The History of Rock and Roll

Discussion in 'Music' started by Meagain, May 22, 2014.

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  1. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    And while we're on the subject we need to mention Rick Nelson, another early pioneer of rock and another one of my favorites.
    Rick, or Ricky as he was known back then, had his first hit in 1957 at the age of 17. It rose to #2 in the nation. It was the first record he ever recorded and before the end of that year he had a #1 album.

    While Elvis the Pelvis was in trouble for gyrating hips, Jerry Lee was blackballed for being Jerry Lee, Bill Haley was associated with teen age delinquents due to The Blackboard Jungle, and Chuck Berry was colored, Ricky had a squeaky clean image which helped to bring rock into the mainstream.
    While you would never let your daughter date Jerry Lee, Elvis, or Berry, Ricky was the all American boy next door.

    Rick's image was due to his long time participation in the The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet on both radio and TV, one of the longest running series in history.
    His parents, Ozzie and Harriet, were both musicians, Ozzie led the Nelson Orchestra and Harriet was a big band vocalist.
    Begun on radio in 1944 the show transitioned to TV in 1952.

    Ozzie kept the show extremely realistic even using his own home for exterior shots and dressing the sets to appear just as his home's interior did. Story lines often followed real situations the Nelsons' encountered in real life.

    Watching Ricky and his brother David grow up in our homes every week no one realized that Rick was black balled in high school for being too wild and then joined a leather jacket greaser car club, was jailed twice and got out of sucker punching a police officer through his dad's intervention.
    At 13 years of age he was making $100,000 a year but Ozzie restricted him to a $50.00 allowance.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXZd6rUwdkM"]David Nelson Remembers His Brother Rick Interview 1987 - YouTube


    Here he is lip syncing a Fats Domino tune in his musical debut on the TV show.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y-kQ2JZYyE"]I'm Walkin' - YouTube

    Did you notice the hips? He was a close friend of Elvis.

    In 1960 he had an international fan club with 9,000 chapters.
    A star of radio, TV, music, and movies; he influenced artists such as Bob Dylan, Buffalo Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, George Harrison, John Fogerty, etc., etc.

    ​
    He died when his DC3, previously owned by Jerry Lee, crash landed in 1985 due to a malfunctioning cabin heater.
    ​
     
    MeAgain, May 27, 2014
    #41
  3. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAGoqMZRLB4&feature=kp"]Bo Diddley - Who Do You Love - YouTube

    One of my favourites :cheers2:
     
    Asmodean, May 27, 2014
    #42
  5. Karen_J

    Karen_J Visitor

    I haven't heard that in a while! :smilielol5:
     
    Karen_J, May 27, 2014
    #43
  7. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    In which color?
     
    Asmodean, May 27, 2014
    #44
  9. scratcho

    scratcho Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    Bo Diddley buy baby diamond ring----------forgot about Bo. His hook was instantly recognizable.
     
    scratcho, May 27, 2014
    #45
  11. Karen_J

    Karen_J Visitor

    That used to be a standard American term for the black race, a long time ago. Funny how you can hear something a thousand times and then forget about it. I'll bet nobody has said that publicly in 35 years.

    All I ever knew about him was that the public dropped him like a hot potato, once they knew what he was really like.

    So, Rick was meaner than everybody thought, and Elvis was nicer, maybe even a virgin when The Pelvis was getting in trouble for doing all that thrusting on stage. Nobody should be surprised. In the show biz world, nobody's public image ever matches reality, whether it's better or worse.

    What was going on in rock from 1952 to 1954? It seems like a dead period, based on what I've read so far. I know you were busy with learning to walk and talk, but I thought you might have read something later.
     
    Karen_J, May 27, 2014
    #46
  13. scratcho

    scratcho Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    Blacks were juuuuust starting to break into mainstream radio -52-54. Ray Charles was one of the first.

    Work With me Annie--suggestive, but not acceptable because-- ooooooo-black men wantin' Annie to "work" with ém, so Pat fuck Boone, being a lily white christian, was called upon to "clean ém up" for the white folks. So--that song became--Dance With me Henry!!!He did that with several other songs. They were horrible!!
     
    scratcho, May 27, 2014
    #47
  15. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    I don't think so.
    Burton was Rick's lead guitar player. He was the same age, and played with him for 10 years starting in 1957 I think. He lived with the Nelson family for two years.

