Hello! My name is Taylor and I am a second year student in the College of Education. Today I am here to talk about the payola scandal of 1959. Before we begin, let’s point out what exactly payola is. Payola, in the music world of 1959, was the act of a disk jockey accepting bribery to insure that an artist’s music would play on the air.[1] The term payola came from the combination of the words “payment” and “Victrola” (which is a phonograph).[2] Payola is illegal if you accept the form of payment and do not disclose that you have received a payment and the purpose behind it to the audience. To some artists or record companies, payola may seem like an easy way to secure the success of their work. There are a lot of pressures in the music industry and this may be an easy relief. However, it is illegal. [3]

The payola scandal all began when a few TV quiz-shows revealed to be rigged. A contestant had been given the answers earlier on, in order to win. Shortly after, in 1959, the payola scandal of the music business was discovered. Rock and roll music was emerging and payola, or “pay-to-play”, was becoming more popular.[1] Because of this, disk jockeys held a lot of power in deciding what music people heard on the radio, therefore, impacting artists’ success.[2] 

(Need a little more background before you keep reading? Watch from 1:00-4:25)

As payola grew in the music business, a government investigation broke out. Congressman Oren Harris and the Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight announced that they would begin to examine the payola scandal.  Multiple disk jockeys, including Alan Freed and Dick Clark were investigated.[6] Both Freed and Clark had exceptionally successful careers that were being threatened.

During the investigation, Freed and Clark were asked by ABC, who they were working for at the time, to sign affidavits stating that they had not received payola to promote records. Alan Freed refused to sign the document and claimed that any money he had received was for “consultation”. On September 21st, 1959, he was fired from ABC. Dick Clark, on the other hand, did agree to sign the affidavit and was required to “divest some of his financial holdings in the music industry.”[7] Clark was given a pass and continued on with his career with almost no damage done.[8]

Freed’s trials continued into the 60s where he eventually, in 1962, was charged with numerous counts of commercial bribery. Later that year, he pleaded guilty to only two of the charges and was fined three hundred dollars. Freed’s career had taken a severe hit. With this damage, he turned to alcohol and soon died in 1965.[9] As a result of the payola scandal, disk jockeys were no longer allowed to choose the music that got airtime. It also contributed to the decline of “rock and roll”.[10]

Payola still occurs today, but in a different manner. Today, artists and record labels are paying streaming companies like Spotify, Apple music, and Deezer, for example, to display their music on their popular playlists, therefore, giving their music more exposure to the world.[11] Payola also occurs discreetly in the advertisement industry. Many artists and record companies pay social media platforms to have advertisements and sponsored posts for their music show up on social media pages such as Instagram and Facebook. However, sponsorship and advertisements are legal because we are being told that the artist or record company paid to have these advertisements here.[12]

Both of these forms of payola are more subtle because we do not solely rely on radio for music anymore. There are numerous new ways for people today to access and discover music, including streaming companies and advertisements online.

Although the methods of payola have changed, the underlying purpose and effects of it has stayed the same. Artists and record companies want their music to be heard all over the world. As a result, the companies and artists who have the extra money for advertisements and spots on popular playlists are more likely to be explored by people and have their music heard by the public.

For example, I went on to my personal Instagram account and found a post that was sponsored. I follow a lot of country music artists already on my account, so this post of Chis Lane’s new album popped up on my feed. The post played a clip of the artist’s music and had a link with various ways of listening to the new album.

Even though this form of payola is legal, it is still seems a bit unfair for any new artists who are just starting out and don’t have the extra money. Unfortunately, that is just a part of the competitive business now.

It is hard to say whether these new forms of payola are right or wrong. It is still highly debatable. There are many loopholes and ways to make payola legal. For example, a company can still pay a radio station for airplay, as long as the DJ says on air that it was paid for. However, the effects of legal payola remain the same as the effects of illegal payola. The charts are still being altered by those who have the money to do it.[13]

[1] Michael Campbell, “Chapter 43 Buddy Holly and the Viral Evolution of Rock and Roll,” chap. 43 in Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On, Fourth Edition. (Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2013).

