As a man who grew up in the 1980’s loving rock music, Led Zeppelin was a band that was already legendary. I vaguely remember when the bands’ drummer, John Bonham, passed away and in the following years, all of the rumors about who could replace him. Unfortunately, the remaining members never did create new music together, and this just fueled their legend even more.

In our text, Zeppelin is used to introduce the Heavy Metal genre, and I believe they are a great example. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss three of the groups songs that support my opinion. The first song I will discuss is “ Whole Lotta Love” from the band’s second album, “Zeppelin II”. Officially released on October 22, 1969, “Whole Lotta Love” quickly became known for Jimmy Page’s unbelievable guitar riffs. The power that he projected in this song influenced future hard rockers for generations and is a great example of early heavy metal. John Bonham has a drum solo that changes the rhythm in mid song, another characteristic of heavy metal. Finally, add in Robert Plant’s range as a singer, and you have created a listening experience that must have unmatched live. “Whole Lotta Love” would peak at #4 on the U.S. charts and would end up being the groups only Top 10 hit. The song shows the influence of R&B on Jimmy Page and especially Muddy Waters. In fact, later in the 1980’s, a representative of the estate of Waters would sue Led Zeppelin saying that parts of the song were stolen from an old Waters tune. Personally, I do not think this was intentional especially with the “sparse liner notes, non-referential lyrics” (1) used by the group.

My next example supporting Zeppelins heavy metal tag is their song “Immigrant Song” from 1970’s album “Led Zeppelin III”. This song, in my opinion, shows off the skills of the bass guitar player, John Paul Jones, more than the power of the other three members of the band. The speed with which he scales up and down during the chorus of this song is incredible and is another great piece of supporting evidence for my argument. Not to be understated, is the effect of Plant belting out “Ah-ah,ah” to grab hold of the audience as well, or Page and Bonham grabbing the spotlight at certain moments of the song. If you ever get the chance, listen to this song off their live album ”How The West Was Won”. This album was put together and remastered by Page in 2003 and features the live recordings of their hits up to 1972. These recording are from concerts in California in the summer of 1972. It is amazing!

The final song I would like to discuss is “Communication Breakdown” from the band’s debut, self titled album in 1969. This song has all the criteria to support my opinion. Power, distortion of the guitar, a broke up rhythm; it had it all. The fact that it is one of their first recordings shows me that their influences are still that of their heroes and not of what the music companies wanted to produce, which is what i think happened in their late albums. Also, Page’s down-stroke guitar style in this song is a little more unique and influence others later like  Johnny Ramone of the Ramones. Johnny stated he “ built up his skill at his down-stroke playing style by playing the song over and over again for the bulk of his early career” (2).

Led Zeppelin was one of the pioneering bands in heavy metal as well as very influential in many areas of music. They had songs that showed how they were influenced by a wide range of other styles as well. Their use of instruments like flutes, (Stairway to Heaven), mandolin, and a wide variety of percussion instruments during their career together. They were a powerhouse of forward thinking heavy metal and are still loved to this day. The three remaining members did get together for a reunion concert in December 2007. They played one set together with Jason Bonham sitting in wonderfully for his father on the drums. Tickets were available in a lottery system with nearly  20 million requests for 16,000 tickets.(3) This concert just added more fuel to the rumours of a tour. Even with the promise of huge ticket sales and recording deals, Plant and Page could not put the band together again.

The three surviving members have all gone on and had great careers. Most notably, Robert Plant has had a great solo career and continues exploring all types of music, even being part of a duo putting out a bluegrass album. Jimmy Page became a great producer as is world renowned for his work. John Paul Jones has worked on and off professionally in music as a bass player but spent a large part of his post Zeppelin life as a music teacher.

For me their music is timeless and provides a little relief of everyday stresses. Awesome.