    It was just that the times were changing and Rockabilly was going away.

    By 1964 his hits had ended and he switched to movies such as Rio Bravo and The Wackiest Ship in the Army. Then he invented country rock.
    In 71 he had a hit with Garden Party. It was then rumored that he was to be produced by Paul McCartney, but it never happened.
    Watch one of his interviews on youtube. A really nice guy for all the fame he had.
     
    MeAgain, May 27, 2014
    #48
  17. Karen_J

    Karen_J Visitor

    It's strange how oldies radio stations choose some popular and successful artists to forget. I've listened to oldies stations all my life, and couldn't tell you the name of one Rick Nelson song.

    Also, the family's TV show never runs on those cable stations that play "Leave It To Beaver" and "Father Knows Best". It's like the Nelson family never existed.
     
    Karen_J, May 28, 2014
    #49
  19. Gongshaman

    Gongshaman Modus Lascivious

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    You're kidding, right? :rolleyes:
     
    Gongshaman, May 28, 2014
    #50
  21. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    I just watched an episode a couple days ago, it's on Retro TV which may or may not be carried on your local cable.
     
    MeAgain, May 29, 2014
    #51
  23. Karen_J

    Karen_J Visitor

    Unfortunately, no, but I think I will check it out online tonight, just out of curiosity.

    Yesterday, I did a little informal, highly unscientific poll around the office. The results were depressing. I asked a variety of people what they thought about early rock and roll in the fifties, and why. They had their facts all confused. All they wanted to talk about was fat, sweaty, tasteless Elvis from the seventies, not the slim dancer from the fifties. They didn't mention anybody else by name. In the pop culture world, perception is reality, so the other guys are not likely to get the respect they deserve in the future, because they are too closely associated with one star that faded twenty years later. It's not fair.

    The only local oldies station that ever plays fifties music just covers ballads and the do-wap style of pop, no rock at all.
     
    Karen_J, May 29, 2014
    #52
  25. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    A bit of hyperbole perhaps.
    Some say that the Byrds Sweet Heart of the Rodeo, 1968, was the first country rock. But Rick's Bright Lights and Country Music sessions occurred in 1965 and 1966 under two different bands. The first had Clarence White, later to join the Byrds and the second had James Burton who later worked with Graham Parsons, of the Byrds.
    Sam Phillips; Founder Sun Records "Most rockers rocked pretty good, including those on Sun Records like Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee. But a little ol' boy Ricky Nelson came on the TV screen and really got right with it in a really understanding way but believe me, he really got his message over. He was probably one of the most fluid sounding rockers that could give you a good rocker and make it sound like a ballad...but make your feet wanna move and for that reason, we're all the better for hearing Ricky Nelson."

    Carl Perkins "I only know two cats in this business that really had it all; Elvis was one of those guys, the other was Ricky Nelson. There was a difference in those two guys though. Elvis moved...Ricky never had to; he stood flat footed and captivated his audience with his good looks. We grew up with him; those who didn't missed something. History books are gonna have to say that he played a big role in Rock 'n' Roll music.... and he did it his way."

    Jerry Lee Lewis "I predicted he'd be really big, just before he hit it with his rock 'n' roll, rockabilly style. He was good. Ricky was really good and of course, he had great backing. He always had a great band."

    Kris Kristofferson "He was the crown prince of Rock N Roll"

    Bob Dylan "Ricky had a smooth touch… His voice was sort of mysterious and put you in a certain mood… but that type of music was on its way out."

    Linda Ronstadt "Rick Nelson's She Belongs To Me made me want to record in that Country Rock mode."
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWPrtfE-TBI"]Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band "She Belongs to Me" - YouTube

    ​
     
    MeAgain, May 29, 2014
    #53
  27. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    That was why I started this thread. I have always been amazed at the lack of variety that gets played on radio stations. In the old days you heard a lot of variety, Doris Day, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Fats Domino, Elvis, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Burl Ives, etc.
    Now, I'm so sick of Jack and Diana I could puke.