[2] “Moondog Alan Freed: Payola,” The Pop History Dig, Google, accessed July 12, 2018, http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/alan-freed-payola/

[3] Charles Fairchild, “Alan Freed still casts a long shadow: the persistence of payola and the ambiguous value of music”, Culture & Society, Vol 34, Issue 3 (May 2012): 328-330, https://doi-org.cyber.usask.ca/10.1177/0163443711433667

[4] “Moondog Alan Freed: Payola,” The Pop History Dig, Google, accessed July 12, 2018, http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/alan-freed-payola/

[5] Michael Campbell, “Chapter 43 Buddy Holly and the Viral Evolution of Rock and Roll,” chap. 43 in Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On, Fourth Edition. (Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2013).

[6]“The Payola scandal heats up,” History.com, Google, accessed July 15, 2018, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-payola-scandal-heats-up

[7]“Moondog Alan Freed: Payola,” The Pop History Dig, Google, accessed July 12, 2018, http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/alan-freed-payola/

[8] “Dick Clark Survives the Payola Scandal,” History.com, Google, accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dick-clark-survives-the-payola-scandal

[9] “Moondog Alan Freed: Payola,” The Pop History Dig, Google, accessed July 12, 2018, http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/alan-freed-payola/

[10] Michael Campbell, “Chapter 43 Buddy Holly and the Viral Evolution of Rock and Roll,” chap. 43 in Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On, Fourth Edition. (Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2013).

[11]“Payola: One of music's oldest arrangements back with a bang on streaming playlists,” Independent, Google accessed July 12,2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/payola-one-of-musics-oldest-arrangements-back-with-a-bang-on-streaming-playlists-10464513.html

[12]Charles Fairchild, “Alan Freed still casts a long shadow: the persistence of payola and the ambiguous value of music”, Culture & Society, Vol 34, Issue 3 (May 2012): 328 – 331, https://doi-org.cyber.usask.ca/10.1177/0163443711433667

[13] Ibid.328-331

Works Cited 

Charles Fairchild, “Alan Freed still casts a long shadow: the persistence of payola and the ambiguous value of music”, Culture & Society, Vol 34, Issue 3 (May 2012): 328 – 342, https://doi-org.cyber.usask.ca/10.1177/0163443711433667

“Dick Clark Survives the Payola Scandal,” History.com, Google, accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dick-clark-survives-the-payola-scandal

Campbell, Michael “Chapter 43 Buddy Holly and the Viral Evolution of Rock and Roll,” chap. 43 in Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On, Fourth Edition. (Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2013).

“Moondog Alan Freed: Payola,” The Pop History Dig, Google, accessed July 12, 2018, http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/alan-freed-payola/

“Payola: One of music's oldest arrangements back with a bang on streaming playlists,” Independent, Google accessed July 12,2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/payola-one-of-musics-oldest-arrangements-back-with-a-bang-on-streaming-playlists-10464513.html

“The Payola scandal heats up,” History.com, Google, accessed July 15, 2018, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-payola-scandal-heats-up

The Upbringing of a Pioneer

Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe better known by his professional alias Jelly Roll Morton was a famous jazz musician in the early 20^th century [2].  Morton was said to have been born on October 20^th, 1890 along the Golf of Mexico just outside of New Orleans, no birth certificate has been found to date since New Orleans law didn’t require it until 1914 [2].  Morton’s early years were spent living between two homes, his mother and father, Louise Monette and Edward J. LaMothe separated early on [2].  He spent most of his time living with his mother and stepfather, even though Morton’s birth father didn’t give him much attention he did introduce him to instruments and music.  Morton’s first instrument was a harmonica, later he learnt drums, violin, and trombone which was his fathers instrument of choice but lastly, he landed on the piano which is what he is known for today [4].  Around the age of 14 he ended up moving in with his great-grandmother along with his two sisters after his mother passed away.  This didn’t last long due to her finding out that he was not working in a barrel factory but playing in a brothel while living in her Christian home.  Around this time as well is when his performance name was fully shaped, “Morton” was established from a variant of his stepfathers last name, Mouton [1].

