New Music from April 1971

April 1971

I’ve heard it said that you usually see what you want to see, but today’s show has me drawing parallels between the national spirit of April 1971 and that of today. A spirit of restlessness and dissatisfaction permeated our culture back then. Politicians increased tension between people rather than relieving it. An unpopular war was raging, and the mood of our nation was growing ever more skeptical of political leaders. As unpopular as the ‘hippie-led’ anti-war movement was to Middle-America back then, I think that history has proven their cause to be justified. In other matters, though, the youth movement dissipated into a flaky mess, resulting in a backlash that moved politics even further away from their youthful idealism than existed before. Today, we face similar political circumstances, but there is no youth movement to provide a rallying cry. One disheartening observation that history provides us is that the intense politicization of 1971’s youth culture ultimately made very little difference. The war did eventually peter out, but with it went an entire generation’s faith in the political system. The youth movement disengaged themselves and thereby ceased to have an impact. Since 1971, how many truly progressive leaders have we had? Jimmy Carter might be the only president since then who represented the magnanimous spirit of the youth movement, but to those in opposition, his presidency also serves as the best example for why progressives should never lead.
As I type this, we are preparing for another election, and like then, the mood of the nation is extraordinarily restless. Change is in the air. The question, though, isn’t whether we are for change. The real question is whether we are committed to our convictions. If not, then the potential for change will amount to nothing. 1971 was thirty-five years ago. Do you think that the nineteen year-old students at Kent State University could have even imagined that such intense political divisiveness would still be haunting us in 2006? Next Tuesday, raise your voice and please vote, but recognize that voting is only one part of democracy. Personal involvement is just as important. Vote, and when you do, think about where you want to be thirty-five years from now.

Here are the songs featured in today’s show;
1) Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha Na Boom Boom) – The Staples Singers
2) Never Can Say Goodbye – The Jackson Five
3) I Am, I Said – Neil Diamond
4) Chick-A-Boom – Daddy Dewdrop (as a ‘Great Miss’)
5) Timothy – The Buoys (as a ‘Great Miss’)
6) 49 Bye-Byes/America’s Children – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
7) Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
8) L.A. Woman – The Doors
9) I Feel the Earth Move – Carole King

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 4 – J.P. SOUSA, BERT WILLIAMS, BILLY MURRAY, AL JOLSON

THE BIRTH OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC, AND INCORPORATING THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
CLICK HERE TO PLAY THE SHOW

With today’s show, we attempt to explain just how the American ‘Popular Music’ form fell into place. Boy, oh boy is this complicated, and we hope to cover a lot of ground in one hour, so hold on to your hats, AND BE FOREWARNED! Some of the language on these songs is thoroughly inappropriate by today's standards. We believe that an ACCURATE portrayal of history is necessary if we are to learn anything from it, though, so we present these songs with no editing.
A lot of things had to fall into place for the American music scene to become established, so let’s quickly review what we’ve already covered; 1) In our first show, we displayed how the European music form, mainly through opera, kick-started the American music industry. 2) Our second show displayed how the European tradition gradually gave way to America’s own music forms, particularly the music of African slaves that eventually became America’s “Spiritual Music.” 3) Our third show covered America’s own musical developments from within, eventually bringing us to the ‘Ragtime’ era. Today, our fourth show, attempts to mold the entire morass into one messy pile, a category simply labeled “Popular.”
The most significant characteristics that caused American popular music to develop as it did are both social and technical. From a social standpoint, race relations were a major factor. African Americans playing a huge role in America’s cultural development, but until the onset of jazz music, mainstream America remained in denial of this fact. Technically, the newfound ability to distribute recorded sound caused an entire industry to develop around it. Songs were required for distribution, and facets from all three of our previous shows provided source material for the recording industry. So, give us one hour and we will do our absolute best to explain just how the America’s popular music came into being.

