Learning Objectives
At the end of this class, you should be able to:
- Recognize the origins and musical characteristics of Rock and Roll, Pop, Hip-Hop, and Rap
- Be prepared for an in-depth class during the last week of this course
Key Points
- In the early 1950s, the early rock and roll blended elements of gospel music, blues, popular song, hillbilly music, and rhythm and blues. Artists like Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, and Fats Domino wrote and recorded some of the earliest crossover hits.
Artists such as Bill Haley and His Comets and Pat Boone began recording cover versions of black artists’ songs, most of which were more commercially successful than their black counterparts. - In 1951, Cleveland-based disc jockey Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the term "rock and roll" on mainstream radio. Freed was the first radio disc jockey and concert producer to frequently play and promote rock and roll.
Elvis Presley was one of the most legendary rock and roll performers of all time. His crossover success and immense commercial appeal turned him into one of the most important musical figures of the twentieth century. - Heavy metal is an outgrowth of the hard rock genre. Artists such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were prominent hard rock groups who are also regarded as major influences on the development of heavy metal.
- Hip-hop music developed in the 1970s as a combination of aesthetics from disco, funk, and other African American and Afro-Caribbean music. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, commercial hip-hop was recorded and produced on African American-owned and operated labels such as Sugar Hill Records and Def Jam.
- In 1979, rap music exploded with the enormous success of a single by the Sugarhill Gang entitled “ Rapper’s Delight♫ .” Following its release in October 1979, “Rapper’s Delight,” with its complete sample of the group Chic’s disco hit “Good Times,” was a mainstay on the Billboard Pop charts for twelve weeks.
Listening List
Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around The Clock (1955)
Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles
Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
Ain’t That a Shame by Fats Domino
Elvis Presley "Hound Dog" (October 28, 1956) on The Ed Sullivan Show
Elvis Presley "Love Me Tender" (October 28, 1956) on The Ed Sullivan Show
Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (Live at The Royal Albert Hall 1970)
Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
Aerosmith - Dream On (Live)
Live Performance
Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
Dr. Dre - Let Me Ride
James Brown - I Got You (I Feel Good)
Self Check
At the end of each class, you will have an opportunity to check your knowledge. Please take it as many times as you need to as this will help you prepare for the Section Quiz and the Midterm Exam.