Introduction of myself

Class overview

Basic syllabus

emphasis on discussion

what do you want to cover in the class?

Controlled by the six major labels:  RCA, Victor, Columbia, Capitol, Mercury, and Decca.  This is still in effect, although the internet has made some changes.

Produced mus ic in all different styles.  Mostly pop, but classical, jazz, and some C & W.

Produced an extremely polished product.  Professional musicians, singers, arrangers.

Frequently if one label had a hit with a song, the other labels would put out a different singer doing the same song.

Video Clip disc 1, Episode 1, Chapter 15)

Tin Pan Alley (Pop Music)

30’s through the 50’s

Hollywood movie songs as well as broadway.

Mostly Melodic in nature.

Adult oriented.  Kids were not really offered an alternative.  The Major change of R n’ R was marketing to kids.

Almost completely white.  Nat King Cole was the exception.  The market was white.

Usually recorded with full orchestras, professional musicians, arrangers.  Very Polished.

Major Artists: Nat King Cole, Eddie Fisher, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Country and Western (Video Clip disc 1, episode 1 Chapter 10)

Much smaller market.  Regional, mostly limited to the South, Southwest, and the Midwest.

Major show was called “The Grand Ole Opry” Broadcast from Nashville.  Nashville became the focus of the industry.

C & W was largely independent from the major labels.  Usually records were put out by indies.  Usually couldn’t afford albums, so only singles.  Distribution was often a dude in a pickup truck.  But they knew exactly what markets to hit.

Once “Singing Cowboy” Movies and C & W televison shows became popular, the major labels took an interest and started signing more artists and made some big stars (Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Tex Ritter.)

The songs were generally simple.  The instrumentation had different instruments, notably Steel Guitar.  Many bands didn’t have Drums.  Bass supplied the rhythm.  Drums became more popular in the early 50’s.

Mostly white adult audience as well.

Rhythm and Blues (Video Clip Disc 1, episode 1, Chapter 9.  Stop after Tina Turner)

By far the most important of the Pre-History styles.

Independent from the Major Labels.  

Almost completely black music.  Originated in the South, but moved North as the black population moved North.

The 12-bar blues is the most important form. (talk about the basic form.  Don’t be too complicated)  This music form has lasted from the 20’s through now, in various modifications.

Very Closely related to Gospel.

Louis Jordan.  Probably the biggest R n’ B stars.  18 #1 hits. From July 1946 through May 1947, Jordan scored five consecutive #1 songs, holding the top slot for forty-four consecutive weeks.   (Video Clip: Disc 1, Episode 1 Chapter 14)

Three major centers emerged, as well as four labels that became famous:  

New York: Atlantic records , started in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun.  Major artists Ray Charles, Joe Turner, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, Solomon Burke.   Also a Jazz Label, with Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus.  Also Ruth Brown (Video Clip: Disc 1, Episode 1, Chapter 13)

Video Clip disc 1, Episode 1, Chapter 15, 16)

Chicago: Chess Records. founded by the Chess brothers.  Bought a small label named Aristocrat Records , and changed the name.  Major artists included Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf , Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lowell Fulson, Memphis Slim, Jimmy Rogers, John Lee Hooker and Willie Mabon. Later, they recorded the next generation of Chicago blues artists with Buddy Guy, Little Milton and Koko Taylor.   Muddy Waters found a singer/guitarist named Chuck Berry and sent him to the Chess Brothers in 1955.  They also discovered Bo Diddley.  Started a Jazz label, Argo, which had many great jazz artists as well as Etta James.  Also had a large library of gospel, including the Church of Aretha’s father.  First label to record her. (Video Clip: Disc 1, Episode 1, Chapter 8)

Los Angeles: Specialty records.  Started in 1947.  Mostly did gospel originally. Biggest artist was Little Richard. Larry Williams and Sam Cooke also.  Sam Cooke was with a gospel group, but left when they wouldn’t let him sing secular music.  Also LA:Imperial records.  Fats Domino, T-Bone Walker, Ricky Nelson among others.

Electric Guitar invention

Les Paul Born 1915 in Wisconsin.  Started performing at the age of 13.  Backed singers like Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole.

Created the first Electric guitars.  “The Log” in the late 30’s.   Simply a 4 x 4 with a guitar neck and hardware attached.  Wings from an Epiphone guitar also attached.

First Solid body electric guitar built in 1941, marketed in 1951 by gibson, called the Les Paul.

Both Leo Fender and Adolph Rickenbacker had similar ideas around the same time.  Fender had “The Broadcaster” (Later renamed “The Telecaster”) introduced in the fall of 1950 and Rickenbacker had the “Frying pan”, a electric Lap Steel, in early 1931.  Leo Fender designed “The Stratocaster” in 1953, probably the most famous of guitars.

Leo Fender also invented the Electric Bass in 1951.  Until then, bass players had to use uprights, which were kind of a pain, and not amplified.

Les Paul’s other inventions include Multitrack recording, originally using Wax discs (records) and then later a multitrack tape recording system (with financial support from Bing Crosby.)  He developed 2 and then 3 track systems in the early 50’s.  By 1957 the first working 8 track system was created by Paul and the Ampex company.  This technology was the system of recording from then until the 90’s when digital recording was created.

During his radio shows, Paul introduced the legendary "Les Paulverizer" device, which multiplies anything fed into it, like a guitar sound or a voice. Later Paul made the myth real for his stage show, using hidden equipment which over the years has become smaller and more visible. Currently he uses a small box attached to his guitar - it is not known how much of the device remains off-stage. He typically lays down one track after another on stage, in-sync, and then plays over the repeating forms he has recorded.. To this day no one knows exactly how the Les Paulverizer works.