Sonic Cool: The Life & Death of Rock’N’Roll 0634028618

Citation preview

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5 HAL'LEONARD

-

Cover and

interior illustrations

Copyright

©

2002 by Joe

by Jon Langford.

Harrington

S.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information

storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher, except by a review-

who may

er,

quote brief passages for review.

Published by Hal Leonard Corporation

7777 West Bluemound Road Box 13819

P.O.

Milwaukee,

WI

53213,

USA

Trade Book Division Editorial Offices: 151

West 46 th

Street, 8 th Floor

New York, NY Visit

10036

Hal Leonard online

at

www.halleonard.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Harrington, Joe S.

Sonic cool

:

the life

and death of rock

'n'

roll /

Joe Harrington.

lsted. p.

cm.

Includes bibliographical references

ISBN 0-634-02861-8 1.

(alk.

Rock music-History and

aesthetics.

I.

(p.

)

and index.

paper) criticism. 2.

Music-Philosophy and

Title.

ML3534 .H395 2002 781.66'09-dc21

2002014827

Printed in the United States of First Edition

10

98 7654

3 2

1

America

1

Content* v

Preface

Acknowledgements

ix

Chapter

1

The

Chapter

2

Where The Music Came From

Chapter

3

Elvis

Fifties

Gotta

1

Gun

13

3

Chapter 4

Kill the Business

59

Chapter

5

The

Beatles

97

Chapter 6

The

Rolling Stones

Chapter

Bob Dylan

141

Chapter 8

The

155

Chapter 9

The Back to

Chapter 10

The

Chapter

11

Excess

257

Chapter

12

Days of Malaise

293

Chapter

13

Punk

321

Chapter 14

The

395

Chapter

Post-Everything

Notes Index

7

15

for Sonic

Revolution

the Roots Revival

Struggle

Eighties

Cool

121

209 235

453 557 563

o

o

THIS SHOULD Bl mi

LAS!

BOOK

millennium, that which passes tionship with the

Rock

o

Rock.

\uoi"l

and

is

o

Surely, here at the onset of the

product of

a

t

retired this

process forms an inter-

us own, as evidenced by a wave of books

cheapening oorporatization of popular music appear tor

completely different evo-

a

new

lutionary process, and a nonorganic one. Surely this esting thesis

many

years to come.

and come to

signify-

It's

—

—

on the

subject

no doubt continue

that will

Which

past.

—not so much

written (once again, they undoubtedly

will),

is

books shouldn't be

that other

but that this

the

is

first

I

first

conceived

this

book some twenty-odd years ago,

did not believe an adequate history of

that

as

having final-

it

was because

Rock

existed.

Although other books may

have loosely traced Rock's chronological history, they seldom explained tial

book

(crushing conclusion).

When I

to

the whole point about

approaches the whole topic of Rock (and the phenomenon thereof) ity

the

i.e.,

probably about time that the word Rock be

music from the

being the "last" book about Rock

new

popular music bears only a faint rela-

itself off as

of the past

o

meaning. There were, of course, books

filled

its

essen-

with great essays about the topic, 1

from Marcus's Mystery Train to Guralnick's Feel Like Goin Home,

as well as a host

of great biographies (Nick Tosches' Jerry Lee Lewis epic Hellfire immediately

comes

to

mind) and

oral histories {Please Kill Me).

But what

something that explained the phenomenon of Rock strously popular,

and also

why

it

was destined to

—why

fail. I

guess

it

I

I

was seeking was

became so monconceived

it

as

an

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

vi

epic that sent,

would

along with

As

a

its

'n'

phenomenon, the kind of

belief that

Rock

—

Roll lifestyle has lasted, too

as

'n'

moment

engage

in).

Roll inspired in

any major

latest fashion

In

fact, it

the single

most important disseminator of freethinking

Rock

(as well

Roll was

'n'

—one

goddamn

itself,

important, not only as music but as a way of life

that, in

offered a viable alternative to the accepted hegemony. But the fact that

fact,

Rock, in

its

soul-selling inevitability, in turn

tion of conformity actually

means

that

its

became perhaps the ultimate

capitulation to the corporate

If

one sees the history of Rock

Roll as analogous to the Bible

'n'

book

believe there's a moral to this

god was

—

let this

—and

Testament. This book

do

New

an attempt to reconcile the Rock of the Baby Boomers

is

and the post-Punk Rock of all subsequent generations.

symptom of the world ultimately growing larger

disparate diversions in

I

be Rock's apocalypse, with the

chapter entitled "Punk" as the dividing line between Old Testament and

a

bas-

kind of self-fulfilling prophecy of biblical proportions.

a dire

was

city,

statement of

could be argued that, within the popular culture

as free love). In the annals of twentieth-century art forms, 7

in

(not to mention the self-destructive practices they routinely

Rock has been

pretty

its lis-

mere entertainment. The

one can witness

judging by the hordes of kids walking around in the the

to repre-

musical legacy.

teners was, in a very real way, closer to religion than

Rock

ROLL

Rock has come

the cultural manifestations that

tie in all

N'

its

wake. In the

'90s,

we'd see

The

culture of the '80s

—and leaving

this

a

thousand

more emphatically

in

the form of fringe religious, political, and sexual preoccupations of all varieties.

Rock

'n'

Roll itself would fragment into so

no longer any consensus even

The

thing that

the subject of so

was the For

first

Rock

This

Rock

'n'

Roll

is

book

as

more

tory of

'n'

many exhaustive

tieth century.

also

made Rock

what "Rock

is

'n'

Roll

folklore

I

more than

it

that

it

is

intrinsically related to the culture overall.

history. That's

it is

why some may

argue that

many groups

individual artists, but also

made

think those other books have perhaps missed.

Rock than

so

Roll" actually was.

—but ultimately inaccurate—surveys

the story of

Rock because

'n'

perhaps the greatest oral history of the twen-

is

something

subcategories that there was

Roll unique and the thing that has

form of music that was

this reason,

It's

as to

many

why I

like to

think of this

the history of Rock. this

or

whole genres

book cannot

artists are

(for

serve as a truly proper his-

ultimately excluded

—not only

example, the whole worldwide satanic

PREFACE

metal subculture is

barely in this

is

book at all. But like

Studies," if you will

—

far as history goes,

is

Techno

music). Michael Jackson

hot topics of postmodern research

all

book deserves

this

made myself almost

a subject I've

As

hardly even mentioned, nor

vii

to be written.

fatally familiar

This

one

is

author's view of

with for nearly three decades.

gets harder to pinpoint any kind of

it

—"Cultural

mass consen-

sus after the dissipation that occurred after Punk; starting then, the history of

Rock becomes Everything"

Limp

—

point

at a certain

it

closer in spirit to Richard Meltzer's

and the Pop

little

best to see Sonic Cool as not so

it's

Narcotic,

the final chapter

is

entided "Post

simply doesn't matter anymore; leaving

Bizkit out of the text does very

Perhaps

why

utterly subjective. That's

The

to alter

much

its

theoretical conclusions.

a straight history but a

Aesthetics of Rock,

book

Joe Carducci's Rock

and LeRoi Jones's Black Music: more of a theoretical/philo-

sophical entity as opposed to an all-inclusive "study." It's

called Sonic Cool because those are the

two

—despite the trappings —was, once "Cool" — the posture of Rock and the Rock

the sound of the music, which

is

upon ture

a time, the

—

the

is

main

more

ment that was

thing.

facile side

cultural

cul-

of the music's success, perhaps the seductive ele-

ultimately responsible for

Rock becoming

The

the Entertainment Industrial Complex. shall the

—

it

er.

it is

twain meet.

only Rock

In this sense, Call

it

And although

Revolution. Either way,

it's

they'll call it?

of Rock.

over.

But

if

The

true

left

something

meaning of Rock,

feel free to write

Or

fact, I

its

call

it

by no means lament

was going to

last forev-

future will bring something else.

exists. If you

history or

I

the history of the Cultural

call it

somehow I've missed my

some

essential

element ol the

sociopolitical connotations,

by

your own goddamn book.

Joe

Who

Rock, they're clutch-

call it

think

out, or failed to explain

its

of what

(Tom Wolfe was another inspiration).

they continue to

ing onto something that no longer

mark, or

eulogize this

Cool is satire as well

a cultural history

knows what

I

a fixture

point of the book: Never again

There was no guarantee

'n' Roll.

So?iic

sides of Rock's soul. "Sonic"

S.

Harrington

Portland,

Maine

April 18, 2002

all

means

Digitized by the Internet Archive in

2012 with funding from

The Archive

of

Contemporary Music

http://archive.org/details/soniccoollifedeaOOharr

So IT'S FINALLY COME DOWN TO TfflS, HUH? I call

a

the holy trinity

dream

—the three people who were

into not only a reality but

told

is

I call

John Strausbaugh:

the

As

"Beyond

When

I first

my concept for Sonic Cool sometime in early 999, he was already familiar with my style, and in a way, he'd been partly responsible for

him about

eminendy

helping nurture

New

feel like a conspiracy.

of their own, which

among them

the Call of Duty" category. First

chiefly responsible for turning

what eventually got to

far as credits go, this triumvirate is in a class

what

First off, thanks are in order for

1

it,

as he'd already

published more than

fifty

reviews of mine in die

York Press, the paper he edited. It should be noted here for posterity's stake

that he's the best editor I've ever

had the pleasure of working with,

for the simple

reason that he eschews the usual schoolmarm-ish precision bullshit, easy-reading tactics,

and putting-words-in-writers'-mouths practices of most

so afraid of their

apparendy get ers. It

own shadows and

a quick-fix kick

so unsure of their

own

editors,

who

are

literary oats that they

out of emasculating dieir legions of underpaid writ-

was Strausbaugh who recommended an agent

turned into the second conspirator of the

trinity.

for

me, Jim Fitzgerald,

Luckily for me,

who

who had very lit-

tle

experience treading in these waters, Jim was the possessor of a genuine Rock

'n'

Roll sensibility that

is

rare in

most

literary folks.

From

the beginning, he

believed in the project and never once flagged in his support. It

lap of

was

Ben

this

kind of dedication that eventually landed die manuscript in the

Schafer, at that time the editor at

Hal Leonard. Ben was another

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

x

N'

ROLL

godsend: not succumbing to the pressures of the politically correct and thus

robbing the book of

thought police, the

way

it

its satirical

implications just for the sake of appeasing the

one most responsible

he's the

was intended

to.

As we embarked on

the very beginning that he was truly "in to have crossed paths with

say that perhaps

wingspan

no other

when he

finally

and

joke,"

coming out

Ben proved from

this project,

I feel

very fortunately

I'm very confident

at this point in time.

when

I

editor would've given a first-time author such a wide

sees

thank John Cerullo

it,

during the two years

And

him

on the

book

as well as unflailing support.

I'd also like to

ner

for this

as well as it

at

Hal Leonard

everyone else

at

for recognizing a win-

Hal Leonard

for their support

took to complete the project.

thanks also to the great Jon Langford, for coming up with an appro-

priate cover illustration that

Thanks

matches the irreverent

spirit

are also in order to the following people

insignificant

way

to the final

outcome, be

it

of the book

who

by loaning

a

itself.

contributed in no

record or two; pro-

viding advice, guidance, or moral support; as well as any ideas, thoughts, punch lines,

or even a sentence or two that

I

might have appropriated wholesale:

"Metal" Mike Saunders, Eva Neuberg, Jon Decker, Dave Daley, Jon Reisbaum,

Jim DeRogatis, Ted Drozdowski, Joan

Foley,

Robert Brooker, Ben Goldberg, Lisa Kearns,

Tony Mayberry,

MC

Kostek,

Steve Perry,

Mike Doughty,

Gilbert Doughty, Brendan Bourke, Spencer Gates, Steve Aylett, Tris McCall,

Anna Keith

Price,

John O'Hara, Barbara Manning, George

Wasmund, Robert

Steve Manning,

Morris, Jeff Morris,

Tsetsilas, Peter Lebares,

Randy Haecker, Chris

Ron Schneiderman, Bob Dubrow,

Kris

Jacobs,

Thompson, Connie

Adams, Angus Merry, Rick Oulette, Ben Lowengard, Spencer Ackerman, Erin Franzman, Terri Hinte, Todd Cronin, Andria

Lisle,

Warren Lemond, Rick

Grazul, Jacob Hoye, Jeff Niesel, Jeff Dice, Patrick Corrigan, Cassie Gagne,

Lael Morgan, David Tyler, Chris Busby, Laurie Blackwood, Ippolito, Brian

Coleman.

Extra special thanks

Mark

Pam Nashel, Nina

to:

Delerium Archives, David Simpkins, Lauri Bortz,

Dagley, Marianne Nowottny, Allison Tanenhaus, Erin Hosier,

Warren, John Fahnley, Julie Underwood, Kris Irving, Scott Irving,

Susan and

Max

Jim

Gillespie,

Tim

Tom

Shea, Chris

Pinfold, Steve Prygoda, Sue Minichiello, Carl and

and Miles Treicel, Noel Ventresco, Craig Ventresco, Lisa

LeeKing, Lisa Carver, Dave Goolkasian, Sean Dillman, Penny Day, Julie and

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

xi

Jere Nickerson, Daniel and Cecelia Nickerson, William Hobbs,

Pam

Smith,

Raymond

Andy and John and Carol Bogner,

Ross, Michael

Treemarcki,

Tom

Galinksy,

Mafrici, Liz August,

Eric and Rachel Youngling,

Matt Martinez, Adam

Tim

I

forgot.

Stern,

David

Smart, Bernard Stollman, Johnny

and Mellow Lomba, Phuong Baum, Anne Streng, Patrick Doris Storer, and anyone else

Andrew and

Sabatini,

Mum,

Dad,

To Jon Fox,

who

started

it all

and always kept

it

real

Chapter

1

THE DRTtiE* In the

'50s,

a decade of expanding goodwill, few people doubted their

GOVERNMENT. AMERICA, AFTER

ALL,

HAD

WON THE

WAR. Young

spent a couple of years fighting overseas were anxious to buy families in the

new

culture

—

new

particularly television

the world because they'd saved

refrain).

homes and

—that promoted

War it

II

a

new kind of affluence.

daddies whose right

("and don't you forget

it

it,

They'd fought abroad to defend the American way of

they were reaping

raise

plenteous Utopia of postwar America. Around them raved a

This was the bounty of the World it

men who'd

its

was to inher-

kid"

went the

life,

and now

rewards. But there were millions of people whose lives

went on, devoid of the American Dream. For those who were

behind, the '50s was an extremely grueling time

left

when conformity was rewarded and

The

specter of the witch-trial-like

one thinking of dissent.

It

was

political dissidents, druggies.

or of neatly

mowed

was judged with suspicion.

individuality

McCarthy

hearings put a lot of fear in any-

—

definitely an era of hiding in the closet

But these "dissenters"

lawns and Leave

it to

existed,

beneath the exteri-

Beaver benevolence.

In the recent past, Franklin Roosevelt had been such

a

that he almost put the Republicans out of business. People for the Depression,

years helped

and FDR's emergence

him achieve

the social and

a

for gays,

as a

popular president still

blamed them

world leader during the war

prolonged presidency that enabled him to complete

economic agenda

that

was the

New

Deal. His inevitable succes-

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

2

sor,

Harry Truman,

ethic

solidly

embraced

ROLL

small-town, Midwestern working class

a

and was given to plain language. But Dean Acheson, Truman's Secretary

of State, came to

Harvard,

a

embody

the Eastern establishment: Educated at

product of Wall Street, he was young,

affairs, chiefly

Even

Eurocentric.

after

ed to concentrate more on European In his that

N'

first

fell

to

terms of foreign

Communist

he tend-

rule,

affairs.

year as Secretary of State, Acheson was dogged by an incident

would prove

to be a historic turning point in the

Whittaker Chambers,

own

his

one named Alger Hiss was

at

by the Republicans

Cold War:

A man named

background quite dubious, charged that

one time

the time, Hiss was the head of the vilified

China

rich, and, in

Groton and

member

a

of the

Communist

some-

Party.

At

Carnegie Endowment, an organization long

Although Hiss eventually got out

as a liberal organ.

of the whole thing on a charge of perjury, the main target amongst Red-haters

was Acheson, who continued to support Hiss long

The

event that really jump-started the Cold

testing of the nuclear

modern

folklore, this

bomb on August 29, almighty force

dirty Reds, could extinguish

all

1949.

that, in

after the trial

War was

was

over.

the Soviet Union's

Soon the bomb became

an instant, in the hands of those

the things Americans had fought so hard

wasn't that long ago that Soviets and Americans had fought side by side in

War II, but by becoming our nuclear equals, the as the

part of

Soviet

for. It

World

Union had now emerged

new enemy.

On other fronts, the contours of society were changing: Harry Truman would be the last president not to go to college.

The

country was entering a whole

which the overriding goal of most Americans would be going to be a world where one could hang a

to succeed. It

heroes

be the

last

With

(like James

Curley and

also the

literally

some

last

of the unbuffed

politi-

could display his bloodlust in public.

issues of national security.

Cold War, spying and

J.

espi-

These were the years when

looking in every garbage can for "commies."

golden age of die FBI, led by

proven, had It

who

the escalating nuclear arms race and the

Americans were

was no longer

Huey Long) just as Eisenhower, his successor, would

of the real brave war heroes

onage became huge

era in

man from a tree if one didn't like the color

of his skin. Harry Truman came from the Old School, the cal

new

Edgar Hoover (who,

It

was

as history has

secrets of his own).

was an era of fear and entrapment,

gogic senator from Wisconsin,

who

at

as

proven by Joe McCarthy,

one time

let it slip that

he had

a

dema-

a list

of

CHAPTER

THE FIFTIES

1:

3

"205 proven commies" in the State Department. This was

in

of the modern-day press scandals, as the hearings were

media events, and everyone from

nationally televised coffee-getters

among

the

the

first

first

big

politicians to actors to

was accused.

McCarthy hurt Truman. He because he

many ways

made them look

soft

also hurt the

Democrats

on Communism. The

final

in the long-term,

blow came during

Korean War, when Truman replaced the ever-popular General MacArthur

the

with Matt Ridgeway. This caused MacArthur to accuse the president of "not

wanting to get the job done." To most Americans, MacArthur was hero admired for his outspoken bravado.

Now

from the president, he was even

direct orders

that he

less

a national

was no longer taking

checked in

his criticism.

In those days, people's speech wasn't policed by politically correct do-

gooders, nor was their conduct checked by international bodyguards. This was still

the day and age

policy leaders

mies.

the Soviet

of hip thinkers

try's

Union and

stakes got a lot higher,

Most people now lot

—not

just

working

—openly admitted that they wanted

With both

bomb, the

when people

class zealots,

to totally

but national

maim

their ene-

the United States having access to the

and the public relations rhetoric

intensified.

realized that this rhetoric could have fatal consequences.

—

artists as

well as academics

A

—began questioning the coun-

overt nationalism, but for the most part Americans in the '50s continued

to have blind faith in their leaders (and deftly built

The

'50s

saw the invention of

inconceivable during the war years

"leisure time,"

bomb

shelters).

which would have seemed

when men and women worked day and

night to keep the war effort running effectively.

With

the rise of

new

technol-

oil

—the birth of electronics and the conversion of coal-fueled energy crude This meant the average work—industry was becoming more

er

was able to work fewer hours for more money. Americans became consumers.

to

ogy

efficient.

itself

They began

to

spend money on

mobiles in order to gain status

home

among

furnishings, clothes, cuisine,

and auto-

their peers.

Cars, for instance, had once been thought of only as a

means of transport.

But with the mass production of autos that accompanied the postwar economy, automakers society.

like

General Motors began to design cars for the different

So while

or truant

a

Pontiac was a sporty model perfect

officer, the

for, say, a

strata

of

horse breeder

Cadillac was aimed at corporation heads, movie

snirs,

and

the owners of baseball teams. As the desire to succeed was being bred in

all

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

4

ROLL

N'

Americans, the Cadillac became the ultimate status symbol. That's Elvis finally

automobile

made

had

still

professionals.

the

it,

The

thing he did was to buy a Cadillac. Back then, the

first

mystique to

a

it,

and mechanics were looked upon

meant

increasing need for gasoline

that soon the

as

the Road, his epic saga

chance of such

of

The

isolation. it,

common

Despite

all

thriving

knew

that

if

they could reach

all

those

many

cases,

was the

industrial stronghold, the

United

denominator.

of this.

With

as a military

and

its

lack of true culture.

the rise of pop culture, this country

beyond even the Iron Curtain (although

independent contracting,

modest income to buy

it

a house.

stretching out, with the

it

The

would extend

was

'50s cul-

its

strictly

hush-hush).

With

the birth of

in the postwar years:

had become more affordable for the American of

right in the urban center for

The automobile had

eliminated the need to

employment purposes. The

more

cities

moving

affluent occupants

were, in

to the

live

fact,

oudying

was the beginning of suburbia, which opened up even more

regions. This

avenues of leisurely pursuit

around the water cooler

at

—which

work

ultimately led to Americans standing

talking about their

new

air conditioners.

chain stores began opening up: Korvette's, Woolworth's, and

retailers.

Eugene Ferkauf, the founder of

what made the new consumers not fear debt.

in

Americans, encouraging them to buy into what

Housing had changed dramatically

other

little

America of Wall Street and Madison

"mainstream" culture. Which, in

as

prominence

its

tural influence

The

in rural outposts

100 years, after the '50s there was

was routinely mocked by Europeans for

changed

were towns

were several more millions to be made. American enterprise was,

would become known

States

in

because they

a sense, reaching out to rural

lowest

On

on the American highway.

life

changed much

Avenue wouldn't allow folks there

New

Jack Kerouac was putting the finishing touches on

in the first half of the century there

that hadn't actually

that soon the giant

American road would look exactly the same from

York to Florida, even

Although

as skilled

on every highway. This

chains like Gulf and Esso were going to be popping up

meant

why when

And

ones born into

a

different

their children, the

from

was that they did

dreaded Baby Boomers, would be the

world where disposable income was

first

a given.

Postwar Americans were more adventurous than their parents

were willing to explore new boundaries in order to

the

once noted that

Korvette's,

their parents

all

fulfill

in that they

their ambitions.

They

— CHAPTER

1:

THE FIFTIES

5

were willing to marry outside of their own religious or ethnic backgrounds, or relocate to

new

areas if the promise of a

automobile and

jet also

Americans believed

made

new

this possible,

but

it

in the endless possibilities of the future.

stations,

but

fast

living farther

all

that

came with

it.

It

was

of the stand-up hamburger stand: McDonald's and the

like

on

way

its

out, as people

also the

There were

also

all

kinds of

were increasingly willing

new

to forsake things

more

which went along with the

rise

of television and

Americans who'd earned the right to

in general for

The combination of increased leisure

privileged in yet another

economy being working

way

were getting more sophisticated

really

'50s.

The new motel

kids.

so good,

many

as the proverbial

their parents

and grandparents

—and thus jaded—

earlier in that,

of them could afford to have their

"soda jerk" after school.

their parents' houses

chains

Thus, the Baby

helped jade those kids even faster was the fact

of the '50s mythology, and for good reason:

from

sedate lifestyle

leisure.

were family motels that encouraged you to bring the

What

more

dinner," for

Holiday Inn and the Ramada Inn. These

proliferated: first the Sheraton, then

weren't. Kids

a

quickly.

time and the proliferation of the auto-

mobile helped expand the tourism industry in the

Boomers were

"TV

instant foods, like the

beginning

The down-home

like.

personal service and a familiar atmosphere in order to eat

instance,

from the

food as well. This was the beginning of the "rat

—the hustle and busde and

diner was

—these

The new reality of commuting produced a need for faster services

not only gas race"

The

it.

was more than that

Americans were becoming more mobile and thus workplace.

demanded

job or career

and mingle with

it

The

car

life.

widi the

own

cars by

would become part

enabled teenagers to get away

their peers.

The

car helped bring

about the sexual revolution as well by revamping the whole notion of courtship: Sexual initiation was naturally a lot easier in a car than barn.

And

the

new

it

had been

drive-in theaters gave die kids a destination (or an

in, say, a alibi).

Television was another big factor in die increasingly early sophistication of the

Baby

Boom

generation. Television wasn't only changing the lace of enter-

tainment and advertising, but

politics as well.

shows dominated the world of early out that televised events

mob

trial

like the

McCarthy

pulled the highest ratings.

how some husbands

returned

television,

Although comedy and variety network owners were finding

hearings and the famous Costello

There were even newspaper

home

after a

articles

about

hard day's work and found their

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

6

wives glued to the TV, housework undone, supper

ROLL

N'

unmade

(a cardinal sin in

those days).

People were growing accustomed to seeing events actually unfurl instead of reading about them after the sition to the

saw on

Vietnam War

fact.

This would be

in the next decade.

and what was happening

television

young couples were now

ing developments where they hardly

show

closer to the characters in a

knew

like /

The

line

in real life

away from

living far

a pivotal factor in the

oppo-

between what people began to

their families in

their neighbors.

fade.

Many

brand-new hous-

They began

to feel

Love Lucy than they did to the people

around them.

TV was so important that, in ing firm to teach Ike

changed the

how

1952, the Republicans hired a huge advertis-

new medium. This permanendy

to groove to the

face of politics in America. Prior to that, political

been unrehearsed. By contrast, he was always

Ike's spots

cast as the returning

thing stupid (which he was

campaigns had

were concise and well edited so that

—and

War Hero

more than capable

of).

cut off before he said any-

This was

a technique that

both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, the next two Republicans elected president in the twentieth century, If

Eisenhower was

just learning

his vice presidential candidate,

coup with

his

supposedly

would incorporate.

how

to master the

medium

of television,

Richard Nixon, was soon to pull off

a

major

Checkers speech. To answer questions about the acceptance of

Nixon

illegal funds,

called a

major press conference, televised

in

prime time by the three major networks, during which he played on the sympathies of his audience

by

installing his wife as a

the family dog. This helped teach politicians a

prop and making reference to

new

tactic

—mainly

ber that the print media was irrelevant to "real Americans."

medium

it

was

still

Eisenhower and

his generation

the country, and the America they

remembered was

the-century childhood. As a whole

new

fields

tion, the

age.

remem-

TV was the

new

with which to reach the mainstream.

In those years,

ing the

to

of

art,

governing

Many of the The Kinsey

was published

who were running

the one from their turn-of-

generation of young minds was uproot-

entertainment, technology, science, medicine, and educaclass

was

still

very

much

tensions of the time arose

based in a

from

Report, Sexual Behavior in the

in 1948.

Kinsey tried to dispel

much

this rather

simpler day and

obvious paradox.

Human Male by

Alfred Kinsey,

many of the common myths about

CHAPTER

1:

THE FIFTIES

7

sex in those days, such as the belief that masturbation led to brain that homosexuality

was

a

form of mental

damage or

He also concluded that healthy

illness.

sex led to healthier marriages and that premarital sex tended to produce better

marriages. Although these opinions

they were very controversial in the

The

Sexual Revolution was

already working

long before

all

thinking was

The

on the

seem

common knowledge

nowadays,

'50s.

still

a

birth control

the old taboos

like

few years away, but medical science was pill,

and when

it

finally arrived,

went out the window. In the

'50s,

it

however, such

almost inconceivable except to a small minoritv of

still

Catholic Church

still

held that the

Pill

wasn't

liberals.

and prophylactic devices interfered

with the natural progress of God. But young families, even religious ones, had

found God's progress to be too

With

realms as childbirth a mystery.

make

The

People

life

seven kids.

which

pass "family planning,"

the course of nature

six,

itself.

of a burden, even in the Promised Land.

young

the advent of birth control,

they should have to have

to

much

families figured there

The American Dream came

essentially

meant

American

All of

was no reason

that

to

encom-

newlyweds could regulate

—even such previously sacred

life

—was becoming programmable. Life was becoming

felt less

explainable

—

less

of

indebted to the things they had previously relied on like religion, for instance.

courts were also changing.

The new Chief Justice

of the Supreme

Court, Earl Warren, was a former Republican governor of California with very

moderate tendencies who sought to declare since the

Jim Crow laws were passed

er but not equal"

racial segregation illegal.

Ever

in the late nineteenth century, a "togeth-

dictum had existed in the United

States, particularly in the

South. This discrepancy was in complete defiance of the Fourteenth

Amendment, which of equal protection states

said that state

governments couldn't deny Blacks the right

—which, argued Warren, was

exactly

what the Southern

were doing by segregating public schools.

In 1951, in Brown

Brown had

vs.

the

Board of Education

,

a

Black welder

named

Oliver

with the court in Topeka, Kansas against the local school

filed suit

board, claiming that his eight-year-old daughter had to travel twenty-one blocks by bus to attend an all-Black school. Eventually the case worked to the

Warren court

regation

illegal.

enforcement

its

way

and, in a historic decision, they unanimously declared seg-

The

officials

hard part, though, was ahead for the courts and

who had

to

make

the law stick.

It

law-

was one diing to put

it

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

8

on the books, but

know

it

at the time,

know was

we were about

but

that a

a different thing entirely.

was

it

come dangerously

U.S. would didn't

to enforce

People didn't

to enter a violent period in

close to a second Revolution.

press corps

was to

The

their cause.

racial

how

they also

it.

sympathetic the

stigma would also start

broken down by the presence of Blacks in sports and Rock

to be

which the

What

whole generation was going to get high on

Southern Black leaders were surprised to find out

mosdy white

ROLL

N'

'n'

Roll. In

1955 both Chuck Berry and Little Richard would place records in the Top Ten,

and Elvis Presley, vibe,

a

white Southern performer said to be haunted by the Black

was bubbling under.

