History of Rock, Part One

About this course: This course, part 1 of a 2-course sequence, examines the history of rock, primarily as it unfolded in the United States, from the days before rock (pre-1955) to the end of the 1960s. This course covers the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and many more artists, with an emphasis both on cultural context and on the music itself. We will also explore how developments in the music business and in technology helped shape the ways in which styles developed. Rock emerged in the mid 1950s as a blending of mainstream pop, rhythm and blues, and country and western--styles that previously had remained relatively separate. This new style became the music of the emerging youth culture and was often associated with teen rebellion. We will follow the story of how this rowdy first wave of rock and roll (1955-59) was tamed in the early 60s but came roaring back with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and then went psychedelic by the end of the decade.

Created by:  University of Rochester

• Taught by:  John Covach, Professor of Music and Director

  Institute for Popular Music

Commitment 12-24 hours of videos and quizzes Language English, Subtitles: Serbian, Chinese (Simplified) How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.8 stars Average User Rating 4.8See what learners said Travail en cours

Chaque cours fonctionne comme un manuel interactif en proposant des vidéos préenregistrées, des quiz et des projets.

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University of Rochester The University of Rochester is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University provides exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by its Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Introduction



1 video, 7 readings expand

1. Video: Introduction
2. Lecture: Welcome to the Course
3. Lecture: General Overview
4. Lecture: Syllabus
5. Lecture: Grading and Logistics
6. Lecture: Music Fundamentals
7. Lecture: Listening Guides (19 videos)
8. Lecture: About the Professor

The World Before Rock and Roll (1900-1955)



The Role of Tin Pan Alley in mainstream pop, the formation of a national audience through radio and the rise of television, the pre-rock pop of Frank Sinatra, Patti Page, and Les Paul and Mary Ford; rhythm and blues in the years before rock and roll; country and western and the rise of Nashville.


11 videos expand

1. Video: The Music Business in the First Half of the 20th Century
2. Video: Radio and Regional vs National Audiences
3. Video: The Stars of Pop Music Before Rock and Roll
4. Video: Les Paul, Inventor - The Role of Technology
5. Video: Origins of Country & Western (pre WWII)
6. Video: The Rise of Nashville
7. Video: Rhythm and Blues (Pre 1945)
8. Video: Rhythm & Blues (Post 1945)
9. Video: Regional R&B Radio in the 1950s
10. Video: Doo Wop and Gospel
11. Video: Hokum Blues and Sexual Lyrics

WEEK 2


The Birth and First Flourishing of Rock and Roll (1955-59)



Chart crossover and cover versions, the first hits of Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Little Richard, the rise of Elvis Presley, the music of Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, the rise of American Bandstand, the payola scandal and the "death of rock and roll."


8 videos expand

1. Video: The Rise of Youth Culture in the 1950s
2. Video: Radio and Records
3. Video: Crossovers and Covers
4. Video: The First Rock and Rollers Cross Over
5. Video: The Rise of Elvis Presley
6. Video: Sam Phillips Selling Elvis Contract
7. Video: Rockabilly in the Wake of Elvis
8. Video: The Day the Music Died

Graded: The World Before Rock and Roll and The Birth and First Flourishing of Rock and Roll

WEEK 3


The Demise of Rock and the Promise of Soul (1959-63)



Was this era the dark ages for rock music or was it a golden era cut short by the British invasion? The music of teen idols, the folk revival, early surf music, sweet soul, rockabilly pop, and girl groups. The Brill Building songwriters and the rise of the producer. Playlets and splatter platters.


9 videos expand

1. Video: Audiences and Marketing - The Search for the Next Elvis
2. Video: The Brill Building Approach to Pop
3. Video: Teen Idols
4. Video: Producers and Girl Groups
5. Video: Sweet Soul
6. Video: TV, Movies, and Dance Crazes
7. Video: The Folk Revival
8. Video: Rockabilly Popsters
9. Video: Surf Music

WEEK 4


The Beatles and the British Invasion (1964-66)
The Beatles transform the UK music scene and then invade America. Other Beatles-type British bands. The London blues scene and the Rolling Stones. Other Stones-type bands. The Who and the Kinks.


10 videos expand

1. Video: Introduction
2. Video: The Early 1960s in the US & UK
3. Video: The Rise of the Beatles
4. Video: Beatles as Students of American Pop Music
5. Video: Beatles From Craftsmen to Artists
6. Video: Blues in the UK
7. Video: The Rolling Stones Emerge
8. Video: The Stones in The States
9. Video: Other British Bands
10. Video: The Kinks and the Who

Graded: The Demise of Rock and the Promise of Soul (1959-63) and The Beatles and the British Invasion (16964-66)

WEEK 5


American Responses (1965-67)
Dylan, the Byrds and folk rock. Garage bands in the northwest. Sonny and Cher and the legacy of Phil Spector. TV rock, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and the Monkees. Music in New York and Los Angeles.


7 videos expand

1. Video: Dylan as the New American Songwriter
2. Video: Dylan Goes Electric
3. Video: Folk Rock and the Byrds
4. Video: The Phil Spector Legacy
5. Video: Meanwhile, Back East
6. Video: Garage Bands
7. Video: TV Rock

WEEK 6


Motown Pop and Southern Soul (1960-69)
Berry Gordy and the rise and first flourishing of Motown. Atlantic, Stax, and southern soul (Memphis, Muscle Shoals, New York). Parallels between Motown and Stax. James Brown and the roots of funk.


7 videos expand

1. Video: Preamble
2. Video: Hitsville, USA: Motown
3. Video: The Motown Performers
4. Video: Soulsville, USA: Stax and Southern Soul (7:25)
5. Video: The Stax Performers (12:06)
6. Video: Motown, Stax, the British Invasion, and the American Response (6:37)
7. Video: James Brown (12:44)

Graded: American Responses and Motown Pop and Southern Soul

WEEK 7


Psychedelia (1966-69)
How can music be psychedelic? Underground psychedelic scenes in San Francisco and London. Psychedelia in LA. The Summer of Love and the rise of hippie culture. The birth of FM rock and rock magazines. Woodstock and Altamont.


9 videos expand

1. Video: LSD, Music, and the Trip
2. Video: The Beginnings of the Hippie Aesthetic
3. Video: Pushing the Envelope Beatles and Beach Boys
4. Video: Psychedelia in San Francisco - Subculture
5. Video: Psychedelia in San Francisco – Important Groups
6. Video: Psychedelia in London and Underground Favs
7. Video: Psychedelia in London – Mainstream Stars
8. Video: Los Angeles and Elsewhere
9. Video: A Hippie Nation

WEEK 8


Final Exam
Final exam for this course.

Graded: Final Exam