Tin Pan Alley
a conglomeration of songwriters and publishers who moved to the Broadway and 28th Street section of NYC
named after the tinny output of the upright pianos
-American
Cultural borrowing and economic reward
Produced popular music in opposition to European hi
Irving Berlin
Iconic songwriter dreamed of a white Christmas, saw that God blessed America and became part of the fabric of American life
most successful songwriter of the 20th century
wrote songs meant for musicals and films but the songs are better remembered than th
Al Jolson
Billed in 1925 as the "World's Greatest Entertainment" which while audacious, few could argue
released multiple successful records between 1912 and 1949, achieved preeminent stardom on Broadway, hosted several radio shows/series and became the first impor
Robert Johnson
Towering figure of the delta blues whose high, ghostly wail and dauntingly nimble guitar work lent his music frighteningly emotional power
died at 27-27 club
truly mythic figure of the blues
left behind a small legacy of recordings that are considered the
Blues
Appeared at around the same time as ragtime
Improvised and more successful at preserving the original melodies of African American music
Tin Pan Alley reflected the 1920s craze
W.C. Handy popularized the genre and brought it to the masses
Tin Pan Alley wa
Jazz
Has African American origins
Early use of it in mainstream made it seem as though only polite society white dance bands played it (not true)
Amalgamation of a number of things such as: minstrelsy, spirituals, ragtime, blues, etc)
Has African and European
The Andrews Sisters
Popular 1940s family singing act that are synonymous with America's cultural zeitgeist during World War II
most successful female vocal group of the first half of of the 20th century in the US
exuberant, close harmony style well suited to cheery novelty s
Country and Western
Originated in the Southern US in the 1920s
Became known as honky tonk
Had roots in Western swing, Southeastern American folk music, Western music and ranchera music from Mexico and the border states
Early 1950s: blend of Western swing, country boogie and
Hank Williams
In his short life, he became one of the musical giants of the 20th century, creating the sound an sensibility of modern country
father of contemporary country music
superstar by age 25, dead at 29
established the rules for all the country performers who f
Rhythm and Blues
Often called R&B
African American popular music that orginated in the 1940s
Originally combined jazz, gospel, boogie woogie and blues influences
Mid 1950s: helped contribute to the development of rock and roll--electric blues, gospel, soul
1970s: blanket
Louis Jordan
Highly popular and influential saxophonist; perhaps the quintessential jump blues band leader
one of the chief architects and prime progenitors of the R&B idiom
pioneering use of jumping shuffle rhythms in a small combo context was copied by many others d
Race Records
derogatory name given to records made or performed by African American musicians
Race charts were the R&B charts--the races were always separate with very few achieving crossover appeal
Elvis Presley ignited the crossover of the charts because he was a wh
Chess Records
record label that changed the course of popular music
R&B Label
Some artists signed to it were: Muddy waters, Chuck berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf.
Inspired artists such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones--lay the foundation/template for rock/pop musi
Muddy Waters
The giant of postwar blues, who eloquently defined Chicago's swaggering Delta rooted sound with his declamatory vocals and piercing slide guitar
single most important artist to emerge in postwar American blues
peerless singer, gifted songwriter, able guit
Sun Records
American record company founded by Sam Philips
Memphis, Tennessee
Discovered and recorded musicians such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash
Prior to recording musicians such as these Sun mostly focused on African
Sam Philips
Founder of Sun Records
Producer label owner and talen scout
At first recorded mostly black musicians because he liked that music and wanted to bring it to a white audience
Then started to record white rock n roll pioneers such as Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, R
Teenagers
Recognized as a marketable life stage during the 1950s
First time there was a split between what was meant for teenagers and what was meant for adults--teen counterculture
They were the fans of early rock n roll and because they were not adults, older peo
Chuck Berry
Rock & roll's prime innovator, thanks to his detailed songwriting, dazzling lyrics, and clear,economical guitar licks
none of the early breakthrough rock & roll artists are as important to the making of the genre as him
its greatest songwriter, the main s
Little Richard
The wildest and arguably the greatest and most influential of the 1950s rock & roll singers, notoriously covered by white artists
one of the original rock & roll greats
merged the fire of gospel with New Orleans R&B, pounding the piano and wailing with gl
Alan Freed
Disc jockey who coined and popularized the term rock n roll
Had live shows at the Brooklyn and New York Paramount that drew crowds of 4,000 to 5,000 teenagers
Took black music and played it for white audiences, also had on air charisma
He was instrumental
Johnny Cash
Part rockabilly rebel, part campfire storyteller, part outlaw in black, his hearty baritone has remained the essence of country music
one of the most imposing and influential figures in post World War II country music
deep, resonant baritone and spare, pe