In the nation at large, the event that seemed to galvanize the racial struggle

was the murder of Emmitt

Till that

summer

(1955). Till was a fourteen-

year-old Black proto-gangbanger from Chicago; his mother had sent to visit an uncle,

Moses Wright, who

cotton country. During his

lived in the thick of the Mississippi Delta

Till apparently

visit,

whisded

within earshot of her redneck husband. Later that day, the

and when they

find the body,

at a

white woman,

man and

his crack-

and threw him into the Mississippi River,

er cronies bashed Till's skull in

weighed down by the fan from

him south

a cotton gin. It did,

it

took authorities three days to

was badly decomposed. They sent the

corpse back to Chicago, at which time the boy's mother decided to hold an

open-casket funeral, exposing the brutality of the crime to anyone with the guts to look.

off the

The

national

hook only

The

media had

a field day.

The

Black population was growing. Particularly in the northern

Ever since the

mosdy

'40s, a large

cities like

ers, as in

like

would never

In these

of the workforce.

rampant racism

Toledo and Cleveland, Blacks found that they were

sumers themselves. But the

by TV shows

cities like

portion of Southern Blacks had been migrating

able to get decent jobs with decent

that Blacks

a sizable part

for work-related reasons, but also to escape the

of the South. In

fested

murderers got

further emphasized the racial divide.

Chicago and Detroit, Blacks already made up

north,

fact that Till's

wages

in the factories

idyllic picture

Leave

it to

and thus become con-

of the American Dream, as mani-

Beaver and Ozzie and Hairiet, was something

feel a part of.

TV programs, the formula was the same: two kids (usually broth-

the case of both the Cleaver and Nelson families), the omniscient,

all-

powerful father (who worked somewhere during the day, although the series

CHAPTER never

made

clear where),

inevitably white, as

Obviously,

were

It

and the

THE FIFTIES

someone was being

left

virtually

to the rebellious factors that

culture at large.

While

just

There was always the

television

star

a

more

A

being most vulnerable

its

cleansed version of America,

unsettling vision of American

new

trend.

of American cinema, had emerged in 1954 on the heels of

Streetcar

One

That

James

life.

Named Desire

—

a stir

Elvis

with his sexually charged per-

was watching). Younger,

and even more confused, Dean was an immediate sensation following in East of Eden.

in the

threat that the Beaver might "go bad."

Marlon Brando (who'd already created in

as

as well

beginning to manifest themselves

was portraying

Hollywood was presenting Dean, the new

were

their social contacts.

all

out of the American Dream. In Ozzie

was always the younger son who was seen

as Beaver, it

formance

and

They were

housewife-mother.

dutiful

their neighbors

9

thing about

Dean was

that he method-acted,

he became the role he was playing. His next

is,

eponymous

Rebel without a Cause, suited

fused loner

who

flirted

him

prettier,

his

debut

which was

a

role, in the

perfecdy: mainly, that of the con-

with danger and blamed his parents for the way he'd

turned out.

Young Americans no longer

The

advent of the

Cold

War

—helped

felt tied

mores of

to the sexual

—and the great Fear

bomb

was prevalent during the

that

foster the philosophy of "why wait

The whole

were much more

tomorrow?" Not

'til

—

in terms of premarital sex, but in terms of everything instance.

their parents.

like

buying

notion of buying on credit came about in the

likely to

a

just

house, for

'50s.

People

eschew caution when they truly believed that tomor-

row might never come. In 1954, Joe DiMaggio, perhaps the greatest baseball player of his era,

married Marilyn Monroe.

The actress had made a name for herself that year by

being filmed in The Seven Year

same time,

a

Itch

when

the actress was

Hollywood. Hefner used these to launch

whole idea of "scoring"

as a lifestyle

came

a

At the

new concept

young and struggling

new magazine

about, and

plethora of "alternative lifestyles" to crop up. a

skirt.

young Methodist named Hugh Hefner had dug up some smutty

pictures of Monroe dating back to in

with the wind blowing up her

it

called Playboy.

The

didn't take long for a

The very notion of "lifestyle" was

because, previously, people had never had the leisure to afford

such dalliance. Playboy, on the other hand, was devoted to the pursuit of lifestyle as a

form of identity

(in this case,

the swinging bachelor).

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

10

Playboy was and

N'

essentially a soft-core sex magazine.

is

ROLL

Their bunnies were

(and are) airbrushed kewpie dolls, almost always white, fresh-faced bimbos

who,

in the personality profiles that

photo spreads, confessed

harder-core pornography around, even in the '50s, but Playboy appealed

more than

to a certain mentality

and

hi-fis

their

homemakers and man-pleasers. There had always been

that they longed to be

much

accompany

liquor,

and seduction

to actual prurience. tips

There were

articles

from Hef himself. Playboy was

treating sex as a reward for success and affluence. In other words,

much

very

tied into '50s ideals,

about

essentially

was

it

still

no matter how much Hefner loathed

his

straight-laced upbringing.

In 1956 the surprise best-seller of the year was Peyton Place, written by a

hard-drinking woman

of

a small

town

in

named Grace Matalious about the backdoor indiscretions

New

Hampshire. Like the Kinsey Report,

Rock

Playboy,

'n'

Roll,

and the films of Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Marilyn Monroe, Peyton

Place

showed the seething

adultery, abortion,

sexual underbelly of

American

society.

Topics

and incest were, in those days, seldom talked about.

small towns like the one Metalious wrote about. It proved that sex

.

.except in

The book

revolutionized the

paperback book industry by proving that a book was after

it

had peaked on the

copies, less

best-seller

lists.

and

sells

Americans were anxious to read about other people's indiscretions, even weren't willing to admit their own.

like

if

they

oncoming

infinitely resalable

even

Year after year, Peyton Place sold more

and even inspired a television show by the same name (which more or

brought about the soap opera

The

craze).

heroines of Peyton Place were not only sexually liberated, but also frank

and up-front about their desires and disgruntled about the myth of the

American Male

as

breadwinner and provider.

along with the advent of the

Pill, this

No

one knew

it

at the time,

was an important step

in the birth of

Feminism. Indeed, the author, Grace Metalious, was an independent

who'd been married small

town she

a

called

few times and was

a

but

woman

well-known nonconformist

in the

home.

In the '50s, women's independence was actually discouraged by magazines like Redbook,

the few

1

McCalPs, and Ladies'

women who

Home Journal. These magazines argued

did go to college and try to pursue a career

something wrong with them. They were have a career instead of raising

a family.

vilified for

But

a

few

that

must have had

wanting to be single and

women began to ask the ques-

1

CHAPTER

tion:

:

THE FIFTIES

"Whose American Dream is it anyway?" Even

lege with the idea of embarking

her

1

little

on

to be optimistic about.

able thing they could

wife and mother.

The

do with

1

if a

woman did graduate col-

a professional career, the outside

Women were

their lives

being taught that the most valu-

was to

culture at that time took

world gave

fulfill

their preordained roles of

no account of women who might

possibly desire to be neither.

During the

'50s

it

seemed

like

everyone was

at

war with someone

Black against white, young against old, communist against against everybody.

Nowhere

did the frictions of the era

else:

CIA

capitalist, the

come

together

more

dramatically than in the upstart musical form that was soon to be labeled "Rock 'n'

Roll."

create

However, the musical

Rock

'n'

—

as well as cultural

Roll had been going

on

—

factors that

for half a century.

had helped

Chapter

2

Ml)?K CV\Mf

T^0 M

Popular music in the twentieth century came from a variety of

down-home

SOURCES: Country, Folk, and

music.

Its

roots go deeper than that:

much

twentieth-century American song derived from British and Celtic bal-

ladry,

brought to these shores by nineteenth-century immigrants.

major influx came from Africa. As Blacks came to ery,

and

as slavery started in the

South, perhaps

this

we

The

other

country because of slav-

should start there.

Slaves in the field had every opportunity to invent

only salvation for them at that time was the church

new work

itself,

songs.

The

and that was the

other side of the slave's musical experience: spirituals. These spirituals were structurally very similar to the Anglo/Celtic folk ballads. It

that these

two sources would merge,

was inevitable

particularly after emancipation,

when

Black performers were allowed to play music in front of white audiences for the

first

time.

As the twentieth century dawned, Blacks and whites were drawn together by the demands of industries such

However,

in the rural South,

as

mining, railroads, and manufacturing.

change was slow to come. In

this region,

music

was the only thing uniting Blacks and whites. There were very few telephones, paved roads, or homes with plumbing. Blacks and whites lived

The poor Southern redneck in reality

much

like the

(the "prole" or "plebe" of

in total squalor.

European descent) was

"nigger" he so despised.

There was something about

the isolation

— Black or white —

that bred

a

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

14

need for song. With

only uplifting part of the day travel in the air (spiritual)

to live for besides

little else

with very

and white

when

God,

it

ROLL

N'

was

the folk gathered for singsong.

guidance, and, after a while,

little

the

A song can

some of the Black

work songs became intermingled. Hence, the

(ballad)

sources of Blues, Folk, and Country were very similar. This

because they

is

known by both

described hardships like poverty and sickness, plights

and whites

many ways

in

Blacks

This was the preoccupation of the rural farmer, share-

at the time.

cropper, and mountaineer, and this was the source for almost

twentieth-cen-

all

tury song forms.

In the days before mass communication, ized and distributed all

This

is

of the songs were popular-

by the traveling tent-shows, medicine shows, and

of which featured

display.

many

live

circuses,

music along with the vast array of "freak" acts also on

how vaudeville

many white

spread, and minstrelsy also, as

per-

formers appeared in blackface, which was another way for the Southern white to denigrate the Negro.

The emergence

of the railroads helped break

rural South, helping bring people

Slowly, the South

grew into

a

—

particularly Blacks

more

Louis, Atlanta, and Houston.

as the chief source

perspective

The

like Nashville,

Most of all,

on the hopelessness of their own

to the bigger cities.

Memphis,

best expressed through music (think of

all

it

situation

where rapid motion (and thus "transcendence") was

world

now

This notion was

possible.

the train songs), and,

come

a

more than any

closest to replac-

lives.

a culture

popping up

New Orleans,

—here was

of its

own

that

came from the

against the Lord. This less-than-holy ethos derived chiefly districts

by the

changed people's whole

other cultural preoccupation of the century, music has

Music created

—

railroad also helped replace agriculture

of southern industry.

ing religion in people's

the isolation of the

industrialized region, as people

thousands flocked to urbanized centers St.

down

in the larger

Southern

cities.

devil

and competed

from the blue

The two

chief

light

American

musical forms that began the century, Ragtime and Blues, were both Blackderived. This contributed to the "evil" connotations of the music because, to

most

whites, those "jigaboos"

The Ragtime as the

were speaking

publication of Scott Joplin's craze. It couldn't

in tongues.

"Maple Leaf Rag" sparked

a

nationwide

have been only Blacks that bought the sheet music,

arrangement was intended

as

much

for pianos as

it

was banjo, and most

5

CHAPTER 2: WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM Blacks didn't

own

pianos at the time

—these instruments were

play items for rich plantation owners.

when they saw

The

1

only time Blacks saw a piano was

the one in the lobby of the pubs and taverns and whorehouses

in the bigger cities,

where

This was where the

first

ing Joplin, who'd

named

"house" pianist would often perform until dawn.

a

wave of Black Rag composers originated from, includhis

famous rag

after a

popular club in Sedalia,

Missouri. Later Ragtime pianists like Eubie Blake and Jelly Roll endless variations of the

came

chiefly dis-

still

Morton played

same bar chords, creating many of the

"licks" that

Most of these were

disseminat-

to characterize twentieth-century music.

ed to northern regions through the sale of sheet music.

The first exposure many Southerners was through the invention of the

radio.

got to nonindigenous forms of music

Not

only was

it

a

cheap and abundant

narrowed the gap between urban and

source of entertainment,

it

Southerners heard the

latest

rural cultures.

wares from Tin Pan Alley, and Northerners

smelled the turd of nationally syndicated programs like National Barn Dance

and The Grand

OV

at precisely the

same time

were the

first

Opry. Southern white Country music had been developing as

Black Blues and Ragtime, and these radio shows

to expose this kind of rural

stomp

to the nation at large.

An important part of Country music's development was the introduction of stringed instruments like the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar.

These were

the primary musical tools of Southern Folk expression, but, for the

first

half of

the twentieth century, this was a world ignored by the music industry (save for

the field recordings of John

Lomax, which he began making

in 1933

sponsorship of the American Council for Learned Studies). story as always:

Northern music

biz

It

under the

was the same

moguls feared that the raw technique of

the Southern rural musician, Black or white, would repel the sophisticated

urban consumer. Until they realized that the rural market represented

new untapped

source of revenue

(sell

the

a

whole

Southern trash back to the

Southerners, in other words).

The when

rise

the 78

of the recording industry occurred in the early twentieth century

RPM

chief source of

phonograph record supplanted the

home

entertainment.

Among

the early record labels were

Vocalion, Victor, Paramount, Columbia, and Okeh.

stunned by the invention of the radio, because

People could now, with the

initial

cylindrical disc as the

it

The

record industry was

meant

a decline in sales.

purchase of a radio, hear an unlimited source

16

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

of music for

free.

The

ments to develop

industry was

left

having to mine

whole new audience

a

—and

ROLL

N'

less radio-friendly seg-

that turned out to be Southern

Negroes and rednecks.

Okeh record label recorded a young Black vaude-

In the spring of 1920, the ville

named Mamie Smith

singer

singing "Crazy Blues." This recording set off

boom and made Okeh into a ranking record label. A market for Black

the Blues

music was found to

exist

among Blacks. Okeh's Ralph Peer dubbed the new cat-

egory "Race Music." By the mid-'20s, "race" line, and

all

the major labels had introduced a

RCA even started its own "race"

subsidiary, Bluebird, in 1933.

Although most of the Black records came not from rural but from urban sources,

vendy

was discovered that Southern Blacks were buying the recordings

it

as

Northern ones. This sent enterprising

men

as fer-

Peer into the Deep

like

South seeking more "authentic" exponents of "race music." While they were

down

whole new source of white

there, they discovered a

Many

of these

records were

hillbilly

what Columbia tagged "old

The Brunswick

"hillbilly"

made up of fiddle

familiar tunes," or

Okeh

players performing

called "old-time music."

was preserved throughout. By being the

to record these sounds, these performers succeeded in turning

Alley,

no

By

music into a

new form

far,

what was once

of American popular music (to

rival

Tin Pan

the most important practitioners of this popularized folk art were

a traditional

first

of the Southern "American musical families" to hail

background and achieve commercial

tions of songs like

"Engine

Blues," and "Will the Circle

143,"

success.

Their rendi-

Man

"Wabash Cannonball," "Worried

Be Unbroken" were the ones

that taught these

songs to most Americans. Although Carter Family recordings weren't big ers,

first

less).

the Carter Family, the

from

as well.

meanwhile, called their early Country sides "songs from

label,

Dixie." In any case, the rural flavor

rural "folk"

music

sell-

they proved to have incredible resilience in the years to follow, helping to

shape the whole mythology of the American South coming out of the Depression.

The

Carters also helped shape the sound of Country, which in turn

helped shape the sound of Rock

'n'

Roll.

Mother Maybelle

Carter's finger-pick-

ing lead-guitar style popularized the Gibson hollow-body guitar, making

predominant instrument

one of the

first

Country

in

Country

acts to

it

the

& Western music. The Carters were also

become known primarily through

they seldom ventured north of Virginia.

recording, as

7

CHAPTER 2: WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM

The era

other major country recording

artist to

1

emerge out of the Depression

was Jimmie Rodgers, the so-called yodelin' cowboy. In sharp contrast to the

Carters'

image of down-home

Rodgers represented the more

stability,

—that of the hard-luck

side of Country music's identity

man. Rodgers was in many ways considered the later

bestowed upon

actually

The

sounded

fact that

Hank

first

as artists like the

South who,

woe. During the Depression,

that

made

like

Bob

Dylan).

his legacy.

many Black Blues

Rodgers, told

tales

singers

of hard times and

many pioneering Country-Blues

singers and gui-

their recording debuts, helping to popularize traditional material

would form the root of modern,

recorded the

first

"Milk

Cow

by

others). But,

far,

electrified Blues. Sleepy

John Estes

Blues" for Victor in 1930; Bukka White, mean-

while, popularized the "Fixin' to

among

style of

Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers

emerged, record labels were starting to document the rural

a fate

Williams and others (on some occasions, Rodgers

he died young, from TB, only enhanced

coming from the

and singing brake-

white Blues singer,

weird precursor to the "talking"

like a

At the same time

tarists

loser

restless

the

Die Blues"

most

redone by Bob Dylan,

(later

influential Blues pioneer to record during

these years was the mysterious Robert Johnson.

Johnson was

originally a disciple of the skilled guitarist Charley Patton,

often credited as being the Father of Delta blues. Patton's use of the twelve-bar (or,

in his case, the thirteen-and-a-half-bar) structure

with which he utilized

it

on such

Blues," and "Rattlesnake Blues"

classics as

—not

to

and the rhythmic density

"Pony

mention

Blues,"

"Revenue

his gravelly voice

Man

—was the

source behind the subsequent Delta style of such practitioners as Johnson,

Howlin' Wolf,

Muddy Waters, Elmore James,

Johnson was the

Jimmy Rodgers, he be the

devil's

first

and John Lee Hooker.

of Patton's descendents to achieve notoriety, but,

died at an early age. In Johnson's case, his death seemed to

work, and part of his mystique was

ing career, he was almost always conjuring the like

"Hellhound on

exchange for his virtuoso guitar

man

that,

during his brief record-

evil spirit

through evocations

My Trail," "Me and the Devil Blues," and "Devil Got My

Woman." There were even rumors

a

like

style.

that he'd sold his soul to the devil in

His strange vocal

style truly

sounded

like

possessed.

Johnson's legendary recordings for Columbia in the mid-' 30s set the stage for

many subsequent

Blues and

Rock experiments, introducing

a lot

of the

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

18

'N'

ROLL

hard-luck cliches, sexual innuendoes, and basic rhythm patterns that would characterize both genres. Nearly

all

became "standards"

his songs

in

one form

or another, particularly "Terraplane Blues," "Love in Vain," "Stop Breaking

Down," "Dust My

which

Blues," and, especially, "Standing at the Crossroads,"

introduced the whole mythology of Johnson's ill-fated deal with the devil, as

Highway

the crossroads off of

61 in Clarksdale, Mississippi was where he'd

supposedly sold his soul.

Johnson died wife of a 'n'

as a result

man who'd

hired

of poisoning in August 1938 after

him

flirting

to play a house party that night. It

was

Roll murder. Johnson had a reputation for being a heavy drinker, a

izer,

this

and

a hell-raiser.

made him

Hank

the

Along with

first

his supernatural obsessions

with the a

Rock

woman-

and early death,

burnout legend, setting the pace for Charlie Parker,

Williams, Johnny Ace, James Dean, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Jim

Morrison, Sid Vicious, Lester Bangs, John Belushi, Johnny Thunders, and

all

the rest. So the cast was set already. In 1938.

Many innovators

of Rock

the '30s: Howlin' Wolf,

'n'

Roll were already perfecting their technique in

Muddy Waters, Bukka

Hooker, and Sonny Boy Williamson.

White, Elmore James, John Lee

They were

all

more or

but

less peers,

it

took their eventual migration to the big cities to draw attention to what they were

doing (the root of which Chicago, although

all

Hooker

went back to the actually

Delta). In

ended up

most

in Detroit.

cases, this

meant

But that wasn't for

another twenty years. In the 1930s the "urban blues" of performers like Big Bill Broonzy and

Tampa Red were among

the most popular. Both of these artists can be credit-

ed with expanding the basic line-up of the typical Blues band, from what was often just a singer/guitarist, string bass, and piano to perhaps

two

guitars

and

a

couple of horns plus the normal rhythm section. This was a natural result of urbanization: Broonzy, for example, was originally to

Chicago

in the '30s.

them emulated

Larger venues meant larger and louder bands. Most of

the large

Although white,

from Mississippi but moved

Swing bands of Duke Ellington or Benny Goodman.

Goodman was

accepted by Blacks for allowing the revolution-

ary Black guitarist, Charlie Christian, to record for the

The Swing boom was the

inevitable by-product of the

ting better and people having

the

like.

When World War

first

II

more money came

along,

to

time.

economy finally get-

spend to go to dance

Swing was another way

halls

and

for people

9

CHAPTER 2 WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM :

one another and to forget about

to get closer to

1

their troubles

and about their

loved ones being overseas. Swing was purely an American phenomenon:

because

seemed so

it

patriotic,

The Dorsey

the day.

Swing endured

as the

primary "pop" music of

Benny Goodman, and even Duke Ellington

Brothers,

provided the soundtrack for the generation coming of age in the '40s

—the

same generation who would spawn the Baby Boomers the next decade. Jazz was not a popular

were

gins

in the

New Orleans was tiracial

over.

whorehouses of

New

made up

its

New Orleans proved to be

The

its

inception in the '20s.

Its ori-

Orleans's legendary Storyville district.

always one of America's bawdiest

melting pot that

Mexico,

phenomenon upon

cities,

considering the mul-

population. As a port of entry in the Gulf of

an inviting horn of plenty to

sailors

from

all

population consisted of French, Negro, English, Creole, Spanish, and

Native American

was shaped by

folks.

The

this diversity.

culture

The

English model, and instruments

it

—the sound of which

produced was Jazz

early Dixieland brass bands like the

were based on the

cornet and clarinet seem to have been

introduced by the Creoles.

The

Creoles were not found in the more landlocked regions

Essentially Black natives of the

West

Indies, they spoke

brand of French that influenced the intonations of Jazz

like

Chicago.

an especially sweet

itself.

American music

in the twentieth century

belonged to everyone from Native Americans banging

on

"coon songs" of Southern Blacks, to the wailing of

their drums, to the

mountain

hillbillies,

tricky-men.

cy perhaps

It is this

its

to conservatory-trained neocool classicists, to

kind of diversity that has

most valuable and

In the late '20s and early

outlawed

many

made

this country's

jazz

musical lega-

lasting gift to the world.

'30s, Jazz

was economically tied to Prohibition, which

of the places jazzmen had previously played. For

whole format of the

"band" was scaled back

many years,

or two from this

New Orleans pioneers like Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. With modern trumpet

could have an individual voice, even with a

The bands

only got bigger

when

it

legitimate innovators did

playing, proved that a

fairly large

once again became

Even though Big Band ultimately became more some

new phe-

taking place in the form of the Big Bands, who'd learned a thing

group, Armstrong, the pioneer of

soloist

the

—the most the speakeasys could

hold were three- or four-man bands. With the repeal of Prohibition, a

nomenon began

Tin Pan

band behind him.

legal to drink.

a

form of Pop than

come out of it. Edward "Duke"

Jazz,

Ellington, the

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK 'N' ROLL

20

Washington, D.C.-born orchestrated composers. respectability as

pianist,

He

emerged

was

Goodman or the

as the reigning leader

among

also the only Black to achieve the

fully

same

others. Ellington wrote "scores" not only for

made many of

ensemble, but individual sections for each player, which

his

works, especially the later ones, almost neo-Classical pieces.

During the Big Band

era, a similar

phenomenon was sweeping the southwest

region of the United States. Labeled "Western Swing," the music of bands like

Bob Wlls

&

His Texas Playboys was a combination of traditional down-home

Country sources and the more elaborate Big Band format. The Western Swing bands employed

brass, reeds,

and woodwinds

like the

Jazz bands, but also fea-

tured fiddles and maintained the distinctly Southern personality of the region.

Wills was by far Western Swing's most important practitioner. Born in East

Texas in 1905, he was subject to a variety of influences most purely Southern parties weren't

—not only Anglo,

but also Chicano, Black, German, Cajun,

Native American, and Mexican. According to Country music historian

Malone: "A passion for dancing was this

heterogeneous society musical

modifying the old Southern rural

The whole then,

all

tations

common among

styles

style."

"western" of Country

these groups, and in

all

flowed freely from one or another,

'

& Western came from this element. Until

hick expression had been called "Hillbilly,"

much

like all

Black manifes-

were lumped under the heading of "Race." Starting with the huge

room bands of Texas and Oklahoma,

important cowboy hats have become to Country music

some of the

ball-

the whole Western motif and the mythol-

ogy of the cowboy began to be absorbed into music. Everyone knows

those days,

Bill

participants actually

(if

not Rock

how

'n' Roll).

In

were cowboys, and the mythology

of the Old West has been prevalent in the culture ever since. As far back as 1910,

John Lomax published Ballads.

Gene

his

popular songbook Cowboy So?igs and Other Frontier

Autry, the "singing cowboy,"

made

about the Old West proliferated, and of course with the image.

It

and ride the dusty

all

Dime

store novels

know what Hollywood

did

was only natural that the cowboy element of "kick the stirrup trail"

would become

point where, by the late '30s, the

we

millions.

a

popular motif in popular music, to the

you had Tin Pan Alley hacks

affecting the

ways of

Old West and Bing Crosby singing "San Antonio Rose." In

1934, Wills

—

a

fiddler

by trade

Oklahoma, where, throughout the

'30s,

—moved

his

Texas Playboys to

they held residence at one of Tulsa's

1

CHAPTER 2 WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM

2

:

Academy. Although the Playboys were

largest ballrooms, Cain's

down-home

stressing a true

flavor,

were with so-called Country.

Me"

Behind

The

definitely

they were as adept at straight Jazz as they clarinet playing in Wills's

(1941) was very close to

"The

Girl

Left

I

New Orleans Jazz. The steel guitar work

of Leon McAuliffe went on to inspire the whole form of Country music, lending the "crying" sound that would sic

Country made by people

when

Ellington's band,

like

become such an

integral feature of the clas-

Hank

a

Williams

decade or so

the Playboys rocked, they rocked

"Four or Five Times" sounds rhythmically very much

Rock

'n'

But

Roll standard "Don't that's just

the

You Just

own

like the

way American music was progressing

once. Regions and cultures were

still

their version of

New

Orleans

Know It."

mid-twentieth century. What's really amazing

allow each one's

—

Like

later.

happening

at

enough from one another

to

is

sealed off

was

in the early- to

that

it

all

However,

individual characteristics to flourish.

these

all

disparate styles

were starting to merge through the various migrations that

were occurring.

The sounds

beginning to sound more

of Black, white, urban, and rural expression was

alike.

Radio abetted

this

homogenization. Because of

the Depression, the record labels had consolidated into three majors: Decca, Victor,

and Columbia.

sidiaries,

Two

own

sub-

more rawboned

acts.

of these, Victor and Columbia, had their

Bluebird and Okeh, respectively, to handle the

Decca, under the leadership of Dave Kapp, sought to expand their roster as well.

This was an important part of Country music's eventual evolution into

"popular" category, which would in turn influence Rock

were finding

out, particularly after the Depression, that

worth hanging onto, even

Swing no doubt did

would years

to

sounded

like

nonsense

Northern executives and

Roll.

The

labels

whatever sold was

—which much Western

talent scouts, just as

Rock

later.

With bands not only to larger

if it

'n'

a

swelling to larger ranks themselves, but also playing

and larger audiences, there was

a

need to increase volume. This was

most commonly achieved through the use of

amplification.

historic turning point because, thereafter, the electric guitar

This was another

became the most

popular and sought-after instrument in American popular music. Blues

were experimenting with the instrument

none of the national exposure Swing ensembles

offered.

at the

that being in

same time, but

artists

certainly with

one of the Big Bands or Western

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

22

Electrification

made

plished this

by jimmy-rigging

own

already introducing their

ume

September

controls. In

ROLL

debut in 1934 with Bob Dunn's work with the orig-

its

Musical Brownies, one of the

inal

N'

a

first

outfits.

Dunn accom-

keg amp. However, by 1936, Gibson was

electric

'36,

"country jazz"

models with

built-in pick-ups

Leon McAuliffe had

huge

a

hit

and vol-

with "Steel

Guitar Rag," which helped popularize the sound of the electric guitar to the

whole nation. Within

couple of years, the Black guitarists Charlie Christian

a

and Aaron "T-Bone" Walker defined how the instrument would be played for generations: Christian with a fluid style that

ment

and Walker with a

as the lead voice,

less

polished but

the instru-

more emotional

of "picking."

style

After Prohibition ended, jukeboxes

and taverns that were

now

became increasingly popular. Beer halls

allowed to operate needed some sort of musical

entertainment to keep the drinkers happy. ent,

more or less introduced

Not all

and the jukebox presented the perfect

of them could afford

live tal-

alternative: a coin-operated

phono-

graph containing a vast number of records. In 1933 the Wurlitzer

became the

first

to

market the invention

Company

—by 1940 more than 300,000 juke-

boxes had been sold. In the ensuing years, the jukebox would play a pivotal role in the emer-

gence of the whole "kiddie kulture," with

its

steadfast presence in the malt

shop

and other teen haunts. In the prewar years, however, there were no teen clubs, and the primary function of the new invention was to provide entertainment for the patrons of drinking establishments which, in the wild Southwest, called juke joints or,

According to

more

Bill

likely,

Malone:

were

honky-tonks.

"When country music entered

the honky-tonk,

it

had to change... the older pastoral or down-home emphasis... could not survive in such

an atmosphere. Songs about 'poor old mother

Country Church' seemed somewhat out of problems and changing

social status

at

home' and

'the

Old

place. ..Instead, songs reflecting the

of the ex-rural dweller became paramount."

2

In other words, the songs became topical, and nine times out of ten the topic

was drinking. This

Rock

music, that

the kids

who

is.

at this

The

is

the kind of environment

culture

of Rock

'n'

Rock

'n'

Roll grew out of

Roll was eventually taken over by

time were virtually nonexistent.

The

average honky-tonk

musician worked some obscure hard-labor day job and then played music night.

Even Bob Wills was

a factory

all

dock worker throughout much of his early

CHAPTER 2 WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM

23

:

career.

This

an element clearly missing from modern music.

is

The honky-tonk also represented the move back toward the small-band format.

They

were, after

merely drinking bars and not large dance

all,

By the

could accommodate the huge ballroom crowds. pulling sizable crowds of servicemen,

civil

local folk.

mythology of the

became interwoven

Much became

as

fight

ample breeding ground for tonk pianist

Country music's

this

"The only

recalled:

who worked

while

I

played."

there,

would come and

there was

class:

still

honky-

bawdy environment was an As the popular honky-

style.

place a piano playing kid like

set

class.

