Midterm

the process of making an instrument sound like a voice or vice versa
-W: emphasis on precision
-A: emphasis on expression

the idea that music is an active part of daily life
-W: emphasis on music as contemplation
-A: emphasis on music as action

the tension between two differing but related definitions
-composed, created and distributed by predominantly African-American communities in the United States (link to past, link culture, transmit hope, expression, ideas, etc)
-the unique result of a merging of cultures and peoples

-survival, strength to survive another day
-deal with hopelessness, poverty, crime, etc
(1) recognize problem
(2) express experience (tragedy and comedy) -> recognize loss and suffering, but realize world won't end
(3) reaffirm existence
ex: Clarence Carter "Makin Love At the Dark End of the Street"

-perfect the world as it is, redeem ourselves after mistakes, make things better
-coming together as a community to perfect the world
(1) express pain to others (it's not just you, but everyone has had bad experiences)
(2) bearing witness (figure out what the real problem is and try to fix it)
(3) finding redemption (tomorrow will be better
-not strictly religious
ex: Dorothy Lee Coates, "No Hiding Place"

-changing world, redefining
-use improv and functionality to find new ways to view world
-learn the rules, then break them
-find the truths of the world and use them to find a way to a new world because the world as it is isn't good enough

-US growing into super power role -> spread of values
-sense of hope and opportunity, so more likely to accept CR mvmt
-black music seen as central to American culture
-rise of TV = rise of folk culture

folk music -> country -> rock n roll, rhythm and blues
-1920s, Appalachia
-similar in structure to blues
-Hank Williams

-forerunner of punk
-country/R&B fusion
-faster, openly rebellious
-more about expressing self

-blues electrified (distortion in guitar, echo in drums)
-hard sound, reflects fast pace of 1950s
-sexually explicit (way to talk about issues not talked about in polite society)
-Chess Records
-Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley
-Chuck Berry

-took Chicago Blues and toned down (softer)
-guitar more about 2nd beat than the melody (simple sounds but ext intelligent)
-used masking

-coping mechanism
-messages through art/conversation where different people see the same thing differently

-Sun Records (built by Sam Phillips)
-BB King, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash

-R&B, country, rockabilly
-made America recognize rock n roll, affirms centrality of black music more than anyone else
-shows men can dance, show sexuality

-1959 - 1964 (rxn)
-during Cold War, anything different was seen as threat to normalcy
-corporations try to make safer, cleaner
-big record labels look for non threatening artists
-choose Italian Americans (not black, but still considered "ethnic")
-get white men to cover black artists (Pat Boone)

-quartets, harmonies
-The Drifters
-GIRL GROUPS
-"Duke of Earl" Gene Chandler, 1964

-The Ronnettes
-women perceived as softer than men, so don't need white covers
-pop focus, operatic style
-Phil Specter

-1931 - 1964
-MO to Chicago, strict religious upbringing
-started out on gospel (The Soul Stirrers)
-refused to play to segregated audiences (Ray Charles)
-wanted "colorblind" audience
"A Change Is Gonna Come" 1964
-made gospel secular

-founder of Motown
-from Atlanta, middle class, came to make money not pol music
-built on Sam Cooke and Phil Specter

-Detroit, "Arsenal of Democracy"
-jobs develop after WWII, people from all over come bringing musical influences with (blues, country roots)
-Great Migration
-"The Soul of America" -> largest black business by end of 1960s
-founded in 1960 by Berry Gordy, Jr
-symbol of what can happen given opportunity to succeed
-artist development department (teach etiquette, elocution, dance, dress) -> conform for success
-"Hitsville, USA"
-crossover
-becomes more political after CR mvmt crashes
-economic determinism -> do whatever it takes to be successful

-foundation for pop, Motown's "house band"
-came up with sound for modern rhythm and blues
-jazz musicians, introduced new sounds

-signed at 17
-link between artists and musicians

-Stevie Wonder, Funk Brothers,
-Martha and the Vandellas (females given more say, "Dancing in the Streets" becomes song of CR mvmt, riots -> call to arms)
-The Four Tops (Chicago blues, gospel)
-

