MUS 354 PART 1 FACTS EXAM: KEY CONCEPTS
AND STUDY GUIDE
When did the term "rhythm and blues" first appear as a billboard chart?
June 25, 1949; originally called "race records", then "harlem hit parade", then back to "race records";
Jerry Wexler proposed the term rhythm and blues in 1949.
The commercial growth of rhythm and blues during the decade following WWII was a product of
which four factors?
-the economic and social empowerment of African Americans
-a media revolution that introduced new recording formats and redefined the role of radio
-the growing interest of whites in black music
-the crossover appeal of the music itself.
A central issue for African Americans after WWII
equality; racial, economic, and social
-in the war, often fought in segregated units
What did Harry Truman do in 1948?
he signed an executive order demanding an end to discrimination in the armed services; moved the
needle closer to integration
If WWI brought issues of equality to the fore, what gave the US reason to respond to it?
the postwar economic boom, the massive emigration of blacks from the rural South (to the N and W),
US hypocrisy regarding it's "defense of freedom", and the Cold War
two events that catalyzed the civil rights movement
-Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), which rescinded the "separate but equal" policy
sanctioned by the Court's 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.
,- In 1955, Montgomery, AL, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. When she was
arrested and sent to jail, blacks in Montgomery boycotted the municipal bus service for a year. Two
years later, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which
advocated nonviolent protest modeled after that used by Mahatma Gandhi in India.
how did R&B artists contribute to the civil rights movement in the postwar years?
indirectly; the appeal of their music heightened awareness of black culture
-at the same time, R&B also benefited from the increased media attn. to U.S. race relations
which two developments triggered a media revolution in the 1950s?
the emergence of commercial television and the development of new record formats
-opened the door for R&B
what happened to the TV industry after WWII?
it mushroomed; In 1946, the industry only sold 6,000 television sets.
-in 1949, sales topped 2 million sets.
-By the mid-fifties, television was a household staple, and the first color sets were on the market.
-Television quickly took over radio's role as the primary source of all-purpose entertainment.
what happened when TV took over radio's role as the primary source of American entertainment?
radio re-defined itself as a medium, and began playing recorded music.
-most prominently played pop, but other stations offered alternatives, often broadcast at odd times (i.e.
late-night, early morning)
-Disc jockeys (DJs), a new breed of radio personality created by this phenomenon, hosted these shows.
-Listeners tuned in for the DJ as well as the music.
-During these early years of radio programming, DJs chose their own music. As rhythm and blues and
rock and roll caught on, their ability to choose the music that they played gave them enormous clout,
which they abused on occasion
What happened to record formats postwar?
-Shellac 78s had dominated the market; delivered about three minutes of popular music on 10-inch
discs and about four minutes of classical music on 12-inch discs.
-In 1948, Columbia Records began issuing long-playing (LP) records, that revolved at 33 rpm. These were
vinyl discs that held over half an hour of music and didn't break when you dropped them.
,-in 1949, RCA brought out the 7-inch 45 rpm single. This disc was also vinyl and, despite its much smaller
size, also held about three minutes of music.
-It took a while for these new formats to catch on because they required new record players. However,
by the mid-fifties, the new 45 rpm format had largely replaced the 78.
-45s were directed at teens because of their convenience and durability
what is BMI?
-Broadcast Music Incorporated
-a music licensing agency created in 1939 to collect fees on behalf of those clients (blues and country
musicians) not represented by ASCAP, the licensing organization for pop songwriters and performers.
how did the development of BMI impact the music industry?
-completed the infrastructure that allowed independent artists to come on to the commercial scene
-indie industry grew in the late 40s and early 50s
-40s indie pioneer Leonard Chess sold his 45s from the trunk of his car
In the 40s and 50s, what was indie music?
-country and blues, mostly from black artists
what was the Macomba?
A club owned by Leonard and Phil Chess on Chicago's southside; featured prominent black artists of the
day.
-In 1947, the bros. sensed the market and opened Aristocrat records, their label
-The first releases on the new label featured jazz and jump band performers. Over the next several
years, they added such key figures as Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry to their roster.