Here’s a list of songs featured in today’s program;
1) Jump Jim Crow – Michelle Shocked
2) The Washington Post March – United States Marine Band
3) The Laughing Song – George Washington Johnson
4) Reuben Haskin’s Ride on a Cyclone Auto – Len Spencer and Harry Spencer
5) The Preacher and the Bear – Arthur Collins
6) Samuel – Bert Williams
7) Nobody – Bert Williams
8) Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk – Ada Jones and Billy Murray
9) On the 5:15 – The American Quartet with Billy Murray
10) Yankee Doodle Boy - Billy Murray (a George M. Cohan song)
11) Swanee – Al Jolson (a George Gershwin song)
12) April Showers – Al Jolson
13) Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Al Jolson


For further reference, check out the following
1) Semper Fidelis - John Philip Sousa & the U.S. Marine Band
2) Stars and Stripes Forever – Sousa’s Band
3) The Thunderer - United States Marine Band
4) The Liberty Bell – The U.S. Marine Band
5) On the Banks of the Wabash – George Gaskin
6) Arkansaw Traveler – Len Spencer
7) If I'm Going to Die, I'm Going to Have Some Fun – Arthur Collins
8) Everybody Wants a Key to My Cellar – Bert Williams
9) Eve Cost Adam Just One Bone – Bert Williams
10) When the Moon Shines on the Moonshine – Bert Williams
11) King of the Bungaloos – Gene Greene
12) Shine On Harvest Moon – Ada Jones and Billy Murray
13) Give My Regards to Broadway – Billy Murray (written by George M. Cohan)
14) Take Your Girly to the Movies – Billy Murray
15) Waiting for the Robert E. Lee – Billy Murray
16) Casey Jones – The American Quartet with Billy Murray (edit)
17) Over There – Billy Murray
18) Over There – Nora Bayes
19) How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm – Nora Bayes
20) You Made Me Love You – Al Jolson
21) Hello Central, Give Me No Man’s Land – Al Jolson
22) I’ve Got My Captain Working For Me Now – Al Jolson
23) Toot Toot Tootsie – Al Jolson
24) Mr. Radio Man – Al Jolson25) My Mammy – Al Jolson (edit)
26) I’m Sitting On Top of the World – Al Jolson
27) Casey Jones – The Grateful Dead
28) Casey Jones – Mississippi John Hurt
29) Arkansas Traveler – Michelle Shocked

February 1969

February 1969

We’ve been doing this show for a number of years now, and our self-appointed charter allows us to get very eclectic whenever we wish. You may already know that American Hit Radio has expanded to two separate shows per week (Tuesdays and Fridays from 5:00-6:00 PM), and we use the extra time slot to cover the most important aspects of America’s musical culture, from the very beginning (we even touched on Native American music a few weeks ago!) to the present. Now, I LOVE our Friday show, because it allows me to delve deeply into the most important aspects of our musical legacy. I learn something myself, and I hope that the audience finds this to be both entertaining and informative. However…
…I can understand how our format sometimes pushes the envelope a bit. We did an entire show based on the ‘great tenors’ from the early 20th century a few weeks back, and I was immensely proud of that show (it was the first in our 250 part series, “How Music Changed”), but a few people seemed confused. Others questioned my sanity, and I understand. When you establish yourself as a spokesman for ‘popular’ music, your audience has expectations, and scratchy one hundred year old recordings do not fit comfortably into that equation. Nevertheless, there is a method to our madness, and our Friday listeners have since expressed some very positive commentary. Thank you for that. I promise that it will all make a lot of sense as we progress. If you listen to each show in our series of “How Music Changed,” you ought to be left with the means to appreciate these old recordings, while developing a thorough understanding of how our musical culture developed.
OK, I got that off of my chest, so here’s my point. After four or five years of doing “American Hit Radio,” one thing I’ve noticed is that nobody complains when we cover music from the sixties. I mean nobody, never, not at all. The sixties appear to be some universal beacon that shines out to all listeners, appealing to virtually everyone who listens to our program. I understand that, too, because I feel the same way. The sixties are also my favorite era. The music was rich, diverse, eclectic, populist, experimental, melodic, energetic, and full of expressive emotion. Covering the sixties is natural for me, and requires little preparation, since I already know most of this material by heart. So does a large percentage of our listening audience, which is why, for this specific show, I am very happy to cover music from February 1969, debatably the most vital and entertaining period of our pop music culture. So, enjoy this show. Next week, we’ll be covering Balkan oboe music from the 16th century…(only kidding…)

