In May of 1967,  the music world would be changed forever with the release of The Beatles’ album,  Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was an extremely innovative and unconventional album the likes of which had never been heard before. It was not only influenced by a wide variety of musical genres,  classical, rock and roll, psychedelia and Indian music, it used experimental production techniques and had avant-garde graphic designs on the cover. (1)

The 1960’s and 70’s were the time when baby boomers were coming into their twenties which was perfect timing for a daring, creative album to be produced.(2) The used of mind altering drugs was common and the summer of 1967 was known as the ‘Summer of Love’. This cultural revolution provided the perfect setting for a psychedelic influenced album to be released. The Beatles had spent the three years leading up to the release of this album touring and performing in front of screaming crowds. Feeling like they had lost sense of who they were, The Beatles decided to pack it in and return to the studio where they could focus on producing music they wanted to make, songs not influenced by corporate greed or fan pressure.(2) Five months without releasing any new music had Beatles fans on edge but when Sgt. Pepper was finally released, it took the music world by storm. (2)

The album was not specifically produced to be a crowd pleaser because it was  offbeat, quirky and extremely novel, filled with music that was unusual yet filled with creative genius.(4) Using a wide variety of influences, like classical Indian in ‘Within You Without you” or a circus themed orchestral piece in “Mr. Kite”, the production and song choice allowed all to enjoy it and appreciate what they were hearing.(2) The willingness to experiment with new sound effects, overdubbing and layering was refreshing. The odd sounds, bizarre lyrics and unexpected ideas never heard before forced a change in music. No longer was an artist or group forced to commit to one sound instead they were allowed to experiment and branch out and be whoever they wanted to be. The Beatles alter-ego, Sargent Pepper’s Band, allowed them to create songs and music from a new perspective not confined by the previous sound of The Beatles. It set a precedent for music which allowed artists to try new things, successfully or not.

Some argue this album was not a counter revolution against rock and roll nor was it the most important album ever released, although Rolling Stones Magazine listed it as one of the most influential albums of all time. (2) Instead it lies somewhere between the two. It provided an escape from problems of the day, such as racial tensions and the Vietnam War with songs that were unusual, creative and innovative.(4) Most critics would agree that the final song on the album, A Day in the Life, is the masterpiece of the album and I wouldn’t argue with that. It embodies the Beatles at the peak of their creativity which lead to the breaking of musical boundaries while encapsulating different generations of listeners with their evolving style The Beatles.(3)

 

Interestingly, A Day in the Life was actually a combination of two separate songs, one by Paul McCartney and one by John Lennon. (3)The song begins with a verse about a car accident where Tara Browne crashed his Lotus Elan. Browne, a good friend of McCartney and Lennon was the heir to the Guinness fortune. The details of the accident in the lyrics are fictional. Lennon admitted he did not copy the accident in the lyrics but Tara was the influence of this verse.(3) Paul envisioned the car accident in another way. Instead, he envisioned a politician on drugs sitting at a traffic light and who didn’t notice the light change because he was so high.(3) The next verse is about a movie that was a flop but was interesting to Lennon because he had read the book before watching the movie. The final verse is about the fortune the English Government spent counting pot holes in the road instead of fixing them.(3) He thought it was ridiculous to spend money in this way instead of fixing the issue. This unique blending of ideas and thoughts, contributions of bits and pieces from each artist to create a song that sounds seamless and unified, gives us a glimpse into the daily lives and the intimate thoughts of Lennon and McCartney who after all were regular people.

After researching this album, listening to it  and learning more about The Beatles, I can see why this album is often considered one of the pivotal moments in their career. They did what we would all like to do, pretend we are someone else and say and do whatever we want. Whether or not this was a drug fueled, mystical adventure or a purposeful shift away from the ‘boys’ they wanted to leave behind, it was a masterful production of not only technical creativity but unique songwriting and graphic art characteristic of the changing times.

