American Popular Music (1950’s forward)

 From the 1950’s forward, music of the U.S. focused strongly on and the
.

ROCK MUSIC

 Reflects the and of the times, popular with

Rock in the 1950’s

 Music characterized by ,a , and

 Titles like
 Grew out of , , and
 Popular 50’s Artists : Richie Valens “La Bamba”
Buddy Holly “Everyday, , Not Fade Away”
Little Richard “ , Good Golly Miss Molly”
Elvis “Jailhouse Rock, ”

Rock in the 1960’s

 Few main styles emerged in the 60’s

Hard Rock –

 , mix,
 characterized by long with a beat.
 Home was Woodstock and other outdoor concert venues, not the radio.
 New musical freedom went along with the “ ” movement. ( ,
, and , ,
.)
 Artists: Jimi Hendrix “ ”
“ ”

Surf Rock –
 Known as the sound
 were the most well-known – 3 brothers, cousin, best friend
 5 part and
 Songs about , and being a
 Style matured into complex

British Invasion
 Beatles – ; British Pop; combos of classical and
 Rolling Stones – , driving , like
Bob Dylan but to a more mainstream audience.
 “Satisfaction ” - rock; influence (guitar riff); used a “
” on opening riff’; became an all-purpose,

Folk Rock
 Artists like , ,
 Emphasis on the of a song; became as important as the
 led this movement – before Dylan songs mostly about
 Dylan wrote of like
 Artists Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind”

Motown
 Rhythm & Blues: combines of blues along with the
of rock and roll.
 Features singing and complex
 Often uses latest techniques in
 Artists: BB King believed R&B reflected the history of African
Americans. Named his guitar “Lucille “
Boyz II Men – early 2000; used and

Motown Sound
 Began in the 60’s in
 Spirited, danceable music sung by
 were more important than individuals (example )
 Motown Records – slogan was “ ”
 Combines soul of , and .
 Well written songs utilizing the latest .
 Artists: The Supremes “ ” “ ”
 Stevie Wonder “ ”

Soul and Funk

 Emotional and expressive, like
 Reflected in the Community
 Artists: James Brown “ ” First Funk Song
,
Aretha Franklin “ ”
Tina Turner “ ”
Ray Charles “ ”
Current artists would be and

Music in the 1970’s

Pop
 Characterized by , very
 Continued the light lyric element, frequently about and
 Artists: Carpenters “ ”“ ”
Fleetwood Mac “ “ ”
James Taylor “ ”
Eagles “
David Bowie “ ” (written with John Lennon)

Disco
 Characterized by a , driving beat, perfect for
 Centered in and in dance clubs
 A reaction against the domination of and the lack of dance music.
 Influences of music
 Distinct sound
 Artists: Donna Summer “ ”
Bee Gees “ ”
 Village People “ ”

Funk

 Soul Music of the 60’s, became more developed

 Emphasizes a strong, rhythmic groove of and
 Based on , rather than a chord progression like R&B
Kool & the Gang “ ” “ ”
Earth, Wind & Fire “ ”

Rock
 Very established and developed by the 70’s
 Centered around the , part of a bad with and
 Usually in time with a song-style and a form
 Dominance by musicians which has influenced the themes
 Emphasis on , and
 Progressive Rock – extended the , beyond song-verse style
Pink Floyd “ ”
 Glam Rock – emphasis on and
David Bowie “ ”
 Heavy Metal – emphasis on , , and
Led Zepplin ” ”
 Punk Rock – music with less instrumentation; often
The Clash ” ”
 Rock – Artists
Queen “ ”
“ ”
“ ”
Bruce Springsteen “ ”
Lynyrd Skynard “ ”

Music in the 1980’s

 Emergence of and some of the most prominent musicians of all time.
 Continued and of other forms of music.
 Emergence of had a huge effect on music and sales of music

Pop

 Appealed to a audience
 Emphasis on (skill) , not (artistic achievement)
 Emphasis on over live performance
 Reflects , is not progressive
 Utilizes rhythms; meant to encourage
 Simple, form, utilize , catchy , easy

 Artists:
o Michael Jackson
 King of
 Most successful of all time – over 40 years
 Contributions to , and
 in the 60’s, in 1971
 “ ”“ ”“ ”changed music video
 1982 Album “ ” is the best-selling album of all time.
 generated controversy

 charity song, written with Lionel Ritchie

 Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo
dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael
Jackson, were to say, "I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance
at midnight," people would say, "Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up. You
can't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth."[69]
 October 2009 – Announced comeback tour of
 Died of a (induced) on June 25, 2009
 o Madonna
 Born in in 1958
 Moved to NYC in 1977 to pursue a career in
 Released debut album in
 Pushed the boundaries of in mainstream popular music
and
 Pushed the boundaries of in her music videos, which became a
fixture on
 Very successful music
 Founded in conjunction with Warner Brothers.
 She is a , , , ,
, book author, and
.
 Top selling female artist of behind Barbara Streisand.