 

References

 

1. “Popular Music in America, The Beat Goes On”,Fourth Edition Campbell,Michael, P.242
2. org/Communication_Breakdown
3. org/Zeppelin Reunion_Concert

 

The term,”payola”, basically means a bribe in business or commerce. This was, in terms of our class, how musical acts or those representing musicians would have their music played in the  influential radio stations. We have already read a little about personalities like Alan Freed and how they made the careers of those like the late great Chuck Berry. Freed was in a powerful position, stationed in New York City, during  a time when ” rock and roll was on the air and in the air.” (1) He, like many other DJ’s, knew that they had the power to make or break dreams and capitalized on that position. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the history of this practice, major players involved, what was done to rectify this unequal practice, and whether this still happens in some hidden form today.

History of Payola in the Music Industry

From the time that radio stations started to make a profit, there was some form of payola situation. The public had no real understanding of how a song became a top hit. The truth was for someone to get that coveted number 1 hit and possibly a huge payday, they, or someone backing them would have to go to the high level radio stations and pay them to play their recording. After all, the more people that could hear and maybe like your music, the better chance there was that they would buy your music. It was just the way business was done.  Starting in the 1940s, ad agencies just told those who asked that they added up jukebox requests and sheet music sales to determine who was at the top. This went on and became much more prevalent by the time Rock and Roll started to gain more popularity in the late 1950’s. Not only did Freed have his reputation tarnished, but others like Dick Clark, nearly had their careers destroyed before they got going. By the 1960’s, these and other “song pluggers” (2) would have their wages put in jeopardy by the US Congress.

Those Involved

In 1950, there were approximately 250 DJ’s in the US. This number grew to around 5000 in just 7 years. That’s how fast and how much money was involved. Of those 5000, there were several big names involved on the DJ side. I have already mentioned Freed and Clark, but there were others like Joe Finan in Cleveland and Phil Lind in Chicago who would be brought forward to testify.

The 2 major entities that represented the artists were very much involved as well. As we read in our texts, the ASCAP, which represented the old guard in the music industry, and the BMI , who looked out for the racially diverse R and B artists, were both deeply immersed in the process as well. By the mid 1950’s, BMI represented artists had about 2/3 of the top single releases, which had the old guard, ASCAP, implying that BMI was “promoting payola”.(3)

 

Congress Investigation

It wasn’t until certain TV game shows were found to be rigged in 1958, (most famously, the show Twenty One was found to be fixed), (4), that the American government decided to investigate. During their investigation, they uncovered hundreds of schemes around the country. It was found that the standard payoff for playing a single was $50 per week. Later in the hearings, this number was found to only be the tip of the iceberg when DJ Phil Lind testified he had once received $22,000 to play a record.(5)

In the end, Dick Clark was charged with 26 counts of accepting bribes, and Alan Freed just received some fines and a suspended jail sentence. Both men lost their jobs and Freed died 5 years later, a broke man. Clark, however, went on to an illustrious career in television. Hundreds of DJ’s lost their jobs as well when the government added fines of up to $10000 to any radio station charged and convicted of taking bribes. The radio stations were not willing yo take any chances by 1960, and if there was any chance a DJ could be charged, they were let go.

Modern Day Payola?

Yes, even recently payola schemes are a part of the music industry. The US federal government has had to adjust the laws they put in place all those years ago to assure the punishment fits the crime with increases in fine limits. One particular case in 2005 had Sony BMG fined $10 million dollars for engaging in a payola scheme. The charges revolved around “plays of the latest Jessica Simpson album”,(6), where DJ’s were rewarded with cash and gifts for air time.

More investigations are ongoing.

 

In Closing

In my opinion, the music industry is not any different than any other business when it comes to finances. Money talks and if artists want the exposure to the large audiences which then leads to the big contracts, this is most likely the route they will have to go. It is sad though, to think about all the wonderful music that we have missed out on by those who could not come up with bribes needed to get their music out on the air waves.

