1950's Music

1950's MusicPop

R & BDoo-WopRockabilly

Rock n Roll

The Early 1950's

Continuation of 40's "feel good" music featuring light melodies, sweet lyrics,

and wholesome singers.

adults are listening to Pat Boone, Perry Como, Doris Day, Tony Bennett, Patti Page, and Nat King Cole.

RosemaryClooney

Perry Como

PattiPage

Tony Bennett

But,their children are beginning to hear the beat of "Rhythm and Blues,"

by artist like Louis Jordan, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, Johnny Otis, and Big Momma Thornton

Louis Jordan"Saturday NightFish Fry"

includes all the basic elements of rock'n'roll

a first popular song with the word "rocking"

features a distorted electric guitar

obviously influenced the work of Bill Haley

Louis Jordan Johnny Otis

Big Momma Thornton - first artist to recordHound Dog - 1952

a song later made famous by Elvis - 1956

parents' choice teens' choice

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog

Records by black artist do not sell wellbecause black teens have less moneyto spend and many white parents donot want their children listening to or idolizing the black artist, so whiteartist do "cover" songs of black artist.

Little RichardPat Boone

example of popular white "cover" artist

Sun Studios in Memphis and Chess Records in Chicago began recording predominantly black (R&B) Rhythm and Blues artist like Junior Parker, Little Milton, Howlin' Wolf, B B King, James Cotton, and Muddy Waters.

Later, both studios also recorded many of the black and white rock n roll artist.

Memphis Recording Service / became Sun Studio

Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats"Rocket 88" at Sun Studio 1951

1951 Rocket 88

You may have heard of jalopies,You heard the noise they make,Let me introduce you to my Rocket '88.Yes it's great, just won't wait,Everybody likes my Rocket '88.

Howlin' Wolf

B B King

Chess Records - Chicago

Muddy Waters

Little Walter

But, what each studio needed was a crossover artist, someone who had the energy of Rhythm and Blues and the marketability of Pat Boone.

Sun Studio found Elvis Presley

Chess Studio found Chuck Berry

Elvis

Chuck Berry

In 1951, Cleveland-based disc jockey Alan Freed began playing R&B styled music aimed primarily at a black audience and popularizing the term rock and roll to describe it.

As his show became extremely popular, the term rock n roll caught on and became widely used to describe the evolving style of music.

Alan Freed and Rock n Roll

Alan "Moon Dog" Freed

Early influential DJ (Disc Jockey)

Live remote broadcast in Cleveland

Moondog Coronation Ball - March 21, 1952birth date of rock n roll

Paul Williams and The Hucklebucks

Headline artist at Moondog Ball

Tiny Grimes and the Rockin' Highlanders

Headline artist at Moondog Ball

Things that Influenced the prosperity of Rock n Roll

- Financial prosperity of the 1950's

- "Teenager" earns a place in American culture

- Accessible music wherever you might be

Child

Adult

Teenager

from 1946 to 1960, the number of high school teenagers ballooned from 5.6 million to 11.8 million in the U.S.

The prosperity of the era meant they could afford their own music, clothes, cars, and entertainment.

Access to rock n roll was widespread through numerous means.

Rock n Roll on Records

-albums yes, but primarily 45 rpm singles which cost 90 cents to a dollar each.

Players were sold below cost to promote the sale of 45 rpm records

1952 Seeburg M100C

held 100 45 rpmrecords, so it provided 200 selections

1952 Seeburg M100C

5 cents a play or 6 for a quarter

A jukebox in every soda shop and drugstore

Select songs right from your booth

Record Store 1955

Selling records fromthe back of a truckat college concert

Rock n Roll on the radio

AM frequencies onlyFM radio was insignificant at this time

1950 Transistor Radio

WBMS - Boston, MassachusettsWKBW - Buffalo, New YorkWSBC - Chicago, IllinoisWWDC - Washington, D.C.WLAC - Nashville, TennesseeWEDR - Birmingham, AlabamaWLOK - New OrleansWOBS - Jacksonville, Florida

Some of the early AM radio stations that played rock n roll.Notice they cover the entire north to south area, east of the Mississippi River.

