Labor Pains + Ghosts of Mississippi

Hello everyone, I hope that you enjoyed Dr. McKeen's first lecture. If you seem overwhelmed by the volume of information, or simply because a lot of this material seems foreign, relax. We aren't expecting you to be familiar with a lot of these artists and the early history, and if you were then lecture was probably pretty boring. In case you missed it here is what we covered:

We talked about the characteristics of rock n' roll, and how they apply to the way we studying it's history. Dr. McKeen described rock n' roll in his own words as any form of music aimed at a youthful audience. By this definition we will not be limiting rock n' roll to simply guitar, bass, and drums, and the range of artists we will incorporate into the realm of rock n' roll will be large. Also, he discussed the technologies and categories that both limited and expanded rock n' roll in it's inception. The technologies included recording tech, radio tech, and instrument tech. And the categories pertained to charts which also tied in with the recording industry, these were race records, hillbilly records, and mainstream records. An important thing to remember is that while records and charts were segregated, radio was not. Cultures that were divided geographically and socially were able to listen to the same music over the radio and immerse themselves in different genres. Examples that translate to rock are Chuck Berry listening to country and western radio, and Elvis listening to African American radio.

Keep in mind cultural mixing when we talk about our first subject of Labor Pains, Bob Wills. He was a country performer who was very into African sounds. In his music he combined traditional country instruments like banjo, fiddle, and guitar with woodwinds and brass instruments creating a widly subversive sound for the 1930's.

Hank Williams Sr., who is known today as the quintessential figure of country music, was reviled in his day. He was a drinker with marital problems and did not fit the classic country mold. He also played with an upswing beat uncharacteristic of classic country which focuses on the back beat. This gave a bluesy feel to his music. He also had a quick vocal delivery on many songs that weren't ballads.

Les Paul, is known by Dr. McKeen as the tinkerer. He is famous for the creation of one the greatest rock guitars that bears his name. He is also famous for discovering the technique of overdubbing while attempting to mix channels on a recording of he and his wife Mary Ford, who were a pop duo in the 50's. Les Paul was a pioneer of recording and sound.

Dr. McKeen points out that in rock n' roll, the risk takers often stumble upon the great music and fame. Such is the case with Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Studios in Memphis, who is responsible for recording "Rocket 88" by Jackie Breston and His Delta Cats with a broken amplifier. This produced a distorted sound we have grown accustomed to in rock, but in 1953 was unheard of. Some call this the first rock n' roll' record.

This brings us to our next point, who started rock n roll? When did rock n' roll start? Nobody knows really, but we can take guesses and form our own opinions, but without question the roots of rock n' roll are embedded deep in Mississippi, namely Clarksdale where Highway 61 and Highway 49 intersect. These are both storied rock highways referred to by the likes of Bob Dylan and Howlin' Wolf.

This intersection is where Robert Johnson is claimed to have sold his soul to the devil for supernatural guitar playing ability. Is it true? Who knows, but it makes for great rock legend. Johnson was born in 1911 and died in 1938. His recordings were done primarily in two sessions and now make up some of the most influential music to rock n' roll ever. His disciples include, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page, among countless others. Perhaps you've heard of those guys.

His predecessor was Charley Patton. Legend has it that Patton was seen at a train station in Mississippi playing slide guitar with a knife as a child. The first blues? Again, who knows. He is famous for singing about the flood of 1927 in the Delta in a song called "High Water." Memphis Minnie also sang about the flood in her song "When the Levees Break." You may have heard the Zepplin version.

It is important to understand that rock n' roll is a derivitave form of music. Patton and Johnson and WIlls and Paul may have been pioneers, but probably weren't the first. We are only trying to get a grasp of where our present rock music evolved from.

I will end the post by re-stating that rock n' roll first comes through imitation, then absorbtion, and then originality. Rarely do artists skip steps 1 and 2, and if you don't believe us then just check out the catalog of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.

Hopefully this helped a little bit and I know I left tons of stuff out, which means if you want the juicy details, COME TO LECTURE! I'll get better at this as time goes on.

My listening recommendations for class 1 are: 32-20 Blues, Little Queen of Spades, and Malted Milk by Robert Johnson, The Mercury Hits by Hank Williams, Martin Scorcese Presents the Blues: Son House, and Eric Clapton's album Me and Mr. Johnson.

My reading recommendations for this week are, of course our text book, and Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues by Elijah Wald. Fantastic history if you are a blues buff.

See you all next class, and rock n' roll is here to stay.