The

ladies of the

on the piano bench and

that Christian guilt about

bluesmen and subsequent rockers added was yet,

at the

songs

fan

'

Wasn't exactly high

happened

legacy.

as a result, cheatin'

were prevalent

whole new musical

a

Moon Mullican

New Orleans,

of violence, and the whole

could get work in those days wasn't exactly high

evening,

me

a lot

in

as drinkin' ones. Floozies

tonks, but, like the bordellos of

me

There was

of the violence was over women, and

rampant

were

defense workers, and other outsiders

who often clashed with the fist

halls that

early '40s the tonks

a gleeful sense

of

sin.

it!

What

This hadn't

but the factors marking honky-tonk's proliferation were leading to

something more closely resembling the American Rock band. Musicians were

still

using fiddle and stand-up bass, but the electric guitar had been added as a full-time effect

among most

bands, and for the

panying Western-style bands important pre-Rock units

as

also.

first

time drummers actually began accom-

This was undoubtedly

Hank Williams & His

a big influence

on such

Drifting Cowboys.

Another dynamic that influenced the proliferation of the small bands was

World War

II.

sonnel in the

band made

it

With

so

many men being

mammoth easy to train

drafted,

it

was hard to keep up per-

Big Band or Western Swing orchestras.

The

new members and

The whole

replace departed ones.

country was in a state of mobilization anyway, and

it

small

was not unusual for some-

one to suddenly move to another region entirely because of service or the promise of war-related employment. This panic-stricken sense of flux would

permanently change the tempo of American culture.

As

for the small-band concept,

which music was composed.

It

would

it

life

—and

intensify the shape of its

would change the whole manner

also put

more emphasis on

the individual

musician, not to mention the singer. American "popular" music soon

almost exclusively a vocal

art.

in

became

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

24

ed

N'

ROLL

The war effort affected the recording industry in other ways. The war-relatdemand for shellac instigated a freeze on supply. The record industry was at

the

bottom of the need

list,

even though shellac was a

vital

ingredient in the

manufacture of phonograph records. As a result of the war, studios were unable to operate at full capacity because personnel

were scarce and new machinery was

unobtainable.

In the midst of

all this,

there were other circumstances that

nently alter the face of American popular music.

On

would perma-

Dec. 31, 1940, a contract

between the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers negotiations,

NAB,

ASCAP

NAB

so

Inc. (BMI).

set

Going

up

expired. In subsequent

apparendy made demands that exceeded the wishes of their

own

licensing association, called Broadcast Music,

against a giant like

published in this country since 1884, thing they had going for

which meant that

(ASCAP)

them was

ASCAP, which owned most of the music

BMI naturally started head butt first. One

that they

were owned by the radio

their stuff was guaranteed to get airplay.

the broadcasters banned

all

ASCAP material from the

On January

publishers like Acuff-Rose and helped break

Tin

Pan

Alley's

monopoly on composing.

When

the two sides settled their differences in October 1941,

material billy

BMI

had

rank in the entertainment world. This encouraged the great flow of

coming from nontraditional sources

music, and, eventually,

Rock

musicians' strike that occurred settled.

1941, rise

number of independent

its

1,

which gave

airwaves,

to a

secured

stations,

James C.

Petrillo of the

'n'

months

Roll.

to proliferate: Blues,

Adding

after the

Be Bop,

to the confusion

ASCAP/BMI

hill-

was the

controversy was

American Federation of Musicians claimed that

the jukebox industry and the radio stations were putting musicians out of work

and

insisted

on

establishing funds, payable

ployed musicians.

by the record

industry, to

When his demands weren't met, the American Federation of

Musicians went on strike in 1942. That meant no licensed recording. labels like

actually a

Decca and Columbia were

boon

unem-

to the

left

The

big

only with their backlists. This was

many smaller independent labels, which popped up

to

fill

the void and which endured long after the strike was settled due to the quality

of the music they produced.

One

such independent label was Capitol. Founded in Hollywood by the

famous Tin Pan Alley tunesmith Johnny Mercer, the company was able to

pil-

CHAPTER 2 WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM

25

:

fer the film industry for talent while taking

advantage of the large number of

Southern and Southwestern musical performers who'd flocked to California during the war. In the ensuing years, Capitol would introduce ing figures in Country

&

Western: Tex

Ritter,

from Frank Sinatra

field,

lead-

Buck Owens, Tennessee Ernie

Ford, Merle Haggard, and the Louvin Brothers.

midable in the Pop

many of the

They

proved quite for-

also

to, eventually, the

Beades.

By

the

they weren't even considered an independent anymore, but one of the

'60s,

four major labels.

The

boom of the

great thing about the indie label

beneficial to musicians

who were

'40s

was that it was most

playing musical forms that

R&B.

wise been ignored, such as Hillbilly, Bebop, or

may have

Labels like Blue Note and

Savoy were responsible for epochal recordings by jazz pioneers

and

J.J.

By being

know and

—the independent

labels

were

'n'

Roll.

Because they

a big step

—the

towards integra-

together on the same record labels, Blacks and whites came to

ultimately share each other's idioms.

A perfect example was the legendary King label, Cincinnati,

Sam

Miles Davis

with the dregs of the recording industry that no one else wanted

left

rednecks and Blacks tion.

like

Johnson, but they also dabbled in the newborn "jump" Blues idiom,

which, through a myriad of twists and turns, led to Rock

were

other-

Ohio

Phillips

in

1

944.

Nathan was

as

founded by Syd Nathan in

important a pioneer of early rock

and was one of the many Jews who took

a liking to the

new

as

R&B

format, which, as a musical form, was an important melting pot of styles and cultural elements.

by Grandpa Jones, "Hillbilly '50s,

King

originally

Moon Mullican,

Boogie" in 1945 was

King had branched

in the

new "jump"/R&B

the

which meant more

two

a

as a hillbilly-based label

with releases

and the Delmore Brothers, whose raunchy

worthy predecessor to Rock

off into a sister label called Federal,

Nathan encouraged both rial,

began

'n'

Roll.

By

the

which specialized

vocal groups like the Midnighters and Five Royales. his

white and Black

artists to

royalties for the label.

cover each other's mate-

This not only helped integrate

distinctive styles

of white Country "boogie" and urban Black "jump"

way

for important crossovers, like Elvis Presley covering

Blues, but paved the

Arthur Crudup. King signing a

finally

got lucky and beat Chess Records to the punch by

young singer/composer from Macon, Georgia named James Brown,

who would go on twenty years.

to influence the direction of

American music

for the next

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

26

immense

In the postwar years, the country was undergoing

end of the war freed Americans from material there was a great urge

on the

ROLL

N'

restraints.

prosperity.

The

Having "won the war,"

part of the populace to live

it

up. Recorded music

The World War II daddies had just come home and were having parlor parties with lots of drinking and a few discs always on the phonograph. The flourished.

significant advances that furthered the accessibility of

made

record industry had

RPM record was being phased out in favor of the lighter 45 RPM and the 3 3 RPM LP, which really didBy

recorded music.

n't take off

'til

the '50s, the heavy, disc-like 78

the mid-'50s but eventually

Before the grim specter of the Cold

came

War

to dominate the industry.

set in, the

period of great jubilation, and everyone wanted to

let

go

postwar years were a a

little.

the various genres of music that arose during those years said

Honky-Tonk, Boogie Woogie, Bebop, Rock expressions signifying wild times.

Some

'n'

Roll

—

The names

it all:

all

of

Juke, Jump,

joyous-sounding

of the craziest stuff that ever rocked the

Earth came about in the years 1945-1950.

During those

years,

a

large

number of Country musicians recorded

Boogie material, starting with the Delmore Brothers and running through such important pre-Rock gins of Boogie

artists as

Hardrock Gunter and Roy

Pinetop Smith recorded "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" for Brunswick. its

A mining

share of brothels and redneck bars, and these were

the origins of the new, repetitious style perfected by pianists like Smith

were faced with having to keep the action going ronment, the sound, the

ori-

date back to Birmingham, Alabama, where, in 1928,

Woogie"

town, Birmingham had

The

Hall.

feel,

all

who

night. In this ribald envi-

was more important than the individual song

(or

player) per se.

In the pre-Rock years, Boogie basically

meant. .Rock. .

Boogie Woogie!" Sisters

understand."

than

The old fogeys would say, "Waaah,

The form reached

it

was

Which

is,

a

term that

those kids and their

the height of absurdity

when it

the

Andrews

was never a

meaningless term that meant "noise parents didn't

of course, exactly what Rock became.

had some help getting there from Louis Jordan, the only Black artist other

Nat "King" Cole to

he cut

catch-all

performed "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" in 1948. But

"form" anyway;

It

Woogie was another

cross over to the

his classic sides for

Decca

Pop charts in the pre-Rock era.

in the mid-'40s,

When

Jordan and His Tympani Five

were the essence of the commercially successful Boogie band,

as

evidenced by

CHAPTER 2 WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM

27

:

songs with

titles like

"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie," "Boogie Woogie Blue

The

and "Blue Light Boogie."

Plate,"

important thing about them was, despite the

fact

Jordan was the obvious frontman, the rhythm section actually swung, providing

many of the rhythms

The term "jump

that

later constitute

blues" originally

there was a recognizable

time

would

meant bands

new genre emerging

of honkers and shouters

jive

Rock

like

'n'

Roll.

like Jordan's, but,

by the

'50s,

that not only included the good-

Jordan, but the harder-edged guitar-ori-

ented urban Blues coming out of places like Chicago. For want of a better term, it

& Blues, but it still basically meant Black music, much like the

became Rhythm

old "Race" category had, since side the

more raucous new sounds. Although

more meaningless either

Nat "King" Cole and the Ink Spots charted

rhythm

today, as

constitutes

"R&B" no

made

use of the verb

to rock:

Wild

Bill

Roy Brown, "Rock the House" by Tiny Grimes, and Harris.

Most of these came from

Although there was no

labels.

longer possesses

'

Moore's "We're Gonna Rock,"

Noel's "Rockin' Jenny Jones," "Rockin' at Midnight" and

record

even

term rvck'n ?vllwas already in use. Between 1947-1952,

"Rockin' Boogie" by Joe Lutcher, "Rockin' the House" by

by Wynonie

it's

or Blues.

Interestingly enough, die several songs

most of what

the term has endured,

along-

if to

She Wants to

Do Is Rock"

the smaller Black- or hillbilly-oriented

common thread between any of these artists, all

ethos, with

V roU during

this period,

an emphasis on tempo and volume.

even hissed over a Johnny Otis release in 1949: records ever made," as

Slim, Hatrie

"Good Rockin' Tonight" by

"All

of these songs, and others using the term rock or rock

embraced a feel-good/luck-all

Memphis

"Mnimmnn! One

Billboard

of the loudest

suggest this was a bad thing.

Real "country music" was coming to an end due to the appearance of the quixotic

Hank Williams, who,

try stars.

uptown.

many ways, was the

last

of the real rural coun-

Williams embraced the contradiction between down-home and

On

the one hand, his roots couldn't have been

other, the fact

tailor-made '50s.

in

more

rural.

On

the

he had a performance-ready band behind him and that he wore

cowboy suits made him one of the

Through

his

"Country music"

success

after

first

true recording "stars" of the

emerged the subsequent Nashville

Hank became

as self-conscious

override:

and commercially

ori-

ented as any other form of Pop.

The

son of

a farmer,

Mt. Olive, Alabama

Hank Williams was born

in 1923. Illness having forced

in the small

Papa into

community of

a veteran's hospi-

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

28

tal,

boy was

the

raised

by

mother,

his

ence on her son for the rest of his Ellington, Elvis, Jack Kerouac,

life.

Lilly,

But

who

like

Andy Warhol

ROLL

exerted an overbearing influ-

with

—

'N'

this

many a mama's boy

—Duke

smothering maternal

influ-

ence helped shape the psyche that would create great works of art.

As early

age fourteen, Williams demonstrated a prodigious talent for

as

music-related endeavors. Like most country

enced by the popular Honky-Tonk and

Tubb and Roy

Ernest

Acuff, but also

artists,

hillbilly

Williams wasn't only influ-

performers of the day such as

by the many Black Blues

doubt heard growing up in the South. His big break came in he signed on

as a staff

months

Hank

Built, as

Connie

recordings for the Sterling

a recording contract

in

A few

with a budding

MGM, which probably could be called the House That

Williams was their

first

hillbilly artists,

successful artist (you can thank

him

for

was probably

in part

Hank's career was marked by alcoholism. In his

due to feelings of guilt stemming from

cated relationship with his mother. But

formers

like

him were emerging

it

also

in the Texas

that there

was no

cretins (the

air

name

folks at the

but they saved him

of

art,

Grand

and

Ok

a place it.

all

and

hats, despite the fact

—unlike

later t-shirt-and-jeans-wearing literally

because they realized genuine backwoods talent

They made

the kid a

Elvis.

But even

star, just like

at the

in great pain for several reasons, including his

nature and his wife Audrey's

infidelity,

in a slighdy stooped

Add

sweating their

Opiy had been warned about Hank's drinking,

—unsuccessfully—to do with

prescription drugs.

Tommy Duncan

there was to do was. ..drink!

attempt

made him walk

fact that per-

conditioning, because they really believed that, as enter-

they saw and heard

Hank was

suits

Ramones, AntiSeen, Nirvana). They were

asses off in the

The

Bob Wills and

Playboys would wear heavy cowboy

they should dress "proper"

tainers,

had to do with the

his compli-

straight out of the backyard shithouse to take

over the world. For instance, a decade before,

when

Company

Francis, in other words).

Like most case, it

first

Rose helped Williams secure

new company named

when

late 1946,

(which Billboard had dismissed as "way back in the woods").

later,

he no

songwriter with Acuff- Rose. Fred Rose had apparendy

been bowled over by Williams's

New York

artists

and

they'd later

height of his fame,

mom's overbearing

also a congenital birth defect that

manner and

necessitated the use of

many

—which he combated with beer—the

to the stage heat

myriad of mind- and body-numbing pills and you have the makings of one truly

CHAPTER 2: WHERE THE MUSIC CAME FROM twisted individual. This set a pattern that

would continue

in

29

Rock

Roll for

'n'

the next fifty years.

Williams also held the unique distinction of being the

"Move music

At

least

on

was

an oddity

what

also

Hank

befell

with crushing

By then he'd

a holiday).

a national hero,

among the still

finality

to the

or

enshrines

when

who

Before

Hank still

called

sing: "I've

'em

had

a

he/she

New

Day

Year's

in 1953,

but a flame burned inside of him that made him

him today with

is

on

already been fired by the Opry and had remar-

is

ultimately what killed

the post-everything crowd.

so-called artist

is

him but

Is it

post-

self-conscious of the time he/she

unselfconscious about the time but

by it? That's the question posed by someone thousands

ol'

like

rhythms of Black

age 29 (he had to die cryptical-

at

people of his time, which

modernism only when the lives in,

was because songs

that

much

as

"hillbilly"

been bad."

he died unexpectedly of a heart attack

He

ried.

—

white

he had the self-deprecating sense of humor to

it's all

Bad luck

ly

Blues charts

they did to Honky-Tonk. Nevertheless, I'm sure

as

luck and

when

&

on Over" and "Rootie Tootie" owed

It

"niggers." lotta

Rhythm

over to the

artist to cross

first

like

is

misunderstood

Hank Williams,

as well as the

followed in his wake.

Hank

sputtered out, he'd returned to the place where he'd begun:

the Louisiana Hayride, the Oprys only regional competition and one even

more

open to raucous brands of hick hoedown. As the Opjy became more famous and Nashville-oriented,

it

Lawrence Welk and

a

became more generic and

less rustic, like a

grim foreboding otHee Haw.

hick version of

Hank was drunk off his feet,

holding a guitar with horseshit under his fingernails and high on whatever prescriptions

Young.

he could get

And

The

his

hands on. Hell, he could've ended up becoming Neil

don't think for a

moment that Neil Young

doesn't

know

Louisiana Hayride originated in Shreveport, Louisiana,

on

powerful station with a 50,000-watt signal and central proximity in a (Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas) that was experiencing an area's

expanding gas and

oil industry.

economic

The show was

KWKH,

a

tri-state area

revival

broadcast

it.

live

due to the

from the

Shreveport Auditorium every Saturday night, which was traditionally the wildest night of the

week

could appreciate a split

for the

stiffs.

They came out

to drink

and naturally

Hank Williams, who joined the show shortly after its debut and

from the Opry

fellow badasses:

working

a

year

Webb

later, a

Pierce,

trend repeated by coundess Country greats and

Faron Young, Johnny Cash, and George Jones.

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

30

By

far,

Williams-like success.

actually

ROLL

the most famous alumnus of the Hayride was Elvis Presley. Before

he joined, Elvis was

as a rule,

N'

just

another country bumpkin with aspirations of

Growing up

Memphis,

in

and the version of "Old Shep" that he

Elvis heard the Hayride almost later

appropriated for his

own

belonged to Hayride regular Red Foley. Like Williams, Elvis was naive

and passionate enough to dig the Black music of the region without the stigma

some others attached

to

When Elvis arrived,

it.

he was abetted by several

drummer,

ple "arriving" with him, like D.J. Fontana, his

from the Hayride;

(b)

about broken marriage and the

like,

to target, "the kids."

in his quavering, hiccuping voice.

Phillips;

and

—

it

was in

Amongst

his

where they never even had

to

(c)

a

Hank Williams sang ilk

were

nervous movements,

prairie regulars, there

of scorn and condemnation for him. But soon Elvis and his

ilk

was a

lot

would transcend

worry about what such hayseeds

thought.

Which would become

he picked up

but what Elvis and others of his

expressing was pure adolescent frustration

into a world

many more peo-

whom

Sam

people to help him along, like

whole new segment of the population

and

factors: (a)

the whole point of

Rock

'n'

Roll.

Chapter

3

ElviS sOttA Gun There were other weird pockets of alternative culture growing IN

POSTWAR AMERICA:

The

biker clubs, for instance.

original Hell's Angels

actually a grudge-harboring collective of shell-shocked

were the days before the bastions of

war veterans. These

political correctness

had established any

kind of "therapy" for such displaced souls. So-called crazies were

on

their

own

(lest

were

more or

less

they wanted to end up in one of the notorious "snake pits"

with pants-pooping droopy-haired

Grumpus

lookalikes). Bikers

were veterans

who

couldn't adapt to the "morality" that had seized American culture in the

'50s.

They

also couldn't

fit

in with the table

manners of June Cleaver. They

were animals, and they remained animals even '60s.

as

they rode hippie winds in the

That's what the hippies never figured out: these guys were

war veterans

as

opposed to anti-establishment creeps. They were harboring such repressed anger and resentment that

it

would

inevitably erupt into violence.

ed the wide-open spaces that riding their hogs provided.

women, too

—the

seeking their

The

own

fallen daughters

liberation

from

And soon

They needthey'd have

of every bedroom community,

who were

'50s-style training-bra too-goodness.

biker and the redneck mentality often merged. As everyone from

Charlie Rich to AntiSeen would eventually prove, rednecks were the original longhairs.

In the South, where poverty was of Blues.

Hank

more

real,

Country music served

Williams, the most popular Country

artist

as a

form

of his time, was

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

32

essentially

doing

To

it

ROLL

Robert Johnson's. Williams would one day of mule manure before

a lot

'

like a hillbilly."

today's superhip

as

"You got to have smelt

explain his Blues this way:

you can sing

pure

a Blues as

'N'

might seem inconceivable, but once upon

a time, in

the South, before the automobile, before movies, before paved roads even, the

The

barn dance was the big event on Saturday night. chicken-eating and bottle-passing, with cal

some

idea

was simple:

local yokels providing the

lots

of

musi-

accompaniment. This uproarious form of hokum was so popular that when

radio began the barn dance

popular programs:

like

would serve

The Grand Ole Opiy, for instance.

Broadcast over 50,000-watt

WSM,

ed radio program, setting the stage for

the Opiy was the

Symphony

heavily syndicat-

first

Sid and

all

the

this

was pure hick shriek with Minnie

Pearl's

skits as well as

an enormous variety of corn-fed

talent:

from Tennessee, seed

some of its most

as the blueprint for

Monroe, Eddv Arnold, Bob Presley.

Wills,

Hank

rest.

Coming

improvised hay-

Roy

Acuff, Bill

Williams, and eventually Elvis

Based in Nashville, the show helped establish that

city as

an important

Country music Mecca.

The Opiy was

broadcast for four and one-half hours per night, so the per-

formers had to be good to sustain the length of the performance. reached the point yet where

it all

MTV or even before that. But in do on

ter to

hours.

It's

a

Saturday night than

a pretty safe bet that

became 1947,

bullshit

—

many people

was

a different

By

world then.

And

it

the

didn't have anything bet-

MADD mothers thought.

was the South.

the '50s, Hillbilly music had

who plied

would, starting with

they were passing the corn-liquored bottle the

become

radio stations broadcast Opn'-like shows. teurs

it

so popular that

Most of

muse only because they loved

it.

more than 600

the performers were ama-

As

could not "give up their day jobs." This put them

Bill

more

Monroe noted,

have come

billy

full circle.

meant something

hillbillies

would've put

But the difference was,

like

what

to

make of Hillbilly

day job for

dock loading, not copy shop

a fist

Billboard, the leading

a

they

in line with today's

we

real-

Southern

hill-

"indie" rockers as opposed to major label glory seekers. In fifty years, ly

hadn't

glued to their radios for four and one-half

sit

whole time without one single concern about what It

as

We

a

slacking.

These randy

through the face of today's super-ironic hordes.

music-trade publication in the nation, didn't

know

music's rising popularity. Before 1942, the magazine

CHAPTER lumped

Hillbilly with "foreign"

3:

ELVIS

GOTTA GUN

numbers, meaning

came from abroad. But

at that

time sounded

whatever Europe

as alien as

offer.

By

1942, things weren't

ry did

what

do

along, and ever since:

all

recordings

listed beside

to the metropolitan editors of Billboard, the sounds

coming from the Deep South had to

enough, the

that, ironically

most genuine of American white song forms was being that

33

civil

much

better.

The new "Western &

servants and pandering half-mad politicians had been trving to

lump "white

trash" and

Negroes

the early '50s that Billboard finally inaugurated

n't until

Race" catego-

together. its

It

was-

"Country

&

Western" category, forever changing the definition of American popular music.

Now

such disparate elements as Western Swing, rural white Southern Blues,

and Appalachian Bluegrass were united in the public consciousness.

Country via

not only

&

Western music was reaching

Hank Williams, who was

but also Nashville's emergence

its

golden period in the early '50s

honky-tonk

basically the last of the

as the epicenter

of the Country music-making

business. Nashville represented the commercialization of the form.

The

hewn honky-tonk style was absorbed by the new rockabillies who tended their

home in Memphis.

Nashville, meanwhile,

stylists,

rough-

to

make

became kind of the Tin Pan Alley

of the hick world.

"We made

this

town," said Frank Rose, one-half of the famous Acuff-Rose

publishing partnership that acted as the phoenix for Nashville's rise to promi-

nence. As the firm gained credibility, they began to attract songwriters

baby dun been

who soon

left

me"

stream of aspiring

learned to pen the classic country song: "llaaah,

or, later

on, "JYaaaah, the plant

laid off n' drinkin' all day."

The

reshaped the sound of Nashville.

dun closed down

mah

again/I

addition of the pedal steel guitar (heard

most prominendy on the recordings of Webb

the sobbing tone lent

a

Initially

Pierce, as played

by Bud

Isaacs)

pioneered by West Coast musicians,

Country music the "crying" sound

that

became

its

trade-

mark.

Another important innovation was the invention of the which Fender introduced freed both Blues and bass.

Country

artists

As Country music historian

roamed car,

in the '50s.

Bill

Held

like a guitar,

electric bass guitar,

the new instrument

from the heavy burden of the stand-up

Malone noted: "When bands no Longer

across the country with the 'bass fiddle' tied to the top ot the touring

an era in American music had truly come to an end."

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

34

Fender had already introduced and

had met with phenomenal

it

came

to

its

electric guitar a

success.

dominate the sound of Country

important guitar manufacturers

like

The

&

ROLL

N'

couple of years

earlier,

"cool" twang of the instrument

Western

for years to

come. Other

Rickenbacker had sprung up on the West

Coast during the postwar years. With more and more musicians getting

a

hold

of the instrument, they were bound to produce a sound that resembled Rock 'n'

Roll,

even

if

they didn't have any idea what they were doing.

In 1947, Arthur Smith, a country-poke from Charlotte, North Carolina

who'd

West, had

later relocate to the

that helped popularize the

a

sound of the

huge

with "Guitar Boogie," a song

hit

electric guitar nationwide.

At approxi-

mately the same time, Les Paul was making his historic recordings with wife

Mary Ford

that not only used electric guitar but such revolutionary

new

recording techniques as multitracking as well. Paul would go on to design his

own

line

The

of guitars for Gibson, which became Fender's biggest competition. guitar was, for the

most

among vagabond

instrument proved so popular

immense

popularity, the guitar

which was another reason the

part, portable,

became the

musicians. Because of

catalyst for virtually

all

its

of the sub-

sequent major musical developments of the next twenty years. Because of the accessibility

and low cost of the equipment, performing musicians were able to

literally revolutionize their

sound overnight.

It

wouldn't be long before what

they were playing would evolve into something resembling

The volume and

guitar

you

new

'n'

as

Roll.

drummers. This was another step

Roll, because the success of

on the backbeat. Or

'n'

both amplified

electric bands, usually featuring

bass, created the necessity for

towards Rock firmly

of the

Rock

most good Rock

Chuck Berry would soon

say: "It's

'n'

Roll rests

got a backbeat

can't lose it."

In

many historical movements,

the pivotal events occur chiefly by accident,

and Rock's early years are riddled with examples of such fortuitous happenstance.

Take the case of Ray Butts, for example

actually the architect of the Rockabilly sound,

Butts lived in

Memphis during

the era

—here was the man who was

and no one's ever heard of him.

when Rock

'n'

Roll was exploding.

According to legend, he hand-built four amplifiers with echo

built in.

Although

such devices were soon to become commonplace, Butts's amps were originals.

Who were the four people who ended up with the amps? the next generation of Southern guitar-speak:

Only

the founders of

Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, Roy

— CHAPTER 3

:

ELVIS

GOTTA GUN

Orbison, and Carl Perkins. According to Perkins: amp... I wish

was

a fool

and sold that

That amp did something those echoplexes

hadn't.

I

"I

35

was a sound of its own.

It

was the Sun sound

in person."

can't do. It

3

Despite Ray Butts's innovations, not to mention those of his messengers, the "Sun sound" was not born overnight.

The South may have been an incred-

ibly fertile musical region in the early '50s, but other than the increasingly slick

music-biz region.

Mecca of

Nashville, the mainstream record industry avoided the

Even the majority of new

"indie" labels that were handling the

Rock sounds were geographically too musicians.

King was

new pre-

out of bounds for most Southern

far

Chess was in Chicago, Specialty and

in Cincinnati,

Modern were in Los Angeles, and Atlantic and Savoy were in New York. King had already taken

like

Black

artists

a big step towards

Rock by blending white and

within their rosters. This was an idea that no doubt caught the ear

of Sun Records founder

indigenous to the

Sam

Phillips.

Such musical miscegenation was already

Memphis region, which is why in

Presley claimed to be equally influenced by B.B.

As has often been since he

became

stated, Elvis

a talent seeker

was the

— doing

all

way: Phillips hadn't

He'd

initially set

artist Phillips

Artists

man who

farm near Florence, Alabama in 1923, fields as a child

had been seeking ever

and Repertoire (A&R) work But

it

didn't start out that

man who

out to find "a white

out to find a Black

set

his early interviews Elvis

King and Hank Williams.

for the aforementioned indie labels in the late '40s.

blues."

Labels

could sing the blues. Born on a

Sam

Phillips

had worked the cotton

alongside Blacks. According to Phillips, hearing

work songs and

spirituals

could sing the

them

sing their

while they baled cotton sparked his interest in Black

musical expression. Something about the emotional force of the idiom captivated him, and

it

was

this

primal experience, similar to the one experienced by

Alan Lomax, that indirecdy led to the foundation of Sun Records (and subsequently the birth of

Rock

'n' Roll).

A career in radio helped land Phillips in Memphis in city cal

was an incredibly diverse spawning ground

developments,

tion,

the It

WDIA,

many of them

station, B. B.

first

706 Union

all-Black format in the country.

King, was

was hearing King that eventually led

dio, at

number of important musi-

aided by the presence of an excellent radio sta-

which pioneered the

DJs on the radio

for a

1945. At that time the

Street, in 1949.

a

Blues performer in his

Phillips to set

Having begun

up

One

own

of

right.

his first recording stu-

his career as an engineer.

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

36

was able to make demos of

Phillips

ROLL

the local Black musicians in the area,

all

including B. B. King and Howlin' Wolf.

N'

To supplement his income,

Phillips also

recorded speeches, weddings, funerals, and graduations for a fee and continued to

work at WREC

Rhythm

ket for

&

radio in

Memphis.

Chicago and Modern

—he knew that

fool

mar-

a

cities

and

Chess

successful in persuading faraway labels like

in L.A. to lease his wares.

the province of Joe, Jules, and Saul Bihari, and their

Modern was release

was no

Blues had sprung up, particularly in the Northern

on the West Coast, and he was in

Phillips

first

was Hadda Brooks's "Swingin' the Boogie." Brooks was another impor-

tant transitional figure in the history of Rock, a pianist

who boogied

gie ad infinitum, even going so far as to boogalarize

Boogie." That was

name of Rock

The

potential talent.

who made

the

time

would make frequent During one such

was made

a classical reference

young

thereafter, they fired

Clarksdale, Mississippi,

trip to

jazz musician

didn't suit the Biharis (they

trips to the

Memphis

Deep South

in the

Phillips.