Buddy Holly
The single most influential creative force in early rock & roll, with a string of classics that only ended with his tragic death at 22
perhaps the most anomalous legend of 1950s rock & roll, had hits and achieved rock & roll stardom but his importance to
Richie Valens
A pioneering Latino rocker of the 1950s, he had several big hits including "La Bamba", "Donna" and "Come On, Let's Go" before tragically dying in a plane crash--the day the music died
first Hispanic rock star
had only recently established himself as one o
Teen Idols
Were big in the period between Elvis and the Beatles
During this period in the US, there were no real major rock stars---rock was in decline so people like teen idols had to fill the gap
Music wasn't very good--kind of sappy and overdone
British Invasion
Paul Anka
Prolific Canadian singer-songwriter and teen idol, with hits from the 1950s into the 21th century
one of the biggest teen idol of the late 1950s
moved to the adult sphere years later and became a successful performer, songwriter, music businessman, and re
Surf Rock
Popular in the early to Mid Sixties
California area
Two major forms:
Surf music which is instrumental dance music, usually has electric guitars and saxophones playing the main melody
Dick Dale and the Def--Tones
Vocal surf pop which is surf ballads and da
Girl Groups
Became popular in the transition period between Elvis and the Beatles
Ronnie and the Ronettes
The Crystals
Since there was no major rock music, their pop sound was popular but it was rare for a woman to be in rock music
Phil Spector
Record producer famous for the "Wall of Sound"
Pioneer of the 1960s girl group sound
Also helped co write a lot of songs for girl groups such as the Ronettes and the Crystals
One of the first producers to also take on the role of creative director: writin
Motown
Record label
Assembly line music
Played important role in the breaking down of racial barriers in rock music
African American label that achieved significant crossover success
Popularized a distinctive sound which was soul music with a pop influence
Motow
Berry Gordy
Founder of Motown
Needed to make sure his artists had crossover appeal because the white audience brought in significant profit--politics of respectability
Beatles in Hamburg
The members of the Beatles at the time: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best
Played in clubs around Hamburg and West Germany from August 1960 to December 1962
Where they honed their performance skills and widen thei
Folk (Contemporary or Folk Revival)
New popular form of folk music that came from traditional folk music
Also called Folk Revival music (peak was in the Sixties)
Includes fusion genres such as folk rock, electric folk and others
Electric Folk
Characterized by the use of traditional English songs and those composed in that style
Used the format and instruments of a rock band with some more traditional instruments
From folk music: lyrics, tunes, droning sound of guitar or bass, some acoustic ins
Bob Dylan
Iconic singer-songwriter and musical wanderer who rose to prominence during the 1960s folk revival and changed the world of music
influence on popular music is incalculable
pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting from confessional singer-so
Psychedelic Music
Bands such as Pink Floyd which began as a psychedelic band and then moved to art rock
Songs that started or used weird experiemental noises such as clocks or chimes
Yes also is an example of this, started in the blues but moved away from that
Studio as Instrument
Started in 1965 with bands such as the Beatles
Revolver, Sgt. Pepper
Use of experimental sounds that could not be produced on instruments of performed live
The increasing use of this made them stop touring because they weren't able to perform the songs li
Rock/Pop Split
Rock = authentic
Pop = Inauthentic
There is almost always a one way move between the two and once you move to one, it is difficult to go back
Pop in the past (such as the Beatles) is good but today's pop music (2000s forward) is trash
This split is centra
Woodstock
Music and Art Fair 1969
3 days of Peace and Music
Pivotal movement in popular music history
Bands such as Santana and Jimi Hendrix performed
Considered to be one of the definitive moments for the Sixties counterculture of hippies
Social harmony--people ma
Altamont
Free concert in Northern California
Counterculture Era
Performers included: The Rolling Stones (last act), Santana, Jefferson Airplane and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Hell's Angels helped with security
Known for considerable violence including the deat
Art Rock
Rush
long complicated sound effects
moved away from simplicity, often used jazz and classical influences, literature, history, invoking high cultural and art forms
Way of expanding music, appreciate it
have to know something about music to fully understan
Stadium Rock
combination of art rock and punk rock (in between the two)
examples are: Styx, Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody is art rock), Cheap Trick
bombast of rock but without the musical purity
these threads stretch out then come into conflict--people and musicians are in
Early Punk Rock
Ramones, Sex Pistols, etc
response to the complexity of rock
political, primal, loud
banned in many countries
#1 spot on the music charts left blank when they held the top spot
music is, in a way, political or apolitical about everything
rebelling for the
Rockism
Assessing something on the basis of rock being superior and pop being trash---racialized
Music is defined on the terms of rock music--authenticity
Who gets to be taken seriously?
