Post on 26-Mar-2020
THE EARLY 50’SAMERICAN POP MUSIC
EARLY 1950’SOVERVIEW
• In general, the 50’s were prosperous times in America
• Stable economy
• No active war
• Emphasis on going to college, getting married, and raising a family
• Middle class became more wealthy and were now able to go on vacation, buy a car, or a TV
1950’S POP MUSIC
• What was 1950’s pop music like?
Continuation of popular styles of past decades
Lyrics - Innocent boy-girl love
Non-threatening content
Comfortable, pleasant, not overdone
BLACK CULTURESUBCULTURES
• Jazz, Gospel, and R&B (Rhythm & Blues) Music
• Not only were blacks segregated from white society, R&B was segregated from the pop music market
• Had it’s own record companies and consumers
Song Example - Roll ‘Em Pete - Big Joe Turner
WHITE CULTURESUBCULTURES
• Country and Western (C&W)
• Poor Southern whites developed “hillbilly” music. This was somewhat similar to folk music
• Bluegrass/western swing
• These country genres weren’t preference for more wealthy whites, who preferred pop music
Song Example - Johnny Cash Cry Cry Cry
TIN PAN ALLEY50’S POP MUSIC
Area of NYC Center of pop music publishing from 1800’s to late 1950’s Professional songwriters
MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICSTIN PAN ALLEY
• Lyrics - non-offensive. Simple boy-girl romantic love
• Uncomplicated rhythm in the background
• Melodies are most important. Often very catchy
• Slower tempos - fast songs were usually bouncy and light with humorous lyrics
• Usually professional singers accompanied by full orchestra/small chorus
• Popular songs would stay on the charts for 16-20 weeks, sometimes longer
Song Example - Wanted - Perry Como
THE MAJORSRECORDING COMPANIES
Early 1950’s were dominated by Major recording companies RCA Victor, Columbia, Capitol, Mercury, Decca in 1954 42 of the top 50 selling discs were produced by the 5 Majors Majors dominated due to sophisticated distribution systems/promotions One company came out with a hit song, then others would immediately try and produce a version of that song with their artists Music industry was adult dominated - kids would listen to whatever music their parents listened to Pop music scene was almost exclusively white
STYLE CHARACTERISTICSC&W
• Melodiesandlyricswereimportant• Lyrics-positiveandnegativelove• Simplerharmoniesthanpop• Simplerhythm• Mainsingerwithvocaltrioorquartet• Somesongsweretraditional,butmanyartistsperformedtheirownmaterial• Notnotated• Arrangementswereputtogetherinrehearsal• Solosstayedclosetomainmelody• Vocalist/steelguitar–mainfocus• Yodelinginsomesongs–Falsettowasalsoused.
STYLE CHARACTERISTICSR&B MUSIC
• Most songs used the 12-Bar Blues
• Rarely notated
• More improvisation and freedom
than C&W
• Most songs were originals
• Content: Love, jobs, hard knocks,
general life philosophies
• Driving rhythm
• Lyrics more prominent than vocal
melody
• Shouting style singing
CROSSOVERS• Acrossoverisarecordorsinglethatoriginatedinonemarket,butsucceededinanother • TypicallythesewereR&Bsongsthatendeduponthelowerendofthepopcharts
AUDIOEXAMPLES:
LawdyMissClawdy–LloydPrice
EarthAngel–ThePenguins
• Whatwastheappealofthesesongs?
• HowdidtheycombinetheR&Bsoundwithsomethingthemainstreamaudiencemaylike?
Questions to consider….
CROSSOVERS LEAD TO COVERS• Once songs started to crossover into the pop charts, the Majors started having their own artists do cover versions of the song
• Majors had more money/publicity —> the covers sold better than the originals
• Sometimes this involved a white artist covering a black artist, but it worked both ways
• Occasionally both the original and cover version were on the pop charts at the same time
• AUDIO: Earth Angel – The Crew Cuts
Ain’t That a Shame - Fats Domino —— Pat Boone
THE EMERGENCE OF YOUTH CULTURE
THE EMERGENCE OF YOUTH CULTURE
• Teenswerenolongercontentwaitingtobeincludedintoadultsociety • Theteenimageandattitudereallystartedtodevelopinthe50’s • Theyhadtheirownmovies,rolemodels,dresscode,slang,hairstyles,andmusic
• Howdoyouthinkthesenseofyouthindependencechangedtheentertainmentindustry?
• RebelWithoutaCause–JamesDeanbecameaXigureheadoftheteenrebellion.TherewasnospeciXictargetofrebellion.
• BlackboardJungle–Teenagersstrikeoutatwhateverisaround:parents,teachers,andotherteens.
BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS
• Musicalcareerspannedthreemusicmarkets(pop,R&B,C&W)
• StartedasaC&Wstar,butlovedR&BandwouldoftencoverR&Bsongswithappropriateversionswhenplayinggigs.
• CoveredanoriginalR&Bhit“RockAroundtheClock”bySonnyDaewhichskyrocketedhisfameandbecameahugepartofthewallsbetweenpop,countryandr&bbreakingdown.
WHAT TO KNOW
QUIZ NEXT CLASS - EARLY 50’S
• Name the 5 Majors and know what an “indie” is
• Be able to describe some style characteristics of C&W, R&B, and Pop (Tin Pan Alley)
• Know the demographics of each genre of early 50’s music
• Be able to discuss the difference in instrumentation between C&W, R&B, and Pop
• Crossovers/Covers
• Youth Culture