1
Q
“Jump” bands
A
Small instrumental combos associated with early R&B, made up of a rhythm section (piano, drum set, bass) and one or more horn players
2
Q
Nat “King” Cole
A
Skilled pianist and vocal crooner who was one of the first African Americans to cross over to the predominantly white pop charts
3
Q
Eddie Arnold
A
Country and western singer who dominated the country charts and had success crossing over to pop
4
Q
Easy listening (“light” music)
A
Music with very simple rhythms and melodies, generally featuring a subdued orchestra or chorus
5
Q
Overdubbing
A
Process of layering recordings, where recorded tracks of tape are played while new ones are played at the same time
6
Q
Chuck Berry
A
Pioneer in electric guitar playing and early rock ‘n’ roll artist with a heavy R&B influence
7
Q
Alan Freed
A
Disk jockey of the 1950s who was instrumental in the spread of rock ‘n’ roll, in part by bringing R&B to the popular mainstream via radio broadcasts
8
Q
Doo-wop progression
A
A popular four-chord progression popularized in early rock ‘n’ roll, a.k.a. “Heart and Soul” progression
9
Q
Richie Valens
A
Mexican American singer and guitar player famous for “La Bamba” (1958)
10
Q
Rockabilly
A
Form of country and western music informed by the rhythms of African American R&B and electric guitar
11
Q
Elvis Presley
A
Rock ‘n’ roll artist famous for his rockabilly style (vocal hiccups) and provocative dancing/movements
12
Q
Phil Spector
A
Performer, songwriter, and sound producer, famous for his “wall of sound” and his obsession with detail
13
Q
Berry Gordy Jr.
A
Producer of Motown music who sought to keep the business under African American (his) control and market that music to all young Americans
14
Q
VCU
A
Stands for “verse-chorus unit”
15
Q
Bossa nova
A
Music style that blended West Coast jazz characteristics (like harmony) with Brazilian samba rhythms and Latin instruments
16
Q
Brian Wilson
A
Singer, songwriter, and producer who founded the Beach Boys
17
Q
Concept album
A
Album conceived as an integrated whole with interrelated songs, often arranged in a certain order
18
Q
Jefferson Airplane
A
Nationally successful psychedelic rock band from San Fransisco, known for its hard-edged rock style and drug imagery; led by singer Grace Slick
19
Q
Jimi Hendrix
A
Electric guitarist whose creative use of feedback and distortion often approached the boundaries of “noise”
20
Q
Blue-eyed soul
A
Soul (or R&B) performed by white artists singing styles traditionally associated with African Americans
21
Q
Ray Charles
A
Early soul artist who enjoyed crossover success starting in 1959; songwriter, keyboard player, and singer with a distinctive gravelly tone
22
Q
(Urban) Folk music
A
Eclectic musical style inspired by rural folk music but often performed by urban intellectuals, sometimes with a political or moral message
23
Q
James Brown
A
Later soul artist whose music focused almost exclusively on rhythm and timbre in his instrumental and vocals sounds; known for his short, catchy musical hooks (ex. “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”)
24
Q
Bob Dylan
A
Urban folk singer who brought folk music to the rock genre by “going electric” (adopting more rock elements, like electric guitar)
25
Nashville sound
A more cosmopolitan country style characterized by smoother sounds: background vocals, string instruments, and often a crooning style with less twang
26
Wall of sound
layering many instruments and voices and adding reverb, creates a dense, orchestral sound. multiple musicians playing the same part, often recorded live in the same room to create a unified and saturated sonic texture, using the studio's echo chambers
27
Counterculture
anti-establishment movement, hippies, pushing for change, sex & drug over exaggeration, pro civil rights, anti war, free love (openness in sexual activity)
28
Brill building
catchy, well-crafted pop songs, songwriting teams worked within the offices to churn out hits for many artists, NYC, Carole King, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin
29
Double-tracking
audio recording technique used to make a vocal or instrumental part sound fuller, richer, and wider, involved layering two separate recordings of the exact same musical part, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Beach Boys
30
Hi-fi
high fidelity, higher audio quality, studio recordings, an authentic reproduction of sound with a high degree of exactness to the original recording, aiming to minimize distortion and capture all the original audio details
31
Payola
bribing radio stations and DJs to play a particular song or artist to boost their popularity
32
Synthesizer
raw soundwaves to add/take parts out of sound, used analog circuts to create and manipulate sounds, Stevie Wonder, The Monkees, The Doors
33
Mellotron
pre-synthesizer, strings, electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that created unique, ethereal sounds by playing pre-recorded, short loops of audio tape, used to imitate orchestral instruments and choirs, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Bee Gees
34
The Rolling Stones