The Career Road Map

After the incident causing Morton to be homeless he decided to travel around the Southern United States working in minstrel establishments and developing his craft.  In this time, he gained influence from Hispanic culture, blues, and ragtime [2].  The early years of the 20^th century Morton started writing songs and in 1915 he published his first jazz song “Jelly Roll Blues” with his band Red Hot Peppers.  In the 1920’s is where Morton’s career grew the most, 1923 he moved to Chicago with his band to commercially record their songs [1]. 1926 was the year Morton signed with Victor Talking Machine Company, Victor was one of the top record companies at the time and brought Morton plenty of opportunity to produce records and increase his significance. Lastly in 1928 Morton moved to New York where he married his wife Mabel Bertrand while continuing to play shows and record for Victor, but in 1931 he was not resigned with them which was the starting block for his struggles in the 1930’s [2].

The Fall of a legend

Along with growing up in a broken family Morton faced many struggles throughout his career.  Being a man of color in America especially in the 1900’s brought its struggles to anyone trying to make it. At that time ASCAP, American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers oversaw royalties and they were unfair in giving Morton’s cut [5].  Morton’s career took part around the Great Depression, which caused him to struggle in finding a new record label since companies were not signing musicians [1].  At the end of the Great Depression Morton found work at an establishment in Washington DC but was stabbed in an altercation, while seeking medical attention the hospital denied service due to it being a Caucasian only hospital.  Morton faced future breathing complications when poor medical attention was given at the hospital for colored Americans [4]. On July 10^th,1941 Morton was pronounced dead in a hospital after a 11 day stay, this ended the career of one of the early jazz pioneers [1].

Three Important Song Contributions

New Orleans Blues

I chose New Orleans blues as my first song because I thought it was a good example of his early influences traveling in the south, Hispanic music and blues.  From my listening I noticed Hispanic music from that era has a sense of smooth dynamic changes in the sense of rolling hills.  In Morton’s composition I could hear a tinge of that but played on his instrument of choice, the piano.

Doctor Jazz

Doctor Jazz was likely my favorite song I listened to, I enjoyed the upbeat tempo and welcome any song that makes me tap my foot without realizing it.  This song had a host of instrumentation, from trumpets to saxophones and of course piano.  I could hear the influences of blues and stomp embrace the music while retain the catchy jazz feeling with the piano and sax solos.

Turtle Twist

Now this is the structure of song I feel when I think of jazz, Turtle Twist embraces that slow tempo of jazz that my grandpa raised me on.  The smooth sound of the saxophone with the swift movements on the piano solos brings me back to the days of being a child when the word responsibilities was not in my vocabulary. I think this embraces the slow tempo of music from prior eras.

Notable Accomplishments

Morton was inducted into many rewards, 1998 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under Early Influence, 2005 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008 Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.  Morton’s music is still being played in Broadway shows to this day [2].

Music historian David McGee, “What Elvis Presley’s Sun recordings are to rock and roll, the Red Hot Peppers’ canon is to jazz” [3].

Jazz historian Orrin Keepnews, “one of the handful of Atlases upon whose shoulders rests the entire structure of our music” [3].

This Is Where I Say Goodbye

Morton encountered his share of struggles and hardships but was always able to continue making jazz music as his main job or a side hustle.  He allocated himself to be “the originator of jazz, stomps, and blues” which most people would agree that he has a strong case for [1].  All in all I enjoyed learning about Morton’s accomplishments in his era, even though his style of music isn’t my cup of tea I respect that he could have had an impact on the music I listen to today.

References:

1. “Mr. Jelly Lord: A Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton and His Red Hot Peppers”, Riverwalk Jazz – Stanford University Libraries, last modified http://riverwalkjazz.stanford.edu/program/mr-jelly-lord-tribute-jelly-roll-morton-and-his-red-hot-peppers 2002.
2. “Jelly Roll Morton”, New World Encyclopedia, accessed July 13^th, 2018. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Jelly_Roll_Morton.
3. “Jelly Roll Morton”, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, accessed July 14^th, 2018. https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/jelly-roll-morton.
4. “Morton, Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe “Jelly Roll” (1885-1941)”, Black Past, accessed July 13^th, 2018. http://www.blackpast.org/aah/morton-ferdinand-joseph-la-menthe-jelly-roll-1885-1941
5. “JELLY ROLL MORTON – FINAL YEARS OF FRUSTRATION (1939-1941)”, Doctor Jazz, accessed July 14^th,2018. http://www.doctorjazz.co.uk/page24.html.