The

pianist

named Phineas Newborn, whose

were looking

Newborn and

named

in search of

they discovered B. B. King,

under the aegis of Sam

his first recordings

the sessions was a

Shordy

first

"Concerto

in

Roll.

'n'

Biharis

definitely

Grieg

the boo-

for a

more down-home

replaced

him with

a

on

style

quality).

cocky kid from

Ike Turner. Clarksdale was the site of the leg-

endary crossroads where Highway 49 met Highway 61, which was where

Robert Johnson supposedly sold

low that Turner, who'd sprung

would only go

his soul to the devil. It

literally

to fol-

from the same Delta mud, was one of

the gutsiest musicians of the era.

Like

Sam

Phillips

and B. B. King, Turner had an

the late '40s, he'd been a latest in

Brown.

DJ on WROX— "We rocks!"—where

jump Blues by people It

was during

earlier career in radio. In

like

Louis Jordan,

this stint that

he

first

Amos

he'd played the

Milburn, and Charles

met King, which

is

probably

how

he ended up playing on the session. Turner was not only ambitious but also versatile:

cous

Although he played

combo of

before

Sam

Bands

his

Phillips

own, the Kings of Rhythm. was holding the microphone

like Turner's

cians to hail

fairly straight for B. B.

King, he also led a more rauIt

was only

in front of

a matter of time

them

were important, because they were the

from the South who

didn't rely

on the

first

as well.

Black musi-

oral tradition passed

down

they drew as

much

by Blues musicians from Charley Patton on up. That

is,

CHAPTER 3: inspiration

from radio and recordings

clubs and honky-tonks. This

What

Blues.

Someone

like

On March Avenue studio found impact

major

as a

Chicago

as

band

for instance,

One

man. For another,

one of the early Rock

first

same raucous

Union

Phillips's

Rock

it).

helped establish

Sam

Not

'n'

surprisingly,

Roll record" (and

Phillips

"Rocket 88"

Sam

Phillips

However, by 1951 there were alreadv

vein, but perhaps

take a

none

as gloriously irre-

little pill."

Beyond

compose the song. The

recording was actually by Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, but on the label "Jackie Brenston."

This must've angered Turner

band was more or

less his baby,

but

"Rocket 88" became the best-selling

Sam

Berry would have his

Phillips

first hit

that,

—mainly Jackie Brenston, who was merely

the bass player in Turner's band, although he did

ting both Chess and

a pro-

helped establish Chess Records in

my car's gonna

was credited to the wrong person

Sam

the saxophone was slightly off-key, and the

all,

proclaimed, "Everybody in

it

it

Roll labels.

'n'

have you believe

like to

sponsible as "Rocket 88." After

it

For one,

a

did.

of them, "Rocket 88," was to have

in several different areas.

several records in the

lyrics

Kings of Rhythm

like the

to cut four songs.

A&R

mar-

exotic

had no chance of appealing to

1951, Turner and crew assembled at

3,

more

they were in the process of was modernizing the

has often been referred to as "the

would sure

possibilities:

in the

forms of instrumentation, and more sophisti-

Son House,

larger audience, but a

37

they did from what they heard

as

opened up many

riages of musical styles as well as

cated lyrical insights.

GOTTA GUN

ELVIS

it

record of 1951

on the map). Not

—

several years later

said

at first, considering that the

couldn't have angered

R&B

it

him long when

(in the

surprisingly,

also

on Chess

process put-

when Chuck

—

it

would be

with "Maybellene," a rollicking car song in the "Rocket 88" tradition.

Like a lot of the indie labels that were springing up in the postwar years specializing in Black this case

Rhythm

&

Blues, Chess was a family-owned business, in

by two brothers, Phil and Leonard Chess. Like the good Jewish busi-

nessmen they were, they'd sensed

&

a

market growing for the new Black Rhythm

Blues ever since the Delta bluesmen began flocking to Chicago in alarming

numbers during the years before World War

II.

The Chess

brothers, in tact,

operated a succession of after-hours clubs where Black and white musicians

hung out together and jammed reasoned that

if

until sunrise.

Like

Sam

Phillips,

Leonard Chess

he could somehow capture the sounds he heard

he could tap into

a revolution.

So he

set

up

a

in these clubs,

makeshift studio, in

this case in

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

38

N'

ROLL

the garage, and persuaded local singers and musicians to record. It didn't end

however: while Leonard dealt with operations back home, Phil scouted

there,

him

the country looking for talent. This led

At that time

Phillips

to

Sam

Phillips.

was leasing most of his material to the Bihari Brothers

Los Angeles, and Ike Turner was acting as

his

go-between. But when Chess some-

contract while he was supposedly under license to

how secured Howlin' Wolf to a

and severed the

Modern, the

Biharis accused Phillips of double-dealing

ship. Phillips

had no choice but to rush readily into the arms of Chess, the

main competition. The Chess brothers were employ

Phillips's estimable talents in this area.

naturally

more than

Thus they began

nership that continued until Phillips launched his

own label,

relationBiharis'

willing to

a fruitful part-

Sun, a couple of years

When he did, he was clearly influenced by Leonard Chess's recording meth-

later.

ods

in

—

microphone and

like rigging a

loud speaker at both ends of a sewer pipe

a

to produce echo. According to Leonard's son, Marshall,

work

for the Rolling Stones, the big thing

drum, drum, and more drum. to bring out a heavy beat."

I

was percussion:

went on

later

"My

to

wanted

father

think he was responsible for doing that to blues,

4

Chess Records was fortunate that

Muddy Waters

who

a lot of the greatest Delta

bluesmen

and Howlin' Wolf had moved to Chicago in the

'40s.

like

These

artists

helped build Chess as a serious label with their new, more urbane Blues

styles.

An

artist like

now found drinkin'

Muddy

TNT/I'm

displayed by

pistol in

your

like

later.

Be

it

was kind of a strange premonition

Satisfied": "I feel like

snappin'/My

to

Make Love

to

You" and "Hoochie Coochie

classics for the first line

of Black and white Blues

There's a reason this music caught on with white kids

Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Mike Bloomfield: Blues represented

kind of underground. ists

In this way,

Waters was truly threatening to the

face.")

Man" became readymade decade

like

in "I Can't

Want

like "I Just

revivalists a

someone

'50s.

Rap (Muddy even sang

Songs

in the heart of the Delta,

smokin' dynamite/I hope some screwball/Start a fight."

white-bread world of the

goddamn

who was born

himself in the heart of the American Dream. His reaction: "I'm

The machismo

to

Waters,

It

was only

later, in

the hands of the prissy folk-revival-

of the Kennedy years, that Blues would become a sacred institution.

Muddy Waters would Chess was putting out

finally all

a

be given his just due. However, in the

these great records, artists like

'50s,

Muddy were

Then when

consid-

CHAPTER ered the their

scum of

GOTTA GUN

ELVIS

3:

39

the Earth by the recording industry. But they were having

impact nonetheless.

Another important thing about was one of the

to Rock): he

unprecedented in the

field

first

to

Muddy

(and another important precursor

employ

a full

of Blues at that time.

name: McKinley Morganfield) was making the parameters of his chosen

Which

so

It's

clear that

six players,

Waters

a self-conscious decision to

(real

expand

art.

probably could not be said about Howlin' Wolf, Muddy's Chess

counterpart,

who was

band containing

who

epitomized "raw talent" in the form of an unwitting mystic

down-home he

to the fact that

actually frightened people.

Wolf (a.k.a. Chester

pound behemoth, born and bred

That was probably due

Burnett) was a surly, foul-mouthed, 300-

in the Delta, black as night,

who

never

appealed to the same supper-club set as B. B. King and eventually Muddy. That's because Wolf's whole delivery was a primal yowl tinged with anger and sadness, perhaps a

little too

close to the spirit of the Blues to ever cross into the

mainstream like so many of his peers. ly

came

In

hands of the Brit brigade

at the

Wolf was

The little bit of acclaim he received most-

actually

November

one of the

artists

a

who were

his recordings).

later.

Chess discovered through Sam

1952, Phillips launched his

flood of indies

decade

already having

own

some

label,

Phillips.

Sun, to compete with the

chart success (some of them with

In August 1951 the Dominoes' "Sixty Minute Man," released

on the independent Federal

label, surprised

Syd Nathan, by jumping onto the pop

everyone, particularly label owner

charts.

This was especially surprising

because "Sixty Minute

Man" was

somewhat bawdy

("20 minutes of huffin'/And 20 minutes of puffin '/And

lyrics

20 minutes of blowin'

my top").

a bluesy tune with a rattling guitar riff

Within the next couple of years,

Black vocal groups would cross over onto the Cadillacs,

Charms, Penguins,

plethora of others

Sam

Phillips,

who

named Rattle tially

Bill

came

right off the street. This

who'd been recording Black

Haley had

a

after

huge

charts:

talent for years.

he founded Sun,

a

He

more

the Orioles,

Spaniels, Chords, El Dorados, Teenagers,

literally

been aware when, the year

Pop

several

and

was not also

and

lost

a

on

must have

white performer from Ohio

hit covering Blues shouter

Joe Turner's "Shake,

& Roll." Here was a novel idea: a white guy bastardizing what was essen-

an authentic piece of Blues.

about a long time.

It

was an idea diat

Phillips

had been dunking

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

40

The

on Sun Records were mostly authentic Blues by people

early releases

Dr. Ross the Harmonica Boss or Little Walter.

like

weren't selling. Phillips kept thinking: "If

could sing the blues million in the

—somebody

I

of dress. As

Here was

Phillips

But he did find the

He

didn't quite

he really

clothes,

Marion

did. I

had to

hick working class

this typical

laid yet.

And

like

his first guitar in 1946,

everywhere

it

Phillips" for

was

It

the

my dog once."

nobody with

—not because he knew how it

back

call

when he was

because, like a big security blanket, Elvis Presley

his

map

"He wore

Keisker, recalls:

stars in his eyes.

Hank Williams,

from the too-close-to-his-mommy syndrome. bought him

make

put Sun on the

artist to

who

remembered the boy because of his flamboyant

Phillips's secretary,

Probably hadn't even been

him

records, but they

form of a young truck driver who'd been bugging "Mistah

most outlandish

ried

Good

could only find a white boy

I

could make a million dollars."

else did.

weeks to record him. style

ROLL

N'

his

the

mom,

boy suffered

Gladys, who'd

eleven years old, and he car-

to actually play the thing but

reminded him of

his

mommy.

Already

was establishing the little-lost-rebel-boy persona that would carry

for the rest of his years. Phillips

record

had

a service

whereby, for two dollars

—but you only got one copy

to cut a record,

it

was

as a

a gift to his

singing, practicing for hours to

a

pop, anyone could

kind of keepsake.

When

make

a

Elvis decided

mother. He'd always been interested in

sound

like

the crooners he listened to

on the

radio or the Blues artists he heard around

Memphis. The record he cut that day

was actually kind of conventional:

of Ink Spots songs,

Where Your Heartaches

and "That's n't forget

The Then

it

a pair

about the boy in the pink

some

Begin." But for

Happiness"

reason, Phillips did-

suit.

idea of trying to find a white kid to sing the Blues kept plaguing him.

dawned on him one day

eyes in the form of Elvis.

young boy, he ran

him record

six

that the solution

was right there before

As the legend goes, when

blocks to the audition. At

straight Blues, but in a

first it

cosmic twist of

decided to cover a Blues song on one

side,

the other. In both cases, Elvis improved

and

on the

a

ly believed

his

Phillips finally called die

was

Phillips' idea to

fate, Elvis

Country

&

and

his

have

band

Western one on

original versions. In the case of

Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right," the Blues number,

he was

"My

many

people mistaken-

Presley was Black. But Elvis wasn't consciously emulating anyone

just letting his

emotions go overboard with unabashed youthful exuber-

CHAPTER ance. In "Blue

big regional

Moon

3:

GOTTA GUN

ELVIS

of Kentucky," the

41

Monroe number

Bill

he changed the whole tune around so that

hit,

instead of swung. It

ent styles of music

is

significant that Elvis

on

would choose

had been

that

it

a

literally jumped

to record

two

differ-

debut record and make them sound strangely akin.

his

The common denominator between both

Blues and Country was the funky

down-home

go of his/her emotions and not

quality that enabled

self-conscious about

'n'

to the

it

was through

feel

his realization

finally take place

(hence

Roll").

assembled behind Elvis provided the perfect back-

More

unique musical vision.

Elvis's

spurred him tial

and

two musical forms could

The band Sam Phillips drop for

let

Elvis realized this,

it.

that the synthesis of these

"Rock

one to

than

likely,

it

was they who

on. Scotty Moore's guitar playing, for one thing, was as influen-

whole school of Rock guitar players

as

Chuck

Berry's; Bill Black's

stand-up bass playing was the prototype for the whole subsequent Rockabilly style

of slap-bass playing; and D.J. Fontana's

that distinguished this music cats.

Together these four

once and for

men would

drumming had all

from

rhythm

the steady

Country

that of straight

virtually invent the Rockabilly craze, a

Southern white invasion of would-be Country pluckers infected by the Rock 'n'

Roll bug.

As

for Presley's vocal quality,

experience to speak pete with

more

of,

he

may

have been

a hick

with no worldly

but he infected each tune with enough gusto to com-

sophisticated Blues and Hillbilly singers. His manipulation of

Black idioms while

still

taposition of wide-eyed

maintaining his choirboy persona was the perfect jux-

wonder and

lascivious intent, a confusing but

paradox that suited the increasingly confused

mood

engaging

of the times as well.

There's an insurgency to the sides Elvis and his cronies cut for

Sam

during the years '54— '55 that gives the impression that no one involved

what they were doing was sides,

in

felt

when we

first

This sometimes chagrined

Phillips,

a

demo

But Elvis was

a

of "When

genuine

thing he did. That's

among

actually get to hear a specific style of music being

born. Elvis was one of the

on

that

any way "ordinary." Like Charlie Parkers Savoy

or Robert Johnson's Columbia recordings, Elvis's Sun sessions are

the few instances

Elvis

Phillips

It

recording

Rains,

stylist

who

who It

artists

who wanted

creative

freedom.

can be heard admonishing die young

Pours": "Don't git too complicated, bah!"

imparted his unique trademark on every-

why even though

Elvis

seldom wrote

his

own

material, he

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

42

own

soon came to

The minute to

ROLL

the versions he cut of other people's songs

"Hound Dog,"

being

N'

Mae

originally a hit for Willie

"That's All Right" was waxed, a

"Big

—

case in point

Mama"

Thornton.

dub of the song was delivered

Sam Phillips' friend Dewey Phillips, who hosted the popular Red, Hot and Blue

radio

program

Memphis. Although the two

in

Phillipses weren't related, there

was something thicker than blood between them bribe for airplay, a

common practice among disc jockeys at the time,

would soon come back undoubtedly

why

a (local) star

form of

(a

a factor that

haunt them when the Feds caught wind of it). That's

to

song

Phillips played the

thirty times

although the song went nowhere nationally,

and

—mainly payola

it

one night.

made number one

paid

It

off:

Memphis,

in

was born.

Elvis didn't "invent"

Rock

'n'

Roll, but his

"Good

subsequent recording,

Rockin' Tonight," showed he was making a self-conscious attempt to introduce the masses to

what had already made

a believer out of

him

form of Roy Brown's 1946 original on King). The way

(in this case in the

Elvis introduced the

word

song, with a mighty reverberating hiccup that elongated the salacious proportions,

was

like a

premonition of all that was to come. Keeping

to the spirit of the first single, the B-side, "I

Shine," was a

more Pop-oriented number,

Don't Care

originally

if

the

done by

line "we're

gonna

kiss n' a-kiss n' a-kiss

n'a-gunna

Sun Don't

Patti

1950, but Elvis's version shed the gentility of her version, to say the

he sang the

"well" to

Page in

least.

kiss

When

sum more"

he got downright excited and almost started panting in an open display of lust that must've dismayed City Fathers in

Anytown U.S.A.

circa 1955.

Hence

the

—hence the King!

controversy

on

In 1955, Elvis was verging that time.

Although

his

sound was

territory that

was

virtually nonexistent until

a mixture of both Black

and white resources,

because he was white he got lumped in with the Hillbilly singers.

The Country

audience was none too enamored with the young kid, not to mention the

Country music establishment. the

example was when Elvis

Grand Ole Opiy. The figureheads of that organization

tain terms:

Elvis

"go back to driving

borrowed

eventually ended that

A good

it

up

represented

ing performance

a lot of his

there.

him

a truck, boy." Elvis cried all the

image from Hollywood, so

But Rock

'n'

it's

Not surprisingly,

in

went on

no uncer-

way home. no

surprise he

Roll was different from the movies in

—not pictures of movement, but

movement

art.

told

finally

a living, breath-

Elvis gained a lot of recognition

from

his

— CHAPTER 3: frenetic stage act. Until then, very

GOTTA GUN

ELVIS

43

few musical performers did more than

just

stand there and play (although contemporaneous sax blowers like Illinois

Jacquet and Flip Phillips were

literally rolling

on the

Philharmonic Shows). Elvis also had mighty appeal he was actually

all

description of a kind of music

whose

and the concept of "getting

stupid-ass studio

put

another way,

it

I

at the time, it

essential elements

real gone."

"magic" of the early Sun studios

some

symbol even though lay his

Sam

was

once described the

Phillips

way: "I didn't want to get those people in

this

and lead them astray from what they had been doing. To

didn't try to take

to feel ashamed. I

them uptown and

dress

them

By

definition of

Rock

1955,

'n'

up. If they

Roll, in

Rock most

5

Roll has there ever been?

'n'

senses,

was already

My

Front Door)" which was the same thing

Mama

as saying,

"Let's get real gone." Later that year, the Cadillacs (black Cadillacs, that

claimed:

"My name

is

Speedo."

What

obviously communicating in a whole

nonsense to the uninformed

Rock

'n'

tradition

pro-

were

kids

like freakish

the squares).

—mainly that the song became popular

of their local theaters. Even though

opus with adenoidal vocals

than the movie

itself,

The song had

first

after

incidence of a

it

was featured

movie was Richard Brooks's teen-delinquent drama,

The Blackboard Jungle, which caused teens

a clattering

sounded

"Rock around the Clock." Here was the

in a movie. In this case, the

seats

that

The

is!)

Roll was given a mighty boost in 1955 by the unprecedented suc-

cess of Bill Haley's

modern

(i.e.,

the hell was a Speedo?

new language

more

a reality. Several

songs had "crossed over": the Eldorados had declared "Crazy Little

(Come Knockin' on

want

didn't

I

wanted them to go ahead and play the way they were

used to playing. Because the expression was the thing."

What better

a pretty apt

were the echo chamber

had broken-down equipment or their instruments were ragged,

them

charm.

came out of the combination of Hillbilly and Rock.

probably wasn't called that

it

as a sex

"Aw shucks, ma'am!" But in his naivete

thumbs:

Rockabilly essentially

And even though

floor during the Jazz at the

—

all

over the country to rip up die

it

wasn't really that

much

it

turned out to be

a

of a song

bigger sensation

another unprecedented move.

actually

been recorded

a

year

earlier,

and Haley was no

overnight sensation. He'd been playing music since he was thirteen, mostly Hillbilly with a

DJ

at

some Western Swing dirown

WSNJ

in Bridgeport,

New Jersey

in.

At twenty-one, he took

and then transferred to

a

job as

WPWA in

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

44

became program

Chester, Pennsylvania, where he

other famous performing DJs

Haley was gives

—

you some idea what they sounded

&

Like

Blues.

Howlin' Wolf,

B. B. King,

They were called

also in a band.

director.

Rhythm

the time, Haley mixed in his share of Black

ROLL

N'

a lot

And

of DJs at

like a lot

of

Rums Thomas

the 4 Aces of Western Swing, which

like.

In 1949 the Aces became the Saddlemen, once again sticking to the

Western theme. They signed with

would soon come

to

Atlantic,

dominate the

released their share of Hillbilly.

Adantic, both flops. In 195

1

field

Ahmet

R&B

of

The Saddlemen

Ertegun's upstart label that

but

that, at that time, still

only released two records on

Haley signed with Decca, took off his cowboy hat,

fashioned a "spitcurl" on his forehead like Alfalfa, and put on a trashy dinner jacket. And... Rock 'n' Roll

was born?

Well, something closely approximating

Black-sounding

Country/R&B

as the

Sun

artists,

fusion. Finally

He

Haley was nevertheless working on

changing the band's name to

Comets, he was the undisputed upbeat "dance" music.

leader,

and he preferred

also helped popularize the

The Comets

Haley

&

the

a clean

but rollicking

term Rock

V Roll with a

weren't a manufactured "product" either, but a legitimate

touring/performance unit. As a friend's dad, in

Bill

a similar

"Rock the Joint" and "Rock Rock

string of recordings using the phrase, such as

Rock."

anyway. Although not as overtly

it,

Old Orchard Beach, Maine, once

who saw them perform

told me:

in the '50s

"Waaaah, they had that whole

pier a-rockin'l"

In 1955, Chess also had

its first

Moonglows, whose "Sincerely" was

share of crossover success,

basic Ink Spots crooning with

in,

important pioneers:

Bo Diddley and Chuck

a short ly

all

was

from

assert the

importance of the

rhythmic phrase repeated constantly.

made Rock

some orgas-

distinguishable

Berry.

riff in It

was

What

Rock this

these two did once

'n' Roll,

which meant

development that

from the forms of music that

it

final-

had originated

—mainly, Country & Western and Rhythm & Blues.

Diddley

(real

name

is

in dispute but

may have been

another Mississippi product transplanted to Chicago. at

with the

and then widr the launching of two of Rock's most

mic groans thrown

and for

first

age ten and was one of the

first

Ellas

McDaniel) was

He learned to play guitar

musicians to really appreciate the

new

tech-

nological aspects of the instrument. This accounted for his weird use of vibrato as well as the fact that he played a custom-designed square-shaped guitar.

\ I

CHAPTER 3:

ELVIS

GOTTA GUN

—songs

Diddley himself was no square, however

like

45

"Hey Man" and "Cops

and Robbers" were streetwise screeds that foreshadowed Rap: the former

on the whole school of "your

girl's

narrative of street crime with

Bo

—

guitar riff

playing narrator. As for the basic

thumping two-chord pattern

a

that doubled back

probably one of the two or three most-copied Rock

mized by Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," Johnny Jive," the Strangeloves' "I

Bowie's

"Up

Soon

Now," U2's

Is

way

of twentieth century Jive this

made

the

first

record to be called

many

and

it

came out of the

ghetto.

Rock

They

Sullivan's Toast of the Town.

was only 26 years old and

1955

I

maybe

his

that of the early

more "upbeat" it

the

Hand

the Smiths'

"How

in the annals

—we

was one of the

I

that

in 1991: "I

even started

called

it signifyiri

Blacks on

first

me

Ed

$750...

was the way things went."

he was another Chicago (by way

like

who was

(read:

Rock

urged, at the behest

'n'

Roll) material.

But

was no more compromising, sound-wise, than

Chess Records masters.

and with early material

fact,

(as epito-

Light," David

importance

for rap

of St. Louis) bluesman (and full-time hairdresser)

he wrote the stuff himself and

"The

it's

capable of conforming to the public's expecta-

tions without necessarily "selling out." Sure,

of the Chess Brothers, to try

&

"Willy

paid Elvis $5000 but only gave

just figured

Chuck Berry proved more

—

time

Roll by Alan Freed.

'n'

The same

in

all

magazine interview

in a Premiere

And

Pie's

Bo Diddley

on the beat

other examples).

summed up

that hipshake thing that Elvis copied.

of

"The Hungry Wolf,"

the Hill Backwards," X's

Bo, never one to feign modesty,

riffs

Otis's

Want Candy," Humble

"Desire," and

a play

so ugly" dissing; the latter a pretty graphic-

It

was downright raw,

as a

matter of

"Thirty Days" and "Maybellene," he achieved

the ultimate, electrified hybrid of chord-based Blues and

Country

clatter (his

runs were almost Bluegrassy).

Berry was extremely

versatile:

takeoff years before "bluebeat" had

pardy Berry-based). As exploit

—with

a

a lyricist,

somewhat cynical

"Havana Moon" was an almost Jamaican its

day (proving

that,

when

women

was "Sweet

meaning

did,

it

was

Berry wrote the book in terms of teen

twist. After

all,

he was already thirty when he

wrote most of his golden gassers. Given his degenerate history as aged

it

far as

under-

go, perhaps the only lyric he ever wrote that he truly believed in

Little 16."

to songs like

His love for having honeys

"Wee Wee Hours"

Go," about not being able

shit

as well as

to find a public restroom.

on

"No

his face gives

new

Particular Place to

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

46

Despite his perversions, however,

Rock to

Chuck

Goode,"

ROLL

has been one of the most copied

from Lonnie Mack

guitar stylists, inspiring everyone

Johnny Thunders. He's

N'

to Keith Richards

been one of the most venerable composers:

also

on

own

"Johnny

B.

dance,

an American standard that has been translated into

is

Berry's autobiographical take

his

mythical ascenjust

"popular" category of music, from Country to Reggae to Disco.

of sideways mobility, Rock was not to remain an isolated

The book was

were listening

just didn't

feel

as

among

Rock LPs before

Phil Chess.

You could

kind

for long.

the

tell it

"From what our

was crossing

over.

We

6

first

to

market Rock

of Tin Pan Alley-derived

'n'

Roll as a dis-

filler.

like

Chuck

The

fiction

the Beades were utter crap does a grave disservice to

brave, groundbreaking work.

In this regard, the Vee Jay label of Chicago rivals.

this

phenomenon

evidenced by the '50s albums of artists

minimum

a

it.

was gonna be."

it

own,

its

where there was

all

some

big

brothers were

tinct category of

that

You could

to.

know how

The Chess

Berry,

With

already being written.

"How did we know it was changing?" recalled kids

about every

seemed

to be Chess's closest

Like Chess, they specialized in relocated Delta transplants such as John

Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed. Hooker was his early

work

for

Vee Jay,

actually based out of Detroit,

as well as the sides

he cut before that for Modern,

were some of the recordings that helped define the generation.

Hooker was one of

the

first

electric guitar to the next

to appreciate the varying degrees of

control that a musician could exercise over noise

He

itself.

understood the

amplifier-as-instrument concept and the fact that the resulting

between guitar and

amp

and

power

struggle

could be intensely gratifying in an almost sexual way.

This was the part of his whole routine that influenced such latter-day destructos as Jimi

Hendrix and Bernie Worrell of P-Funk, who were

an update of his Blues

Jimmy Reed, on

a

decade

distinctive

Reed repeated

riffs,

Like

it

regards to their

was that they were

the need for any extraneous bullshit.

very singular idioms to death because they that

a further

own

his classic shuffle ad infinitum. It wasn't as if

these guitarists were limited in capacity; n't feel

upon which

Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry in

laid.

doing

later.

the other hand, built the foundation

groove could be

basically

Most

knew

likely,

this

would get them noticed. Like the makers of all

stylists

who

did-

they plundered their

would be the trademark

—the man who spun

folk art

— CHAPTER 3:

—

the pottery vase or whatnot

it

ELVIS

wasn't so

ing perseverance to the task at hand.

GOTTA GUN much what

lizing

actual

made and

Rock

it

was memorable,

'n' Roll,

sparsely orchestrated.

Jimmy

in

Reed's

That meant

uti-

such makeshift techniques as banging two blocks together to replicate

drums ("Big Boss Man"). This

crackers like the Velvet it

they did, but their undy-

was so repetitious

It

other words. True to the primitive ethos of early recordings were often crudely

47

was more

of the early

a case

definitely influenced future skeleton-

Underground, but

this wasn't intentional primitivism

of make do with what you have, go for the feeling

Rock records were made cheaply because

willing to spend

Vee Jay simply

much time

didn't have

or

money on Rock 'n'

Many

the major labels weren't

Roll,

and the indie

labels like

any money.

Sonny Boy Williamson was the drawn into the Pop

first.

perfect example of an authentic Blues artist

cultural landscape

idea of harmonica-as-lead-instrument,

by accident. Williamson perfected the and

his

arrangements were

still

based

almost entirely on the twelve-bar form, but he wasn't opposed to taking the Blues uptown either, as such material as "Help

Me"

harder time grooming him than some of their other

demonstrates. Chess had artists,

a

and Sonny Boy was

never able to fully cross over, even though most of his sessions were recorded

with the same musicians

who backed

all

of Chess's major

artists:

Otis Spann,

Willie Dixon, etc. In the end, he helped develop the language of the harp as a distinct voice, influencing

Bob Dylan, among

such players as Paul Butterfield, Tony Glover, and

others.

Elmore James was another transplanted Southerner who

left his stylistic

groove on the future of uptown music making. Literally the son of

a

whore

from the heart of the Mississippi Delta, James stood 6'2" and was drunk most of the time.

By the time he got to Chicago,

he'd already been playing for years,

having been one of the actual proteges of Robert Johnson. His voice was

a cur-

dling high-pitched blare, which was only matched by his guitar, a distorted staccato burst of notes that ripped with passion and abandon. If

argument

for

why

the Blues had to be electrified, Elmore James would be

prime example. His simple songs came tion,

even

if

many

one needed an

alive

through the wonders of amplifica-

of his "classics" sounded surprisingly similar: "Dust

Broom," "Shake Your

Money

Maker," "Standing

at the Crossroads," et

Along with Jimmy Reed, Elmo was the absolute king of repetition. For son, he

a

My al.

this rea-

was similarly enshrined among the next generation of musicians, par-

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK N' ROLL

48

from England

ticularly those

like

Green of Fleetwood Mac. In which helped build

Bouncing from

his

own

his

myth

took

time, however, his reckless lifestyle

to future generations

label to label (Chess,

ed legacy was spotty, to say the revival really

Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and Peter

—damaged

Modern, Trumpet,

He

least.

Philo,

his career.

etc.), his

record-

died in 1964, right before the Blues

off.

Although the Blues had become an unexpected urban phenomenon, for purveyors

it

was not an easy

life.