Here are songs that we cover for today’s show;
1) Everyday People – Sly & the Family Stone
2) Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations
3) Proud Mary – Creedence Clearwater Revival
4) Time of the Season – The Zombies
5) I’ve Gotta Be Me – Sammy Davis, Jr. (as a “Bad Hit”)
Featured Album Tracks -
6) Hey Bulldog – The Beatles (from “Yellow Submarine”)
7) You’ll Never See My Face Again – The Bee Gees (from “Odessa”)
8) Good Times, Bad Times – Led Zeppelin (from their eponymous debut album)
9) Christine’s Tune – The Flying Burrito Brothers (from “Gilded Palace of Sin”)

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 128 - WE THREE KINGS (ALBERT, EARL AND FREDDIE KING)

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 128

When blues enthusiasts mention the ‘three Kings of the blues,” they are usually referring to Albert, Freddie, and B.B. King. For our purposes, though, we need to realign that way of thinking. Considering his longevity and the seismic impact of his presence, B.B. stands alone above all other blues guitarists; he is a king of Kings, so to speak, and more than deserving of an entire program dedicated exclusively to his career. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of blues guitarists named King, and it isn’t a stretch to include New Orleans’ Earl as a king of the blues, so today’s show features highlights from the careers of these three Kings.
Perhaps the oddest factoid concerning today’s show is that none of featured musicians were born with ‘King’ as their surname. To my knowledge, the only blues guitarist who was born a ‘King’ was B.B.; Albert was born Albert Nelson, but changed his name to King after hearing B.B. King’s recording of “3 O’Clock Blues.” Freddie was born Frederick Christian, but changed his surname as well, in a similar epiphany. Earl King was born Earl Silas Johnson, but had a promoter who intended to bill him as ‘King Earl’. That plan was scuffled when the record labels got the names crossed, listing him as Earl King, and the gaffe stuck. There’s even a fourth King named Little Jimmy who fits this bill (he a relative newcomer, though, so it’s too soon to include him in our list of blues “Kings”) - He was born Manuel Gales, but changed his name in honor of his hero Albert King. So, B.B.’s surname sure did get passed around quite a bit.
Despite the similarities of their name, and a nearly unanimous recognition of B.B. King as their figurehead, each of these guitarists has a style that is quite unique and decidedly different from the bent-single note style that made B.B. famous. In today’s show, we’ll explore each of these styles, and discuss the impact of these three Kings. Music from today’s show includes;

1) Don’t Throw Your Love On Me So Strong – Albert King
2) Born Under a Bad Sign – Albert King
3) Crosscut Saw – Albert King
4) Oh Pretty Woman – Albert King
5) Trick Bag – Earl King
6) Come On (Let the Good Times Roll) – Earl King
7) Hideaway – Freddie King
8) Have You Ever Loved a Woman – Freddie King
9) Sen-Say-Shun – Freddie King
10) I’m Tore Down – Freddie King
11) San Ho-Zay – Freddie King

For further listening, we suggest the following;
Albert King – “Born Under a Bad Sign”
Freddie King – “Hideaway: The Best of Freddie King”
“Crescent City Soul: The Sound of New Orleans”
William Bell – “The Best of William Bell” (contains original recording of “Born Under a Bad Sign”


And for comparison (all featuring Eric Clapton);
Cream – Strange Brew
Cream – Born Under a Bad Sign
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – Hideaway
Derek & the Dominoes – Have You Ever Loved a Woman
Plus…
Jimi Hendrix - Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)
Freddie King – Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)
…and if you’re interested in hearing more by the Blaggards, contact us at American Hit Network