Biography:

1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles | User Reviews.” AllMusic. Accessed August 13, 2018. https://www.allmusic.com/album/sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-mw0000649874/user-reviews.
2. Gilmore, Mikal. “Inside the Making of the Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’.” Rolling Stone. June 25, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2018. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/inside-the-making-of-sgt-pepper-125417/.
3. “Beatles – A Day In The Life Lyrics Meaning.” Lyric Interpretations. Accessed August 13, 2018. https://www.lyricinterpretations.com/beatles/a-day-in-the-life.
4. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles | User Reviews.” AllMusic. Accessed August 13, 2018. https://www.allmusic.com/album/sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-mw0000649874/user-reviews.

Pictures:

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All great musicians are influenced by those that come before them. As music evolves, artists continually take pieces from different musicians, their style, form, presence, to create their own identity. No one has been more inspiring and influential in the history of music than Elvis Presley. American born in 1935, Elvis Presley grew up in Mississippi and began performing music when he was only 11 years old.(1) There were many genres of music that inspired him but  gospel, country and the blues were instrumental in creating his unique rockabilly sound.(1) He began recording music in 1953 with Sun Records and hit mainstream when he performed on air for RCA in Nashville in 1956.(1) His resulting career lead to more than 149 Billboard Top 100 Hits and one billion plus songs having been sold.

Not only did Elvis’ music influence people, but his visual influence is evident in the many artists that were inspired by his style, rebellious nature and on stage demeanor. His ability to command the stage with new and innovative costumes, moves and his performance of this new rock and roll music were major contributors to performance artists inside the music industry. His sexually explicit onstage moves were very liberal for the time. This lead to criticism from older generations but those in the younger generation fell in love with his seductive, raunchy performance style. They admired the risks he took and recognized that a new genre, rock and roll, was taking the world by storm. No one in the entertainment industry at that time had the same effect on their audience as Elvis did. (3) As a result, his confident, rebellious style influenced countless artists and perhaps none more so than the great Bob Dylan who idolized Elvis.

Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Minnesota during 1941.(4) He began recording and producing his first self titled album in 1962. Dylan had a breakthrough with the release of The FreeWheelin’  Bob Dylan which was heavily comprised of folk songs. He began touring and by 1964 was playing at 200 concerts annually.(4) His style continued to evolve and change over the next thirty years but none of this would have been possible without the influence of Elvis.  

Elvis’ style was admired by the young Dylan who felt liberated through Elvis’s music and his ability to move the audience. It allowed him to break free and create his own sound. He believed he no longer had to be confined to certain musical restrictions or what was acceptable at the time. Dylan’s musical style did not necessarily emulate Elvis, who was not known for writing his own music or lyrics,  but Dylan clearly appreciated the influence Elvis had in presenting his music to a vast audience in a confident and unapologetic way. (8)

Dylan would never become a stage performer like Elvis but clearly Elvis’ music and  style lead Dylan to create the music and lyrics he has become so well known for over the last fifty years. Dylan has a unique ability to combine meaningful lyrics without being overshadowed by the music.(8) His controversial and provocative lyrics would influence not only his generation but those that would follow. He created new  possibilities for artists by focusing on the importance of not only how music was being played but what was being said and how it made people feel. His quiet confidence encouraged others to take risks not only with their music but with the meaning of their music. This is evident in the music of Common.

Rapper Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr.  or Common was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1972.(5) His first group, C.D.R, a trio that performed rap music, found early success opening for Big Daddy Kane and N.W.A.(6) As he began to gain popularity, he released an album under the name Common Sense. His first massive album,  Resurrection, produced by No I.D., received significant positive feedback from both underground and alternative hip hop fans alike.(6) Common is a rapper known for commenting in his lyrics on a wide variety of controversial topics, such as the process for creating music, street life, and competition in the music industry. These real world topics discussed in his music allowed Common to become more than just a rapper, he evolved into a brand.(6) His massive success in the music industry lead him to write children’s books, become involved in fashion and design, and start his own charity. He used his fame and success as a platform for commitment to social change and bettering the world around him. Like Bob Dylan, who created music that expressed his innermost thoughts and feelings, Common used rap as a way to spread his thoughts and feelings to the greater population.