    There is so much good music that is never played and if never played, forgotten. Or worse yet, never known.
    That's why today's music sucks, IMO. Listen to an interview of any old rocker and you'll find that they had an extensive knowledge of the music and artists that came before them. I think the fall began with Punk and went down hill from there. Rock has always been a form of rebellion, but it was a rebellion against morals, authority, parents, etc. But a musical rebellion.
    Punk was a rebellion against music itself, so it sucked as it's aim was to be anti-musical.

    At least that's I think.​
     
    MeAgain, May 29, 2014
    #54
  29. Karen_J

    Karen_J Visitor

    Okay, as soon as I heard Garden Party, I knew I'd heard it a thousand times before. I just didn't know who it was.

    Sirius / XM satellite radio has turned variety into a bad thing on their 1950's station. They almost never play anything good on it; mostly just obscure junk.

    As for their other "decade" channels, they play too much variety there too, including a lot of bad songs from my youth that I had enjoyed forgetting, but they do mix in a lot of good ones too. In general, it's light years better than FM. And the radio displays all the song titles, artist names, album titles, and release years! Everything you need to follow up online.

    I feel the same way about Suspicious Minds and Kentucky Rain. How did those two get picked for excessive airplay? I know the recording quality is much better than Hound Dog, but it's no better than I Can't Help Falling In Love With You, a timeless classic love song, and maybe the best thing Elvis ever did. I can't hear it without getting emotional.

    YouTube and good music threads in forums can do a lot to change that. :cheers2:

    If all recorded ended tomorrow, there's probably enough good material already out there that the average person will never live long enough to get tired of all of it.

    New pop singers only talk about listening to slightly older pop singers.

    Old rockers definitely did their homework. Mick Jagger, for example, spent a good bit of time in Memphis and New Orleans, soaking up the vibe of each place, researching the old time blues music and old time venues, talking to local musicians (especially older ones), jamming with them, learning as much as he possibly could first-hand. U2 brought in portable equipment and recorded an album in the original Sun Records studio. Most young musicians wouldn't even know why that was a cool thing to do.
     
    Karen_J, May 29, 2014
    #55
  31. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    And not just rock. Here's Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of Sixteen Tons first recorded by Merle Travis. Such a simple clean sound.
    ​

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Joo90ZWrUkU"]Tennessee Ernie Ford Sings 16 Tons - YouTube

    Which brings me to Bo Diddly. Bo got banned from Ed Sullivan after a misunderstanding. Ed thought he was going to sing his version of Sixteen Tons. Instead he did Bo Diddley.
    ​

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMZjAOoX6nw"]BO DIDDLEY 55 Bo Diddley - YouTube

    I like Tennessee's version better.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYhksl4_ylA"]Bo Diddley - Sixteen Tons - YouTube
    ​
     
    MeAgain, May 31, 2014
    #56
  33. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    And while I'm on the Bo, I stumbled onto this gem, of which I never heard, and I'm betting no one else has either;
    By the great Eric Burdon..and the original Animals I assume. Of whom we will get to in the 60's.
    ​

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xior0GXJcjs"]The Story of BO DIDDLEY - Eric Burdon The Animals (incl. lyrics) - YouTube

    Now listen here to the story of Bo Diddley
    The rock 'n roll scene in general
    Bo Diddley was born Ellis McDaniels
    In a place called McCoom

    In Mississippi about 1926
    He moved to Chicago about 1938
    Where his name was eventually changed to Bo Diddley
    He practised the guitar every day and sometimes into the night

    'Til his papa's hair began to turn white
    His pa said "Son, listen here, I know"
    "You can stay but, uh, that guitar's just got to go"
    So he pulled his hat down over his eyes

    And headed on out for them western skies
    I think Bob Dylan said that
    He hit New York City
    He began to play the Apollo in Harlem

    Good scene there
    Everybody raved
    One day, one night
    Came a Cadillac, four headlights

    Came a man with a big long fat cigar
    He said "Come here son, I'm going to make you a star"
    Bo Diddley said "Uh, what's in it for me?"
    The man said "Uh, shut your mouth son and play the guitar"

    "And you just wait and see"
    Well, Bo made it, he made it real big
    And so did the rest of the Rock 'n Roll scene along with him
    And a white guy called Johnny Otis took Bo Diddley's rhythm

    And changed into hand jive
    And it went like this:

    In a little old country town one day
    A little old country man begin to play
    Had two guitars and a beat-up saxophone
    When the drummer said ??? those cats begin to ???