Country and Western

 Bluegrass : uses all , instruments. Singing was usually high

pitched and .
 Sources of country music in old , songs, music,
music and music.
 Most common instruments were acoustic , string , , pedal-steel
and .
 , TN became the center for writing and recording of country music.
 began there. Broadcast nationally in 1939.
 Artists: Patsy Cline Loretta Lynn

40’s – 50’s : became more , less “hillbilly.”

 Artists: Hank Williams Minnie Pearl

60’s – 70’s: Large scale orchestrations became popular with and

sections.
 Artists: Johnny Cash Glen Campbell
John Denver “ Roads”
Tammy Wynette “ ”
70’s – 80’s: New “ ” developed.
 Smooth orchestrations, background , electric guitar instead of
 Artists: Kenny Rogers “The Gambler”
Dolly Parton “9-5” “Creep into You”
Willie Nelson
90’s:
 Record sales reported more accurately
 Sold as much as pop = promotion
 More crossover – pop/country
 Artists: Garth Brooks “ ”
Faith Hill “ ”
Shania Twain “ ”
Carrie Underwood “ ”

Garth – 2nd most top selling solo artist in US history according to the RIAA.

Rap
 Began in the
 Created music that utilizes
 and rhyme schemes
 Influences from to , drawing from all music genres.
 Often called a musical due to content
 Often about important issues; now it often is
 Usually reported on the harsh realities of
 Aggressive, often with lyrics; highly
 Rapping is “ ”
 Spoken to records that feature strong
 Similar to Jamaican “ ” – uses previously music from another
source; adds a other and parts resulting in a new blend.
 Artists: Puff Daddy Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down
Tupac Dear Mama
Will Smith Getting Jiggy With it
Busta Rhymes Give Me Some More
Queen Latifah U.N.I.T.Y
LL Cool J I Can’t live Without My Radio I Need Love
Eminem Lose Yourself The Way I Am
Young MC Bust a Move
Lil’ Wayne Drop the World

Hip Hop
 Hip hop is a form of musical and artistic
 Cultural phenomenon that today includes , , ,
social , and
 When it began in the late 70’s, it included , , and
.
 Originated in the Bronx, NY in the 70’s with DJ and Jamaican born DJ
Clive " " Campbell credited as the founders.
 Consists of rhythmic beats that are created by looping (small portions of songs
emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables. (Sampling)
 Late accompanied by rap and
o is a vocal technique used to imitate percussive elements of the
music and various technical effects
o Concerned with the art of creating beats, rhythms, and melodies using the

o
 can be hip hop, but hip hop cannot be .
 Often comments on , much like Bob Dylan did in the 60’s.
 Mainstream hip-hop is different from rap and the other sub-genres.
o Gangsta rap is about urban street and . ( )
 Has spread to include other countries and even to schools. (Studies of hip hop
are offered at the Universities of Toronto and Miami

 “Hip hop texts are rich in imagery and metaphor and can be used to teach irony, tone, diction,
and point of view. Hip hop texts can be analyzed for theme, motif, plot, and character
development. Both Grand Master Flash and T.S. Eliot gazed out into their rapidly deteriorating
societies and saw a "wasteland." Both poets were essentially apocalyptic in nature as they
witnessed death, disease, and decay.” (Morrell and Duncan, Promoting Academic Literacy
with Urban Youth Through Engaging Hip Hop Culture)

 Rap has a bad reputation in white circles, where many people believe it consists of obscene
and violent anti-white and anti-female guttural. Some of it does. Most does not. Most white
listeners don't care; they hear black voices in a litany of discontent, and tune out. Yet rap plays
the same role today as Bob Dylan did in 1960, giving voice to the hopes and angers of a
generation, and a lot of rap is powerful writing. (Roger Ebert, 1995)

 Artists: Run DMC It’s Tricky

Public Enemy Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need
Tupac Dear Mama
Ice Cube It was a Good Day
Busta Rhymes Give Me Some More
Snoop Dog Doggystyle
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five The Message