 

Common played a huge role in influencing the biggest modern day rap artist and producer, Kanye West. Also born in Chicago around the same time as Common, 1977, Kanye hit mainstream music with the release of The College Dropout.(7) Released in 2004, it was extremely successful and resulted in the creation of GOOD music, his own record label.(7)  Kanye went on to release a few more albums that had massive commercial success. Kanye is infamous not only for his contributions to music and music production, but his influence over fashion, his political views and his divisive personality. Young people love him but older generations aren’t sure what to make of him, just like Elvis. He has worked with Nike, Louis Vuitton and Adidas designing clothing.(7) This commercial success in not only in music ,but also the fashion industry allowed Kanye to become a brand, much like Common who mentored and assisted Kanye. 

Artists often depend on those who came before them not only for encouraging and influencing their unique sound, but helping to uncover the personal ‘brand’ every musician hopes to develop. What these four artists seem to have in common is their way of presenting their true selves. They create music meaningful to them and to their audience but most of all they are prepared to make the music that they want to make and say the words they want to say. They all have ways of igniting controversy. They challenged the common perceptions of their time with their behavior, lyrics and music. They wanted to give their fans and the people of their time music that was relevant, meaningful and something they could relate to. These four artists may not visually appear the same on stage but their common goal was to present music that mattered to people, that made people think and they were, or are, prepared to challenge the norms of their generation.

Bibliography:
1 “Elvis Presley.” Biography.com. June 20, 2018. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/elvis-presley-9446466.

2 “Elvis Presley Fast Facts.” CNN. May 13, 2017. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/us/elvis-presley-fast-facts/index.html.

3 The Elvisualization. Accessed July 19, 2018. http://static.echonest.com/insights/elvis/elvisualization.html.

4 “Bob Dylan.” Biography.com. April 16, 2018. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/bob-dylan-9283052.

5“Common.” Biography.com. May 31, 2017. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/common.

6 “Common.” “Common.” Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America. 2018. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/common.

7 “Kanye West.” Biography.com. June 13, 2018. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/kanye-west-362922.

8 Campbell, Michael. Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes on. Boston, MA: Cengage, 2019.

Photo Links

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Ma Rainey, originally named Gertrude Pridgett, was born on April 26th, 1886 in Columbus, Georgia. Her parents, Thomas and Ella Allen-Pridgett, were minstrel troupers.²   Ma Rainey followed in their footsteps, and by age fourteen was performing in minstrel and travelling Vaudeville shows all over the southern United States.² She continued entertaining as a blues singer with her husband, William Rainey, and after their split in 1916, she kept her travelling performances going with a variety of talented musicians until her eventual retirement from the music business in 1935.² She died four years later at the age of 53 in Rome, Georgia.³  

Ma Rainey, often referred to as the “mother of the blues,” was one of the first female black classic blues singers at a time when the majority of musicians were men. She made a name for herself as a singer not only because of her strong vocals but also because of her loud, boisterous personality.  She was a woman in a man’s industry, and she was an African American living in the southern states during racial segregation. These were hard times for most but to be successful as a black female singer in a white man’s world, Ma Rainey must have had grit, perseverance and a great, big personality. Despite these circumstances, she was able to thrive in the music industry and enjoyed a very successful career.

 

While she contributed not only stylistically to the classic blues genre, she was part of the first generation to record this type of  music. From 1923-1928, she made over 100 recordings in an exclusive contract with Paramount Records, recording with some of the greats like Louis Armstrong.² Her contract ended as a result of inevitable stylistic changes within the music industry, there was no longer the same amount of interest in classic blues but her contribution to the music industry was enormous in that it introduced the blues to a much wider audience and became more accessible to a variety of people.

Ma Rainey’s classic blues style included the “three defining aspects of the blues: it’s form, style and feeling.”¹ Other characteristics of classic blues include conventional 12 bar blues form with the singer calling and a response from the band, often from one of the brass instruments. The blues evolved from slaves during the plantation years when work songs and the ability to express themselves emotionally thought music truly began. While the blues may often describe personal hardship, it is also filled with lyrics of surviving everyday life, having fun and letting go. The power of blues music lies in its ability to express powerful emotions.