Ma Rainey was not only an entertainer but also known as a businesswoman. Rainey was born on April 26th, 1886 to her parents Thomas and Ella Pridgett in Columbus Georgia. Rainey was referred to as the Mother of blues in 1920. She was the very first person to incorporate ‘blues into her performances by using a mixture of country blues and early jazz into her music. Ma Rainey built her own entertainment company in the early 1900s after an illustrious career.

In the 1900s Ma Rainey was a dominant force in the music industry. From 1904 to 1917 Ma Rainey and her husband toured with various groups, one being “Rabbit Foot Minstrels” until their divorce. In December 1923 Rainey started a five-year association with Paramount, which lead to her becoming the first ever women to record blues professionally which resulted in Rainey making more than 100 recording of her own compositions. She had composed or collaborated on 92 of the 100 songs which dealt with love and sexuality. By 1917 Ma Rainey started gathering large audiences to her shows. Her audience was half white and half black as she was gaining powers from the south. Ma Rainey started ad campaigns to promote her records such as “The Songbird of the South,” “The Gold necked Woman of the Blues.”  Due to these acts Rainey was celebrated with a record label which had the picture of her on it.

From her success in her early recordings, Ma Rainey took part in a Paramount promotional tour which involved a newly set up backup band. Rainey made her tour debut in Chicago’s Grand Theater on State Street which was the first appearance by of a ‘down home’  blues artist at a southside venue. Rainey’s looks on stage would lure the entire audience as she wore bright shining chances and was covered in diamonds. She would have everyone In the audience swaying and rocking to her music.

Once Rainey retired from music, she settled in Columbus and focused her attention on the ownership of two entertainment facilities, the Lyric Theater and the Airdrome. She was also profoundly dedicated to activities in the Friendship Baptist Church.

“My audience wants to see me beautifully gowned, and I have spared no expense or pains…For I feel that the best is none too good for the public that pays to hear a Singer.” Ma Rainey.

In the earlier days sexual roles were much different then they are now. Ma Rainey was lesbian and expressed her thoughts through various songs such as “Prove It On Me Blues” where she says “I don’t like no men” She wears masculine clothing which was not warranted in the 20’s and 30’s. However, even with having her own gender beliefs she would not allow that to get the best of her and let her music make most of the noise.

A tune’s is like a staircase-walk up on it- Ma Rainey

Rainey was the first black blues singer. Ma had to demand tasks and roles from her co-workers as that is the only way she can gain the respect she deserves. Although she has been working with a white manager ‘Will LeBow’ for six years; they would only meet when the manager needed her to sing for his white friends.

Songs By Ma Rainey:

The first song I chose is “Trust No Man.”  The most common subject in rage blues songs was the woman’s cheating man. Women were too harsh towards other women as they did not want to give them any advice.”Don’t trust your man no further your eye can see” This song was directed towards the black woman within a community. This song was similar to most blues songs but only teaching the group of women on how to deal with men. This song is crucial to Ma Rainey as she and her husband divorced after the conclusion of their tour.

The second song I chose was “Countin’ the Blues.” This song is significant as it talks about her trying to use music as a gateway to run from the issues of race and sexuality that took place during that time. “Layin’ in bed this mornin’ with my face turned to the wall
Trying to count these blues so I could sing ’em all” this line is significant as Rainey was so passionate about her blues music which eventually attracted audiences of both races which allowed them to forget about separation and focus on blues music The background instruments enable the viewer to engage in the music.

The final song I chose was “See See Rider Blues.”  This song focuses on the answer of the other women. This song emphasis that women are strong enough to care for their man. However, this went against their gender role as women never displayed aggression or violence. Therefore this song was not necessarily talking about the current women in her generation but what women could and should be like in the future ‘dominant and role models’. Rainey helped to bring this message out due to the flow of the background orchestra and percussion.