CBGB – Its Graffiti-Scarred Face Is Going to Hell (read ‘Las Vegas’)

R.I.P. CBGB


On Sunday, October 15, 2006, CBGB shut its doors after one last gasp of a live performance. The show featured resident hero Patti Smith playing for a wall-to-wall crowd, with no room to move between the graffiti-riddled walls and barely enough oxygen to share. I’d like to imagine that it was just like old times, although I wasn’t there to see it fizzle out. Considering the history of the venue, and the volatile nature of the bands who made their reputation there, I half expected a huge fireball to rise into the sky as the last notes emerged from a blown-out guitar amp. Not that I condone violence, but some mayhem would have been fitting and appropriate for a place that hosted punk rock before the Sex Pistols even existed. Somehow, it just doesn’t seem right that CBGB would go out with a whimper instead of a bang, but it’s behind us now. I understand that a newer, cleaner (how could it NOT be?) CBGB will open in Las Vegas, probably near the faux pyramids and the faux Eiffel Tower, and the faux…oh whatever. Las Vegas and CBGB go together like Jerry Falwell and Wayne County (remember drag queen Wayne County & the Electric Chairs?). Lost in a sea of plastic, future generations will have no idea what they missed, but this radio show will stand as one tiny little testament to my own memories. I saw the Ramones there around 1978, and the Dead Boys, and the Plasmatics, and Suicide, and probably a few others that I can’t remember due to damaged brain cells. We played there, too. We were called the Headlickers (as borderline ridiculous a name as I’ve ever heard), so I will indulge my own selfish memories as well. I still don’t fully understand the politics that failed the club at its demise, but it doesn’t matter. It’s over, and the next generation will probably pay $25.00 to take in the CBGB experience on the way to the roulette table…
God, we need another punk era.

Here’s music from today’s show;
1) Gloria/ In Excelsis Deo – Patti Smith
2) I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones
3) See No Evil – Television
4) Cadillac Moon – Mink DeVille
5) Blank Generation – Richard Hell & the Voidoids
6) Hey Little Girl – The Dead Boys
7) Rip Her to Shreds - Blondie
8) Life During Wartime – The Talking Heads
9) Black Section – The Headlickers
10) Suburbs – The Headlickers
11) Hey Mom – The Headlickers

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART3 – THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN IDENTITY

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 3

The Birth of an American Identity (Stephen Foster, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Scott Joplin, James P. Johnson)

