Today I’m going to be writing about Ed Sheeran’s speedy rise to fame. I will discuss his come up along with some of his most notable accomplishments so far in his career, discuss some reasons why he has grown so massive, and break down a few of his songs that represent his genre style.

First, I’m going to start off with a little throwback to the beginning, Edward Christopher Sheeran or better know as Ed Sheeran was born February 17^th, 1991 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England [1]. His father can be credited to the main influence of exposing Sheeran to music, his father would take him to concerts to help provoke the musical creativity side of his brain. Some of his most notable musical influences are Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, and Elton John [3].  Sheeran’s music started off playing guitar and singing in his family’s church as a youth, this was only the birth of his future legacy that I’m guessing none of his loved ones saw it coming [1].  Sheeran’s career of recording started out in 2004 – 2009 where he recorded and produced albums independently, he would perform these songs in small gigs and open mics around the United Kingdom [1]. In this time, a couple of these albums made top 100 on the UK charts, “No. 5 Collaborations Project” and “Loose Change” were by far his most successful hitting 46 and 90 [4].  His professional career started in 2011 where he was signed with Atlantic Records and produced three massive albums, “+” in 2011 which brought in 5 million in sales, “x” in 2014 which fetched 8.5 million in sales, and “÷” in 2017 that raised 12.3 million in sales [4].  At this point he’s only 27 and in my opinion is only in his infancy of his legacy.

Sheeran’s sound is best known by his acoustic guitar and vocals that sets him apart from the rap genre that dominated the top charts that he was  coming up in. His music covers a broad spectrum of genres he is placed anywhere from rock, pop, and indie [1] to folk and hip hop [2] but the biggest genre he stays true to is pop in my opinion.  Other than being an extraordinary musician the reason why I think he became so successful was the look of him and his relatability.  Being in the pop genre he was an out cast from the typical bad boy look to many of the other artists, his ginger hair, colorful tattoos, and British accent set him as a goofy look for the American pop scene.  From the wide variety of songs I listened to I can hear a story that he’s trying to portray to his audience, from the specific vocals to his thought out music videos he narrates relatable stories that could reminisce with just about any of his fans.  None of his music came off as bragging or “flexing” about his accomplishments which I find that hard to get these days.

Photograph

The first song I would like to look at is “Photograph” which was a huge hit on his album “x”, this song brings aspects of folk pop. The aspects of the acoustic guitar, some back up piano brings out a melodic sound. The song has a verse/chorus form that keeps it catchy for an audience to sing along and become immersed into it.  The music video below is a good representation of his progress through his music career, it displays home videos of Sheeran’s grind to where he has reached now.

Castle On The Hill

The second song is “Castle On The Hill” from his “÷” album.  This song brings a little more of the typical pop song we’re use to today along with a folk-rock rhythm to it.  The pace of it brings a lot more enthusiasm over the prior song with a spread of instruments that you see in an average rock band.  Again, it holds the verse/chorus form that allows for an easy way to remember and sing along for fans.  I believe the fast beat is what allowed this song to flourish across all medians.

Shape Of You

Lastly, we come to the behemoth, “Shape Of You” took the online world by storm, this is by far his most successful song.  This song became the 3^rd most viewed video on YouTube hitting 3.6 billion views [6] as of me writing this and holds the number one spot for most streamed song on Spotify at 1.8 billion [5].  This song was a new twist for Sheeran, on top of pop it brought a tropical house/dancehall vibe to his repertoire.  The use of the malimba and drums brings out that Jamaican vibe in the melody which is the part that resonated with me the most.  The small change in the instruments for a genre brought an intriguing new factor which I see as the basis of growing a new dimension.

I personally think Ed Sheeran will be part of the next textbook made for this class, his success in pushing the folk pop genre has reserved him a spot in my eyes.  His goofy look and creative music style will get him into the hall of fame one day.

REFERENCES

[1] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “Ed Sheeran | Biography & History.” AllMusic. Accessed August 06, 2018. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ed-sheeran-mn0002639628/biography.

[2] “Who Is Ed Sheeran? Everything You Need to Know.” The Famous People. April 04, 2018. Accessed August 08, 2018. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ed-sheeran-29882.php.

[3] McCormick, Neil. “Ed Sheeran: ‘I Haven’t Got Used to the Screams’.” The Telegraph. August 03, 2011. Accessed August 08, 2018. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/8679492/Ed-Sheeran-I-havent-got-used-to-the-screams.html.

[4] “Ed Sheeran Discography.” Wikipedia. August 03, 2018. Accessed August 07, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Sheeran_discography.

[5] Bruner, Raisa. “Here’s Spotify’s Most Streamed Music of 2017.” Time. December 05, 2017. Accessed August 07, 2018. http://time.com/5050155/spotify-2017-most-streamed-music/.

[6] “15 of the Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time.” Influencer Marketing Hub. Accessed August 07, 2018. https://influencermarketinghub.com/15-most-viewed-youtube-videos-of-all-time/.