Shift in the last 10 years
Justin Timberlake was once of member of N Sync (p
disco
A genre of dance music containing elements of funk, soul, pop, and salsa
Most popular in the mid to late 1970s
Initial audience was made up of club goers from the gay, African American, Italian American, Latino and psychedelic communities in New York and
Punk Rock
Genre of rock music that developed between 1974 and 1976 in both the US and UK
loud, aggressive form of rock music
Came from garage rock and other forms of music called protopunk
Got rid of the excesses of 1970s art rock and stadium rock (mainstream)
Wrot
The Ramones
Seminal punk rockers who lit up the mid Seventies New York punk scene by stripping rock & roll to the basics
crystallized the genre
leaders of the emerging punk rock scene in New York
cut rock to the bare essentials: four chords, a simple catchy melody, i
The Sex Pistols
Caustic and vibrant band that ushered in the British punk movement, changing the course of rock from accomplished musicianship to inspired amateurism
raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, revolutionized the idea of what rock and roll could be
New Wave
Genre of pop/rock music that came about in the late 1970s-mid 1980s and had ties to punk rock
Moved away from the smooth blues and rock and roll sounds and created music with a twitchy, agitated feel, choppy rhythm guitars and fast tempos
At first was sim
New Order
Formed from the ashes of Joy Division this seminal British alternative act transcended from moody rockers to an extroverted dance group during the 1980s
triumphed over tragedy to become one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s
Embraced
Depeche Mode
Classic new wave snyth pop band that deftly straddled post punk urgency, dancefloor accessibility and pop stardom
originally a product of the Birtish New Romantic movement they went on to become the quintessential elctro pop group of the 1980s
one of the
Second British Invasion
Refers to music acts from the UK that became popular in the US from the summer of 1982 into the fall of 1986 primarily because of the TV station MTV
Sythpop and new wave acts dominated--Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing", "Roxanne" The Police
During the late
Duran Duran
Fashion forward synth pop group with lush arrangements and visual appeal that made them MTV favorites during the 1980s
personified new wave for much of mainstream America
reputation was built through music videos which accentuated their fashion model good
U2
Trafficking in big ideas and big sounds, a band that operated on a grander scale than any other from the 1980s and attracted legions of devoted fans
through a combination of zealous righteousness and post punk experimentalism, became one of the most popul
The Cure
The flagship for Britain's post punk gloom rock trend of the late 1970s with a ghoulish image that masked the diversity of their music
enduring and popular
well known for their slow, gloomy dirges and frontman's ghoulish appearance
jagged, edgy pop songs
Def Leppard
Stadium rock perennials whose catchy guitar driven , power pop/rock was one of the most imitated styles of the 1980s
considered the definitive hard rock band of the 1980s
part of the new wave of British heavy metal but owed more to glam and metal of the e
Iron Maiden
At the forefront of the new wave of British heavy metal and a major metal contender from the late 1970s into the 21st century
One of heavy metals' most influential bands
One of its most enduring and distinctive acts thanks to melodic guitars, ambitious so
Metallica
Most consistently innovative metal band of the 1980s and 1990s, reinvigorating the music with a fast, fierce and surprisingly melodic sound
easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the early 1980s and 1990s
responsible for bringing the genre
Slayer
The early thrash metal band with the most continued vitality and the least risk of compromise , with graphic lyrics wedded to powerful musical chops
one of the most distinctive, influential and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s
Graphic lyrics deal w
Van Halen
One of the best and most popular American hard rock/heavy metal bands, primarily distinguished by the fleet fingers of guitarist Eddie Van Halen
Rewrote the rules of guitar rock and hard rock
Eddie Van Halen redefined what the guitar could do through a bl
Bon Jovi
One of rock's biggest acts that bridged the gap between heavy metal and album oriented rock with style and ease, remaining consistently popular for decades
Known for their pop metal sound that they kept from their formation into the 1980s which made them