 

“Hey, bo-weavil¹, don’t sing them blues no more
Hey, hey, bo-weavil, don’t sing them blues no more
Bo-weavil’s here, bo-weavil’s everywhere you’ll go

I’m a lone bo-weavil, been out a great long time
I’m a lone bo-weavil, been out a great long time
I’m gonna sing these blues to ease the bo-weavil’s lonesome mind

I don’t want no man to put no sugar in my tea
I don’t want no man to put no sugar in my tea
Some of them’s so evil, I’m afraid they might poison me

I went downtown and bought me a hat
I brought it back home, I laid it on the shelf
Looked at my bed, I’m getting tired of sleeping by myself”

True to blues form and style is the song Bo-Weavil Blues written and recorded by Ma Rainey in December of 1923.³ It has lyrics that are rhyming couplets with the first line repeated. It is sung in a typical blues call and response style with Ma Rainey’s vocals being followed by a response from the jazz ensemble who is accompanying her. I chose the song Bo – Weavil Blues because I feel that the song is typical of the essence of the blues style. Ma Rainey’s vocal phrasing from high to low with a gravelly voice is typical of this style.

 

“ I’m gonna buy me a pistol

Just as long as I am tall

Lawd, lawd, lawd

Gonna kill my man and

Catch the Cannonball. 2

If he don’t have me

He won’t have no gal at all”

– Ma Rainey, See See Rider Blues

The second song that I have chosen as a reflection of Ma Rainey’s contribution to the music industry is See See Rider Blues. What I found intriguing about this song was the racy lyrics. While she sings this in a typical bluesy style with her booming, rough voice, she laments falling in love with a man who loves another woman but instead of simply moving on and leaving him, she plans to buy a gun and kill her man because if he won’t have her, he won’t have no one at all. Considering this is a song written in 1924, I was surprised to find these types of lyrics that even by today’s standards would be considered questionable.

 

“ I want to see that dance you call the black bottom

I wanna learn that dance

Don’t you see the dance you call your big black bottom

That’ll put you in a trance”

– Ma Rainey, Black Bottom

The final song of Ma Rainey’s I have chosen is Black Bottom, recorded in 1927. Once again, she uses risque lyrics to draw attention to her “black bottom”. Recorded later in her career, this song displays her big, bold personality.  This song is different, because while many blues songs evoke strong emotions, this one displays the more fun and playful side of classic blues. However, It is like many of the other blues songs, written in the 12 bar blues style featuring dominant gravelly vocals, a pianist and a jazz ensemble. When I first started researching blues singers, I expected most of their songs to have sullen, almost depressing lyrics, or to be more similar to church music, very religious and uplifting. In reality, much of their blues music is suggestive with controversial lyrics which I found surprising and interesting.  

Ma Rainey was an inspiration not only to other musicians but to artist of all sorts including poets and authors. For example, Alice Walker, who wrote the novel The Colour Purple, was influenced by Ma Rainey’s cultural contribution towards women of African- American descent.² In my research, it seems to me like she would have been a modern day diva. She was described as  perhaps not the most attractive singer but her big personality and powerful performances commanded the stage. She wore gowns, ostentatious jewelry and mesmerized the crown with her gold front teeth. Her performance style can be compared to current pop artists like Cardi-B or Nicki Minaj in that they display personality traits similar to Ma Rainey. Songs such as Black Bottom and the message delivered can be seen in current songs, such as Anaconda by Nicki Minaj, where suggestive lyrics are used to shamelessly flaunt personal characteristics. Ma Rainey’s gritty, bluesy vocals, controversial lyrics and diva persona had a significant and profound effect not only on the people of her era but on numerous entertainers and artists that would come after her.

 

Bibliography:

1. Campbell, Michael. Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes on. Boston, MA: Cengage, 2019.
2. “Ma Rainey.” Biography.com. April 28, 2017. Accessed July 17, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413.
3.  “Visions & Voices: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom:.” Research Guides. Accessed July 18, 2018. http://libguides.usc.edu/c.php?g=571084&p=3936619

 

Pictures Link

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