Bibliography:

1. N.d. “Ma Rainey American Singer” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ma-Rainey
2. Lee Orr, “ Arts & Culture Music” New Georgia Encyclopedia 06/17/2018 https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/gertrude-ma-rainey-1886-1939
3. Jas Obrecht, “ The Life and Music of “The Mother of the Blues”  Classic Blues 08/07/2010 http://jasobrecht.com/ma-rainey-the-mother-of-the-blues/
4. “Ma Rainey.” Biography. July 14, 2018. Accessed July 14, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413

The practice of payola has had a significant impact on the history of popular American music and remains to be prevalent in the modern music industry. Payola was the practice of recording companies bribing a person of power at a music broadcasting platform to play their songs on the radio. When the term “payola” was coined by Vanity Fair in 1938, the practice had yet to boom and ultimately implode (Shinn, 2012).

Disc Jockeys: The Kings of Radio

In the 1950s, radio station disc jockeys, more commonly known as “DJs” today, became people of power as they solely controlled which songs were played on the radio. This ultimately gave them the power to decide which songs would become popular as radio exposure was, and remains to be, the biggest determining factor for which songs climb high on the charts. The two most powerful disc jockeys during the time of payola were Alan Freed and Dick Clark. Every recording agency competed for the attention of Freed and Clark, showering them with large sums of money, song royalties, and other lavish items (Shinn, 2012).  Letting fate decide whether or not a song got played on the radio was too big of a risk that recording companies were not willing to take. Payola became such a prevalent practice that it was no longer a matter of extra exposure, but a matter of any exposure at all. Money had to be put into radio bribes in order for Record companies to expect a spot on the charts and profits.

The Rise of Payola:

Prior to 1940, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) was the sole monopoly in the music recording industry. ASCAP’s reign ended, however, when a competing recording company, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) entered the industry in the 1940s. BMI recorded songs outside of the popular genres that ASCAP recorded and radios played. For this reason, BMI had to pay disc jockeys to play their music, beginning the payola battle. With so much airtime being bought by BMI, ASCAP began to struggle to get their songs played on air. Payola wasn’t openly discussed within the industry, but it also wasn’t a secret. This, however, changed when ASCAP got fed up with BMI buying all of the radio airtime and decided to air the industry’s dirty laundry (Schinn, 2012).

The word ASCAP spread about payola only partly contributed to the exposure of this practice. When a couple popular game shows in the 1950s were revealed to be rigged, investigations were carried out and suspicions were raised regarding the media industry as a whole. This led to Congress taking the payola rumors seriously and starting a formal investigation into the matter (Neira, n.d.).

The Investigation:

Alan Freed was asked to sign an affidavit saying he never accepted payola and was fired when he refused to do so (Fong-Torres, n.d.).  Freed and several other disk jockeys, including the famous, Dick Clark had to testify in front of this investigation’s subcommittee. After the resolution of the investigation, Freed’s career was ruined while Clark managed to make it out unscathed.

The Result:

In 1960, Congress enacted legislation to contain payola in the Federal Communications Act of 1960. This act stated that if some form of payment was received in place of airing a song on the radio, the payment had to be disclosed to the public on air (Schinn, 2012). One of the main issues Congress had with payola was the fact the public was being misled about how and why songs made it onto the radio (History.com, 2009). This legislation protected the public from ignorance and made payola more difficult to practice. Payola wasn’t outlawed, but more so re-organized to avoid disrespecting the public’s trust.

Modern Payola

Despite legislation, payola still exists today, but in different forms. In this day and age, streaming services have taken over the music world. Radio is still prevalent and influential in pop culture, but streaming services have become a very popular form of listening to music. It has now become detrimental for recording agencies to have their songs played on these services like Spotify and Apple Music, which has caused the payola practice to migrate into the streaming world (Peoples, 2015).

To get a song on a streaming playlist can cost between $2000 and $10000 depending on the number of followers that playlist has. Getting a song on a highly followed playlist can quickly make a song go viral and further getting it played on the radio because of its popularity (Peoples, 2015).

After researching the practice of payola, I have mixed feelings about whether or not it is a serious issue. I sympathize greatly with the independent artists and small, start-up recording companies who can’t compete with the large recording companies deep pockets a, therefore, have trouble reaching success. Even though payola exists in modern streaming services, there are also modern opportunities for independent artists that did not exist before. Apple Music, for example, has created a helpful platform for independent artists to reach success. This does not eliminate the problem of payola, but it at least balances it out.