Hair Metal or Glam Metal
also known as sleaze metal and often synonymous with pop metal
subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal
combines elements of these genres with punk rock and pop music, adding catchy hooks and guitar riff while borrowing elements from 1970s glam rock
Arose in
Speed Metal
genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from New Wave of British Heavy Metal roots
Described by Allmusic.com as "extremely fast, abrasive and technically demanding
Usually considered less abrasive and more melodic than thrash metal--l
Parent's Music Resource Center (PMRC)
American committee formed in 1985 with the goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual via labeling the albums with Parental Advisory stickers
Founded by four women with politic
The Sugar Hill Gang
Radio friendly hip hop group who scored rap's first crossover hit with "Rapper's Delight"
Inuagurated the history of recroded hip hop in 1979
Made up of three rappers (Master Gee, Wonder Mike and Big Bank Hank) who were formed by record label onwer and mu
Kool DJ Herc
Originator of breakbeat DJ-ing which is essentially the essence of hip hop
Isolating and repeated the most danceable parts of songs or breaks of funk records such as James Brown he created the prototype of modern day hip hop
He is credited as the creator
Grandmaster Flash
One of the first and most innovative hip hop turntablists
had a group called the Furious Five
Greatest innovators in hip hop because they transcended the party music origins of the genre to explore the full scope of the genre's lyrics and sound
Developed
Run DMC
Instigators of hardcore rap who mixed hip hop with hard rock
Responsible more than nay other hip hop group for the sound and style of the music
First hardcore rap group and set the sound and style for both the genre and the next decade of rap
Used spare b
Public Enemy
Influential and controversial rap group that attained massive cultural significance
Rewrote the rules of hip hop becoming the most influential and controversial rap group of the late 1980s and for many, the definitive rap group of all time
Borrowed street
Def Jam
American record label that focuses on and produces primarily hip hop and urban music
Distirbutes various record labels such as Kanye West's label GOOD Music, Roc-A-Fella records, Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace and ARTium Recordings
Current Executive Vice
Beastie Boys
punk trio turned rappers who traded their superstar status to create more adventurous and acclaimed hip hop
first white rap group of any importance
Accused of cultural pirating especially because they started out as a hardcore punk group
Treated rap as a
Salt-N-Pepa
All female rap group who were known for their aggressive rhymes and feminism which earned them worldwide success
Broke the male domination of hip hop in the late 1980s
DJs were women
broke down a number of doors for women in hip hop such as: being one of
Queen Latifah
one of the first politically conscious female rappers who later also became a successful actress
First female rapper to become a star
More charisma and a strong, intelligent no nonsense persona made her arguably the first female MC who could be described
Riot Grrrl
Underground feminist hardcore punk movement that began in the early 1990s in Washington DC and the greater Pacific Northwest especially in Washington State
recent young feminist (sub)cultural movement that combines feminist consciousnesses and punk aesthe
Bikini Kill
icons of 1990s riot grrrl punk and led by feminist icon Kathleen Hanna
Exploded into the male dominated indie rock scene in Washington State
Fused the visceral power of punk with the impassioned ideas of feminism
Revolution Girl Style Now
fiercely polemic
L7
Rare all female grunge band who matched playfulness with their sheer sonic aggression and serious politics
Came from Los Angeles but often lumped with the Seattle grunge movement due to their look, sound and attitude
Band grew more and more metallic but n
Sinead O'Connor
Irish singer who combined distinctive vocal range with striking post feminist imagery and became an unlikely 1990s superstar
Among the most distinctive and controversial stars in pop music of the alternative era
The first and most influential of female pe
Liz Phair
Lo-fi figurehead for the indie singer/songwriter movement
controversial and confrontational subject matter was very influential
Came out of the American underground movement of the late 1980s
fused lo-fi indie rock production techniques with the sensibili