The

exposure, the fame, the biracial audiences

brought new problems that bluesmen from an

all

Johnson

for instance, never

in the '50s,

it

was

a

world

had to

face.

earlier time, like

Robert

For many prominent Blues musicians

with contradictions.

rife

A

perfect example of the

down-home-goes-uptown paradox was Lightnin' Hopkins. The

legendary-

Texas guitarist began in the '40s with a rural-sounding arpeggio-filled

However, by the mid-'60s, he was sporting

Rock

'n'

bona

fide staple, "I

Roll, as evidenced

Want

by the

its

a

neon

and playing

electric suit

Show and Dance featuring the

classic Electric

to Play with

style.

Your Poodle."

Blues had always been a ribald form, and bluesmen had always been out-

spoken.

Not

just in the case

of sexually explicit material, but also with politi-

cally laced broadsides as well, like J. B. Lenoir's

the

many

"Eisenhower Blues"

as well as

anti-Prohibition and pro-marijuana Blues from the 1930s, or the

antisegregation material from the '40s. But as Blues

with the Pop market, the

The New

lyrics

became increasingly teenage-oriented.

Orleans pianist Fats

Influenced by Boogie

Woogie

became more intertwined

Domino

helped

pianists like Albert

filter

this

Amnions and

transition.

raised in the

same whorehouse environs, Domino was comfortable with blues ("Please Don't Leave Me") or standards (the infamous "Blueberry Hill") but tailored many of his songs to the

Pop or novelty market. This made

bleach "I'm Walkin'" in the same Richard's "Tutri Frutti." rolling a

Domino

that Pat

bear persona helped establish

classic

Domino

as

Orleans was coming into

music went.

The

precedent for the

Boone would destroy

"Blue Monday."

as a definite

its

own

A big,

crowd

artist save

Little

with a land of

"My Girl Josephine,"

he sold more records than any other Black

New

easy for Ricky Nelson to

hit his stride in the mid-'50s

boogaloo personified by such songs

Shame," "Boll Weevil," and the

'50s

way

it

"Ain't

That

lovable teddy

pleaser,

and

Nat "King"

in the

Cole.

as a regional entity as far as

Black

New Orleans sound was established by Dave

CHAPTER 3:

ELVIS

GOTTA GUN

Bartholemew, the popular bandleader of the '40s the musicians

who

helped define the

drummer Earl Palmer, Louis Armstrong

&

city's

49

who more

or

saxophonists Lee Allen and Alvin Tyler.

His Hot Seven

cast a

still

less

tutored

all

musical tradition: Fats Domino,

The

influence of

mighty shadow over the

city's

New Orleans music distinct from that

musical heritage, and one thing that made

of other regions was the emphasis on swinging Jazz-like rhythms and instrumentation. As far as recording goes, the harbinger for the

was Cosimo Matassa's embellishment to

This made for

J&M

a "live"

where they employed

Studios,

Sam Phillips

at Sun:

"New Orleans sound" a similar lack

of

no overdubbing and not many rehearsals.

sound that jumped right out of the radio once the

fin-

ished product had been waxed.

No singer

one tested

World War

—reading

for

his

Rock II

Roll had

'n'

Daddy

—

in his

was going to cause some

room

a

his children

could understand

—

dumbsquat who

a

blasting a Little Richard platter. Obviously

like total noise.

without limitations. Think of

it

the

sanctum he'd fought hard

Daddy-o,

perfectly because they'd

how most

Little

He'd never heard anything

and didn't even possess the frame of reference to understand

that before

grown up

older Americans view

in a

like

it,

but

world

Rap nowadays

have a pretty good idea the kind of reaction that greeted Rock

and

you'll

Roll

—only

a

thousand times worse because when Rock

simply was no precedent.

on the senses (and

And no one was more

sensibilities)

—along with

Elvis,

Chuck

Berry, Jerry

the true mythic heroes of early

'n'

'n'

Roll arrived, there

responsible for this total assault

of the American public than Little Richard.

Born Richard Penniman on December

Elvis,

—

friction, especially because, to

Richard undoubtedly sounded

is

to epitomize the instant-

on the older generation. There was

in the living

room

young

Little Richard, a

evening paper, and there was sonny boy

hadn't done shit yet this

approach more readily than

from Macon, Georgia who perhaps best came

ly polarizing effect

typical

this

Rock

about a day's travel away by

car.

both were products of poverty, Elvis

5,

1935 in Southern Georgia, he

Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly

'n'

Roll.

The

at least

He

—one of

was born the same year

similarities

ended

there: although

had the love of a nurturing

Richard, on the other hand, grew up the son of a boodegger

as

who was

family.

not tol-

erant of his son's slighdy effeminate characteristics. Enraged by his son's flam-

boyance, he tossed Richard out at an early age. Richard joined a traveling show, which, considering the circumstances, was probably akin to saying, in the words

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

50

of the Geto Boys: "Nigger you

wuz onna goddamn punk

N'

ROLL

tank." Probably

some

of the crusty old clowns and vaudeville sleazers manhandled the young boy, but

you

can't rape the willing, as they say,

seemed predisposed

The

Little Richard,

and

almost from birth,

to sybaritic excess.

turning point came

when

white club owner and his wife adopted

a

Richard. Before long, the boy began to perform at the Tick Tock Club, a

Macon hot credits the

spot

owned by

the couple,

Ann Johnson.

—he apparendy

why

Atlanta and landed a contract with that have since

After reading his autobiography

won

a local talent contest at

RCA. There he made

a series

WGST

in

of recordings

been underestimated in the annals of pre-Rock. Given what was

at the time, Richard's early stuff was as

Kings of Rhythm.

It's

just that his later

thing else that these early sides

axiomatic as that of Ike Turner's

work would

would come

seem

to

away

so totally blow

can already hear the roots of what would soon follow. a

it's

lusted after her big country bosoms!

In 1951, at age sixteen, Richard

going on

still

Johnsons with being the only true "family" he ever had and claims

he wrote "Miss Ann" about easy to see

Johnny and Ann Johnson. Richard

irrelevant.

The voice,

every-

However, one one thing

for

—was already powerful. Like

combination of raw bluster and Gospel testimony

a lot

of performers, Richard just needed a

Little

indie that

Used

to

nurturing.

Richard ended up on Specialty Records,

had had

a crossover hit

a successful

Los Angeles

of sorts with Guitar Slim's "The Things

Do." At the time, Specialty president Art Rupe was recording

his sessions at al

little

J&M,

so

it

was perhaps inevitable that

a lot

I

of

Little Richard, a region-

product, would record there. But Little Richard turned out to be not just

another

homegrown

screaming wild

singer plying the

man who made

—he

same Cajun/Creole mix

was

the whole country uptight! Newspapers wrote

about him as early as 1955, before Elvis even, trying to discredit him, but can you discredit someone who's purposely crass? Unlike, Little

say,

Fats

how

Domino,

Richard had no shame (which, along with the fact that he put parents in

a state of total fear,

was another

Little Richard's first big hit

generation of Uprights that

a

Rock

die line

'n'

LaBostrie's

a lu

symbol of Rock being born).

was "Tutti

Frutti," a

song that made

a

whole

—parents, broadcasters, college professors—proclaim

Roll was just a

"wop bop

vital

bop

a

bunch of screaming nonsense. And

wop bam boom!"

non-Hit Parade-intended

original,

(If

all

because of

they'd only heard

Dorothy

which was apparendy so pro-

1

CHAPTER

3

:

GOTTA GUN

ELVIS

5

fane that even the normally uninhibited Little Richard was

What spirit

Little

Richard brought to

it

were

From

a

Elvis to Jerry Lee,

Bo Diddley wore

glasses

colorful bunch, outrageous and,

ever seen anything like

Bop

a

the

instance, Little

them

and played

by nature,

—except

"Wop Bop

a

crazed roosters.

like

Screamin' Jay Hawkins crawled out of

feet.

a rectangular guitar. vital,

Thev were

a

simply because no one had

in the circus.

down

kids got the message, right

Lula" and

"The all

cape and makeup with an eight-inch pompadour. Elvis and

Jerry Lee played the piano with his

The

For

style.

other rocka-hillbillies piled their hair atop their heads

a coffin.

it!)

virtual cartoon characters!

That's what's missing from today's Rock: true

Richard wore

to sintr

was, as Richard Meltzer once noted,

of wrestling." Capes, gowns... a persona!

original rockers

ashamed

Lu Bop."

"Be

to nonsensical expressions like

Factors such as this have subverted the

language ever since (eventually leading to Rap

as well as Ebonics).

As non-

English speaking immigrants continued to pour into the country over the next

few decades, the language became even more diluted. Rock linguistic filter as well as a musical one, as

it is,

by

its

'n'

Roll served as a

very essence, a microcosm

of the larger "melting pot" (see Richie Valens's "La Bamba," for instance).

was

also, as

people were finding out, chiefly

attempts of instrumentalists like

Bill

opposed to the vocal music of the the like

—the

weren't so

lyrics

a vocal art despite the finest

Doggett, Ace Cannon, Link Wray,

etc.

As

—show tunes and

earlier twentieth century

much

compositional as they were slang. This

outraged the denizens of Tin Pan Alley as

Time and

It

again in the following years,

much

Rock

as

lyrics

it

did English teachers.

helped introduce slang

expressions into the mainstream vocabulary.

The same

year Little Richard broke with "Tutti Frutti,"

experiencing his

initial

burst of fame with "Maybellene,"

about the automobile. Once again,

it

was

a

new suburban

subway-taking Tin Partners couldn't understand. In the to ballads,

which meant songs with

about love. But with

artists like

a

who was

rock song

culture that the

IRT

had stuck

neat morality play enclosed, or song's

Chuck Bern;

so topical in future years. Folk music, which

artist

a classic

past, lyricists

lyrics for the first

almost journalistic sense of describing actual events, which

was actually mired

Chuck Bern- was

in tradition until the

is

is

time took on an

why Rock became

usually given the credit tor this,

advent of

Bob Dylan

primarily influenced in his formative years by

in the

Rock

'60s— an

*n' Roll.

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

52

To

Time and

from "Rocket 88"

ROLL

more symbolic of their self-made

the '50s generation, nothing was

culture than the automobile.

N'

kid-

again, rockers celebrated their wheels,

which

to "Maybellene" to the Flamingos' insane "Buick 59,"

featured coughing, upchucking noises and auto-destruct sound effects. It was

only matched in tastelessness by the Treniers' "Get

another stunning premonition to Rap/Hip Hop,

that, in

who gets the boot and n't

has to walk

Phillips's grasp.

nition.

the tale of a chick

because she would-

By now,

media

RCA was busy trying to sway Elvis out of Sam

the singing hillbilly had garnered considerable recog-

Even the Girand Ok Opij had relented and

attention.

The

up

Sam

Elvis's

Phillips kicked himself

new manager was

named Colonel Tom a ten-foot

Parker.

a

boy perform. So

in a massive swirl of

many

it

was

hype and

RCA final-

now seems

like the

shelf life during the ensuing years,

times.

former tent-show barker and carney hawker

Given

dancing bear,

the

contract for what

sum of $40,000. Considering Presley's

I'm sure

world

Elvis's

let

November 1955 when

turning point came in

persuaded Phillips to relinquish

paltry

Richard were making their grand

Little

inevitable that, before long, he'd be swept

that Parker's experience included giving the

no wonder

it's

Elvis

became such

a crass specta-

once he'd succumbed to the Colonel's grasp. By the time Elvis signed with

RCA, show al

the Car," a song

put out.

entrance onto the national scene,

cle

tells

home from Lovers' Lane

At about the same time Chuck and

ly

Out of

the cast was biz!

set:

Rock

And no form

'n'

Roll had

of music ever

become

made

itself

and aesthetic corruption so early in the game Part of the reason was Elvis.

Colonel time

Tom did.

RCAs

molded

He

set the

carnival, spectacle, wrestling,

so readily available to spiritu-

as

Rock

'n'

precedent

or,

Parker had already successfully managed

best-selling

Country

artist,

Roll.

more

accurately,

Hank Snow,

at that

and Elvis was certainly ripe for being

into a national superstar. Actors like

Marlon Brando and James Dean

had already captivated the nation with their sullen demeanors and amoral preoccupations, and Elvis was nal pecking order of

primarily a musical

phenomenon Elvis's

ization of Rock, period. as

bigger because he didn't belong to the inter-

Hollywood. At

music "industry." But

two years

much

least at that time, Elvis's success

that occurred outside of the

signing with

So there you have

RCA it

still

framework of the

represented the commercial-

— Rock

an uncorrupted force. Despite the

was

'n'

Roll lasted

fact that

some of

all

of about

Elvis's later

CHAPTER 3:

stuff

proved that he was an adequate

Roll. Elvis lost that

help get their rocks

after

heavy breathing. In ticularly in

own

Elvis.

Elvis

whole

cults

was exploding

all

Navy and had

to Sid Vicious.

all

star.

Sam had

a

over the nation and imitators started springing

Phillips? Well,

whole

if

Sam

maybe not Malcolm

stable, and,

'n'

Roll was so

'n'

were going

to be as big as

One

eponymous

of the great characteristics of early Rock

Beyond

it.

that, 'n'

'n'

anyone could outdo the Roll in the '50s was, above

breed of musicians better epitomized

neers of Rockabilly, that

major

of course, most of them did go on

acknowledged masters of the game because Rock

And no

Roll

new at that time

Yelvington, but he was every bit as

Roll was that anyone could play

moment.

Rock

didn't quit the

not fortune.

as Elvis (albeit less polished).

a

in the

Phillips knew, Carl Perkins could be the country's next

some degree of fame,

all,

a

would form around Vincent, par-

didn't realize that not all potential rockers

For

Well,

Launched by Capitol

who'd been

because he lost the Big Cheese. Rock

just

recording to

rods to

England, where he served as the role model for the original

—from John Lennon

Sam

that

new hot

the Norfolk, Virginia native would have

right. Vincent,

later years,

up everywhere, what of Sam

game

'n'

went much further than the King did with sex-crazed yelping and

leg,

As

Rock

of the cornfields and

the kiddies had to find

just fine in this capacity.

RCA acquired Elvis,

Rockabilly outfit in their

"Teds"

as

with "Be Bop a Lula," and his Blue Caps were an able-bodied

a big hit

bum

be construed

"stylist," it can't

Then

53

off.

Gene Vincent would do few months

GOTTA GUN

when Colonel Tom swept him out

pointed him towards... Babylon.

a

ELVIS

this

most insane of musical forms. From

than the pio-

their hiccupping

vocal reverberations to their bizarre style of dress (high collars, pink suits, classic

leather James

Dean

most of 'em were hicks

garb), these

raised

mad

cats

on the Grand

doing that they ended up playing

this

were

Ok

"real

Op?y,

music in the

it

gone"

all

right. Since

was purely

first place. It

their

own

was only the

humbleness of their surroundings that provided them with the kind of isolation necessary to

come up with something

provided the blueprint, but musically after

he

left

Sun

The sound

—and much more

to

so pure and untainted. Elvis might have it

had very

little

to

do with

Elvis, at least

do with Malcolm Yelvington.

of Rockabilly came from echo. This was a perfect example of

how technology was now playing a major role in the music business, sometimes

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

54

a

bigger role than the "artists."

see major musical trends

Metal

—

electric guitar

ROLL

again over the next few decades, we'd

— Disco, Synth-Pop, Rap, even to some extent Heavy The

their very existence to technological advancements.

owed

that

Time and

N'

was

a

prime example

—

in order for

something to "rock,"

Moore,

to be electric guitars. Instrumentalists like Scotty

seemed there had

Carl Perkins, and James Burlison (of the Rock

it

Roll Trio, another pioneer-

'n'

ing Rockabilly outfit) were the catalysts, popularizing a wealth of amplification

techniques that would resonate around the world. Consequendy,

would-be Country

Of Sam

artists

were turning to Rock.

Phillips' original

Sun

roster,

none were

really

Johnny Cash. The drum-based density of something Suede Shoes" was (and

still is)

Rock

'n'

Opiy. Unlike the well-rehearsed

always be controlled, and sometimes

was

as

much

artists

save

Carl Perkins's "Blue if,

an instru-

as

from the Western pickers on the

Country music of Nashville, Rockabilly was

punctuated by the sense of raw discovery

it

like

Country

Roll by definition even

mentalist, Perkins obviously took his cue

something new

many white,

—amplification,

when

after

all,

couldn't

a surprise to

the original rockabillies hit

These guys may have been hicks more than

them

was to their audience.

as it

hipsters,

upon

but they were blatantly

degrading the whole God-fearing mentality of the South with their deliberate vulgarity.

And when they finally got the chance to flee

Perkins, for instance, find?

The

to England.

And when he

got there, what did he

Beades!

Of all one most

went

the region, they did. Carl

the acts in

Sam

Phillips' stable, the

most outrageous one

likely to rival Elvis's sacred stature in the

Sun

roster

—and the

—was Jerry Lee

Lewis, whose inflammatory stage act and persona could rival Little Richard's.

Lewis was

a

white country bumpkin pianist from Louisiana whose primary

influences were honky-tonk artists like

These

artists

able to the

Moon

were on the verge of Rock anyway, and Lewis was readily adapt-

form due

to his deliberate outrageousness.

Swaggart claims that Jerry was "hossing" around to Lewis:

was

just

"Oh sure.

more

Many

Mullican and Merrill Moore.

.

.1

had an act then, of course

naturally good."

as early as it

Jimmy

age nine. According

was not quite

as polished.

.

.it

7

of Lewis's early performances were in the church, but as he grew

older he drifted toward the houses of ill repute like so

probably because, at that time,

I:

His cousin

that's

many

where the money was.

other musicians, It

was

in such

an

— CHAPTER 3: environment that he picked up

GOTTA GUN

ELVIS

his ribald technique,

the piano bench over and other theatrical maneuvers. pianist

Roy

Hall performing the original

55

which involved kicking

He

"Whole Lotta

also heard Hillbilly

Shakin' Goin' On."

Hall was another interesting pre-Rock character, and he befriended both Elvis

and Jerry Lee, schooling them in the early days before either became

famous.

By the time Sam this side

found Lewis, he was the most raucous performer

Phillips

of Little Richard.

flashy hillbilly perfect his

The

advent of Rock

'n'

Roll

no doubt helped

brand of arrogance. Part of Rock

this

Roll being born

'n'

was the birth of a kind of "superstar" that had never existed before

—

flashy

and

outrageous. As Peter Guralnick noted: "Jerry Lee... perfected the art not only

of deliberate outrageousness but of creating a distance between himself and the

outrageousness which permits

on the proceedings

all

ly godlike

That's

to be extravagant

same time."

at the

Making commentary on

him

and to make commentary

8

the proceedings: This was a kind of mythic, near-

understanding of the world that previous entertainers never had.

why

the masses gobbled

it

up with the kind of fervent devotion usually

reserved for holy rollers.

The

early

commercial. scared. Elvis

Rock may have been

And when and

tested,

Little

down were

for instance, got

own

cousin,

little

Army and God,

their formerly rocking selves.

quickly tamed in other ways: both

hung out

news

was nevertheless

it

even some of the true pioneers grayed, or got

Richard chose the

means of redemption from back

deliberately crass, but

respectively, as

Those who

didn't

Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee,

to dry for little-girl lust. In Jerry Lee's case

that spread like buckshot through the

was

it

his

media and brought

a

of the Southern bedroom/backwoods tradition to the eyes of the nation.

Although the kids couldn't have cared of which there were

the moral watchdogs of the 1950s

—weren't about to

many

when he showed no remorse money-making teen

less,

idol as

let

for his brazen act.

Lewis

slid into a

Lewis off the hook, especially

Sam

Phillips

had

lost

another

period of blacklisted notoriety

before being redeemed as a successful Country artist in the next decade.

At the time,

Phillips's

trough of potential Elvises was

Roy Orbison came up with "Ooby Dooby," an

still

knee-deep. Texan

all-time Rockabilly classic later

covered note-for-note by Creedence Clearwater Revival. But Orbison never really

caught on until he'd changed his

style completely,

becoming die con-

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

56

summate crooner he was Phillips

in the '60s.

By

N'

ROLL

was slowly seceding from the record

The Sun

industry.

Studios would

remain an active base of recording for years to follow, but Sun's days vative label

record, "Suzy a

Q" by

an inno-

Chess cut

rivals at

a Rockabilly

Dale Hawkins.

performer would come along to shake up the whole Pop/Rockabilly

paradigm. In 1956 in Clovis,

New Mexico,

that could loosely be termed Rockabilly. Holly's

more on Western and even Pop worthy precursor

to the

sensibilities,

modern Rock

own

a series

Petty

of recordings

songwriting was based

but his band the Crickets were a

Roll line-up.

'n'

Norman

producer named

a

would-be superstar named Buddy Holly through

led a

as

were numbered. The industry had caught up with the echo-laden

sound created in Memphis. Even Sam's old

Soon

Sam

and

that time he'd left Sun,

The

fact that bassist

Jerry Allison used a Fender electric bass as opposed to the stand-up bass, which

was

still

the standard at the time, was a big influence

on

future performing units

the Beades, for instance). Petty's embellishments weren't always for the

(like

better,

however, particularly after 1958

potential

"teen idol."

when Holly began being groomed

The maudlin

on songs

string arrangements

as a like

"Reminiscing" and "Lonesome Tears" were dangerously close to Connie Francis. Like a lot of great

Rock

Holly started to go downhill when he Crickets, he cut "It Doesn't less

prone to schlock than

new one

business. really

The

knows what

his influence

But

lost his original band.

he died in

a

a

due to the

the

first

plane crash soon after that means no

his true musical aspirations were.

fact that

Brothers. their

it

thing's for sure

was the Everly Brothers, large-

The

from that

city to

paid off for years to come.

unique harmonizing talents

father, Earl Everly.

act

they were a Nashville product.

successful recording artists

tradition in

One

was immense, particularly on the next generation.

youthful audience, and their

of the

twenty-one-year-old kid in a whole

The most successful Country crossover ly

Buddy

Without the

this wasn't a self-conscious "sellout"

—Holly was

fact that

Elvis to Alice Cooper,

Matter Anymore," which proved that he was no

Elvis.

type pulled by today's goats

from

artists,

The

Everlys were in fact

attempt to reach a more

They began

as children in a family

developing

group led by their

Everly Brothers were heirs to the whole brother-duet

Country music that included the Blue Sky Boys and Louvin

They may have worn

tight pants

and swung their guitars around, but

harmonies were perfectly angelic. Songs

like "All I

Have

to

Do Is Dream"

CHAPTER 3: ELVIS GOTTA GUN

57

and "Devoted to You" were hypnotically close to dream music, way ahead of the

Memphis pack

No

harmonically.

less a

personage than John Cale has

claimed that certain tonal qualities perfected by the Everlys were the inspiration for

some of the primal noise pioneered by

the early Velvet Underground.

In Hollywood, the proximity of the film and

on would-be

stricter standards

TV industries imposed even

"rockers." Take, for example, Ricky Nelson.

—

Like the Everlys, he was part of a show-biz family real-life

family of

TVs

in his case, the popular

Ozzie and Harriet. Using the show as a springboard,

Ricky launched a career

while certainly manufactured, was not entirely

that,

devoid of passion. Backed by an excellent band featuring the exceptional gui-

James Burton, Ricky was an above-average

tarist

What You

tion into songs like "Believe

singer, putting

Say" and "Hello

honest emo-

Mary Lou." Nelson

proved his sincerity by choosing to pursue a more purist singer/songwriter path

opposed to the crooner

in the '60s as

And

(including Elvis).

before

it

The

had

really

to prove

Rock

'n'

he wasn't stuck in that

Roll artist from L.A.

ing talent was Eddie Cochran. artist

epitomized by

many of his

era,

'50s peers

he rebuked "retro"

begun, in 1972, with the hit "Garden Party."

other white

Rockabilly

style

He

who proved

to have endur-

wasn't a Hollywood brat but a legitimate

with an even more sophisticated knowledge of sound than his

Southern counterparts, thanks to his proximity to the legendary Gold Star studios.

Far from being a pawn to some producer, Cochran produced his

sions,

wrote

his

own

cardboard box for a

songs, and was responsible for such innovations as using a

drum

actual sonic sphere of

saying

"why not?"

in

Rock

in the

their respective fields.

"Summertime 'n'

Roll

is

Blues," once again proving that the

very close to avant-garde. Cochran was

same way John Cage or Cecil Taylor were saying

And "why not"

is

Cochran's musical influence spread tions.

own ses-

it

in

often the root of true genius. all

the

way

across

two musical genera-

His innovative technique of aligning the bass and guitar to the same har"heavy" sound that would subsequendy influence die

monic frequency created

a

Ramones: compare

"Suzy Is

instance.

The

their

Sex Pistols went so

a

Headbanger"

far as to

to his

cover the

Else," Cochran's 1959 juvenile delinquent anthem.

Cochran became

whom he moved

a

to

"C'mon Everybody,"

latter, as

To

a car accident, as the curse

his

well as "Somethin'

Rockabilly purists, Eddie

venerated institution second only to

England before

Gene

Vincent, with

—Cochran's—untimely death

of Buddy Holly continued.

for

in

I960

in

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

58

N'

ROLL

Right about that time, Elvis was getting out of the army, but he didn't go

back to Rock

'n'

He — and

Roll.

mostly Colonel

agenda in mind, mainly to become

ment

business, even

if it

a

Tom—had

a

much shrewder

long-term commodity in the entertain-

meant staying

Hollywood

in

for ten years

making

lousy movies. People didn't realize at the time, but this was to have a grim effect

on the whole Rock oping:

Rock 'n'

'n'

Roll process.

We were already seeing the pattern devel-

Roll had in a few short years already

chandising and crass commercialism.

It

music the world has ever known, but in porate devil,

Rock would invent

would ultimately rob or ambition.

it

doomed itself to mass mer-

would soon become the most popular its

assimilation to the wills of the cor-

a system of control

and dissemination that

of its intrinsic value: the ability to

rock, free

of pretense

Chapter 4

JKiLLTHE"&u?nMEtt We

MAY be FORGETTING SOMEONE HERE: Thomas

Edison. Because

if

there

hadn't have been any reproduction of sound, there wouldn't have been any Jazz,

Rock 'n'

Roll, record business, nothmg. Despite the popularity of hoedowns

and

jamborees in the early half of the twentieth century, recordings have proven to be the most effective means of bringing music to the masses. Edison's blueprint for recorded sound

came from

ured that any instrument that could carry the

the telephone

human voice

—he

fig-

could also retain

In a weird predecessor to today's answering machine, Edison's

first

it.

sound-

recording device was designed to deliver messages from people with a phone to

people without one: a talking telegraph, in other words.

When

completed, the phonograph was cylindrical in shape and capable of

both recording and playback. Edison tested the machine by reciting "Mary Little

but

Lamb."

when he

February

He

did,

19,

had to give

a

it

good old-fashioned crank

he was amazed by what he heard.

it

thereafter, thus

a

to play back,

The machine was

1878, and initially marketed as a novelty.

Phonograph Company was formed shortly

to get

Had

patented on

The Edison

Speaking

beginning the record-

ing industry.

Flash ahead ten years. grant

named Emile

efficient

A young,

self-taught scientist

Berliner discovers that a lateral-moving stylus

means of recording than Edison's model.

disc itself

and German immi-

—from cylinders to

flat sheets,

Berliner's first

which are more

is a

upgrade

more is

the

easily transcribable.

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

60

ROLL

N'

makes

Eventually, Berliner discovers that a coating of zinc with an acid solution

reproduction possible, and there you have

While height of cylinder

all this

its

was taking

it:

the

first

records.

place, Edison's cylindrical disc player

World War

popularity. It wasn't until the beginning of

became

Through newer and

entirely extinct.

was I

at the

that the

finer recordings, disc

manufacturers were able to produce more enduring works, such as whole operas,

on

Columbia and other

disc.

mocked

early producers of cylinders

this

with ads that accused the makers of records of only reproducing "cut and dried

which

subjects,"

of course, what the whole history of recorded music was

is,

going to come down to eventually.

Shordy before

cylinders

Company emerged

went

all

the

way

into the clunker, the Victor

The

to court America's nascent record-buying public.

switch to platters had spurred a flurry of recording

activity.

The

"music busi-

ness" had officially begun. This created the need for composers of the popular

songs that would a record, but

want

come

to

dominate the Hit Parade. Anybody could

not anyone could compose a tune that millions of people would

to hear again

and again. Record companies found that

the appetite of the mass populace, they had to feed Swill

is

always mass-produced.

It is

them

does

is

named because they

go pop.

The

fall

of swill.

never a frontier explosion, soul purge,

Rhythm

Folk music, Blues, Soul, Gospel,

in order to satisfy

shovels

or spontaneous eruption like Hillbilly, Bluegrass, Country

egories are so

now make

&

Western, Jazz,

& Blues, or Rock 'n' Roll. These cat-

describe a certain style of music. But

only thing that qualifies music as "pop"

is

all

Pop

the fact that

it's

popular.

America's foremost music composing factories were

lower midtown neighborhood of

New

York,

all

located in the

named Tin Pan

Alley.

same

Through

years of bar mitzvahs, piano lessons, and synagogue singalongs, these boys had

learned a nice erally

way with

bang away

Put into

a tune.

until they

a factory setting,

came out with

a song,

men

where they would

like

lit-

George Gershwin

and Irving Berlin were soon to become the best-known composers in the world.

The

hacksmiths

musical legacy of the

who

rolled out of

first

half of the century was dominated

Tin Pan

Alley: Berlin,

by the

Gershwin, Cole Porter,

Johnny Mercer, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Hoagy Carmichael, and others. Standards

—so much

From

their repertoires

came the Book of American

so that forty years later, John Coltrane

would

still

be play-

1

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS ing them, and

be

Bob Dylan was heard

6

to remark: "Eeeeh,

none of us claimed

to

good as Johnny Mercer."

as

Pre- 1910, the only way a composer could profit from his/her compositions

was through the

sale

there arose whole

of sheet music. However, once recording came about,

new

questions about rights of ownership, such

composer be compensated

up the

issue of royalties.

for every rendition of his/her

But the

as:

should a

work? This brought

issue didn't really accelerate until the advent

of radio, which meant that anybody could just pluck any song off the steal

it.