Regarding the public, I do believe it is unfair for hit lists on the radio and streaming services to be manufactured by payola rather than the actual merit of a song. This misleads listeners and takes away their part in influencing pop culture.

Work Cited:

Fairchild, Charles. “Alan Freed Still Casts a Long Shadow: The Persistence of Payola and The Ambiguous Value of Music.” 34, no. 3 (2012): 328-342. Assessed July 16^th, 2018. https://doi-org.cyber.usask.ca/10.1177/0163443711433667

Fong-Torres, Ben. “Biography | Alan Freed.com. ” Alan Freed. Accessed July 17, 2018. http://www.alanfreed.com/wp/biography/.

Messitte, Nick. “How Payola Laws Keep Independent Artists Off Mainstream Radio  .” Forbes. November 30, 2014. Accessed July 16, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmessitte/2014/11/30/how-payola-laws-keep-independent-artists-off-mainstream-radio/#25c6ddd8519f.

Neira, Bob. “Payola Scandal Rocks 50’s Radio.” Modesto Radio Museum. Accessed July 17, 2018. http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/payola.html.

Peoples, Glenn. “How ‘Playola’ Is Infiltrating Streaming Services: Pay for Play Is ‘Definitely Happening’.” Billboard. August 20, 2015. Accessed July 16, 2018. https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6670475/playola-promotion-streaming-services.

Shinn, S. Erin. “The Evolution and Effects of Payola on Popular Culture.” Texas Tech University. May 2004. Accessed July 16^th, 2018.  https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/ttu-ir/bitstream/handle/2346/23324/31295019381150.pdf?sequence=1

“The Payola Scandal Heats up.” History.com. Accessed July 16, 2018. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-payola-scandal-heats-up.

Blog Post 1

M2Q3 – Other Important Figures in Early Pop Music History – Mamie Smith.

Hello, my name is Natalie Keller! This is my first blog post, in which I have decided to write about Mamie Smith and how she is an important figure in early pop music history.

Mamie Smith was born in Cincinnati Ohio, on May 26^th1883, and died August 16^th1946. Her precious 63 years of life has impacted the music world. When she was 10 years old, she worked as a vaudeville entertainer and she also toured with the Four Dancing Mitchells. When she was a young teenager, she continued touring with various acts. When she was 20 years old, she was working and also lived in Harlem, and she married William Smith, but she remarried two more times after her career started to build up. In August of 1920, Mamie and her composer, Bradford, went to the studio with a group of African American musicians, who went by the name of, “The Jazz Hounds” to record the songs, “It’s right here for you”, and “Crazy Blues”, which is considered to be the first blues song on record. That is what launched Mamie Smiths career, since she was extremely successful for the 75,000 copies of her song within the first month of being released, and one million copies in the first six months. As this was such a high of popularity, it gave ideas to other recording companies to allow and sign female black blues singers to be a part of the new “race records” market. As the song. “Crazy Blues” was the first ever blues recording, it also has a big impact on the popularity flow of black female singers into the popular music culture. This is a great moment and start up point for black females being brought into the music culture, because they are phenomenal musicians as well as any other race or gender. There always is a first for everything, and this moment was the first spark of a equality for black women in the music industry.

Songs by Mamie Smith:

1. “Crazy Blues” Mamie Smith

Since “Crazy Blues” was one of  Mamie Smiths big hits that really brought her into the industry,  the first Blues song ever to be record, and changed the view of black women in the music culture, I thought they would be great example tunes to show.

“Crazy Blues” was the first recording of a female blues singer. This song in particular has a very strong meaning to it. This song is about her broken heart and how the man she loves, does not love her back, and treats her badly, Despite all these awful circumstances, she will not changer her love for him. It has a sad touch to it because it makes you wonder who broke Mamie Smiths heart at this time. A broken heart can really open up a songwriters emotions, and it can create some of the best songs. Although this song is a sad heartbreak song, it has quite an upbeat tempo with a touch of brio.

