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Chapter 1
The Prehistory of Rock & Roll
Outline
I. Dispel the notion of a specific birth date and time for rock and roll
II. Sheet music
a. Originated as an European business
b. Tin Pan Alley—a brash, New York newcomer to the sheet music business
III. Rhythm developments
a. Syncopation and ragtime
b. African-American derived rhythm
IV. Melodies for the Masses
a. Confined within a narrow range that anyone can sing
V. Lyrics for the Masses
a. Vague enough to be open to interpretation by any number of singers
VI. Technology
a. Radio
b. Microphones
i. Crooning, a new, more intimate singing style
c. Phonograph
d. 78 r.p.m. records
e. Electrical recording—1920s
f. Network radio
g. Magnetic tape recorder—1930s
h. Multi-track recorder
i. Developed in 1948 by Les Paul
i. Solid body guitar
i. Developed by Les Paul
VII. 1st opportunities for black artists to record
a. Pace/Black Swan Records
b. OKeh Records
VIII. Pre-rock Styles
a. New Orleans Hot jazz
i. Targeted a high-energy dance audience
b. Paul Whiteman Orchestra; spruced up and watered-down jazz
i. For white audiences
ii. ‘Mainstreamed’ black musical styles, a process repeated by many
other bands
iii. COMPARE: Elvis Presley, who later succeeded in mainstreaming
black blues styles
c. Swing – the big bands of the late 1920s and 1930s
i. Glenn Miller
ii. Count Basie
iii. Duke Ellington
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iv. Dorsey brothers, Jimmy and Tommy
v. Benny Goodman
IX. Pop celebrity
a. Columbus Day riot, 1944, Frank Sinatra with the Dorsey band
X. Economic impact of the Great Depression
a. Band singers go solo
b. Big bands fold under economic pressures
XI. OKeh record label
a. Race Records/Music division – For blacks
b. Hillbilly Records/Music division—For working-class whites
c. Talent scout and publisher Ralph Peer
d. Black artists on radio and at black venues
e. Race records for an underserved market
XII. Blues
a. Country style blues—stylistic characteristics; based on an oral tradition
i. Delta blues
ii. SPOTLIGHT: This is the style emulated by 1960s British rock stars
b. Classic style blues—composed and written; urban
i. Mamie Smith—“Crazy Blues” on OKeh
ii. W.C. Handy—SPOTLIGHT “St. Louis Blues,” #1 song in the world
c. Electric blues – Chicago
XIII. Crossover Hits—paved the way for rock and roll
a. Popular with both hillbilly and race music audiences
i. Roy Acuff—“Great Speckled Bird” SPOTLIGHT: country crossover
b. Folk music
i. Associated with The Great Depression
ii. Mass migration of citizens
iii. Artists
c. More styles that entered the mainstream
i. Bing Crosby—made regional styles into hits and standard repertoire
ii. Gene Autry—western genre; singing cowboy in Hollywood horse
opera films
d. Hybrid music styles
i. Western swing
ii. Country ‘Lite’—Patti Page
XIV. COUNTRY MUSIC
a. String bands
b. Bluegrass
c. Hank Williams
XV. RHYTHM & BLUES
a. Harkened back to the ecstatic energy of New Orleans jazz
b. Adding drums, and later, electric guitar
c. Jump band music
i. Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five
XVI. DOO WOP
a. The Dominos, 1952
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XVII. WOMEN IN THE BLUES
a. Big Mama Thornton
b. Ruth Brown
Suggested Activities and Discussion Topics
1. Syncopation—popular music often has a syncopated rhythm.
Note what constitutes an accent and where accents fall in a rhythm scheme. For example:
In a 4-count measure of music, accents may fall on any beat: 1 2 3 4
4-count measure of music with an accented downbeat: 1 2 3 4
4-count measure of music with an accented backbeat: 1 2 3 4
Now, we subdivide the beat: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
When we place an accent on any &, we have syncopation.
2. Clave rhythm
Clave rhythm is an Afro-Cuban syncopated rhythm, two measures in length, and
subdivided as follows:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
3. AAB blues song form
12-bars of 4 beats each
//// //// //// ////
//// //// //// ////
//// //// //// ////
Section A states the problem/sets the scene, while the chords underscore the story
The second A section is a repeat of the first A section; new chords propel the story
The B section provides a resolution using chords and lyrics, perhaps a ‘punch line’
A section: duh DA-duh DA-duh Da-duh (rest rest rest) duh DA-duh DA-duh DA (rest 7
beats)
A section: (as above, with the same lyrics, preceded by “I said” or “You know” )
B section: (as above, with new lyrics to resolve the thought)
4. AAB blues form. Have students create an AAB blues rhyme scheme.
Keep topics and language authentic; assume the alter ego of an authentic
bluesman, retaining the language and subject matter of the time of the Delta bluesmen.
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Chapter 1 – Suggested Listening
Artist
Song / iTunes Preview
Representative Style
Irving Berlin
“God Bless America”
Note narrow vocal range
Blind Lemon Jefferson
“Black Snake Moan”
Country blues style
Bessie Smith
“St. Louis Blues”
Classic blues style
Bing Crosby
“White Christmas”
Crooning singing style
Roy Acuff
“Great Speckled Bird”
First country to pop
crossover
Woody Guthrie
“This Land is Your Land”
Authentic folk song
Pete Seeger
“If I Had a Hammer”
Authentic folk song
Bob Wills
“Steel Guitar Rag”
Hybrid style, Texas big
band; Hawaiian guitar
Hank Williams
“Cold, Cold Heart”
Father of Modern Country
Music
Ruth Brown
“Mama, He Treats Your
Daughter Mean”
Rhythm and blues
Big Mama Thornton
“Hound Dog”
Rhythm and blues