british invasion, closer to American R&B roots and rock 'n' roll than The Beatles, "World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band," bad boy image, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965), electric guitar, bigger range of vocal dynamics because of microphone advancements
35
Sam Cooke
the "King of Soul," 1931-1964, began as a gospel singer later combined pop and gospel, originally recorded under pseudonym, attention to detail, community involvement, admired Malcolm X, Muhammed Ali, "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1964) - response to Bob Dylan, most political song of his, string orchestra, subtle brass, gospel and complex vocals, opens with an in-your-face melodic riff, "You Send Me" (1957)
36
Simon and Garfunkel
urban folk duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence" (1964), sped up and released without their permission, gospel and folk influence, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (1970)
37
Dolly Parton
bubblegum pop, radio and TV, country music
38
Elton John
pop rock, meant for largest audience possible, synthesizers, "Crocodile Rock" (1973) - doo-wop progression
39
Miles Davis
jazz rock, trumpet, 1926-1991, critical role in evolution of jazz, "Bitches Brew" (1970) - album that combined jazz and rock (like Jimi Hendrix), "Spanish Key" - improvised trumpet, organ-sounding instrument, heavy electric guitar, loud percussion, distortion and reverb, repetitious melodic guitar riffs
40
The Temptations
motown, vocal harmony group, male singers, "My Girl" (1965), heavy bass, call and response, pentatonic scale used by the electric guitar (hook), verse-chorus unit
41
The Beatles
John Lennon & George Harrison (lead and rhythm guitars and vocals), Paul McCartney (bass and vocals), Ringo Starr (drums and occasional vocals), known throughout Europe & established stars in the UK by the time their first number one record hit America in 1964 ("I Want to Hold Your Hand"), Beatlemania, first foreigners that didn't move to the U.S. with a fanbase in the U.S., British styles: fashion & haircuts, imitator -> emulator -> innovator model (like the Beach Boys), started as a performing band modeled on Buddy Holly's group The Crickets, cover songs, Tin Pan Alley influence in "Yesterday," innovative instrumentation in "Eleanor Rigby" like a string quartet, career as songwriting performers from 1962-66, when they quit touring & gave up live performance & went on to become the world's first famous studio rock band, non-western instrument exploration - sitar from India, south & southeast Asia influence on song structure
42
Eric Clapton
guitar hero, R&B influence - blues-based guitar solos, improv (jazz), relationship with The Beatles, guitar solos for Beatles songs, almost a substitute for George Harrison, "Strange Brew" (1967), "Layla" (1971) - electric guitar riff/hook (common in R&B), group of guitars, creating thick and saturated texture like 60's rock's "wall of sound," interesting harmonic changes (unexpected and adventurous)
43
John Denver
folk, acoustic guitar, optimistic lyrics, nature and love
44
Stevie Wonder
pop rock, heavily influenced by soul, overdubbing
45
The Bee Gees
disco, synthesizer, "Night Fever" from Saturday Night Fever the movie, "Staying Alive," flamboyant clothing, production > bands, formulaic & predictable form because the music is designed for you to dance & easily sing along to
46
Big Mama Thorton
early R&B, "Hound Dog," blues legacy, 1950s
47
Buddy Holly
inspired by Elvis, 1936-1959, The Crickets band, use of double-tracking - beefs it up/creates a more lush sound, guitar techniques from Chuck Berry, "That'll Be The Day" (1957), died in plane crash with Richie Valens & Big Bopper (the day the music died)
48
The Supremes
motown, vocal harmony group, Diana Ross, "You Can't Hurry Love" (1966) - complex melody, heavy backbeat (emphasis on beats two and four), vocal harmony
49
Aretha Franklin
father was a pastor and gospel singer, group up with gospel music, 1942-2018, wrote/cowrote her songsm played keyboard, recorded with Columbia Records from 1960-66, popstar breakthrough in 1967 with "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967), Atlantic Records - indie label with R&B success, powerful and intense vocal delivery, "Respect" (1967) - cover of Otis Redding song, short vocal fragments, pieces of melody, similar to James Brown
50
Patsy Cline
early 1960s Nashville Sound, more "cosmopolitan" sound - smooth because of studio production (polished/soft around the edges), more instruments (strings), some crooning, backing vocals, crossover success in country and pop, "Walking After Midnight" (1957) - repetition, simple, easy to sing, polished, bluesy notes, light drumming and bottleneck guitar, "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy" (1961) - backing vocals, clean & straight-forward vocals (no twang), wider impact than acknowledged, blended early styles to cross over
51
George Clinton
funk, R&B history and influence, Detroit, altered style in 60s when funk started, hired James Brown's musicians, played with racial stereotypes to reframe views on black people and their music, Parliament band, "Give Up The Funk" - repetitious/simple bassline, falsetto, gospel influence, emphasis on downbeat, vocal harmony, call and response, syncopated & heavy bassline, synthesizer, horn groups, lyrics meant to be chanted