2. “That thing called love” Mamie Smith

This song was a very beautiful song to me, because Mamie sings about the different types of feelings love can give you, and how love is quite a mystery and it’s interesting to hear how Mamie Smith experienced love.

This song was Mamie Smiths first recordings with Okeh Records, so it has quite a bit of popularity to it. This song is a love song, which has some heart breaking lyrics. “That Thing Called Love” is a sad love song which talks about how love is so rich that you cannot buy it with any amount of money. It also expresses how love is a mixture of feelings which cannot always be explained, because love is a mystery. She sings about how love can give you funny feelings, make you go crazy, and also be one of the best things to experience, even though it is a mystery of what it can do to you. This song has a very andante and lento tempo, because it’s a slower song of hers, which is fitting because it is rather sad.

Later Life

After her huge reign of fame, she continued her music career by doing  musical recordings for Okeh withing the 1920’s. She did a tour with her band, “Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds” in the United States and in Europe. She developed a name called, “The Queen of the Blues”, with her utter most talent in the music Industry. 

Legacy

Mamie Smith is a legendary musician for not only her music, but for her acts and accomplishments. She opened the doors for the rights of equality, and in that era, equality was not a notion that was popular or easy to grow on. This opened the doors for many other artists of colour and who were also female. People like Mamie Smith show great drive, desire, and passion for music. Her music touches the heartstrings and also is has very beautiful tunes and ear catching tempos.

“Human laws pattern divine laws, but divine laws use only originals.” – Mamie Smith

Bibliography 

1. Obrecht, Jas. 2013. “Mamie Smith: The First Lady of the Blues.” Jas Obrecht Music Archive. Access July 15, 2018. http://jasobrecht.com/mamie-smith-the-first-lady-of-the-blues/
2. Garner, Carla W.2017. “Smith, Mamie (1883 – 1946).” Black Past. Access July 15, 2018. http://www.blackpast.org/aah/smith-mamie-1883-1946
3. Kenny, Grace. 2017. “Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues”.” Music 345: Race, Identity, and Representation in American Music. Accessed July 15, 2018. https://pages.stolaf.edu/americanmusic/2017/10/10/mamie-smiths-crazy-blues/
4. Smith, M. 2005. “Smith, Mamie 1883 – 1946.” Encyclopedia.com. Accessed July 15, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/mamie-smith

Hello everyone, my name is Allison and I’ve decided to trace the influence of Elvis Presley through Queen to Lady Gaga.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley is considered by many to be the “king of rock and roll”. He was one of rock and roll’s first true musical stars and later went on to act in movies including Love Me Tender and Jailhouse Rock. What made Elvis so refreshing to young audiences is that he performed on stage with an uninhibited, rebellious attitude and didn’t care what people thought about it. Elvis was a unique musician in the sense that he was able to emulate almost any style of music while retaining his distinctive sound.

At the time (mid 1950s) Elvis was considered to be a risk taker with his stage presence. He had cultivated a signature look of tough-teen dress, greased pompadour, and dance moves. This was in stark contrast to the typical white pop singer who simply stood at the microphone crooning. Despite criticism, Elvis refused to tone down his style essentially giving rock n roll its signature look and sound for the coming years.

One of the songs I am choosing to look at is Suspicious Minds, shown below. This was considered to be the song that signalled Elvis’ comeback success.

I chose this song because it seems to tell a personal story, it is said that the song is about Elvis & Priscilla’s early years of marriage (Greene 2015). Apparently things were already falling apart in their marriage, and you can hear Elvis’ disappointment over this in the song. Some lyrics in particular that point to this include “We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out” and “we can’t go on together, with suspicious minds” which signals that there is tension in the relationship and he is not sure how to move forward.

A few things that catch my attention in this song include:

• Elvis carrying words over more than one beat (“I lo-ove you too much ba-aby”)
• Tempo of the song slows down in the middle (1:45), then returns to original tempo (2:14)
• Drum sounds are carrying the beat, makes you want to dance or tap your foot at the same rate
• Guitar melody is slightly quieter than Elvis’ voice but still occupies a place in your mind

Queen

Queen is a rock band that formed in 1970. The name Queen was thought up by Freddie Mercury, the bands lead vocalist, and he chose this because he liked that it was “open to interpretation” by fans (Anderson 2014). This cues to me that they were interested in blurring the lines of music much like Elvis did by performing in multiple genres.