Today I will be looking at three sets of musicians that were all major influences on their era in music history.  Like you and me, we all grow up watching and listening to people who influence the way we talk, think, and act.  Some people can pin point them and some can’t, but the interactions with other human beings is what makes us unique.  Generally, musician influences can be tracked back to their teenage years when they are most malleable and susceptible to outside voices and actions.  My goal is to show how Bon Jovi was influenced by The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones were influenced by Elvis Presley, and if any distinctive crossover is seen between the generation gap of Bon Jovi and Elvis.  I’ll be mainly focusing on the chosen’s looks and sound to fulfill this.

The Back Story

Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi was formed in 1983 in Sayreville New Jersey by a group of five guys, Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, Tico Torres, Dave Sabo, and Alec John Such [1].  Their main success was through the 80’s and 90’s with notably their most successful album being Slippery When Wet but had some success in the 2000’s when they weren’t broken up. They have managed to sell over 120 million albums and had many more songs streamed in the recent years [1].  The style they’ve been placed under would be rock or a hard/metal rock [1].

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones was shaped in 1962, based in London England and consisted of seven members, Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and Ian Stewart [2].  Deaths have occurred, new pickups have happened, but they are still a current band to this day. They have been compared as a hard-driving, gritty alternative to the equally famous Beatles [2]. Over the evolution of The Rolling Stones sound they are most commonly considered a blues-based rock and roll group [2].

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley, other wise known as the King of Rock seems to be the quintessential musician of all time.  The fact that many artist era’s after him still consider him to be one of the most influential of all time says a lot.  Elvis had a dominate career from the 50’s until the 70’s when he sadly died at the age of 42 [3].  This style begun with a strong flavor in blues and rockabilly and evolved into its own rock voice [3].

The Rolling Stones Influence on Bon Jovi

Now lets begin to look at what similarities Bon Jovi and The Rolling Stones have.  From the looks standpoint you can see Bon Jovi has a similar hair style to the Stones, long, puffy, and messy would be a few of the many words that could describe it.  Next up I could see some similarities in the ways they dressed, specifically in the jackets they wore.  In both cases they both wear flamboyant clothing with the edge to The Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi being a little more edgy and “bad boy looking”.  Jon Bon Jovi and Mick Jagger the lead singers and band members gave off the impression that the jacket was part of their stage character. Lastly those two have a lot of movement in their performances, they both enjoy using the entire stage to involve the crowd, I can see the influence Mick gives from his stiff dance moves that he pulls out at just about any moment.

Now lets move to how The Rolling Stones sound can be exposed in Bon Jovi’s music.  First off, I noticed that both bands have comparable instrumentation, generally a lead vocalist, a guitar or two, bass, keyboardist, and a drummer.  They both resemble that stereotypical rock package that most people are familiar with.  Secondly, they both use backup vocalists to form harmonies or throat produced sounds throughout their songs, this is mainly done by a second band member but occasionally by a woman.  Lastly, I would like to point out they both have high tempo music along with both having a signature scream tone to it with Bon Jovi’s being a little bit more hard rock and rougher around the edges.

(You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi. This should help give a visualization of the look they had an the typical sound of their songs.)

(Jumping Jack Flash – The Rolling Stones. This should help give a visualization of their looks and rock sound.)

Elvis Presley’s influence on The Rolling Stones

Lets jump back in time a little further and see what influences the King of Rock had on The Rolling Stones.  With anyone who knows Elvis, they likely noticed two main things regarding his appearance, his bold slicked back hair and his outlandish suit.  These two things are represented in The Rolling Stones hair and clothing style, maybe not in the same sense as clean slick hair but eye catching audacious hair.  During their first big hit in the 60’s they received more attention on their appearance then the hit they produced [4].  Once again, the influence of dance is seen, they both had a stiff, choppy style to their step.  If we now flip around to the sound aspect of their acts I discovered a few similarities. I will begin with voice tone, both vocalists incorporate a muffled grainy like voice that was able to hit higher pitched tones, but it tends to settle on the low end.  Next the accompaniment of vocal harmony is apparently influential from Elvis’s use in the clear majority of his songs.  Lastly, the instrumentation pulled from Elvis is apparent, guitar, drums and piano.  Those help incorporate that blues rock sound and tempo into The Rolling Stones tunes.

(Satisfaction- The Rolling Stones)

(Jail House Rock- Elvis Presley)

Connecting The Ends

To finish I’ll round up the connections seen on the two ends.  To Begin, style is a key similarity, from the way they dress to style of dance they have.  Instrumentation also carried down through the era’s keeping that broad array of instruments.

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen. 2018. “Bon Jovi Biography & History”. Allmusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bon-jovi-mn0000069534/biography.
2. Erlewine, Stephen. 2018. “The Rolling Stones Biography & History Allmusic”. Allmusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-rolling-stones-mn0000894465/biography.
3. Marsh, Dave. 2018. “Elvis Presley Biography, Songs, Movies, & Facts”. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elvis-Presley.
4. Wood, Jennie. 2018. “The Lasting Influence Of The Rolling Stones”. Infoplease. https://www.infoplease.com/arts-entertainment/music/lasting-influence-rolling-stones.

 

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.