52
David Bowie
70s glam rock, concept albums, Ziggy Stardust album (1972)
53
Johnny Mathis
jazz, R&B, soft rock, Latin, Tin Pan Alley, ballads, velvety voice
54
Little Richard
early rock 'n' roll, strangeness, novelty, distinct, flamboyant style, singer-songwriter, boogie-woogie influenced pianist, falsetto woops/screams with walking bassline, piano & jirating, sexual ambiguity, influenced by the Beatles, "Tutti Frutti" (1956) - blues and R&B influence, nonsensical lyrics, hooting & hollering, repetitive bass pattern, junk band
55
Wanda Jackson
queen of rockabilly, born in 1937, singer-songwriter, performer, Elvis encouraged her to do rockabilly, "Lets Have A Party," short lived success, never made mainstream pop charts, "Mean, Mean Man" (1958) - raspy voice, drawl, electric (without amp) & acoustic guitar, reverb, hollering (yodel influenced), integrated band, refused to perform where her black pianist couldn't
56
Dionne Warwick
Tin Pan Alley song and jazz style, influenced by gospel, pop, R&B, Brill Building, "I Say A Little Prayer" (1967) - unstable & complex rhythm, jazz inspired, harmonica, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (1968) - pop, upbeat, complicated, motown (brass band, danceable groove), gospel
57
Carole King
light rock to singer-songwriter, soft/mellow rock, Brill Building composer, more mature and serious lyrics, Tapestry (1971) album thats success made her a star, "You've Got a Friend," "It's Too Late" - verse chorus form, stripped down, not about volume
58
Sly and the Family Stone
lead singer had gospel background, socially engaged lyrics, rock & soul fusion, San Francisco & psychedelic rock influence, performed at Woodstock, bluesy vocals, hypnotizing heavy beat
59
Allman Brothers Band
southern rock, long, improvised guitar solos, no set form, incorporation of elements of blues, R&B, jazz
60
Rock 'n' roll
electric guitar, drums, 12 bar blues progression, walking bassline, for rebellious youth, 1950s, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, PR and marketing of artists, rockabilly/country western = shaky and hiccupping, Latin = Mexican & country western influence, repetitious, Latin instrumentation, dancing music, R&B = Johnny B. Goode
61
Country and western
strummed guitar, polished twang, 1950s, great migration, Nashville, Grand Ole Opry, bluegrass and honky-tonk artists, pop artists adapted country materials, Capitol Records, Patti Page and Eddy Arnold
62
Jazz rock
fusion of jazz & rock, loosely defined, heavy drum set rock beat, saxophone & trumpets, improv
63
Funk
"healthy sweat," counterpart to soul, spiritual/uplifting side of the black experience, social dance emphasis, rhythm > harmony/melody, American Bandstand, flashy clothes, Sly & The Family Stone, George Clinton, James Brown, bass and guitar, gospel, falsetto, 70s
64
Electric guitar
early experimentation in the 20s, early use in 30s-50s
65
Motown
motor town, Detroit, Barry Gordy Jr created own org & was determined to keep in black owned, based on R&B sound - 4 beat phrases, use of strings & horns, repetitious bass & guitar patterns, tambourine, doo-wop progression, groups > solo
66
Psychedelic rock
electric guitar, wall of sound, surreal lyrics, counterculture, distortion, heavy reverb, noise, San Francisco & LA, drugs, hybrid style of folk rock & blues & hard rock & Latin music & Indian classical music, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors
67
Pop rock
meant for largest audience possible, synthesizers, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, doo-wop, call and response
68
Disco
tied to funk (commercial offspring), late 70s, dance music, gay culture, synthesizer, DJs > live bands, reaction against rock, less clean cut clothing, formulaic and predictable form, easy to sing along to, the great migration, Earth Wind & Fire, Bee Gees
69
SRDC
melodic pattern used in many pop/rock tunes, tend to divide equally in half, statement, restatement, departure, conclusion
70
Soul music
developed out of previous African American styles (R&B, gospel), groove, vocals, melismas, call and response, band instrumentation, VCU structure, Memphis, Atlantic records
71
Country rock
mix of country and rock 'n' roll, Linda Ronstadt, the Eagles, The Byrds, early Bob Dylan, late 1960s, Southern California
72
Country pop
blended country instrumentation with polished pop production, appealed to a wider audience, smoother instrumental backgrounds, strings, crooning, cosmopolitan, John Denver, Eddy Arnold
73
Verse-chorus form
verse = same music, different text, chorus = same music, same text (usually), VCU1, VCU2, bridge
74
R&B
replaced race records, cover versions of Tin Pan Alley, jump bands, vocal harmony groups, gospel, doo-wop, southern migration, existed with country music after war, Big Momma Thorton, 12 bar blues, 1940s & 50s, civil rights
75
Dance music (1960s)
the twist, mashed potato, American Bandstand, Chubby Checker, adults & teenagers of all ages & classes & races were doing the twist, 12 bar blues, R&B influence, repetitive, simple, catchy, junk band
76
Southern rock
77
Singer-songwriter (soft rock)
soft/mellow rock, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, lyrics, acoustics
musi
flashcards
Decks in class (6)
# Cards