That

is,

air

and

wasn't protected.

if it

This caused the formation of the ASCAP, or American Society of

Composers, Authors, and Publishers. However, "American Society" once

ASCAP

again didn't include Blacks or rural whites.

domain of Tin Pan

Alley,

and for years they had

what broadcasters were allowed ly

came

to terms with radio,

of Broadcasters

name

says

it all:

to play

which

felt

men who'd more

BMI

basically

"recording

artist"

—which meant

opened up the door to

geous to

on

But

ASCAP never proper-

1940 the National Association

a

between

all

who

could be considered

they had to do was put out

a record.

a

This

wealth of musical resources, including ones ASCxAP

ASCAP

BMI was

or less received their musical training in

belonged to anyone

would've never bothered licensing

whereas

in

air.

monopoly over

the need to establish

vaudeville,

song,

why

a contractual

BMI — Broadcast Music, Inc. The "broadcast music." Whereas ASCAP had been the domain of

song-and-dance

difference

is

on the

was the publishing

and

—

like

BMI

Blues and Country

was that

ASCAP

copyrighting the performance

& Western. The

was copyrighting the

itself.

This was advanta-

BMI because, by that time, the "hit parade" was almost totally reliant

radio.

In the years preceding the inroads had already been

made

ASCAP/BMI in

controversy,

some important

American popular music. In 1938, the

Vocalion recording of Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson doing "Roll 'em Pete"

became the

biggest-selling Blues record since

Mamie

Smith's "Crazy Blues" in

1920. This reawakened the industry to the expanding growth of the Black

record market. Within a few years, thousands of independent labels had opened

up

to

accommodate such Black-oriented

Many times,

fields as

Bebop, Blues, and Gospel.

the labels recorded white Hillbilly artists as well (King Records in

Cincinnati, for instance).

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

62

music

in

American popular

City, at

one time America's

new idiom

"Roll 'em Pete" showcased a whole

—the "blues shouter." Coming from Kansas

ROLL

N'

lewdest locale, Turner was a veteran of the red light districts that also produced the ful

Count

Basie Orchestra,

whose version of Swing was

more

a great deal

soul-

than that of their Northern counterparts. Along with fellow shouter Jimmy

Rushing, Turner helped introduce

a

more robust style of vocalizing to the pop-

ular idiom that contrasted with the polished slickness of

Cab

example of Turner's impact was the success of Frankie Lane, the

employ the "shouting" technique

singer to

Como

Perry

and Frank

as

A good

Calloway.

first

opposed to the crooning

white

style

of

Sinatra.

Another important development was the advent of the boogie woogie piano style, as

Lewis,

epitomized by barrelhouse pianists

alert the public to the arrival

culminating in a

whole

Cow Cow

Davenport.

series

of this

new idiom. The result was

"Boogie Woogie."

it

The

of popular recordings with Boogie

much

to

a series of rip-offs

Will Bradley Orchestra

Woogie themes.

Swing" concerts in 1938 featuring Ammons, Lewis,

Johnson, and Count Basie can be seen as the craze,

Woogie Trio and played

Carnegie Hall in 1938 and '39 that did

Tommy Dorsey's

If the "Spirituals to

Woogie

Meade Lux

Lewis, and Pete Johnson formed the Boogie

a successful series of concerts at

made

Albert Amnions,

Yancey, Clarence "Pinetop" Smith, and

Jimmy

Ammons,

like

can also be seen

when many

year

as a

of the Boogie

"official" start

significant changes

occurred in the relationship between Black and white musicians. That year, the

Famous Door, series

a nightclub in

of engagements by

ly the club

New York,

Count

owners sensed

it

opened

Basie. Far

its

doors to Black patrons for a

from an

altruistic act,

was commercial suicide

it's

more

like-

to continue their whites-

only policy, considering that 90 percent of Basie's audience was Black. That

same

year, the Black Blues singer Billie

Holiday joined the Artie Shaw Band. At

Goodman

around the same time, the Benny

musicians, including vibraphonist Lionel

Orchestra hired a series of Black

Hampton,

pianist

Teddy Wilson, and

electric guitarist Charlie Christian.

Under FDR,

Blacks were allowed union

This went for musicians nightlife, cities like

as well.

This created

membership a

for the first time.

whole new element of Black

where Black musicians found themselves

infinitely

employable. In

Detroit and Chicago, where America's increasing industrialization

had resulted

in better opportunities for Blacks,

some of them were

able to

open

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS

their

own

sively.

nightclubs where they could employ Black musicians almost exclu-

Although

ing what

it

was

appeared on the surface that Blacks were

it

be part of American

like to

and Blacks

gated,

63

finally experienc-

country was

society, the

segre-

still

faced discrimination wherever they went. But in the

still

music industry, Blacks were about to exert a newfound importance on the buying trends of the public.

Although there were

as

many

Black Big Bands as white ones, the popular

Swing bands who dominated the Hit Parade

white. But overly slick pros didn't appeal to a significant

now had buying power ally

compelling

style

Hampton, the

a repetitive

new

a

style called

Louis Jordan lized typical

Arnold Shaw: I

that

more emotionthis

genre was

who'd played with Benny

Rock

Illinois Jacquet,

riffs,

with a honking

"Flying High" intro-

& His Tympani Five, who recorded for Decca in the '40s, utia

more downscaled format (hence "Tympani

who'd played and sung

"I didn't think I could

did everything they did."

There were many (chiefly the draft).

was

later

chiefly

"jump Blues."

Swing rhythms but in

Five"). Jordan,

vibraharpist

were

number of Blacks

cater to their tastes, a

not unlike

riff,

saxophone solo by the Texas-bred tenor duced

'40s

of music emerged. Perhaps the pinnacle in

"Flying High" by Lionel

Goodman. Based on

To

of their own.

and

in the '30s

By

in the Big

handle

a

big band. But with

the time

my little band,

on

Bands to shrink

Be Bop and Rhythm

on the

ceedings and concentrate

told

'

factors that caused the Big

a conscious decision

Band of Chick Webb,

&

Blues had taken hold,

part of the musicians to scale

a smaller unit.

in the 1940s

down

it

the pro-

the music of the Swing

Whereas

bands had been chiefly designed for dancing, the new music was more

lyrical

cerebral. In the case of a performer like Louis Jordan,

he was

and in

many ways

able to incorporate both Black

metamorphosis. This ensured Black.

As

a result,

Jordan

&

his popularity

his

crossed over during the '40s,

and white resources

in order to achieve this

with white audiences as well as

Tympani Five racked up

many

of them with

a

a string of hits that

"novelty" base: "School

Days," "Caledonia," "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens," "Five Guys

Named

Moe." But these weren't mere novelty sides, because the musicianship was and because Jordan was typical

jump Blues

ence on

Chuck

to

a brilliant arranger

Caribbean rhythms

Berry).

Jordan added

a lot

who

tight

incorporated everything from

in songs like

"Run Joe"

(a

big influ-

of comic voices and other laugh-get-

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK N' ROLL

64

ensure his popularity with mixed audiences. This

ters to

up

readily

ways, the in turn

by nascent Rock

Bo Diddley

Rollers (like

'n'

Tympani Five were the blueprint

spawn the Rock revolution.

Bill

&

many

for instance). In

R&B jump bands that would

for the

Haley

would be picked

trait

the Comets, a white act

who

Decca, copied Jordan's whole sound and, in 1945, the popular

also recorded for

white bandleader

Woody Herman

And Jordan

covered Jordan's "Caledonia."

was years ahead of his time in terms of promotion, creating what amounted to the

first

"videos," in the

that could be

shown

in

form of cinematic shorts featuring the band performing movie theaters between

features.

Another thing Louis Jordan accomplished was to bring Black popular slang into the mainstream.

Whereas, for years, white bandleaders had been trying to

parrot Black hipster jive and had been

making

fools of themselves, Jordan's use

of the vernacular was "authentic." Jordan's records were the

first

many

time

whites encountered the nuances of hip urban blackspeak. In this sense, the

Tympani Five were not only

a

premonition of Rock, but Rap

as well.

In the years following Jordan's ascendance, Blacks began to see the

first

signs of mass acceptance in the recording field. Part of this

was the war ending:

the recording industry was booming, as were

There was no

age of shellac now. Record companies had a

with

new

talent.

There was

catering to Black recording

The

industries.

little

more freedom

short-

to experiment labels,

many

postwar economy had convinced

many

a proliferation artists.

all

of small, independent

people that starting a small, independent record label was a worthy entrepreneurial venture.

Even Black

Capitol,

artist:

by no means

a Black label,

made

their first million with a

Cole's early recordings were

Nat "King" Cole.

consisting of bass/guitar/piano before he branched off to

recordings in the crooner style. the

Pop

One

of these,

"Mona

made with make

a series

There were other

—so

Black ersatz crooners, like the "Singing Private," Cecil Gant

in the U.S. at

made

his first record, "I

Wonder," he was

Army. The song never crossed over on

one point the

label that issued

it,

a

of

Lisa," crossed over into

charts and eventually sold half a million copies.

because at the time he

a trio

still

Nat "King" Cole

named enlisted

scale,

but

Gilt Edge, reported that they were selling

100,000 records per month. Surely that kind of success inspired the rush of small, independent labels that late 1940s.

were popping up

all

over the

West Coast

in the

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS Further developments were occurring in the music.

Not

only were the

hits

65

field

of commercial Black

of the Ink Spots and Nat "King" Cole adorned

with the kind of lush arrangements usually afforded white crooners

like

or Sinatra, but in L.A., the revolutionary electric blues guitarist,

Walker, cut his

first sides

"Mean Old World" and

for Capitol.

Baby" were Rock prototypes, considering that they lineup about ten years before the

Walker would go on

to greater

fact: bass, guitar,

fame

T-Bone

Got

a

Break

utilized the classic

Rock

"I

piano, drums, and

when

in the '50s,

Como

no horns.

electrified Blues really

caught on.

The

proliferation of independent labels caused

music to reach a mass audience. With no indies relied

reason,

on

local talent or

most of the

whole new

A&R budgets to speak of, most of the

on demos people sent them showcased an

early independents

strains of Black

in the mail.

eclectic

For

this

mix of talent. The

whole range of Black music was changing so rapidly that terms

like

"boogie

woogie" or "jump Blues" suddenly became antiquated because they weren't inclusive enough. Billboard,

which

records into a catch-all chart called the

On June

all

"race"

"Harlem Hit Parade," came up with

perfect appellation for the wide variety of Blues."

had been dumping

until that time

new sounds

25, 1945, they instituted the

new

had any records place in the actual "hit parade," National, Apollo, Jubilee, DeLuxe, and

These were the records being played

the

emerging: "Rhythm

&

category. Before they ever

labels like Exclusive, Savoy,

R&B

King had number-one

in Black bars

hits.

and nightclubs, and

at

dances and hops in Black high schools.

With

the advent of

airwaves opened

up

catered to the independent labels

to foreign sounds. In order to

playing records on the licensed to

BMI —which

BMI, came

air,

air time,

the notion of

with royalties paid to musicians and songwriters

into being. In order to

whole new industry emerged

fill

—the

—mainly

accommodate

this process, a

that of the radio station "jock,"

who spun

records and shilled for sponsors in between. Eventually the "DJs," as they were

almost instantaneously branded, became personalities in their

was

all

own

adding up to the kind of environment in which Rock could

As the

'50s

right.

This

flourish.

dawned, there was a new generation forming, one who'd never

known a nonnuclear, nonelectric world. Teenagers became downright possessive about their music, but in order for that to happen the older, wiser, somewhat

more jaded DJs had

to

come along

to introduce the transistorized generation to

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

66

the almighty Beat.

ing

it

for realizing

DJs

to the

it

to the rest of the world): the hillbilly Boogie

shout, and the factors that

So

Hand

grit

ROLL

one thing (and thus reveal-

Woogie, the

it

(as a

was

it

DJs that invented Rock 'n'

actually the

was no surprise that

R&B

as early as 1948, a

on

his show.

KFVD

in L.A., until

Negro

audience, Jazz wasn't cutting at that

someone

told

him

Roll, at least as a

it

time meant Cecil Gant,

economy had brought more than

At

first

anymore.

He

Nat "King"

phe-

&

Rhythm

Blues

DJ named Hunter

he was playing Jazz on

wanted

to reach the

soon switched to

R&B,

Cole, Louis Jordan. For the

R&B

development.

2 million people to California,

The wartime

many of them

This led to the expansion of the Watts section of Los Angeles, one of

the largest concentrations of Blacks in the country. that a lot of the independent labels formed. ally

white

that if he really

next couple of years, L.A. was the hotbed for

Blacks.

Roll.

'n'

music, the ingredients were already there as early as '46-47).

Hancock was showcasing

which

Gospel

R&B weren't that far apart. And it was all these

of

In Los Angeles, where a lot of the impetus for postwar occurred,

sanctified

would eventually come together under the banner of Rock

in a sense,

nomenon

lowdown

N'

founded

to keep a

in a shoebox:

shoebox on

his

messages, and unpaid

among

However good

was

environment

in this

of them, Specialty, was

owner Art Rupe paid some guy two bucks

desk to

bills.

file all

The

important of the early Rock Little Richard,

One

It

'n'

a

liter-

month

of Specialty's correspondence, phone

label eventually

became one of the most

Roll merchants, featuring the recordings of

others.

their intentions,

independent record label owners, whether

Black or white, met with resistance from the industry at large. There was no the major labels were going to let these upstarts encroach cally a

monopoly. So they made

it difficult

for the indie

began to

accelerate, the pressing plants

the major labels

when

making them

the sales of

—many of them co-opted

—had no choice but to

relent, if

Allen,

press the

R&B

in

records

some way by

only for commercial purposes.

Meanwhile, DJs across the country were getting hip to the the South, white disc jockeys like

basi-

owners to gain access to

pressing plants, limiting the quantity they could press and

records in the middle of the night. However,

upon what was

way

R&B

buzz. In

John R. Richbourg, Gene Nobles, Hoss

and Zena Sears were making believers out of people. Because these jocks

played mostly Black music, their programs were relegated to the late-night hours. As far as parents were concerned, the DJs were messengers of a bad vibe.

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS The

67

DJs, on the other hand, understood this kind of notoriety perfecdy, and

the best ones played

No

it

one applied

up.

this principle

more

effectively than

Rock

notoriety served as a gateway into

'n'

Roll.

Pennsylvania in 1921, son of a traveling salesman, Freed

Alan Freed, whose

Born

in

Johnstown,

moved

to

Ohio

short-

he was born. In high school, he played trombone, eventually leading

ly after

own combo

called the Sultans of Swing.

Goodman, among

big fan of Benny

When the

Big Bands

others. Later on,

hit,

his

he became a

when Freed was

present-

ing his spectacular concerts at places like the Brooklyn Paramount, he claimed

he sympathized with the kids

who waited in line for hours to get tickets because

he'd done the same thing with a nutshell:

Goodman. That was

he sympathized with the

Freed's

Freed's whole aesthetic in

kids.

whole approach to broadcasting was indeed

proselytizing. After a

WKST in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Freed settled in Akron, where he landed a job as the host of a local TV show. Unfortunately, Freed wasn't the most photogenic individual, and he didn't have TV appeal. DJ

stint as a classical

at

However, he'd soon find

his real niche in the

world of radio.

Like most disc jockeys, Freed bounced around the

point in Freed's career

During

By June 1951

WJW in Cleveland. This stint proved to be

he was working for

ular music.

dial a lot.

—and, curiously enough,

the turning

in the history of Western

that time, a business called the

Record Rendezvous Shop,

run by someone named Leo Mintz, became one of Freed's sponsors.

Mintz Black

told Freed that he'd recently

R&B

records like Lloyd Price's

surprise to Freed, as he'd tip sheets at the

a lot of requests

from white

One day kids for

"Lawdy Miss Clawdy." This came

as

no

been following such developments through industry

time and was about to go to an all-R&B format.

Calling his late-night playlist

had

pop-

almost entirely to

He

show the Moo?idog House

Rhythm

opened

&

Freed confined his

Blues and punctuated his presentation

show every night with

with hipster

jive.

"Blues for a

Moondog" by Todd Rhodes,

his

Party,

a

record on King called

a Black record featuring the kind

of

honking saxophone solo that had by now become the mainstay of R&B. Because his vocal chords had been damaged due to an earlier operation in

which he'd had some polyps cauterized, Freed's voice was low and this reason, a lot

of people assumed he was Black, and he

rectify this misconception.

gravely.

For

made no attempt

to

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

68

Freed became hugely popular

ROLL

N'

Cleveland during the early

in

'50s.

This

enabled him to organize a series of concerts that were profitable not only to him

WJW as well. One particular package show, held at the Cleveland Arena

but to

on March of Black

21, 1952, helped bring national attention to the rising

Rhythm

&

Moondog Coronation

Blues. Called "the

estimated 25,000 to the arena to see such acts as Billy the Orioles, the local as

Moonglows, Charles Brown, and

others.

Ball,"

&

Ward

phenomenon

The

pulled an

it

His Dominoes, write-ups in the

paper were superb, and editorials focused on the growing potential of radio

an effective advertising method. In other words, the whole industry was

winner from Freed's

efforts.

Freed was one of the few DJs Blacks liked

moted

too.

who

— that he played —and pro-

could break the color barrier

This was pardy due to the

—mosdy Black music. But there were

R&B

ning

him

fact

that

number of Black DJs

also a

is,

spin-

their respective shows. Oftentimes, though, their delivery

on

a

was

even more frenzied than Freed's, taking on the pitch of a gospel preacher (which isn't surprising,

considering that so

much

Black music came straight out of the

church). In Philadelphia there was Jocko Henderson,

with In

its

strong signal, could be heard

all

the

whose show on

way up and down

some markets where the population was overwhelmingly

tions

found that

it

was in their best interest to switch over to

would've never touched Negro music

lowing the lead of men

This quickly

set the

like

a

few years

more

if

many

sta-

Stations that

now faithfully fol-

effective

medium

for

because radio was

promoting

a record.

become

a

Played

regional

hit.

the record "broke out" and got picked up by, say, twenty-five

stations, the label

might have

a national hit.

So the whole relationship

between the disc jockeys and record companies got speak. This

Black,

R&B.

were

a tailspin,

extensively in one geographical location, a song could

However,

the East Coast.

Freed.

whole record industry into

becoming the most

earlier

WD AS,

spawned the

first

flowerings of payola, or the practice of steady

palm-greasing, which would almost bring late '50s. In a

a lot friendlier, so to

McCarthyesque campaign

Rock

'n'

that befit

mittee would later purge the industry of

all

such

Roll to

its era, a

its

knees in the

Senate subcom-

illegal practices,

but not

before a lot of loose cash had already changed hands. In the interim

haps as a result of

all

— Rock

the palm-greasing

popular phenomenon.

'n'

— per-

Roll would explode as a

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS

It

was easy to see why

it

was

in the record

69

companies' best interests to keep

the DJs happy. For a couple grand, or even a couple hundred, most DJs could

made recording by some

be bribed to play any record. If this was a hastily

performer on an indie label

were

—the

—which most of the

potential profits were

—maybe

bought cheap

wad of

a

immense.

On

early

Rock

'n'

local

Roll records

the local level, DJs could be

or some marijuana or a whore. These

bills,

expenditures got worked right into the budget of small labels as a necessary

inherent in the big, bad record business

—which was becoming bigger and bad-

der by the day. Because radio was chiefly responsible for making Rock a

evil

Roll

'n'

popular phenomenon, the coercion to make such expenditures was immense.

Alan Freed bought four houses before anyone caught up with him. But by the time they did, he had bigger problems.

Because Freed was the most famous of the Rock

'n'

Roll DJs,

Payola Scandal happened in 1959, he was one of the hardest

lems actually began as

one thing,

a

far

back

as 1954,

New York

famous

when he

street musician

first

left his internal

including his

liver.

For

a

heavy drinker

like

By

froze his assets, and he

no radio

1960,

Long before

station

to any given

was such

again 'n'

if

Roll

the

It

came when the IRS

blacklisted

essen-

by the radio industry.

become rampant: whenever

a record "break out," they'd

a small label lacking

send

a representative

DJ

program

lists

—the time

slot

occupied by

a

DJ was essentially

his

was not unusual to hear the same song two times, or over and over liked

time, certain cities

it

enough

—or had

as

Rock

would become more of a

busi-

a vested interest in the record.

to increase in popularity,

became key "breakout"

Philadelphia, for one; or Cincinnati,

payola a record stood

Roll.

in a life-

would touch him.

had to help

would continue

Mob

For

successfully

Then Freed was

it

This would put an end to these corrupt and haphazard

ness.

to prominence.

town to grease the palms of local DJs. These were the days before there

a thing as

or her own.

prob-

Freed, this meant, basically, that his

was subsequendy

then, payola had

in resources felt they

his

the

organs permanendy damaged,

days were numbered. But the final blow for Freed tially

But

named Moondog

sued Freed for infringing on his right to the name. threatening auto accident that

came

hit.

when

little

practices. In the

it

chance of getting

was reported by

mean-

Rock

V Roll:

Variety that

without

areas in the early days ot

where

But

airplay.

influence was another prevalent factor in the early days of Rock

'n'

Tike, for instance, the case of Morris Levy, founder of Roulette

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

70

N'

ROLL

Records, original owner of Birdland, and a pivotal figure in the birth of Rock 'n'

Levy was

Roll. Like a lot of the early moguls,

of New York. His father died

many ailments,

raised

when he was

him and

literally

born on the

streets

two, and his mother, saddled with

his brother Irving alone. Irving

ended up

join-

ing the Navy, but Morris found himself expelled from school and in reform school for assaulting a seventy-five-year-old

over whose head he poured

woman

quart of black ink.

a

—namely

From

his teacher,

that point on, he

turned his back on education. At age fourteen, he became a hat check boy at the

Greenwich Village

result was,

By doing so, he caught

Genovese crime

future head of the

End

Inn.

when

it

family. Eboli

came time

the favor of Tommy Eboli,

took the boy under his wing.

to purchase Birdland, for

juvenile delinquent and first-time business

some reason

the

owner Morris Levy had no trou-

ble securing the loan.

When Rock 'n' Roll hit, Levy wanted a piece of the action. In ed Roulette Records.

The

label's first hit

performer named Buddy Knox.

It

was

was "Party Doll" by

be attributed to one thing: he was the

less

enormous

be gained from publishing.

was

infinitely

redeemable

—

erally pilfered copyrights

that

is,

if he

owned

from composers,

He

R&B

artists

like a

good

deal.

would

a Texas rockabilly

first

to realize the

understood that

a hit

in essence selling

own

songs.

them

To

in turn resell

them again and

lit-

own

their

the struggling

from the ghetto who'd never even imagined fame,

Once Levy had gained

record

the copyright. So early on, he

contracts in exchange for exclusive rights to their

Black

start-

a big hit, but Levy's success as a label

owner can more or assets to

1956 he

it

seemed

the publishing rights to their songs, he

again.

Not

surprisingly, Roulette

became

a

leader in the repackaged oldies field.

The way Levy accomplished this was shady business dealings. set the

One

precedent for the

of his primary victims was George Goldner,

New York indies

who'd sold the back catalogs of both Goldner got lucky

in

to devour other record labels through

with his

Rama and Gee

labels to Roulette

labels,

by the end of the

1956 when he discovered Frankie

who

Lyman

&

but

'50s.

the

New York vocal group who, despite their instant popularity, worked cheap. When Goldner met Frankie Lyman he was singing "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent"; by the late '60s he'd died a penniless junkie in a New

Teenagers,

a

Black

York ghetto. But Goldner and Levy were

essential to the birth of

because, like Alan Freed, they saw the dollar signs.

Rock

'n'

Roll

— CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS

71

After Freed had conquered the Midwestern radio market, that

he would end up in

New York,

at

WINS. When

he

did,

it

it

was inevitable

was

in collusion

with Morris Levy. Because Levy had such enormous influence in the nightclub scene due to his success with Birdland as well as his

Freed asked Levy to become his manager.

New York

mob connections.

Now Levy also had an interest in

the

dummy either

most successful radio personality in America. But Freed was no

was that Freed would own twenty-five percent of

part of the arrangement

Roulette Records. Although history has tended to paint Alan Freed as an innocent victim

who was

terrorized

reproach himself when a lavish estate in

New

it

by the sharks of New York, Freed was not above

came

Connecticut

the late '50s, he

owned

an apartment on Fifty-Eighth Street

as well as

Palm

York, and additional property in

Florida.

By

to business dealings.

in

Springs, California and Miami,

He also owned his share of numerous record labels and had even appro-

priated a songwriting credit or two,

most notably Chuck

Berry's "Maybellene"

(which he in turn received a royalty for every time he played

As Rock of Presley

—

'n'

it

Roll gained

momentum

— fueled by such

it

on

his show).

factors as the arrival

had plenty of detractors, not only within the mainstream music

industry but also morally offended legislators, city councilors, radio program-

mers, politicians, and civic-minded do-gooders of every stripe. Everyone's seen the famous '50s footage in

which the bullnecked Southerner breaks the record

and proclaims: "Waaah, Rock

'n'

Roll has got to go!"

That kind of

reaction

probably would've greeted any institution that resulted in the intermingling of Blacks and whites, but

Rock

'n'

Roll was particularly vulnerable because of the

shaky business practices that governed

it.

At the center of the controversy once again was Connecticut, the police, fearing license after terattack:

Freed hosted

a

riots, tried to

xAlan

Freed.

In

revoke a theater in Hartford's

three-day rockfest there. Freed went on the coun-

having no small vested interest in the Rock

'n'

Roll business, he was

rather outspoken in his support for the burgeoning industry. This did not

endear him to anti-Rock forces in the government or elsewhere. But there were a

few young moguls

who were able

to profit

endear themselves to the establishment. to

prominence

as the

rising

Rock trend and

One of them was Dick Clark, who

still

rose

popular host of TVs American Bandstand.

Clark was born in

begun

from the

Mount Vernon, New York

his career in local radio,

and, like Alan Freed, had

doing station breaks and occasional

live

com-

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

72

mercials for a small station in Syracuse before

The

station Clark

worked

for,

WFIL,

had

also

fired for public drunkenness,

management

to Philadelphia in 1952.

original host,

who

hosted

Bob Horn, was

The

his replacement.

station's

ail-American preppy looks and personable

Clark's

liked

and Clark was

ROLL

a television affiliate

The

music program called "Bandstand."

a local

moving

N'

demeanor.

However, when one looks ests,

at either Freed's

or Clark's outside business inter-

DJ who

they don't look that different. Like Freed, Clark was a small-time

—

stumbled onto national fame. Clark's break came when American Bandstand the

show was now

shill

called

—got picked up by ABC. Clark would stand there and

between lip-synched performances by current pop sensations.

hair tonic

as

formula that proved popular with the ever-expanding teen market: in

It

was

a

first

year alone, American Bandstand reached an estimated 20 million teenagers

per day. Clark's power in the industry grew even more that exposure

on Bandstand more or

Not

national charts.

less

when

when

a lot

began trying to

surprisingly, a lot of record execs

shrewder and was better

the payola scandal

That

owned labels,

didn't

mean

hit,

at

But Clark

that Clark wasn't as deep into the soup as Freed was: he

'50s (who, not coincidentally,

a popular instrumental

number of record

performer of the

appeared frequently on American Bandstand).

easily

Among Philadelphia:

The

full

all

well

recoup the profits from Bandstand alone.

the record labels

co-owned by Clark were three based

Cameo, Parkway, and Swan. These

idols, prefabricated

labels

in

helped spawn the teen

singing sensations whose sole purpose was to bleach the

Black influence out of

Rock

'n' Roll:

Paul Anka, Annette Funicello, Curtola,

late

the Payola Hearings struck, Clark divested himself of

questionable holdings and took a loss just to clear his name, knowing

he could

result,

Clark came out unscathed.

and managed Duane Eddy,

when

earlier.

strike the

covering his tracks. As a

three music publishing companies, was a partner in

difference was,

was discovered

guaranteed a record's success in the

kind of deals with Clark that they had with Freed a few years

proved to be

it

its

Fabian, Frankie Avalon,

Connie

Francis,

Johnny Crawford, Shelly Fabares,

etc.

Bandstand was where most of these acts got their

Bobby

Rydell,

Freddy Cannon, Bobby

Not

first

ironically,

American

national exposure. Clark

was more than happy to play the host for these adenoidal crooners and give

them

a

mainline right into the mainstream because he adhered to

a strictly

cap-

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS philosophy. As he would later

italist

the system from within."

The radio.

tell

Lester Bangs,

73

"One must learn

kind of homogeny personified by American Bandstand soon spread to

The

concept of top forty helped dilute the radio stations further, from

bastions of ribaldry to a structured format that relied solely try to feed

new product. Top

it

forty created a structure

records were played over and over again valuable

—and the national record charts

Radio became

a lot less regionalized.

in every town.

Top

as

to screw

2

all

much more

important.

away from the DJs: where-

now

spontaneity had been their original province,

own unique

forty

was the same records being played

it

forty also took a lot of influence

having to curtail their

whereby the same

making airtime much more

day,

like Billboard

Now,

on the music indus-

they found themselves

personalities for the sake of generic

com-

placency.

Thanks

Rock

to

this

all

concentration on teenybopper

screwed themselves out of a

vital

new market

Long Playing Record Album. Although its

very few Rock

Other than

Elvis,

This was

'50s.