In our previous edition of “How Music Changed,” we identified a path that led Europe’s musical tradition toward America’s shores. With today’s show, we will attempt to explain how America’s musical identity developed within.
For starters, you can be quite confident that the first European settlers coming to the new world were not exactly enthralled with the ‘music’ they heard from Native Americans. In almost every regard, the average European looked upon Native Americans as savages, and “Indian” music certainly was no exception. By the same token, the Pilgrims and the Puritans didn’t exactly dance there way across the Atlantic, either. For the first few hundred years after European settlement, America was a cultural abyss, especially in regard to the arts. Those fleeing Europe to avoid religious persecution brought strong ideas about the intrinsic evil of music and dance, so America’s musical development happened very, very slowly. Initially, there were little more than the religious songs published in prayer books. Interestingly, these songs eventually infiltrated the slave culture, who were usually converted to Christianity by the white culture who claimed their ownership. Naturally, the Negro slaves incorporated the European themes to their own traditions, resulting in something quite different from the staid original source. The songs that developed from this cross-cultural blend were the Negro Spirituals that we discussed in Show #2.
Another semblance of musical development began once American Expansionism began in earnest. The Louisiana Purchase had a huge effect on our musical development in two different ways. First, it attracted renegades away from the strict atmosphere of established towns and the semi-enforced religiosity that went hand in hand with that type of existence. Expansion provided the opportunity for traveling shows, and vaudeville became a common form of entertainment, along with ‘camp meetings’. Second, America obtained New Orleans, a city settled by the French, and inhabited by a multitude of ethnicities whose attitude toward music and culture was diametrically opposed to the Puritan ethic. In New Orleans, singing and dancing were considered proper, normal behavior.
Stephen Foster, a northerner who wrote songs romanticizing the southern American way of life, became the first American to earn a living through songwriting. His ideas permeated our culture from almost every facet. Free men and slaves both identified with his pastoral songs of home and hardship, and in time, his music became ubiquitous. Louis Moreau Gottschalk, a reasonably wealthy New Orleans resident who almost certainly was exposed to the music of Foster, was also exposed to the sights and sounds of Creole New Orleans. The Louisiana Purchase also happened to make Gottschalk a U.S. citizen. He published music that blended the French, Spanish, and African influences of New Orleans, adding a syncopated flair to his rhythms that made his music seem more contemporary than Foster’s. Some called it ‘banjo’ music, because it incorporated folk-styled rhythms. Others referred to his style of writing as “Cakewalk” music, because the songs served as excellent accompaniment for dance contests held by slaves, where the winner would be awarded with a cake.
Certainly, the music of Gottschalk (and, of course, Foster) would eventually find its way to the ears of a Texas-born African-American named Scott Joplin. Joplin taught himself how to play piano when a local white family allowed him access to their instrument. He eventually enrolled in the George R. Smith College for Negroes, studied formally, and began to publish his compositions. In time, his music ignited a craze for popular music that heretofore had been unknown in America. His syncopated style of piano-based melodic rhythms became known as Ragtime, and it provided the soundtrack for an entire era. Ragtime was addictive, and those who played it could easily get wrapped up in the excitement of its rhythmic ingenuity. Soon, players added their own ideas, improvising new phrases and rhythms that propelled the music even further. Some people disparagingly referred to this improvised style as ‘jass’ music, or ‘jazz’, implying a sexual underpinning to the driving force behind the rhythms (note to fans of early rock and roll - sound familiar?). A ‘swing’ feel that ‘bounced’ the notes caught on, and players like James P. Johnson took ragtime to entirely new places. By incorporating the feel of jazz onto the structural elements of ragtime, a style known as ‘stride’ rose to prominence, and it would provide much of the soundtrack for ‘the jazz age’.
Here is a list of songs from today’s show;
1) A Traditional Indian Pow-Wow – Renzel Last Horse and Kiyaksa
2) The Rivers of Babylon – The Melodians (excerpt)
3) Old Folks at Home – Paul Robeson (excerpt)
4) Oh Susannah! – The Byrds (excerpt)
5) Oh Susannah! – Taj Mahal (excerpt)
6) Camptown Races – Al Jolsen (excerpt)
7) The Banjo – Louis Moreau Gottschalk
8) Wallflower Waltz (a Cakewalk) – L.M. Gottschalk
9) Swipesy (a Cakewalk) – Scott Joplin (excerpt)
10) Solace – Scott Joplin
11) The Entertainer – Scott Joplin
12) Maple Leaf Rag (piano roll) - Scott Joplin (excerpt)
13) Maple Leaf Rag – Jelly Roll Morton
14) Carolina Shout – James P. Johnson
15) The Charleston – James P. Johnson
16) Meet De Boys on the Battlefront – Anders Osborne and “Big Chief” Monk Boudreaux