Radio station didn't have to be local, for at night, radio signals for AM radio can go long distances, especially when the air is cold

Rock n Roll on Television

Dick Clark'sAmerican Bandstand

5 days a weekat 3:30

1956

Ed Sullivan ShowSaturday night

Elvis

Buddy Holly

cancelled after 4th episode because black artist FrankieLymon danced with a white girl from the studio audience.

The Big Beat with Alan Freed

Rock n Roll at the Movies

1956

Rock n Roll at Live Concerts

Many of these artist traveled from city to city across the U.S. to play combined shows.

Buddy Holly, Paul Anka, Jerry Lee Lewis

Sept 1: Pontchartrain Bch, New Orleans, LASept 2: Arkansas Mun. Stad., Texarkana, ARSept 3: Sportatorium, Dallas, TXSept 3: Roundup Club, Dallas, TXSept 5: St. Francis Co. Fair, Forrest City, ARSept 6: Bono High School, Bono, ARSept 7: Nat’l Guard Armory, Sikeston, ARSept 8: Municipal Aud., Clarksdale, MSSept 9: McComb H.S., McComb, MSSept 10: Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, LASept 11: Municipal Aud., Norfolk, VASept 12: Municipal Aud., Norfolk, VASept 13: Shrine Auditorium, New Bern, NCSept 14: Fleming Stadium, Wilson, NCSept 15: Am. Legion Aud., Roanoke, VASept 16: City Auditorium, Asheville, NCSept 17: Thomasville H.S., Thomasville, NCSept 18: WRVA Theater, Richmond, VASept 19: WRVA Theater, Richmond, VASept 20: Danville Fairgrounds, Danville, VASept 21: Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh, NCSept 22: Civic Auditorium, Kingsport, TNSept 24: Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, LASept 26: Gilmer Junior H.S., Gilmer, TXSept 28: B&B Club, Gobler, MO

Elvis' appearance schedule for September 195525 appearances in 9 different statessome in auditoriums, schools, theaters, and fairgrounds

Elvis at Mississippi-Alabama Fairgrounds, Tupelo, MS, September 1956

Music of the early 50's

Primarily crooners and pop singers

Music of the mid to late 50's

Rockabilly, Doo-Wop, R&Ball under the umbrella of

Rock n Roll

Bill Haley and the Comets

Bill Haley and his "signature" hairdo

Carl Perkins – Blue Suede Shoes

Perkins is not wearing them in the picture, but they were a real fad in 50's

The Turbans - Early Doo-Wop group

one of the few integrated groups to succeed in the 1950s.

The Del Vikings

Another integrated group - The Impalas

Fats Domino

Frankie Lymonand the Teenagers

Chuck Berry

Bo Diddley Jerry Lee Lewis

Little Richard

Buddy Holly and the Crickets

The King - Elvis Presley

Teenage Reaction toRock n Roll

Adult Reaction to Rock n Roll

Too LoudCan't understand the lyrics

Dancing is SuggestiveFosters Rebellion

Progression of Rock n Roll hits in the 50's

1953 Bill Haley and His Comets - Crazy Man Crazy

1954 - Bill Haley and the Comets - Shake Rattle and Roll

1955 - Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, The Platters

1956 Bill Haley, The Platters, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Frankie Lymon, Gene Vincent, Fats Domino, and Elvis Presley

1957 - Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Buddy Knox, Chuck Berry,The Diamonds, Ricky Nelson, Everly Brothers, The Coasters, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Bill Justis, Dell Vikings, Little Richard, Mickey and Silvia

1958 - add to the above Danny and the Juniors, The Champs, The Silhouettes, Bobby Darin, Duane Eddy, The Big Bopper, Eddie Cochran, Richie Valens,

1959 - While some of the late 50's artist continue to produce hits, Rock and Roll begins to fragment into the musical styles of the 1960's ( pop rock, beat, psychedelic, blues rock, funk, soul, folk, and perhaps most noticeably the British Invasion.)

Perhaps the demise of the golden age of Rock n Roll was best eulogized by Don McLean in his song American Pie when he referenced the 1959 deaths of musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper as "the day the music died."

Examples of the artist's music in this PowerPoint can be found on Spotifyand YouTube.