    Oh baby, oooo we oh oh
    Oooo la la that rock 'n roll
    You hear me, oooo we oh oh
    Oooo la la that rock 'n roll

    Then the U.S. music scene, there was big changes made
    Due to circumstances beyond our control
    Such as payola
    The rock 'n roll scene died after two years of solid rock

    You got discs like, uh:
    Take good care of my baby
    Please don't ever make her blue
    And so forth

    About, uh, one year later
    In a place called Liverpool in England
    Uh, four young guys with mop haircuts
    Begin to sing stuff like, uh:

    It's been a hard day's night
    And I've been workin' like a dog
    And so on

    A place called Richmond in Surrey
    Way down in the deep south
    Where the guys had long hair down their backs sang:
    I want to be your lover baby
    I want to be your man, yeah
    And all that jazz

    Well we been doin' this number "Bo Diddley"
    For quite some time now
    Bo Diddley visited this country last year
    And we were playin' the Club A-Go-Go in Newcastle, our home town

    And the doors opened one night
    And to our surprise in walked the man himself, Bo Diddley
    Along with him was, uh, Jerome Green, his maraca man
    And the Dutchess, his gorgeous sister

    Now we're doin', uh, we're doin' this number
    Along with them came Rolling Stones and The Mersey Beats
    They're all standin' around diggin' it
    And I overheard Bo Diddley talkin'

    He turned around to Jerome Green, he said
    "Hey Jerome. What do you think of these guys doin our, our material?"
    Jerome said "Uh, where's the bar, man. Please show me to the bar."
    He turned around to the Dutchess and he said

    "Hey Dutch. What do you think of these young guys doin' our material?"
    She said ah, "I don't know. I only came across here to see the
    Changin' of the guards and all that jazz."
    But Bo Diddley looked up at me and he said, uh

    With half-closed eyes and a smile
    He said "Man". Took off his glasses. He said "Man"
    "That sure is the biggest load of rubbish ever heard in my life"
    Hey Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)

    Oh Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
    Yeah Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
    Oh Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
    Yeah Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
    Oh Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
    ​
     
    MeAgain, May 31, 2014
    #57
  35. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    I really love this guy's stuff :) Check these out too!

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRymhuVJMKY"]Give Me a Break - Bo Diddley - YouTube

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRqmVcit580"]BO DIDDLEY She's Alright (undubbed) - YouTube

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbRaBxSGIoc"]Bo Diddley - elephant man - YouTube

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCC81os7B0o"]BO DIDDLEY BAD TRIP.wmv - YouTube

    :cheers2:
     
    Asmodean, May 31, 2014
    #58
  37. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    How 'bout some of the Everly's?


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hkx_CDExfI"]Everly Brothers - TAKE A MESSAGE TO MARY - YouTube

    Now, who called themselves "the English Everly Brothers"?
    Speaking of Tennessee Ernie:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q3eTObNiUU"]Ernie Ford and The Everly Brothers-"Rattlesnake Daddy" - YouTube


    Ain't that sweet!?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X7b2E_Jq-k"]EVERLY BROTHERS - Wake up little Susie (1957) - YouTube
    ​
     
    MeAgain, May 31, 2014
    #59
  39. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    Random songs.....Random songs......Random songs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fty3Nzc-oiY"]The Chordettes "Lollipop" & "Mr. Sandman" - YouTube

    Love those harmonies in Mr. Sandman!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGgaZZl_GVg"]Pink Shoelaces - Dodie Stevens Live 1959 - YouTube

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM"]Santo & Johnny "Sleep Walk" - YouTube
    ​
     
    MeAgain, May 31, 2014
    #60
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