Important indie labels
-Aristocrat Records (Brothers Chess, Chicago 1947)
-Atlantic Records (Ahmet Ertegun, NYC, 1947)
-Art Rupe's Specialty Records based in New Orleans, Lew Chudd's Imperial Records based in Los Angeles,
and Syd Nathan's King Records based in Cincinnati, all helped preserve and disseminate the sound of
rhythm and blues (and country and western).
-Sam Phillips's Sun Records. His recording studio, the only place that blacks could record in Memphis,
, also recorded top rockabilly acts, beginning with Elvis Presley.
-The only record label that became major was Atlantic
Among the most important developments in rhythm and blues during the decade that followed World
War II were:
-Up-tempo good-time blues styles with a strong beat and/or backbeat
-Electric blues, a transformation of country blues through the use of amplified guitar and the addition of
a rhythm section
-The incorporation of Latin rhythms and instruments
-A new black pop style, shaped by a long history of pop and gospel vocal groups
describe the jump-band sound
-Jump bands stripped down and souped up the sound of big-band swing.
-kept the rhythm section but reduced the horn sections drastically, paring down three full sections to a
couple of saxophones and a trumpet.
-Often, they strengthened the beat by converting the four-beat swing rhythm to a shuffle.
-built songs on repeated riffs, usually over a blues or blues-based form. The songs typically took a
medium tempo because shuffle rhythm put the more frenetic swing tempos out of reach.
-emphasized singing more than swing had. The vocalist was the key figure in the group, and the lyrics
typically told a funny story or allowed the singer to brag a little, or both.
-A blend of hokum, boogie-woogie, and big-band swing
-roles of the musicians are clearly defined: the bass walks; the drummer plays a shuffle beat; the guitar
and/or the piano also helps keep the beat—the pianist may also play fills and solo; the saxophone honks
riffs, either behind the vocalist, in response to him, or in a solo; and the other horns join the sax in
creating harmonized response riffs. There is a clear hierarchy.
hokum
An upbeat blues style that emerged between the first and second world wars.
swing
Rhythmic play over a four-beat rhythm
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
AND STUDY GUIDE
When did the term "rhythm and blues" first appear as a billboard chart?
June 25, 1949; originally called "race records", then "harlem hit parade", then back to "race records";
Jerry Wexler proposed the term rhythm and blues in 1949.
The commercial growth of rhythm and blues during the decade following WWII was a product of
which four factors?
-the economic and social empowerment of African Americans
-a media revolution that introduced new recording formats and redefined the role of radio
-the growing interest of whites in black music
-the crossover appeal of the music itself.
A central issue for African Americans after WWII
equality; racial, economic, and social
-in the war, often fought in segregated units
What did Harry Truman do in 1948?
he signed an executive order demanding an end to discrimination in the armed services; moved the
needle closer to integration
If WWI brought issues of equality to the fore, what gave the US reason to respond to it?
the postwar economic boom, the massive emigration of blacks from the rural South (to the N and W),
US hypocrisy regarding it's "defense of freedom", and the Cold War
two events that catalyzed the civil rights movement
-Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), which rescinded the "separate but equal" policy
sanctioned by the Court's 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.
,- In 1955, Montgomery, AL, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. When she was
arrested and sent to jail, blacks in Montgomery boycotted the municipal bus service for a year. Two
years later, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which
advocated nonviolent protest modeled after that used by Mahatma Gandhi in India.
how did R&B artists contribute to the civil rights movement in the postwar years?
indirectly; the appeal of their music heightened awareness of black culture
-at the same time, R&B also benefited from the increased media attn. to U.S. race relations
which two developments triggered a media revolution in the 1950s?
the emergence of commercial television and the development of new record formats
-opened the door for R&B
what happened to the TV industry after WWII?
it mushroomed; In 1946, the industry only sold 6,000 television sets.
-in 1949, sales topped 2 million sets.
-By the mid-fifties, television was a household staple, and the first color sets were on the market.
-Television quickly took over radio's role as the primary source of all-purpose entertainment.
what happened when TV took over radio's role as the primary source of American entertainment?
radio re-defined itself as a medium, and began playing recorded music.
