. hootenanny
c. protest song
d. folk rock
4. Which of the following was not a subject of 1960s folk songs?
a. civil rights
b. advocating for the working class
c. the Vietnam war
d. lower taxes
5. The Kingston Trio gave performances that were
a. cheerful and lively.
b. heavy with protest songs.
c. authentic.
d. sentimental and retrospective.
6. What was “Hammond’s Folly”?
a. The Newport Folk Festival
b. concerts at The Gaslight
c. Bob Dylan
d. Lead Belly
20
7. Surf music pioneers Jan and Dean are historically noteworthy because they
a. often used the hot rod car theme in their songs.
b. experimented with echo-delay, splicing techniques, and multiple takes.
c. wrote songs about important social issues.
8. They brought surf music to a national audience.
a. Jan and Dean
b. The Mamas and the Papas
c. The Beach Boys
d. The Deltones
9. Joni Mitchell’s songs
a. remain true to authentic folk elements.
b. retain traditional folk stylistic elements.
c. feature diverse stylistic experimentation.
10. Singer songwriters write and perform their own songs and can therefore
a. save time and money on production.
b. distribute their records themselves.
c. avoid the pressures of show business.
d. lengthen their careers by adapting their styles to suit personal or
popular changes.
True/False Questions
11. Folk musician Pete Seeger belonged to the Communist Party.
a. True
b. False
12. Folk musician Woody Guthrie grew up in a privileged, well-to-do family
environment.
a. True
b. False