Musical Influence Elvis to Queen

The song I am choosing to talk about for Queen is Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Some things that catch my attention in this song:

• Freddie Mercury sings with a deeper voice than usual, sounding a lot like Elvis Presley’s signature vocal sound
• Mercury plays a limited chord range on guitar in this song
• Drum sound is carrying the beat

Listening to this song reminds me of Elvis Presley’s sound, and has been described as rockabilly, a form that Presley had also been known to use.

Visual Influence Elvis to Queen

Freddie Mercury was particularly concerned with the bands showmanship, and declared “a concert is not a live rendition of the music, it is a theatrical event” (Anderson 2014). This is in line with Elvis’ sexualized dancing, because at the time it was revolutionary to dance during live performances.

If you look at the below photo, you can clearly see that Freddie Mercury (in front) has the slicked-back short hair look that Elvis is known for. The band’s body language in the photo also conveys a rebellious attitude similar to Elvis.

Musical Influence Elvis & Queen to Lady Gaga

Elvis was made famous by his popular songs in the mid-1950s, and in addition to those released ballads such as Can’t Help Falling in Love, that were said to be key to his popular success in the long run (Hanson 2011). Similar to this, Lady Gaga was made famous by pop songs such as Poker Face and Just Dance in 2008 and transitioned to a more-stripped down sound, including ballads, in her latest album Joanne in 2016.

The song I am choosing to talk about for Lady Gaga is Joanne, the song for which her newest country infused, pop-rock album is named.

Some things that catch my attention in this song:

• Dragging words over more than one beat (“gi-irl, where do you think you’re go-ing?”), similar to Elvis in Suspicious Minds
• Guitar melody leads the song
• Vocals have a country-twang to them
• Song about a lost love ( in this case her aunt), you can hear sadness in her voice

Visual Influence Elvis & Queen to Lady Gaga

In the early stages of her fame, Lady Gaga dressed in over-the-top outfits and performed much in the same fashion. Her live performances can be considered as more of a theatrical experience than simply listening to music. This form of stage presence is similar to that of Queen, specifically Freddy Mercury’s vision of what a show should look like. Elvis may seem tame in comparison, but he opened the door for performances like this with his unusual stage presence and dancing.

Lady Gaga’s newest album Joanne is a reinvention of her musical style, featuring a more stripped down sound. To me this is similar to Elvis in the sense that he performed many types of music, starting with popular songs and branching out afterwards. Gaga is also displaying a more stripped down style, perhaps to put the emphasis on her singing capabilities as opposed to focusing on the showmanship of it all.

Elvis Presley influenced many artists, even some that we may not immediately think of such as Lady Gaga. Through these comparisons I hope to shine a light on one line of influence as found on Spotify’s Elvisualization page.

#M6Q1

Works Cited

Anderson, Sarah. NME. May 28, 2014. https://www.nme.com/photos/50-geeky-facts-about-queen-1419950 (accessed July 15, 2018).

Campbell, Michael. Popular Music In America: The Beat Goes On. Nelson Education, 2012.

Greene, Andy. Rolling Stone. January 1, 2015. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/readers-poll-the-10-best-elvis-presley-songs-151994/suspicious-minds-164924/ (accessed July 15, 2018).

Hanson, Allan. Elvis History Blog. December 2011. http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-best-ballads.html (accessed July 15, 2018).

Outfit Trends. n.d. http://www.outfittrends.com/lady-gaga-most-funkiest-and-weird-outfits-collection/ (accessed July 15, 2018).

Pelfrey, Daniel. post post modern dad. July 18, 2016. http://www.postpostmoderndad.com/2016/07/18/music-monday-queen-part-3/ (accessed July 15, 2018).

Sisavat, Monica. Popsugar. April 13, 2018. https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/How-Old-Would-Elvis-Presley-2017-43862559 (accessed July 15, 2018).

Warnes, Andrew. Cross Culture. November 16, 2016. http://thecrossculture.org/2016/11/16/lady-gaga-joanne-clean-version/ (accessed July 15, 2018).