Spice Girls
Cheerful ambassadors of Cool Britannia and Girl Power--greatest international pop phenomenon of the late 1990s
first major British pop music phenomenon to not be indebted to rock
came out of the dance pop music tradition
used dance pop as a musical base b
Limp Bizkit
Chart topping, testosterone loaded band that became one of the most hyped names in the burgeoning rap-metal scene of the 1990s and 2000s
Word of mouth publicity
Tours with famous bands such as Korn and Primus
MTV's Spring Break '98 fashion show
Summer 199
R.E.M
One of the first alt-rock bands to make it big, maintaining their integrity and a sense of adventure over the next three decades
Marked the point where post punk turned into alternative rock
First single sparked a back to the garage movement in the Americ
The Pixies
Indie icons who influenced countless artists by welding classic pop influences and jagged, roaring guitars to their fragmented songwriting
Combined jagged, roaring guitars and start/stop dynamics with melodic pop hooks, intertwined male/female harmonies a
Mudhoney
Quartet that defined Seattle grunge, a group with a penchant for heavy metal muscle, punk attitude and garage rock primativism
band that made the '90s grunge rock movement possible
first real success story for Sub Pop records
Their success on the indie sc
Sub Pop
Record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt
In 1988 Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman founded the label in Seattle, Washington
Achieved fame in the late 1980s by signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle alternative sce
Romanticism
an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that started in Europe in the late 18th century and was at its peak in most countries from 1800 to 1850
Emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of an aesthetic experience
assigned a high value to t
Modernism
change/newness
activities and creations of people who felt that traditional forms of aesthetics and other activities were no longer matching what they wanted to do and outdated
Innovation such as stream of consciousness writing, atonal and twelve tone mus
Nirvana
Second generation punk's most unlikely success, a rampaging hard rock trio that influenced countless artists but their career ended in tragedy
Before them, alternative rock music was confined to the specialty sections of record stores and many major label
Pavement
Fractured songwriting and defiant low fidelity made them the most influential and distinctive band of the 1990s American underground
fractured songs, unexpected blasts of feedback, laconic vocals, cryptic literate lyrics and defiant low fidelity, they wer
Fugazi
the thinking person's hardcore band with an independent, DIY ethos and a musical focus on free form experimentalism
intelligent songwriting and proficient musicianship
community activism and keeping music and shows cheap
roots in Washington DC hardcore, p
Minor Threat
One of the most important and influential 1980s punk bands, a group of idealistic, politically minded teenagers from Washington DC
definitive Washington DC hardcore punk band which defined the straight edged punk movement of the 1980s
Staunchly independen
Napster
Name given to two online music services. The first was a pioneering peer to peer (P2P) file sharing network that emphasized sharing audio files (usually music) encoded in the Mp3 format
ran into legal difficulties through copyright infringement and was ac
Peer to Peer (P2P)
the distribution and sharing of digital media using peer to peer technology. It allows people to access media files using a P2P software program that searches for other computers connected to a P2P network to locate content
the nodes or peers of these net
BitTorrent
a communications protocol for the practice of peer to peer (P2P file sharing) that distributes large amounts of data over the Internet
To send or receive files, users must have a client installed on their computer which lists files available for transfer
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
trade organization that represents the recording industry in the US
members consist of record labels and distributors
focus on legally sold recorded music
headquarters is in Washington DC
formed in 1952
Current mission is:
-protecting intellectual propert
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
US copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
criminalizes production and dissemination of of technology, devices and/or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as digital rights