what types of innovations caused significant transformations in the music industry in the early 50s?
- jukebox: democratization of music taste
- tape recordings: allowed for overdubbing and stereo recording
- marketing of new records and up and coming artists in magazines
- record technology changed: 78 rpm singles replaced by 33.3 rpm LPs and 45 rpm singles (invention of the album, while also allowing consumers to pick and choose singles)
at the time of its creation, what was R&B? what were its 4 primary sub-categories?
- in the early 50s, R&B referred to pop music intended specifically for Black urban listeners, replacing race music
- R&B was blues-based music that used jazz elements
sub categories included:
1. swing influenced jump band songs
2. tin pan alley styles love songs performed by crooners
3. various styles of urban “uptown” blues
4. gospel-influenced vocal harmony groups and solo artists
define and describe uptown blues. how did it differ from jump blues?
- a product of rural blues musicians who grew up in the country blues context, stemming from the invention of the electric guitar and migration of Black communities to the North
- based on relatable themes and gritty realities
- while jump blues was horn-heavy, uptown blues is more rhythm section heavy, with guitars at the forefront; uptown blues left behind many jazz signifiers
- characterized by stop-breaks in the verses that sounded like a conversation between the band and the voice
what are some primary sonic signifiers of the crooning genre? what made R&B crooning distinct?
- orchestral backing
- smooth sensual articulation
- sentimental lyrics
- tin pan alley aaba form
- R&B crooners like Nat King Cole took this standard formula of crooning and adopted more R&B style vocals
- R&B crooning was intended for a Black audience
define and describe vocal harmony/doo-wop groups
- combined church/gospel music with popular music (controversial)
- overdubbing technique and stereo recordings were prominent
who is Ruth Brown?
- “miss rhythm”
- genre: combination of tin pan alley and blues form; heavily influenced by gospel
- one of the biggest artists signed to atlantic records at the time: “the house that ruth built”
- was not granted much agency over her music and is largely overlooked in the modern era due to the fact that she was a Black woman
describe the the generational divide in terms of popular music in the late 50s. what did the charts look like?
pop/mainstream charts:
- crooners like frank sinatra were popular with the conservative parent generation
- rock n roll was popular with teenagers; older generations perceived rock n roll as dangerous and overly sexualized
country and western and r&b began to overlap more with mainstream taste
- country and western: dominated by rockabilly
- r&b: dominated by soul and gospel
what were the consequences of R&B becoming so popular in the late 50s?
- suspicion arose about why R&B was so successful, leading to racist accusations and calls for censorship as many were convinced of a conspiracy involving bribery/payola
- DJ Alan Freed was investigated for accepting payments from R&B labels to promote music on his radio show
- R&B’ newfound popularity was seen as a threat and as something dangerous capable of corrupting the youth
what is the “hit cycle”? how was it born?
- the hit cycle is characterized by mass turnover in the charts
- it was born from increasing attempts to create crossover hits for profit, as singles became increasingly popular and everyone was trying to make the next big hit
what were some of the characteristics of the historical context of the 1950s? what effect did it have on music/music taste?
- economy: post-war economic prosperity -> suburbia and increase in car ownership -> sense of individuality in music taste
- technology: AM radios in cars + accessible TVs -> more widespread sources of entertainment; tv musical entertainment conformed more to conservative family values, while AM radios allowed for teenagers to develop their own music tastes away from parents
- political climate: early legal victories to overturn segregation -> white youth’s music taste increasinly shaped by Black trends
what are some of the main characteristics of rock n roll?
- song lyrics reflect youth audience: themes of school, summer vacation, dancing, love
- heavy rhythm guitar and drums
- fast-paced, too frenetic for swing or ballroom dance
- combines elements of blues form and tin pan alley tradition
- pentatonic double stops are characteristic of rock n roll (heard at the beginning riffs of Roll Over Beethoven and Surfin USA)
- rock n roll performers had expressive and energetic stage presence
what was arguably the main factor in Elvis’ success?
crossover appeal: popular among both Black and white audiences; singles charted in pop, R&B, and country and western categories all at once
(that and his stage presence)
why is Little Richard often underappreciated?
- queer Black artist; twisted gender tropes and didn’t fit into hyper-masculine trope of typical rock star
- ended his musical career to become a religious minister