'n'

Rock

term

'n'

talent,"

Roll artists

made

almost no Rock

partially

albums cost more to that

press,

'n'

more

fad,

Roll performers charted albums in the

making the investment

before paying

them

was

in.

that time,

As opposed

to "long-

Some

Roulette and

labels like Adantic, King, Imperial,

a

no-

and repeat the

Gee

lived In-

and Chess exercised

it

was:

"What have you done

for

me

a

lately?"

anti-Rock forces in the '50s asserted diat die music was

—

they knew

feel, at

Nobody knew what

(a

as well as analyzed

—

fifty

whole different world then

just a passing

charge Alan Freed would

kind of mileage to expect out of die form,

you'd told the founders of Rock diat their work would

reissued It

labels:

their royalties

like

mindless garbage for an immature audience

if

invading the indus-

foresight as far as nurturing long-term talent went, but in the case

always deny).

and

first

made

labels at that time preferred to score a big hit with a

of most of the indies

The

33-RPAI

the transition to the full-length format.

formula with another faceless group. Labels such practices.

Roll was

and most of them honestly didn't

Roll was worth

most

'n'

—mainly that of the

due to the attitude of the record

name group, then dump them

little

the purveyors of

the twelve-inch long player had

debut right around the time that Rock

try,

tastes,

Roll in the '50s, perhaps due to forces beyond their control, had

'n'

still

be getting

years later they would have Laughed at you.

—everything was new and unchallenged.

It

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

74

wasn't like nowadays, right away.

The

when someone

early

ROLL

takes something stillborn and sells

to develop a bit

Things were allowed

N'

more

off

it

organically

album market was dominated by schmaltzmeisters

like

Lawrence

Welk, Percy Faith, Jackie Gleason, Morton Gould, Ray Conniff, Mantovani, and Nelson Riddle. Occasionally

a

more

would come

eccentric bandleader

Denny, who'd do something

along, like Juan Esquivel or Les Baxter or Martin

slighdy off-the-wall in the same light Jazz vein. But for the most part

it

was

this

type of genteel cocktail music that dominated most Americans' record collections

between the years 1956-1964,

which time the Beades came along and

at

blew the album market wide open.

As

for the cocktail craze,

were by

easy to see where America's collective heads

album

just looking at the

ality that

it's

covers. Typical of the kind of repressed sexu-

dominated the age, much of the artwork showed buxom babes

gestive poses with come-hither looks

and accompanied by come-on

for Lovers, I'm in the Mood, Ro??iantic Moods, Music

to

Put Her

in the

in sug-

tides:

Mood, or any

variation thereof.

Another reason for the facelessness of the album market

time was that the

medium

itself

important what yoxx played on your

it

literally

philes' expectations.

Here was

dwarfed the

little

new albums were a

listen to

record.

The

specifically tailored to audio-

format that could support the indulgence of sit

down

in his easy chair

an entire symphony without having to get up and change the

average

and not surprisingly

LP

could support up to twenty minutes of music per

a lot

It

was evident that the record industry was aiming

new album market at a more "mature" audience (hence

of the album covers).

form of music and

it

side,

of the early "Living Stereo" albums manufactured by

RCA were Classical releases. the

The new

phonographs that had previ-

serious musical appreciation, so the Classical fan could

and

wasn't so

new stereo as much as the fact that you owned

one, to go along with your TV, lawnmower, and other consumer items.

ously been the norm, and the

at the

had become the message. With the invention of

stereophonic sound, the whole notion of hi-fi came into being, and

two-speaker technology

Music

The

implication was that

didn't warrant the

new

Rock

'n'

the suggestive nature

Roll was not a serious

long-play format.

Part of Rock's self-imposed anonymity in the era between Elvis and the

Beades was brought about by the

rise

of instrumental Rock. As

were presumed to be garbage anyway, groups the Hurricanes figured,

why not eschew

like the

all

Rock

lyrics

Ventures and Johnny

vocals altogether and concentrate

& on

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS

75

the musicianship? In other cases, the choice to eschew the vocals was probably

—

by accident

a lot

of the early instrumental

hits like Bill Doggett's

"Honky

Tonk" and Link Wray's "Rumble" were nothing but jams anyway, probably

Then

last-minute takes never aimed at a radio audience. ers like

drummer Sandy Nelson, who milked drum

case the incessant career.

there were perform-

a singular musical idea

pattern of "Teen Beat," his 1959 hit

Along with drums and twangy

during that era was the organ craze.

ity into fairly fruitful careers:

electric

who

the '50s, and there was a rash of artists

a

in his

whole

other big instrumental trend

guitar, the

The

—into

—

organ had been invented

in

parlayed the instrument's popular-

Dave "Baby" Cortez,

Jesse Crawford,

Jimmy

Smith, Jack McDuff, Shirley Scott, Big John Patton, and others. Also notable

were the organ experiments of Ray Charles and James Brown, who dabbled with the instrument in their spare time. Aside from the diluting process that was occurring in the form of the Teen

and the constriction of Top Forty radio, other problems were about to beset

Idols

the nascent musical form of Rock in

'n'

Roll.

One

of the biggest stories in the press

1959 was the rigging of a television quiz show called The $64,000 Question.

The news

media, more or

less

responsible for

making

celebrities

out of DJs

like

Alan Freed and Dick Clark, found an inevitable link between the game show scandal and the world of radio. In

its

sixtieth anniversary edition, Billboard ran

about the expanding influence of DJs

article

Billboard revealed that

many

Freed. In another

like

also received

money

jock was a quick route to the time, the the artists

most

more

its

poration had been losing

because most Rock and petitor.

sure

What

R&B

convention

in

blew the

Miami

in

lid

May

'n'

Roll had

ASCAP come

songs were published by BMI,

publishers were getting from really

safe to say that, at

was launch-

along, the cor-

stronghold on the publishing industry. This was

ASCAP's backlog of records and

BMI

as a radio

their shows.

own. Since Rock its

duties.

AM disc jockeys were probably a lot better oft than

Billboard divulged this information,

ing an investigation of

stardom

might be

lucrative ventures. It

whose records they played on

At the same time

and managerial

for public appearances. In short,

successful

article,

of the famous disc jockeys had holdings in record

store chains, songwriting, publishing, jukebox routes,

They

an

ASCAP s com-

sheet music couldn't match the expo-

all

the radio play.

off the radio industry

was

a

notorious disc jockey

1959. All through the '50s, the record business had

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

76

N'

ROLL

been currying the favor of DJs with cash or other forms of material persuasion.

Record promo tle

men initially took DJs out to lunch or dinner, or gave them a bot-

of whiskey, in an attempt to get them to play certain records. But as compe-

tition increased, the stakes

a

company to buy

record

sions, a

new

grew higher. By the

a certain target disc

late '50s, it

jockey a

article,

one record agent spoke of taking several

One

models" on the road with him to "promote a tune."

was known to

toss

$100

up

smarter,

their

Although

came

more ambitious broadcasters

own companies was de facto

this

legal,

there were

Dick Clark and Alan Freed

like

it

still

a lot of loopholes that

they arrived, the mayor had declared

DJs seemed it

hoped year's

to

in

make 1959

$450

million. It

still

DJs were

target audience.

right.

the sitting ducks they

was estimated that $90 million of that was based still

the primary

And

somewhat eroded due still

who

medium

for

Rock

'n'

solely

on

Roll (which, at

moment

progressively better for

Cuba where

the nightclubs and a private

to

newly formulated programming

the primary link between the record companies and their

for that audience,

waiting for the DJs the

onto

number of hookers hang-

make good use of all

companies were willing to pay

At the Miami convention, they did

excursion to

The week

only represented 20 percent of the overall market). Although their

influence had been restrictions,

it.

their greatest year ever, with sales exceeding the previous

the sale of 45s, at that time the time,

trying to keep

place. It was a wise investment for the record companies,

one

this

"Disc Jockey Week," claiming their

were any indication, he was

airport

record companies intended to

had assembled

Nowhere was

to be flaunting

presence would help boost the local economy. If the

Miami

needed

was impossible to keep track of all the

Miami DJs Convention. Far from

at the

their extravagant practices a secret, the

ing around the

Another producer

to $2,000.

expenditures because "promotion" was such a vague term.

more apparent than

"New York

so they could legitimately tap into the market.

explaining. In the world of promotion,

The

occa-

Texas record honcho

into a DJ's wastepaper basket.

bills

revealed that his monthly payola budget alone

set

new car or, on some

for

house. There were other methods that could be employed as well.

In the Billboard

The

was not unusual

them the

gaming

dearly.

just that. Cadillac convertibles

were

they stepped off their planes, and things got

after that. Several

new

DJs were invited to

dictator, Fidel Castro,

facilities.

The more

a side

had yet to shut down

low-rent DJs were hoarded

yacht carrying a special cargo of booze and an all-female crew.

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS Fifteen miles

from the mainland, everyone stripped naked. The more

were flown to Cuba

most

in a plane chartered

exclusive sex clubs in Havana.

booze

flowed

literally

faucets

77

whose

spigots

by

a record

Meanwhile, back

one record

like water:

label

at the

Unfortunately for them,

to the

had outfitted

with

a suite

to say, this

the DJs.

all this

conspicuous consumption was not going to

spooked by the memorv of the

go unnoticed for long in an America

still

McCarthy Hearings, entrenched

Cold War, getting uptight about

rights,

and

just

headline in the story:

coming

in the

major scandal concerning game show

off a

Miami Herald on

signaled the end of their glory days. in the industry7 as

had become in the

fraud.

civil

The

the Sunday following the convention told the

"Booze, Broads and Bribes." To the DJs

mere pawns

DJs

convention, the

poured Martinis and Manhattans. Needless

room was much frequented by

elite

company and taken

From

who

attended the convention,

it

on they would become

that point

opposed to the kind of major power brokers they

'50s.

A Miami News article

disparagingly referred to the DJs as

and reported that an unnamed

PR man

"little tin

gods"

had claimed he'd doled out $1 million

per year in payola to radio jocks. Concurrent articles in Time and Newsweek

mocked

"The Big Payola" and

the event, the former renaming the convention

the latter describing

pampered trades

it

as "the flipside

in the U.S.

—the

of success." Wrote Time: "One of the most

disc jockeys

—had come

to

town and Big

Daddy, in the shape of U.S. record companies, were there to take care of them." In the next few weeks, further disclosures of misconduct haunted the disc jockeys.

Amidst the testimonial, one name seemed

Freed. Although at the at

Miami Convention he was

one point even throwing

his wife into a

to

told

pool, Freed was worried.

members of the

payola in the radio business was no different than what was

most businesses,

ing" in Washington. Freed was right: in

the most: Alan

parrying as loosely as ever,

swimming

During the convention, Freed had indignantly

come up

known

press that as "lobby-

similar gratuities

were

looked upon as "perks." But the DJs were especially vulnerable because of what they represented to the public.

they inspired race mixing. cial inequities

An

One

easy

of the big charges against them was that

way

to nail

them was

and expose the corrupt practices of their

During 1959, the Federal Trade Commission

number of record

labels

on charges of

to unearth dieir finantrade.

filed

complaints against

unfair competition. In

New

a

York, the

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

78

N'

ROLL

grand jury to investigate whether bribery charges

district attorney called a

should be brought against the DJs and record execs. But what really brought the house

down was

the investigation into payola brought about by the U.S.

House Subcommittee on

Legislative Oversight, led

by Representative Oren

Miami Convention

Harris of Arkansas, specifically citing the

as evidence.

Payola had long been looked upon as a shaky practice, but there was nothing

about

illegal

because the laws had yet to be written. That

it

unless, of

is

course, an enterprising recipient of slush-money "forgot" to note taxes.

This

is

where Alan Freed went wrong. This

prominent DJs under investigation to sing

is

also

on

it

what caused

his

a lot

of

like canaries. But, in the end, if the

laws enacted to stamp out payola are any indication, the government didn't really consider

a

it

Congress passed

very serious crime. Although as a result of the hearings

a statute

making payola

a

crime punishable by

a

maximum fine

of $10,000 and one year in prison, no one has ever served time on payola charges.

The whole

scandal was, in

many ways,

Even the commercial bribery laws were not very equal

stringent.

Although

illegal

why

about

it.

So the DJs

they received

them

money

the proceedings. Unless

it

was not

gifts but, rather,

As the more imaginative DJs

a "bribe" to play a certain record, but

"thank you" for services already rendered. finally called

and

could be

was noth-

to play specific records, there

in the first place.

When the investigators

DJs folded under pressure, an

didn't dispute receiving cash

explained, the cash they received a

witch-hunt.

came about because of the scandal

a lot of local

number of them defiandy mocked

direcdy proven that DJs took ing

that

a

And

there was

Dick Clark

no law

to the stand,

against that.

he proved to

be more articulate than his older, more roguish counterparts. He'd also done his

homework. The panel was impressed

istician,

who had

to

draw an

actual

that Clark

diagram to explain the

Clark's financial holdings. In the end, Clark

outside firms to walk "a fine

away

scot-free,

young man." There was

tem from

had brought

would forsake

own

intricate

all

stat-

web of

his holdings in

and the committee would pronounce him

a lesson in there

somewhere: screwing the

sys-

within.

Alan Freed, on the other hand, didn't make out as well. longed his actual

more or

his

less

trial until

December

unemployable during

The

panel pro-

1962. Because of his notoriety, he was

this time.

Broke and

in ailing health,

pleaded guilty to two counts of commercial bribery and was given

Freed

a light

sen-

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS ended

tence. It should have 16,

there, but a

little

1964, he was indicted by another grand

IRS wanted him

to

more than

79

a

year

cough up about $38,000, but he never had

man

mainly because he died a broken

As for Dick Clark,

it

on March

The

to pay

one penny,

shortly thereafter.

him long

didn't take

later,

time for tax evasion.

jury, this

rebound from

to

his losses. In

1960 he took a Black chicken-plucker named Ernest Evans, rechristened him

Chubby Checker, and had him record failed would-be hit by R&B

a version

Hank

artist

Ballard

of "The Twist"

—

for Clark's

—

originally a

own Cameo

label.

The record managed the amazing

feat

of getting to number one on the charts

on two separate

thus

far,

cess of 'n'

occasions, a feat that,

"The Twist"

also

spawned

a

major

has never been duplicated.

Roll out of the malt shop as well as the

sophisticated urban nightlife. Jackie

made

it

society.

As

cow

the twist at the

become

the toast of dis-

Roll had

'n'

no longer

arteriosclerotic lawyers with

there right

now twisting with

In the early '60s,

ways than one). But the brightest

young

Rock

take jazz seriously. But rock and

pocky

Similarly, the

obscene clumsiness to rock and

'n'

.has

talents

—

bad thing

sophisticated domain.

Rock

'n'

Roll was

it

meant

One

its

shifting

from the

way

becoming an

'n'

rural outposts to

produce "authentic" Rock

to

Rock

techniques.

didn't have to have "smelt a lot of

in order to

on

more formalized

to

more

some of

that

on the musical horizon were turning

main source of the music was

roll!

roll."

Roll was an up-and-coming "racket" (in

this wasn't necessarily a

Hank Williams once said)

longer.

.

layers of fat over their ribs are out

Roll as opposed to Jazz, Classical, or other

(as

pasture and into the realm of

the darling holy beast of intellectuals in the United States, England and

Poor old

more

Rock

Tom Wolfe wrote: "The prole vitality of rock and roll.

France. Intellectuals, generally,

a

suc-

Kennedy was seen doing

Peppermint Lounge, which meant Rock cotheque

The

dance craze that helped propel

manure"

V Roll any

art form. It

was

also

becoming mass-produced.

One

of the

first

people to approach the making of Rock

venture was Phil Spector, perhaps the

an

artistic

er.

He took groups off the

street

who had no

first

'n'

Roll records as

superstar record produc-

particular finesse ami put

the studio with the best musicians he could find, almost as

it

them

in

they were merely

another component. Working them through exhaustive sessions, he'd sometimes

demand

to

do

a take thirty, fifty,

the desired level of perfection.

When

one hundred times this pissed off the

until he'd achieved

record companies

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

80

who'd hired him, he formed

amalgam of "Phil" and

Rock

brats of

were

'n'

Roll

freedom

artistic

He

"Les").

in the

name

—

was the

after his father

words from

take the

Know Him

Is

to

of the temperamental spoiled

the business

'n'

Originally from the Bronx, Spector

mother

first

moved West

his father's grave for the tide

his

A withdrawn

kid,

terms, as

he

if

boost for

a great

eight. Phil

of his

among

would

New

later

York City

the sun-worshipping

he took

as his refuge. In L.A.

guitarist

his

production: "To

first

mousy demeanor and

he took to music

from the acclaimed Jazz

guitar lessons

own

Los Angeles with

to

committed suicide when Phil was

Love Him." With

his

Roll.

complexion, the young Spector was out of place Californians.

on

This was

at least temporarily.

of Rock

ROLL

label with Lester Sill called Philles (an

who approached

mini-Mozart, and won

a

own

his

N'

Howard Roberts and

started

hanging around Gold Star studios in Hollywood, hoping he'd meet someone

who'd

came

let

him record

in contact with the massive

his trademark. its

size

The

it

Gold

relatively small

sounds weird,

this

Star in the '50s that Spector

first

echo chambers that would eventually become

and to compensate, they'd

Although

at

studio had not one but

—Gold Star was

in L.A.,

was

his songs. It

built

two echo chambers, probably due

compared

to

many

to

of the other studios

an extra echo chamber in the bathroom.

innovation would be

much

copied in the

'60s.

In the meantime, Spector was conducting recording experiments of his

own. With

"To

a pair

Know Him

of high school friends, one male, one female, he cut a

Is to

Love Him,"

a typical saccharine ballad based

on

demo

of

the kind

of "group harmony" that was popular at the time. Calling the group the Teddy Bears, he

somehow managed

Dore, and in

a fluke,

Spector's legend as a

him was

it

went

to sell the all

the

way

homemade to

recording to a local

number one on

"boy genius" was born.

the national charts.

What the whole

experience taught

that he could easily orchestrate people as well as instruments to

the sounds that were in his head. Seeking artists

label,

who had some

mimic

innate talent but

perhaps couldn't project themselves, he would write the songs and then sur-

round them with the embellishments of the modern recording intricate

studio, creating

pop melodramas.

After the

Teddy Bears

folded, Spector

worked

as a court

stenographer dur-

ing the day and heard his share of court cases dealing with finance in the movie industry and other entertainment

fields.

This wised him up to the economic

tors of the business, a learning experience that

would help him become

fac-

a mil-

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS by the time he was twenty-one.

lionaire

from the

and

start,

this

deck he was playing with

helped him get ahead in the budding Rock

However, by the early

try.

He knew the

60's

Sill,

teams in Rock written

Roll indus-

Through

his association

he was introduced to one of the most successful songwriting

'n' Roll,

some of the

Jerry Leiber and

biggest hits of the

"Ruby Baby" (both covered by ensconced in the Brill Building. 'n'

'n'

Spector was tired of the L.A. treadmill, which

centered on teen idols and other pubescent fantasies.

with Lester

81

Mike

Rock

'n'

Not

Stoller.

only had the duo

"Hound Dog" and

Roll era like

which meant big bucks), they were

Elvis,

Roll industry where Phil Spector longed to be.

At the time, Leiber and

Stoller

were extraordinarily successful

as the pro-

ducers of the Drifters, the most popular Black vocal group in the country. Drifters recorded for Atlantic Records,

with the

tact

Atlantic,

label.

Moving

to

which meant serving

Atlantic Records was in the

formed

which

New York, in

writing or producing. This helped

up

well

New York Rock

This was the creative hub of the

how Spector first came

is

Spector got

a job as

one of the

further

hone

1947 by

Ahmet

I didn't

The

Bop

three of

want

to work."

"I didn't

A philosophy student

Blues. It

was

and

want to go

in

a collector

of

met Herb Abramson sometime

in the late '40s dur-

was

also a Jazz devotee.

craze. Ertegun's older brother, Nesuhi,

them conceived

the idea of the label originally to record Jazz,

which Abramson already had some experience dentist friend,

&

had sprung

Ertegun, the son of the Turkish ambassador to the

Jazz and Blues 78s, Ertegun ing the Be

at the time,

original independent labels that

U.N.; his original explanation for starting the label was: the army, and

at

his chops.

postwar years to record Boogie Woogie and Rhythm

in

in con-

an "assistant"

whatever capacity was needed

him

The

in.

Ertegun moved in with Abramson

Borrowing $10,000 from in

a

Greenwich Milage while

Nesuhi headed west. Because of Abramson's Jazz background, the

first artists

they signed were Pete Johnson and Joe Turner, veterans of the raucous Kansas City Swing scene of the late '30s and Atlantic

was one of the

first

'40s.

companies not

giving mysterious credit to Alan Freed or practice for

most record

nal songwriter, paying ties.

labels

him

a

was to

to

shuck their songwriters by

whatnot At the

steal the

time, the

common

copyright away from the origi-

small retainer's fee, and then pocket

As Syd Nathan, the owner of King Records, once

said:

to soothe the feelings of starry-eyed amateur songwriters."

"We

all

die royal-

are not here

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

82

At the time, the major record

"name"

act into the studio,

had

labels

hand him an arrangement of a

Rock

in the years prior to

'n'

ROLL

a standard formula: they'd take a

and hire an orchestra to accompany him. This resulted Hit Parade

N'

Roll. Like

staff-written song,

in the bland state of the

many

of the smaller

labels,

Atlantic discovered that there was a veritable ocean of uncharted territory in

the small nightclubs where mostly Black musicians plied their trade. these

Atlantic's first hit

The

was

number by

a juke-joint

Sticks

McGhee

Blues, and

called "Drinkin'

O Dee," which was cut in the Louis Jordan vein.

Wine Spo Dee

small labels discovered that although the major labels weren't willing

to

go out and discover Rhythm

to

whip out

cel

&

combos were playing something approximating Rhythm

Most of

&

Blues talent on their own, they were willing

a prefab "cover" version

of a potential

The whole

out the "authentic" version.

R&B hit just in time to can-

recording environment in those

years was not favorable to musicians, Black ones in particular. For instance,

one got paid advances. Most of the musicians received and that was

lot of Jazz musicians

it (a

augmented

a

their

standard session fee

income through

method). Promotion was nonexistent, other than radio, which

was so prevalent

—that

forthright

And

in those days.

once they sold

is,

it,

New York.

tors like

King

they no longer "owned"

However, they soon discovered that

in Cincinnati,

is

why

this

payola

songwriters had their material bought

Until the early '50s, Adantic concentrated most of its

around

no

it.

A&R resources in and a lot

of their competi-

Chess in Chicago, and Specialty in L.A. were mak-

ing frequent pilgrimages to the South to mine the incredibly

fertile

musical

resources that region had to offer. L.A.'s Imperial Records was particularly lucky: a foray to

New Orleans in

1

build their label into a commercial entity, Fats ly gain

much from

legendary

New

artist

who would

Domino. But Adantic

didn't real-

949 led them to discover the

their inaugural trip

down

South, other than acquiring the

Orleans pianist Professor Longhair in an attempt to compete

with Fats Domino. Unfortunately, despite some fine records, Longhair never equaled Domino's success. If the trip

proved anything,

enlist outside help to

them from

crafted a

was

how

improve the quality of

other, lesser fly-by-night labels.

writers, musicians,

ny

it

more

and producers

—

like

far the label

was willing to go

their records.

to

This distinguished

Hiring outside arrangers, song-

Tom Dowd,

sophisticated product than that of

for instance its

peers.

—the compa-

They were

also

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS willing to let musical forms run together in a

more organic manner, such

Frank Culley's sax solo on the Clovers' "Don't You

was an innovator:

in a

Know I Love You"

as

which,

R&B record. However, Atlantic-

seemed incongruously jazzy for an

at that time,

83

few years, the honking saxophone solo would become

one of the signatures of R&B.

When Herb Abramson

got drafted in 1952, a young journalist who'd

recently been brought into the publishing

wing of

Atlantic, Jerry Wexler,

became Ahmet Ertegun's new right-hand man. His work

more

businesslike than Ertegun's,

habits proved

much

and soon he was running the day-to-day

operations of the label. In the future, Wexler would prove to be the company's true visionary, producing almost

the

company famous: Ray

Franklin.

of the

first

of the acts who, over the years, would make

Charles, the Coasters, the Drifters, and Aretha

records he produced was

"Sh-Boom" by

Although more "pop" than anything Atlantic had done

in 1954. still

One

all

contained a

fairly

tough sax solo by

Sam

Taylor.

Chords

the

yet, the

song

Although the Crewcuts'

subsequent whitewashed version outsold the Chords' original, "Sh-Boom" was Atlantic's first crossover hit.

also landed

on the Pop charts and was subsequently scooped by

the Comets.

By

the time

upstart record label

changed

& Roll" Haley &

Later that year, Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle

Abramson returned from

the army, he found an

on the verge of success. But the chemistry

—Wexler was the New Kid

in

Bill

at the label

Town and Abramson found

had

himself

slowly being squeezed out.

At the same time Adantic was becoming Nesuhi Ertegun was heading up the

label's

a leader in the field ot

Jazz division and taking equally big

Modern

chances with such idiosyncratic talents as the

Jazz Quartet, Charles

Mingus, Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane. By doing building

its

R&B,

so, the

company was

reputation as an alternative to the "one take out-of-key" approach

that characterized

most of the

indies at that time.

Such considerations could

only pay off in the long run.

Adantic was also smart in other ways. For example, putting Lieber/Stoller

under contract

as staff writers/producers

lucrative publishing

were

company, Hill

also contractually obligated).

&

gave the label

Range

(to

Through

Adantic also gained access to other songwriters

whom

a tie-in

with

Eh is s

the songwriting duo

the Leiber/Stoller connection, in the Brill Building, the

song-

writing factory located at 1619 Broadway that served the same function as Tin

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

84

Pan Alley had artists

der.

At

to an earlier generation.

wrote their

own

this time,

material, thus creating a

Music publisher Don Kirshner got

need

N'

ROLL

very few for

Rock

Roll

'n'

mass-produced fodpub-

rich in those years, building his era.

At one time

he had under contract the songwriting teams of Neil Sedaka

& Howard

lishing

company, Aldon, into one of the most successful of its

Greenfield, Gerry Goffin

Among them,

&

Carole King, and Barry

these three songwriting pairs wrote

Mann &

Cynthia Weil.

more than two hundred

hits

that charted during the years 1958-1963.

Leiber and Stoller never really

They were

Building.

worked

&

there,

more

into the Kirshner clique at the Brill

grizzled veterans than the

did,

brought him to Atlantic. Writers

Greenwich became Spector's partners

Ellie

like

"(Today

He

Kissed

The

I

kids

who

however, introduce Phil Spector to the other songwriters

in the building, just as they'd

and

young

and they were under contract to an independent publisher, Hill

They

Range.

older,

fit

Met) the Boy I'm Going

Me" and "Be My

in

to Marry,"

like Jeff

Barry

composing arch-teen dramas

"Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then

Baby."

marriage of these composers' acute narratives combined with

Spector's massive orchestration helped create the "girl group" genre in the early '60s.

By

that time, the basic street-corner

harmony style of vocalizing had

been overshadowed by new studio innovations,

on

"There Goes

the Drifters'

employed by Spector. But

it

My

like the

introduction of strings

Baby" or the thundering echo chamber

wasn't always that way;

many an

enterprising

record producer built his dreams on "doo wop," the music of the mostly-ethnic vocal groups.

of

Harlem and

George Goldner comes

readily to

mind

—combing the

streets

the ghettos of Brooklyn for amateur Black and Puerto Rican

harmonizers, he discovered some of the most successful vocal groups of the era: Frankie

Lyman

&

the Teenagers, Little

and the Flamingos.

many ways were

More

Anthony

&

the Imperials, the Crows,

importantly, Goldner launched the Chantels,

who in

the prototype for the girl groups like the Ronettes and

Crystals.

Consisting of five Black

women from

the Bronx, led by the powerful voice

of Arlene Smith, the Chantels epitomized the life-and-death struggle of teenage romance in the '50s. "Maybe," their

hymn and

took on apocalyptic overtones in

its

first hit,

had

all

the breadth of a

lament for unrequited

love.

automobile had changed the concept of courtship, and the World

The

War

II

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS Daddies were gravely concerned over the

fact their

85

daughters seemed to be

rushing into romance, "going steady" instead of dating casually. this passion

more apparent than

sound of Rock

in the

'n'

Nowhere

\\ .is

Roll during the years

1956-1962.

Goldner wasn't the only record producer

to influence Spector.

innovator was Morty Craft, originally an arranger with Glenn

on to produce

Bill

Haley

&

who went

the Comets. After Haley helped build Essex into a

respectable label, Craft branched out and started labels like

On

Miller,

Another

Melba and Lance.

the latter he recorded the Shepherd Sisters, who, despite their sororal con-

nection, weren't really a girl group but a vocal group

McGuire or Andrews enspiel, a chimelike

Sisters.

more

in the style of the

On their recording of "Alone," Craft used glock-

instrument played with two hammers. This was to have an

enormous impact on Spector, who was

just

developing his penchant for weird

studio embellishments.

By

1962, Spector was busy

whose number one

the Crystals,

with

its

name

hit "He's a

his teen

refrain,

and that seemed to sum up Spector. He'd made

for himself in the industry

a Kiss").

Soon Spector was

mate sculpted jewel er

by acting obnoxious, and now he was making

to find the

group

—the Ronettes. Originally

one of Dick Clark's

labels, the

group of two

up by Spector and turned into every male packed into tight dresses singing "Be

group wasn't stricdy commercial or singer,

like

Rebel" heralded the coming age

ultra-obnoxious records as well (one of them was called

Like

empire with groups

vindication of nonconformity: "Just because he doesn't do what even-

body else does" went the a

consummating

My

"He Hit Me and

who would become

it

Felt

his ulti-

a recording act for Colpix, anothsisters

and

a cousin

were snatched

—three

teenager's fantasy

chicks

Baby." But Spector's interest in the

artistic

—he'd become taken with the

lead

Ronnie Bennett, and eventually they were married.