-country soul
-interracial, more church based
-Memphis, Nashville, Muscle Shoals AL
-Stax
-dropping the mask
-greater opportunity for African American culture
-women have more prominent role (telling how want to be treated
-groove is the most important thing

-Memphis TN
-Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton
-started as country, except wasn't making music
-sign dist deal w/Atlantic Recors (Jerry Wexler) to nationally distribute
-begins to make more politically overt songs with increasing popularity
-"Soulsville"
-bankrupt by 1967 because decided not to resign with Atlantic, but Atlantic owns all Stax hits

-Rufus and Carla Thomas
-The Mar-Keys
-Booker T and the MGs ("Green Onions")
-Otis Redding
-Memphis Horns
-Isaac Hayes and David Porter

-Stax
-rep 60s CR mvmt, black and white making music together, sharing ideas, etc

-energy of Stax
-"These Arms of Mine"

-Wilson Pickett
-Sam and Dave
-Aretha Franklin

-Arthur Alexander "You Better Move On" first hit
-country/R&B
-blend of sound, influence

-connected to country most
-Joe Tex (recorded everything)

-rise of industry
-several waves of black migration from south to north in search of jobs and end to segregation

-center of gospel music production (now gospel can make money)
-Record Row (S Michigan Ave) -> Chess, King, Vee Jay

-Rhythm and blues
-Chicago
-ext cosmopolitan (not recognizable like other Chicago artists)
-"Oh What A Night" 1965 AND 1968

-chicago
-pioneer of funk and disco, straddles genres
-wrote own material
-first to speak out about black pride -> social message
-ownership of songs
-seen as model for how to move forward for black community (like Berry Gordy but w/o crossover)
-gospel and redemption: "It's All Right" 1965 (early career)
-hope dissipates as does CR mvmt
-"People Get Ready" 1965 -> train metaphor (building community, common destination, everyone can join in - can always add more cars)
-"We're A Winner" 1968 -> marks end of pop career, radios refused to play, reflects black power, aggressive
-"I Want You" 1965

-first hit w/Atlantic and turning point of career: "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You)" 1967
-women used to have to sing about men b/c men were writing the songs and producing the records
-changes w/Women's Mvmt in 1960s, more varied in sound, aggressive, write own songs
-Memphis to Detroit, grew up fairly well off and close to the mvmt (family friends w/Mahalia Jackson and MLK)
-Jerry Wexler has her singing gospel in a secular way
-goes to Muscle Shoals
-transformed female soul, resonated w/females of all races
-"I Never Loved A Man" -> transitional, B Side: "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"
-immediately establish self, about me, not him
-leads to "You Make Me Feel (Like A Natural Woman)" 1967 -> sexual revolution, man satisfying woman
-all culminate in "Respect", 1967
-rep career, entire era, took "Dream" speech to vernacular
-crossover to Black Pride
-"Chain of Fools" -> blues reality, CR mvmt bumps in road (sense of impending doom, fear, dread that things were going wrong); "you can keep us down, but one of these days the chain is going to break" (hope and impatience, fear)

-1964
-CR mvmt called into question, resistance grows to social/economic mvmt
-Vietnam and counter culture
-belief that society can be perfected, that the country is falling apart, not living up to ideals
-counter culture indicative of problems
-conservative mvmt, evangelical mvmt
-individuals in power cannot be trusted

blues: accept the world
gospel: try to perfect the world
jazz: try to change the world

-breaking down preconceptions
-draw from black and white influences
-interracial band
-blues tradition of using humor to deal with bad times
-late 60s: early years of success (utopian beliefs, gospel impulse, expressing self internally most important)
-"I Want to Take You Higher" 1968 -> utopian high point
-cleavage between white (old rock n roll, blues) and lack (experimentation w/rhythm) music
-growing dystopian sense of dread (become more exclusionary)
-maybe African-Americans need to go own way, not try to fit in ("Family Affair", 1971)