 

Bibliograghy

Popular Music in America, The Beat Goes On, 4th Edition, Campbell, Michael: 2013, Published by Clark Baxter

performingsongwriter.com/alan-freed-payola-scandal/ , Alan Freed and the Payola Scandal, Lydia Hutchison, August 20, 2015

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/payola-influencing-the-charts-2460759

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payola

 

Footnotes

(1)  Popular Music in America, The Beat Goes On, pg. 172

(2) Wikipedia-Payola-History

(3) Alan Freed an the Payola Scandal

(4) Alan Freed an the Payola Scandal

(5) Alan Freed an the Payola Scandal

 

 

Josephine Baker was a deeply influential, intelligent and passionate woman. She succeeded in any area she chose to; from dancing and acting to civil rights and military intelligence work. Born on June 3rd, 1906 to a poor mother and a step-father who struggled to find employment, she learned early on to never be dependent on a man, an attitude of independence that stuck with her her whole life. She dropped out of school at 12 and got a job as a waitress. She first married at the age of 13 to a porter named Willie Wells, which lasted less than a year. She would marry three more times in her life and would go on to give birth to and adopt a combined 12 children from all around the world. (1)

The Harlem Renaissance 

The Harlem Renaissance brought more opportunities to black performers, as they flocked to northern cities after World War I. Josephine Baker was one of those performers who went to New York City, at the age of 15,  working as a chorus line dancer in Harlem for the productions of Shuffle Along and The Chocolate Dandies. These shows challenged the alleged taboos around black sexuality. She used the Harlem Renaissance as an opportunity to showcase her skill sets and start her career in entertainment.

Feminism

The Harlem Renaissance was known expanding the sexual revolution of women, to an extent. Baker herself became well-known in France for her exotic dancing routine, which she brought over from New York. Her most famous work is a picture of her wearing a costume only made of bananas.

Baker was also an bisexual woman during a time when that was not widely accepted, especially for a woman of color. She definitely utilized the growing empowerment of women in order to raise her status in popular culture of the time.

The Charleston

“The Charleston” was the dance craze named for the song which shares its namesake. Josephine Baker raised the popularity of this dance greatly after she performed it at Folies Bergère in France in 1926. Her profile as a celebrity led to a popular dance movement which is still performed to this day at dance clubs and competitions.

The above video is Josephine Baker dancing “The Charleston” in the 1927 silent film Siren of the Tropics.

Film Career 

Josephine Baker was one of the biggest female stars in the world, so she obviously had a successful film career as well. She starred in the silent film Siren of the Tropics in 1927. Her next two pictures were both talking films. She then became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture when Zouzou was released in 1934. She also starred in Princesse Tam Tam in 1935. Being that these were films from the thirties, there were obvious racist overtones in the plots, and although these films were only really successes in Europe, she still gained popularity and notoriety.

World War II

During the second world war, Baker used her extensive fame and influence in Europe to help fight for the allies in her own way. She hid large amounts of secret messages using invisible ink on her sheet music. She even concealed secret photos of German military installations out of enemy territory by pinning them to her underwear. She was awarded the Croix de guerre and the Rosette de la Résistance for her efforts.(2)After her death, she became the first American-born woman to receive a military burial in France. (3)

 

What Josephine Baker did during the war was truly incredible. It would have been easy for a woman of her stature to flee France when the war broke out and go back to her home country of America. However, she put her life and riches on the line and sacrificed for her adopted country.

Civil Rights 

During the civil rights era in the United States of America, Baker was an avid supporter. She faced racial discrimination at hotels and clubs all around the USA. She refused to perform in front of a segregated audience, which was one of the reasons why entertainment shows in Las Vegas slowly became mixed race. She was such an influential figure in the civil rights movement that when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, she was offered a key role in the civil rights movement that would have had her effectively replace King Jr. as leader. However, she declined in order to raise her children. (4)

Josephine Baker lived an extraordinary life. She was devoted to what she cared about, successful in what she did, and lived her life more than a little flamboyantly. She is an historical figure we could all learn a little from.

 

 

Bibliography

1. Jone Lewis”Josephine Baker Biography” ThoughtCo. Access Jul 18, 2018.
   https://www.thoughtco.com/josephine-baker-biography-3528473
2.  Ethan Trex. “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Josephine Baker.” Mental Floss. June 3, 2017, Accessed July 19, 2018
   http://mentalfloss.com/article/23148/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-josephine-baker
3. “Biography” The Official Site of Josephine Baker, Accessed July 19, 2018
   https://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/about/biography/
4. Joanne Griffith, “Josephine Baker: From Exotic Dancer to Activist” December 31, 2014, Accessed July 19, 2018
   http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20141222-from-exotic-dancer-to-activist

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