October 1966 – Forty Years and Another Lifetime Ago

October 1966
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A lot sure has happened in the past forty years. In 1966, there were no cell phones, no internet, no home computers, no VCR’s, no CD’s – heck, the cassette tape wasn’t even in use yet. FM radio existed, but most people still listened to AM radio, usually on portable radios or in their cars. Fidelity wasn’t an issue, but the quality of the song sure was. Songs were mixed so they would sound good emanating from a tinny speaker, and it was imperative for a song to have a strong hook so that it would be enjoyable to the listener, even under the most compromising terms.
The songs from today’s show represent just how strong the quality of songwriting was forty years ago. It is easy to imagine each of these song selections blasting out of the dashboard speaker of a ’65 Chevy Impala. By today’s standards, the fidelity was ridiculously poor, but it didn’t matter, because the songs were good. Today, we will take you back to a much more innocent age, when you could hear Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones side by side on the same AM station. For a really authentic experience, turn down the bass, boost the treble, add lots of echo, and play it loud!!!!
Selections for today’s show include;
1) Walk Away Renee – The Left Banke
2) What Becomes of the Broken Hearted – Jimmy Ruffin
3) Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra
4) Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
5) The Poor Side of Town – Johnny Rivers
6) Devil With the Blue Dress Medley – Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
7) Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow – The Rolling Stones
8) I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself – Dionne Warwicke
9) Take a Giant Step – The Monkees (featured album track)
10) East West – Paul Butterfield Blues Band (featured album track)

BOB DYLAN - "MODERN TIMES" OR RECYCLED AMERICANA?

"Modern Times" or Recycled Americana? - Play Show

It may be surprising to some, but Bob Dylan’s new album has become something of a phenomenon. “Modern Times” is his 31st studio album of new material, and his 52nd album overall (or more, depending on what you include) counting compilations and live albums. At sixty-five years old, Dylan debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Album Chart, making him the oldest artist to ever achieve such a goal. He’s been making records for forty-four years now, and after such a long run, it’s a safe bet to say that Dylan is the single most influential artist of our age.
Or, is it the other way around? Is contemporary culture channeling Dylan’s influence, or has Dylan become a conduit for America’s musical culture? The new album makes the point that Dylan may be relying on America’s musical past as much as America has been influenced by Dylan. It is virtually impossible to deny Dylan’s contribution to our culture. Who else can claim nearly a half-century of relevance, while remaining a trendsetter for virtually all of it? Dylan’s past few albums, though, reflect a methodology that incorporates a great number of outside influences, and this methodology reaches new peaks on “Modern Times.” It took some effort, but I can trace seven of the album’s ten tracks to older sources. Dylan certainly reworks the source material, and the performances here are nothing less than brilliant, but if they derive from another songwriter, can Dylan call them original, and claim to have ‘written’ these ten songs?
My opinion is simple and straightforward; Dylan has always relied on Americana for his material. He has even utilized it to promote and augment his own image. Now that he can claim to be the most important living songwriter – with virtually no competition - doesn’t it make sense that Dylan would reach into our past and reunite us with our own cultural experiance? Virtually all of the songs that Dylan uses for inspiration are old, and most hold interest only to musicologists. You can be certain that any casual audience will not be aware of a lineage to Memphis Minnie, The Sons of the Pioneers, Bing Crosby, or even McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters). Nor is it likely that they would care. It has also been brought to my attention that Dylan has excerpted a few lines from a little-known Civil-War-era poet named Henry Timrod into a few of these songs. Until now, I never heard of Timrod. That is why I think it may be a good thing that Dylan can do this. For forty years, he’s been providing fodder for other songwriters, and now Dylan has chosen to capitalize on older sources that have influenced him. Is that a bad thing? Who else is as qualified? I feel that Dylan is providing a service to music fans by introducing ‘new’ material that your grandfather (or great-great grandfather) might recognize.
The point of “American Hit Radio” has always been to provide entertainment for our listeners, while providing relevant information. We also take pride in discussing how music has developed toward its present state. To the best of our knowledge, “American Hit Radio” is the only program in the country that can discuss one hundred years of America’s musical culture, play the songs and discuss their relevance to today’s music scene. Recently, we added an entirely new aspect to our program by focusing specifically on “How Music Changed.” Dylan’s “Modern Times” provides us with a perfect opportunity to discuss myriad aspects of music’s history, and the relevance of our musical past. If for no other reason – and there are many other reasons – Dylan’s “Modern Times” is one of the most interesting, and controversial albums to be released in years. Thanks, Bob!