On The Charts 1945-1954

1. On The Charts1945-1954

2. BillBoard • Billboard began a more competitive nature to the music industry. • 1894 Billboard was primarily advertising • 1920’s Billboard focused primarily on record ranking and covered radio/recording artists • 1950’s had top charts for pop (dominate), R&B, country, and intermittent album chart • New York was the epicenter of music of all kinds

3. Media Revolution • Television • 1946 • In two years it took over radio as the primary source of entertainment • Radio stayed current by popularizing live shows with DJ’s whose personalities became as famous as the music

4. Media Revolution Cont. • Two new formats • Old records were breakable shellac (78 rpm) and played around 3-4 minutes of music • New ones were called LP’s (long playing) • 33 RPM • Did not break when dropped • Year after LP’s, Singles were produced • Used similar vinyl format • Very small • Held only 3 minutes of music

5. Above The Charts • Musical Theater • LP’s allowed all or most of a cast show to be recorded and sold • Entered a ‘Golden Age’ • Jazz • Musicians were no longer limited to recording 3-4 minute songs • Recordings were made in a style similar to live

6. Musical Theatre honcho’s • Richard Rodgers partnered with alcoholic Lorenz (Larry)Hart • Due to Larry’s laziness and bad health Rodgers partnered with Oscar Hammerstein • Had great success with the following: Oklahoma, Carousel, State Fair, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, Some Enchanted Evening, etc • Oklahoma played for 5 years approx 2248 times.

7. Styling • Songs by these two went back in time • Less/no syncopation, used classical opera style singers, no ‘swing’ music, and songs generally had nothing to do with the play! • Nothing like current styling of music (example Yankee Doodle Boy) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIGWYlVlFQ8 • Operatic, simple rhythm,

8. Modern Jazz • Chuck Berry • “I’ve got no kick against modern jazz unless they try to play it too darn fast” • References people trying to play jazz like popular ‘bop’ music • Bop often played around 300 bpm • Jazz emerging after bop stayed slow, with dropped tempos and tuneful melodies

9. Modern Jazz’ cousin • Third Stream Music • Cool jazz • Extreme attempt at making jazz more ‘classical’ • Famous quartet of Dave Brubeck, Leonard Bernstein, Miles Davis, Gil Evans • More restrained, calmer, etc

10. Bop • Jazz styling • Originated 1940’s at Minton’s Playhouse (Harlem Jazz Club) • Bassist marking beat: drums/piano/guitar played in a new style due to new beat keeping • Rapid tempo • Irregular melodies • Complex harmony • Aggressive sonority (Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie) Dizzy solo around 2:20 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpuHy5fVjCU

11. Pop • World War II transition pop • Shift in pre-war song focus, post-war artist focus • All popular recording artists were singers • Post war song interpretation came into play • Artists had their own was to sing that was recognizable in the community, mold the pace and style to the beat, (example Sinatra)

12. Folk Revival • The Weavers 1950’s • Unlikely folk made pop stars • More important than their success is their influence on bringing back fold to the mainstream

13. Rhythm and Blues • Several styling's • All style proliferated by strong beats and blues style form (what does that mean I don’t know!) • Their was electric blues, doo-wop styled blues, big-band blues etc

14. Jump Bands • Streamlined big-band swing (dance music) • Reduced horns (trumpets and such) went from traditional 4 beat to a shuffle • More singing • Louis Jordan-Tympany Five • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A2pRVyBmOY

15. Ruth Brown • Top female R&B performer (debatably): competition was the more ‘poppy’ Dinah Washington • She earned title, “Miss Rhythm” • Had a hoarse voice that would squeak or moan at the end of phrases……………………yea.. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bTF0QRZqOg&ob=av2n

16. More Blues, Electric this time • Electric guitar move from primarily country and jazz to include blues • Popular in 1950’s • Muddy Waters- popular electric blues player • Grew up as sharecropper (basically indentured slave system) • Sharecroppers gave rise to deep blues the book kinda just stops there…. • Moved north and created a movement of electric Blues • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgAcDLZr6Gs&ob=av2n

17. Country again… after 1945 • Re-popularized, as shown by Billboard coverage • Cover songs became prominent • Hank Williams and honky-tonk • Honky tonk- techniquely a working class bar.. Not some country party like modern country music says… • Honky-tonk music characterized by fusion of pop and traditional black music

18. Hanky And Honky cont. • Hank Williams- quixotic country singer that began singing in Honky Tonks in Alabama in his early teens. • Spina bifida, alcoholism, and his lifestyle on stage contributed to his early death after creating record selling country music that appealed to the mainstream • Lovesick Blues changed the established considerations of country • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xu71i89xvs watch for moanin and yodellin

19. Sound of Honky • Song text about normal daily life • Token country voice • Fiddle and steel guitat

20. Kitty Wells • First female country artist to top Billboard charts • Record breaker was “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” • Was sung over British classical “Great Speckled Bird” similar to how we sing “My Country Tis of Thee” over “God Save the King”

21. Terms re-check • LP • Single • Bop (Bebop) • Third-Stream Music • Jump Band • Electric Blues • Deep Blues • Cover song • Honky-Tonk