-most prominently played pop, but other stations offered alternatives, often broadcast at odd times (i.e.
late-night, early morning)
-Disc jockeys (DJs), a new breed of radio personality created by this phenomenon, hosted these shows.
-Listeners tuned in for the DJ as well as the music.
-During these early years of radio programming, DJs chose their own music. As rhythm and blues and
rock and roll caught on, their ability to choose the music that they played gave them enormous clout,
which they abused on occasion
What happened to record formats postwar?
-Shellac 78s had dominated the market; delivered about three minutes of popular music on 10-inch
discs and about four minutes of classical music on 12-inch discs.
-In 1948, Columbia Records began issuing long-playing (LP) records, that revolved at 33 rpm. These were
vinyl discs that held over half an hour of music and didn't break when you dropped them.
,-in 1949, RCA brought out the 7-inch 45 rpm single. This disc was also vinyl and, despite its much smaller
size, also held about three minutes of music.
-It took a while for these new formats to catch on because they required new record players. However,
by the mid-fifties, the new 45 rpm format had largely replaced the 78.
-45s were directed at teens because of their convenience and durability
what is BMI?
-Broadcast Music Incorporated
-a music licensing agency created in 1939 to collect fees on behalf of those clients (blues and country
musicians) not represented by ASCAP, the licensing organization for pop songwriters and performers.
how did the development of BMI impact the music industry?
-completed the infrastructure that allowed independent artists to come on to the commercial scene
-indie industry grew in the late 40s and early 50s
-40s indie pioneer Leonard Chess sold his 45s from the trunk of his car
In the 40s and 50s, what was indie music?
-country and blues, mostly from black artists
what was the Macomba?
A club owned by Leonard and Phil Chess on Chicago's southside; featured prominent black artists of the
day.
-In 1947, the bros. sensed the market and opened Aristocrat records, their label
-The first releases on the new label featured jazz and jump band performers. Over the next several
years, they added such key figures as Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry to their roster.
Important indie labels
-Aristocrat Records (Brothers Chess, Chicago 1947)
-Atlantic Records (Ahmet Ertegun, NYC, 1947)
-Art Rupe's Specialty Records based in New Orleans, Lew Chudd's Imperial Records based in Los Angeles,
and Syd Nathan's King Records based in Cincinnati, all helped preserve and disseminate the sound of
rhythm and blues (and country and western).
-Sam Phillips's Sun Records. His recording studio, the only place that blacks could record in Memphis,
, also recorded top rockabilly acts, beginning with Elvis Presley.
-The only record label that became major was Atlantic
Among the most important developments in rhythm and blues during the decade that followed World
War II were:
-Up-tempo good-time blues styles with a strong beat and/or backbeat
-Electric blues, a transformation of country blues through the use of amplified guitar and the addition of
a rhythm section
-The incorporation of Latin rhythms and instruments
-A new black pop style, shaped by a long history of pop and gospel vocal groups
describe the jump-band sound
-Jump bands stripped down and souped up the sound of big-band swing.
-kept the rhythm section but reduced the horn sections drastically, paring down three full sections to a
couple of saxophones and a trumpet.
-Often, they strengthened the beat by converting the four-beat swing rhythm to a shuffle.
-built songs on repeated riffs, usually over a blues or blues-based form. The songs typically took a
medium tempo because shuffle rhythm put the more frenetic swing tempos out of reach.
-emphasized singing more than swing had. The vocalist was the key figure in the group, and the lyrics
typically told a funny story or allowed the singer to brag a little, or both.
-A blend of hokum, boogie-woogie, and big-band swing
-roles of the musicians are clearly defined: the bass walks; the drummer plays a shuffle beat; the guitar
and/or the piano also helps keep the beat—the pianist may also play fills and solo; the saxophone honks
riffs, either behind the vocalist, in response to him, or in a solo; and the other horns join the sax in
creating harmonized response riffs. There is a clear hierarchy.
hokum
An upbeat blues style that emerged between the first and second world wars.
swing
Rhythmic play over a four-beat rhythm
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