The

and neither did the Ronettes, despite the

Lavish

productions that Spector had erected around them. By that time other

labels,

marriage didn't

producers,

last

and songwriters were testing the same waters. Labels

Dimension, Cameo, Swan, Scepter, and Laurie became

specialists in the kind

of heartbroken drama that characterized the releases on Spector's label.

Once

totype

girl

again utilizing the resources of the

groups

the East Coast.

— the Chiffons,

There were

Brill Building,

Shirelles, Angels,

like

most

Shangri Las

exceptions, like the Mermaids,

own

who

Phillcs

of the pro-

— resided on

epitomized the

86

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

West Coast

strain with the

Boy with

portrait of the Perfect stuff

was

just

assembly

were

if

artist,

Not

line music.

girl

Supremes

groups

a

it

weeping

made

it

guitars).

surprisingly,

(or solo female artists

a

A lot of this

great was the intense It

was

a

pack-

resulted in nothing short of a mas-

effect

on

many

of Motown's earliest successes

profound

the Marvelettes,

like

(which painted

Icicles"

the songwriter, and the producer.

the chemistry was right,

This was to have

terpiece.

exotica-like

its

teenage fantasy fodder, but what

relationship between the

age deal, and

dreamy "Popsicles and

ROLL

N'

working

Martha

all

&

subsequent commercial

the Vandellas, and the

in that vein, like

Brenda Holloway or

Mary Wells).

The Baby Boomers were

really the first generation to experience adoles-

cence as a state of mind. Unlike the World

War

II

Daddies

who were

literally

thrust into adulthood by the war, the generation of the '50s and '60s were able to experience adolescence as a period of protracted development.

they had more time to dwell on the problems of youth.

groups did

No

—magnified

group was better

all

And

this

seemed

Not

gone too

—

The

all

girl

vocal group

to their eternal

Whyte Boots

to be outdone, a group called

released the apogee of the girl group sound in the

adversary

girl

than the Shangri Las, four tough chicks from the

at this

to be suicide.

story of a catfight

what the

the aches and pains of adolescence into high drama.

Bronx who painted dramas so intense that the only solution plight

is

That meant

far in

form of "Nightmare," the

which the protagonist ends up

killing her

for the love of a boy.

groups proved that American popular music was

still

very

medium. The Instrumental Rock trend came and went,

much its

a

only

enduring legacy being the Ventures. But ever since Elvis had arisen in the mid'50s in the midst of talented instrumental stylists like

Lee Lewis, he had helped sway the focus back lot

of technology

prowess to Rock

—would

'n'

Roll.

to singers.

come along soon and

But

at least

up

Chuck Berry and

The

Beatles

during the early

'60s,

until that time,

Particularly in cities like

was prevalent. Groups the Belmonts, Jay

Coast

style.

New

&

group harmonizing was

New York

like the Rays,

—and

a

reintroduce instrumental

Rock

'n'

cians treaded in obscurity while singers ruled the record charts. ingly,

Jerry

still

Roll musi-

Not

the primary

surpris-

medium.

and Philadelphia, the street-corner sound

Danny

&

the Juniors, the Crests,

Dion

&

the Americans, and the Four Seasons epitomized the East

York and Philadelphia were

also the centers of the Twist

— CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS craze. In

New York,

kind of discotheque sound emerged in the form of the

a

organ-laden dance bands like

like

Joey Dee

&

the Starlighters, whose hit singles

"Mashed Potatoes and Hot Pastrami" were

Rock

87

also borderline Instrumental

one considered moronic shouts of "mashed potatoes yeah" to be

(unless

actual singing).

The New York

vocal groups were mostly of Italian-American descent.

This included the majority of solo singers

as well,

derivative of the "crooner" tradition set forth

Martin ists

that

a

decade

of the

'50s,

earlier.

many

by Frank Sinatra and Dean

had already made

his decision to

in

more bluesy approach,

Belmonts and then on

own. In the form of songs

was

a

whiney Blues but

it

first

with his group the

like

"A Teenager

was Blues nevertheless. Dion had

followed the advice of his friend Paul Anka: "Write songs that feel

make

in

clearlv

the girls

sorry for you."

What was

style

Vegas where he belonged. Dion DiMucci,

a

his

vocal-

adopt the supper club

on the other hand, pursued

it

whom were more

Bobby Darin, one of the most popular young

would eventually land him

Love,"

of

separated

a little

hooked

at

more

Dion from other teen he was

real:

an early age

he was doing

all

just as

idols

was that

his street credibility

heroin addict. Like Frankie Lyman, he got

a

fame was coming upon him. That means while

those stupid shows

Ed

Sullivan

—he

and whatnot

whacked out on smack. Nevertheless, he achieved tremendous success early '60s with

"Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer," songs

was

in the

that revealed his

slighdy streetwise persona. This resulted in a huge contract with Columbia in 1962, after which he like

"Donna

moved

into

more "mature"

terrain despite obvious schlock

the Prima Donna," which, even then, had a slightly cynical edge

that exposed Dion's darker side.

Baby" and "Drip Drop," he was

his covers of Drifters songs like

"Ruby

also a top-notch purveyor of white soul.

These

With

songs sold, too, which pleased Columbia. Dion was sort of the

experiment with Rock (Dylan was heroin began to take explore a

its toll,

more bluesy

in 1965 to

a folk singer at that time).

Dion proved uncompromising

directive with covers of

Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Columbia

still

Start

Even

"Two Ton

one doing

The Dylan

this in 1965.

after the

in his desire to

Howlin' Wolfs "Spoonful" and

Me Tilkin'." When Tom Wilson came to

produce Bob Dylan, Dion attempted to cash

success with songs like

label's first

Feather." act did

Of course,

little

in

on Dylan

s

he was hardly the only

to revive

Dions sagging

career.

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

88

ROLL

N'

Eventually he cleaned up his act and sold his story to Warner Brothers with the

Own

admirably nonpreachy drug-rehab song "Your In

New

changed

—

on the

York, the sounds

this

time

it

came back in

Back Yard." but the echo had

street stayed the same,

the voice of a

girl!

Mainly, from Frankie

Valli,

falsetto

was the most popular

voice in America for a brief season. Originally hailing from

New Jersey, the group

Four Seasons, whose shrieking

lead singer of the

was able to ride the novelty of Frankie's voice into

work of the

best

him

father tells

early period

machismo. In songs

like

was probably "Walk Like

away from the

to walk

"Dawn," Frankie

some other

For

Roulette records had maintained inextricable

ties to

which the

in

kid's

Although obvi-

lost.

influence as well

men

years,

Their

Seasons shared Dion's

the girl to get

tells

sidering the group's Italian-American roots.

Man,"

a

The Four

bitch.

ously R&B-influenced, there might have been

Valli

a pretty durable career.

like

con-

Morris Levy of

organized crime. Frankie

& the Four Seasons were probably not immune to this influence either.

Not to graft.

suggest that the Four Seasons' bountiful success was entirely due to

Some

the whole

of their performances in the mid-'60s were like the

Doo Wop/street-corner style,

a production so soulful that

it

was

the Spinners. And, once again,

made me

feel like a

man

it

later

like

Their songs spoke to

coming home with

young wife holding the screaming baby:

lipstick

much

stuff,

By then even they wore

the success of the

all

the

their collar to the

You know, some-

but

so that the Four Seasons enjoyed hit after

disbanding until 1970.

What

on

"Joey, you promised)."

times he might just have to take a swing. Rocky-type

worked. So

Black group,

a

used to love to make you cry/it

"I

inside," Frankie sang.

struggling working class Joes

word on

"Working My Way Back to You,"

covered note-for-note by

was macho:

last

at that

hit,

not

time

it

officially

hippie clothes.

Four Seasons and others of their

ilk

proved was,

the '60s weren't actually as hip as everyone says they were. Despite the media distortion of the '60s as a decade-long protest/drugfest, there

gotten half of young people

who grew up

in the '60s

usual, totally oblivious to the "counterculture."

Gates generation

—

astute middle class kids

was

a

whole

for-

and pursued business

Perhaps

who were

this

was the

as

first Bill

enjoying the academic

wealth that the postwar environment had provided without the radicalization.

These were the striving for the

mers

as

first

yuppies

—

successful college-educated urban professionals

American Dream

Altamont as well

as

in droves.

two Nixon

Considering such subsequent bum-

presidential victories, the so-called unity

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS of the

more

radical factions turned out to be a hoax.

number of Baby Boomers were out

ible

"movement," many of

their peers off

89

While

a certain,

highly vis-

in the streets calling attention to the

campus were reaping the

capitalistic-

rewards of living in the most prosperous time ever, and loving every minute of it.

(Hey, they thought that was the revolution!) If the

"popular music" of any given time

really

going on in the culture,

was

this

an accurate barometer of what

is

more

traditional faction of '60s youth

has been underreported. Take, for example, Jay

song called "Only

ly did a patriotic

daughter, parties is

who may

in America."

for the

to enjoy

I ain't

made

some of that longed-for

some of the same

bound." But

—he hadn't

Speaking of Neil Diamond, his

was

hits all the

B. J.

Thomas, Lou

Union Gap, Rock artists

Christie,

ilk

major

"Solitary

Bob Lind, Roy Orbison, Dusty Rivers, the Cyrkle,

the Happenings, the Classics

like the hip-

Man," was pertime

IV

Springfield, the

Gary Puckett

&

the

—not to mention decidedly non-

Tom Jones, Dionne Warwick, Engelbert Humperdinck, and the

a certain extent, the '60s "revolution"

might've been

a

limited, proves that, to

hoax.

the arrival of the Beatles, Dylan, and the ensuing counterculture.

Rock would

increasingly

become

a

ferent ideologies. Suddenly, groups

some producer seemed

Tommy James &

passe. It

forum

for self-expression

who were merely

think that's

"I loved

why diere's

and

feckless

a

million dif-

mouthpieces for

was the misfortune of a good-time group

the Shondells to happen at die

James himself has gushed, I

where. I'm

monogamy and celibacy at a

Walker Brothers. The success of these groups, however

.and

me

Lord

the

included Bobby Vinton, Billy Joe Royal,

Herman's Hermits, Johnny

like

"Thank

5 ain't takin'

hit,

Diamond

beginning.

same. Others of this

have

Association,

just

leisure time. Neil

"dropped out"

first

beat, a

missed the boat on the '60s "revolution" but continued to

Artists like these

.

Clock World"

officially

haps the epitome of square '60s Rock, vowing

it.

o'

frustration with the daily grind in

he knew

at least

"free love"

Franks

yet" struggles to get through the

Nighttime" only in hipper terms: "9 to

With

Sinatra,

example of '60s yuppie Rock: to the heaving hammer of the

work day in order

when

Or Nancy

actual-

have fooled around with leather but was known to leave

young yup "workin' on money

expressed

who

the Americans,

where pot smoking was going on. The Vogues' "Five

a perfect

pies.

&

so

making

same time

records!

many good

feelings

as

Rocks

like

maturity.

You could always hear surrounding our music.

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

90

We were

really

way he was

in a

— the Shondells reeled off

'60s, hits that have,

by the way,

the failed experiments of their

Now"

was

in

many ways

lived a longer,

hit after captivating hit in the

more luminous

more adventurous

meanwhile, seemed to influence the Stooges'

album

peers. "I

it

"Down on

was the prototype for

all

than a lot of

Think We're Alone

the Street"

all

and whose "Louie Louie"

The group

garage groups like the Shondells.

&

"Crimson

entirely devoid of artistic pretensions, either:

—not

was on, Fimhouse, was produced

Don Galucci, who was originally in the Kingsmen

by

life

on the Ramones. "Mony Mony,"

a primal influence

that surprising, considering that the

But

in the grooves." Golly!

having fun, and you can hear that right

ROLL

N'

wasn't

Clover" from 1968

was an opulent cornucopia of psychedelic embellishments and pseudopoetic fancy,

proving

that,

wrote most of his

own

material,

Tommy

He

shouldn't be overlooked entirely.

which means he

brought about by the Beades and Dylan

ise

as

once again,

—

it's

didn't

short of the

fall

just that his experience

prom-

was not

troublesome. There was a lesson in there somewhere for future purveyors of

mirth in the

name of Rock

'n'

Roll.

No group took the fall for Rock's sudden "maturity" harder than the Beach Boys.

More

than any other of their

era, the

group epitomized not only the

sunny Utopia of the West Coast, but the promise of Rock for educated, affluent, perhaps slighdy alienated

of dollars and achieve "respectability."

Rock

'n'

'n'

young whites

The Beach Boys were

way

Roll itself as a to

the

make

millions

American

first

Roll band to have any artistic control whatsoever: there's very

little

question that Brian Wilson was by far the most innovative producer-composer of his day, eclipsing even Phil Spector.

But

alas,

the aura that surrounded

— that of the talented hometown ham that everybody knew was always deson the during the tined for greatness —ultimately ensured that he'd

him

sidelines

sit

subsequent age of anarchy. Because Brian and the Beach Boys were so mately

a

product of '50s values that they could never truly break free in

and age when "freedom" was everything. Right up himself into his

first

there ever was one

loony bin, his

father,

until the

Murray

—

a

day

a

time Brian checked

World War

—managed the group's career and was often

eccentric son. Phil Spector's father had died. Lennon's left

ulti-

at

II

Daddy

odds with

home. Guys

like

if

his

Bob

Dylan, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones broke free of the old man. Brian couldn't

do

that,

because

track, burgers

all

of the things he held dear

cooking on the open

grill,

the

—hot rods racing around

prom queen and

a

the ideal of love

— CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS and marriage

—were

suburban middle

born out of

totally

class.

These were

91

his father's world: mainly, the white

just the ideals that, in the '60s,

were being

questioned, and Brian, not the happiest guy in the world, began to question

Exacerbated by the copious amount of acid he took during the psyche-

hi?nself.

delic era, these feelings

of insecurity eventually drove him crazy.

In short, you couldn't be a "hippie" and

still

be bossed around by Dad. But

Brian couldn't betray his family roots because, after family

affair:

all,

the Beach Boys were a

Wilson, his two younger brothers, Dennis and Carl,

Mike Love, and

a

Marks (soon

neighbor, David

to be replaced

a cousin,

by Al Jardine,

another high school friend). At the time, Instrumental Rock was the big trend

on the West Coast

— Dick Dale & the Deltones were the perfect example of What

"surf instrumental combo.

was the bleached-white

ture

rowed from groups what was

the Beach Boys introduced to the surf cul-

collegiate matching-sweater vocal

harmony, bor-

Four Freshmen. In other words, they yuppified

like the

essentially a

"punk" genre to begin with.

Hawthorne, the section of Los Angeles where the Wilson brothers was

a fairly

well-to-do suburb.

was

It

in during the postwar years, with

close proximity to

its

in progress: burgers, girls,

was only

later that he'd

the joke was

community

a great

for a

grew; up,

youth to grow up

endless strip just right for cruising and

Manhattan, Hermosa, and Redondo Beach. Because of

background, Brian Wilson really saw

Dream

a

life

his

from the myopic view of the American

and the endless pursuit of mindless

become aware of the

on him. But,

its

and by then

irony,

it

leisure. It

was too

late

Beach Boys epitomized the

in the early '60s, the

American West Coast teenage experience.

With Murray

taking the managerial hand, the band inked a one-off deal

with a local indie called Candix and released "Surfin'," their

song was about act

it

a typical

Rock

'n'

Roll

romp

'50s;

its

—the only thing

day

The

distinctive

was the weird use of falsetto, possibly influenced by another California

from around the same time, Jan

would

for

first single.

cross).

Murray Wilson

however,

&

actually

a small business

Dean had

importing

what kept the Wilson household

afloat. It

(soon the paths of the two groups

a brief drills

career as a songwriter in the

and lathes from England was

was inevitable he would project some

of his musical frustrations onto his very talented oldest son, Brian. By reports,

he was

in fact, friends

a

grinding taskmaster and he delighted

who knew

in

all

humiliating Brian—

the family claim that Brians partial hearing loss was

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

92

caused by a smack Murray gave him to the head years old. Nevertheless, er for years to

he was in

ROLL

— Brian—was only

the Beach Boys' official

six

manag-

come.

Despite Murray's as

Murray would remain

when he

'N'

faults,

he was

as relentless in his

promotion of the boys

—Murray

browbeating of Brian. His persistence paid off

his brutal

got the group a deal with Capitol, who'd just hired a hot young producer

named Nick Venet

to help

them penetrate the "youth market." Only twenty-

one, Venet had already produced the Lettermen, another white vocal group,

and the Beach Boys seemed to

fit

into his musical frame of reference. Sticking

with the surfing theme, the group had recorded a follow-up to "Surfin"' called "Surfin' Safari," and

time he heard

first

it

it,

became

their first national hit.

According to Venet, the

the thought occurred to him: "this song

going to

is

change West Coast music." All

up and down the West Coast, the surfing

whole new teenage way of

subcultures that would sprout

moments anyway, eliminated, and

the waves.

all

life

up

many ways

was giving credence to

a

predated a lot of the other

later in the decade. In surf culture, for a

few

the rules and restrictions of the "straight" world were

came down

There were no

tions, surfers created their

their case,

that in

life

fad

to a beautiful unity of

rules.

own

man and

nature

—riding

Like other later countercultural manifesta-

language, dress code, and

was the ultimate California sun-worshipping

way of life. Which, reality:

surfing

all

in

day

and then having enormous beach parties deep into the night before drunkenly grabbing the boards once more and hitting the midnight

on the beach,

ate

surf.

True

surfers slept

on the beach, danced on the beach, fucked on the beach. As

the Beach Boys, the penultimate surf group, proclaimed: "We're

on

safari to

stay."

As

a result of the

Beach Boys' success on Capitol, Brian earned himself

considerable clout in the ence,

it

was evident

who

West Coast music

scene. Despite Murray's interfer-

the real brains of the Beach Boys was.

The

fact that

Brian soon took control of production duties only enhanced his stature

time

when most Rock production was handled by an in-house

was

truly unusual for a

was

a

tic

group member to assume the

staff

—

at a

producer,

task, especially

it

when he

twenty-one-year-old novice. But, from the beginning, the level of "artis-

control" that the Beach Boys

—and Brian

specifically

unique. Brian's production methods, while in

—maintained was

many ways

primitive,

truly

were

still

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS

93

innovative: for instance, his use of double-tracking and multiple overdubs was

matched only by Phil Spector. Like Spector, perhaps the

first

West Coast-bred super

producer, Wilson

surrounded himself with an array of talented collaborators. Chief among them

was Gary Usher, another Hawthorne neighbor, who was soon important producer in his

Beach Boys'

first

own

right. It

to

become an

was Usher who collaborated on the

hot rod song, "409," thus anticipating another trend. In

fact,

thanks to the Beach Boys, Capitol was able to fully exploit both the surf and hot

rod trends. the same

Wilson

The

on most of these records were, many

actual personnel

—mainly the

in the L.A.

hip coterie that had begun to revolve around Brian

music scene of the

'60s.

Another Wilson collaborator was Roger Christian, fire

under Murray Wilson's

air.

Apparently with

Murray Wilson

a

ass

when he dumped on

called the radio station

put-down had been that the 409 it

was, and with that in

itself

lished

—

after

all,

set a

the lyrics to "409" on the in his voice,

and within minutes had coerced

The whole

gist

of Christian

s

was not the hot rod the Beach Bovs had

mind he and Brian proceeded

hot rod tune that was an even bigger that with "Little

former DJ who

a

"you think you could do better?" tone

Christian into a meeting with his famous son.

claimed

times,

hit, called

to write another

"Shutdown." Thev followed

Deuce Coupe." By then

the hot rod trend was firmly estab-

the automobile was even

more of a mainstay of teenage

cul-

ture than the surfboard.

Before long there were a host of makeshift "hot rod" groups

been

a plethora

friends.

of "surf groups

Gary Usher,

—and most of these were was the

in particular,

just

just as there'd

Brian and his

catalyst for a wealth of surf-

and hot

rod-related schlock. For Capitol alone he masterminded the

Knights, the

Ghouls, the Super Stocks, and, for Mercury, the Weird-Ohs,

Silly Surfers,

Hondells, and others. Monster and "weirdo" records were in vogue for a season,

and

at

one point the strange fusion of monster and hot rod records

ed in the form of Mr. Gasser a

actually exist-

& the Weirdos—who were actually Gary Usher and

bunch of studio musicians.

And where was the

Brian during

all

most enduring American Pop

this?

Only writing and producing sonic

classics ever: "Surfin'

USA," "Don't Worn

Baby," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Dance, Dance, Dance," "I Get Around,"

Rhonda"

—

all

oi

"1 [elp

million-sellers that inspired .m almost devout following

Me

amongst

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

94

the denizens of the L.A. musical establishment.

were Jan as the

&

Dean

— the aforementioned

Beach Boys, only with

With

it

was

a

its

ROLL

Brian's biggest disciples

duo who were doing

"surf'

came along

lesser success until Brian

greatest triumph, "Surf City."

boy"

Among

N'

Utopian vision of "two

it

as early

to write their

every

girls for

message even the landlocked masses of the Midwest or the cynical

denizens of the East Coast could understand.

The

result

was

num-

Brian's first

ber one hit before even the Beach Boys themselves had topped the charts, a fact that so enraged

Barry heard

Murray Wilson

this,

he showed up

that he labeled Jan

at a

Beach Boys recording session wearing an eye

This type of wise-ass humor was

patch.

the can, like their version of a

School," in which they

used to describe

The

made

& Dean "pirates." When Jan duo

typical of the

new song

that left piss-takes in

"New

Brian had written called

creative use of the

—

word woody

a

Girl in

term theretofore

a favorite surfer ride.

success of the Beach Boys revolutionized

West Coast Rock. Many

groups that were primarily instrumental revamped their sound to include more

echo and their image to include surfboards (whether they rode the waves or not

—of the

was

irrelevant

Beach Boys, only Dennis was

prevalence of Beach Boys knockoffs

a surfer). Despite the

—surf

—whether Wilson-related

or not

music remained for the most part an instrumental sound. Dick Dale

Fender-heavy

as '59.

During the

hits like "Let's

Dale was performing something akin to

Go

Trippin'" and "Mr. Eliminator" as early

early '60s, bands with

names

like the

Chantays, Surfaris,

Marketts, Pyramids, and Rumblers helped reinvigorate American at a

time

when crooners and

The

Pacific

The

evening after work.

who

They happened

mental hit called "Walk-Don 't Run" career.

first

Roll

own

its

local legends in the

"horsed around" with instruments to

make

—and turned

it it

big with a fluke instruinto a decade-spanning

Along with Dick Dale, the Ventures helped make the Fender guitar the

brand of choice among American Rock bands well as the

at the time. In

Washington,

whole Northwest, the Ventures' influence was dominant, even

more raucous same

'n'

regions to help popularize the

area already had

Ventures, five bricklayers from Seattle in the

Rock

vocal groups ruled the hit parade.

Northwest was one of the

notion of the "garage band."

the

as

Deltones are the obvious prototype, later

&

variation of the

same idiom was being worked on

at

as

as a

roughly the

time.

In nearby Tacoma, a group called the Wailers had begun around 1958, per-

'

CHAPTER 4: KILL THE BUSINESS forming 'n'

Roll.

a

and good old Chuck Berry Rock

As group member Buck Ormsby explained: "There were no precedent

'bands' to

form

R&B

hybrid of saxophone-driven

a

95

work from,

there were none. But

band and perform.

We

we wanted

to play music, create

it,

started practicing in bedrooms, garages, living

rooms, or wherever there was space." This was the original "punk'Vunder-

ground scene, evidenced by the Wailers started their

made

their debut

and singer Gerry

own

fact that, like latter-day indie rockers, the

label, Etiquette.

on Etiquette

as well

Soon an equally

—the

Sonics.

feisty Seattle outfit

With

wailing saxophone

Roslie's pre-Iggy vocals, they challenged the very notion of

the Beach Boys' existence.

The "punk" that the region originated.

credence of the Northwest can be further attested to by the

was where "Louie Louie," perhaps the prototype Punk anthem,

The song had

originally

been an

R&B

Wailers recorded

it

as a

by

a

Pordand band

The Kingsmen were

even further.

was only when the

feel. It

backing band for singer Rockin' Roberts that

the characteristics of its trademark 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3 later

Richard Berry, whose

hit for

1956 original was slower and had more of a Latin

few months

called the

riff.

When it was

Kingsmen,

it

took on

covered

had

little

going for

garbled, distorted

it

demo

an even more rudimentary group than the

as far as technical features went.

that

a

was downscaled

it

Wailers or Sonics, and they could only afford to book time in a local studio that

fact

The end

—one

result

was

a

was barely audible. Miraculously, the record was

picked up by radio stations in Boston, of all places, and became a Billboard break-

out

hit.

The

reason for

its

sudden ascendance seemed to be that

it

had somehow

mistakenly been declared "obscene." Typical of the leftover witch-hunt mentality of the payola years, the fact that the lyrics couldn't be fully understood led investigators to believe they

were

"dirty."

and FBI in which both Richard Berry

were dragged

Ely,

"We

in to testify,

summed up

The

investigation

as well as the singer

came up

found the record unintelligible

A full-bore

at

the record's whole ragged appeal

—

as well as

FCC

of the Kingsmen, Jack

short. In the end, the

any speed." In

by the

a its

FCC

concluded:

way, this statement

"punk"

aesthetic.

garage-band scene that surf music had helped spawn didn't end on the

West Coast

either.

There were even

Astronauts from Denver,

who

several landlocked "surf" bands, like the

released a succession of LPs for

RCA with "surf

themes even though they'd probably never seen the ocean before they toured California. Perhaps the

most notorious of the

ersatz surf bands

were the

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

96

Trashmen from Minneapolis, whose

Oom Mow Mow"

Rivingtons' "Papa

Punk classic,

it

"Surfin'

N'

sounded

Bird"

minced through

ROLL the

like

a trash compactor.

Ramones

A

to the

Cramps

was an obvious Latino element to bands

like the

has been covered by everyone from the

to AntiSeen.

Back

in California, there

&

Premieres, Cannibal

the Headhunters, and

bands, Ritchie Valens was the obvious influence

same plane crash cians.

as

Buddy

The

—dead

Midnighters.

To

these

at nineteen, killed in the

Holly, he remained a martyr figure to Latino musi-

Whatever nuances bands

like this

were adding to the

overall figuration

of Rock in the early '60s was soon obscured by the arrival of the British,

who

may have shared their devotion to Valens but were oblivious to the more organic connotations of the music. We'll never really know what direction West Coast Rock would've taken had the Beades and their East Coast a

more

is

never invaded. (The

easier to figure out because of its denizens' affinity for

intellectual

ations as

ilk

Folk music,

reckoning that probably would have allowed for such devi-

Bob Dylan,

the Fugs, and the Velvet

Underground

—

albeit in slightly

muted form.) Whatever the ly musical

case

may be,

there was evidence that

form had weathered the

late '50s/early '60s

Rock

'n'

Roll as a pure-

drought signified by the

payola probe and other factors and was about to undergo a massive renaissance.

Nobody arrival

could have predicted at that time

of the Beades,

remained

a

Rock

'n'

Roll

how

massive.

would have survived

Even without the

—but

it

might have

very small speck on the whole landscape of popular music. As

the arrival of the Beades created just the opposite

—namely,

it

was,

a guarantee that

songs as relatively insignificant as "Louie, Louie" and "Surfin' Bird" would forever.

live

Chapter

5

THE BE-zvrtK The greatest musical success story of the twentieth century began ON October 9, 1940. While the Battle of Britain raged and Hitler's bombs made

dust out of

some of England's more formidable

structures, a

baby was

born to a mother in Liverpool. Daddy wasn't present because he was away sea.

Soon he would be away

John Winston Lennon

The too

abandoning the boy, whose name was

altogether,

(after Churchill).

baby's mother, Julia, found the burden of raising the

much and

sent the child to live with her sister

Mimi.

fact,

together they

made fun of Mimi's

When John Lennon reached adolescence in

boy alone

Julia

occasion, but the relationship she established with her son was

older "friend." In

at

to be

visited

still

more

on

that of an

stricter ways.

the mid-'50s, he presented an

ever-growing problem for his aunt. Although he showed bursts of creativity

were channeled into mischief and aggressive

and even

brilliance, his energies

behavior.

Lennon

initiated

the small-time thievery and pranks

Liverpool's cators,

who

established early

on

that he

was

Quarry Bank High School. This did predicted that he'd

Somewhere along

the line,

come

Lennon

Band

era.

shuffling brand of

little

discovered

of a pre-Rock music scene in England original

among

and

it

was he who

the other boys at

to endear

him

to his edu-

to a rotten end.

much

The most

a leader,

—

Rock

'n' Roll.

just the spinal

There wasn't

remains of the Big

sound to emerge during those years was

skiffle, a

weak-kneed vaudeville shriek best personified by Lonnie

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

98

Donegan's "Rock Island Line."

and

His

a

ROLL

washboard, string

bass,

with a guitar providing the primary rhythm. Lennon chose to

tea chest,

become

was played on

Skiffle

N'

a guitar player.

band, the Quarrymen, was a typical

first

skiffle

organization, perform-

ing giddy "traditional" tunes and goofy novelties and playing school and social functions. It

was

at

one such outing that John Lennon met the man who, with

him, would forge the music partnership of the century: Paul McCartney.

McCartney who encouraged Lennon McCartney, born on June

had been

guitar

18, 1942,

when he was

was

musical prodigy: his father Jim

a

fourteen.

World War

At that time, the

and Paul had

I,

first strains

Rock boom were coming over from America, and McCartney was fect age to until his

be usurped by

He

it.

was

to begin writing songs.

a Jazz bandleader in the years following

begun playing

It

of the

at the per-

didn't really apply himself to music, however,

mother Mary died prematurely of cancer

in 1954.

From

that point on,

he never stopped. By the time he met Lennon in 1956, he was already composing his

own

material.

As McCartney recalls: a

know all the words to

used to

"I

few others. John didn't know the words to

wrote a few words and showed him

He

one.

played

all this

and

stuff

Quite a nice chap, but he was duction, and

I

sang

a

I

still

—

even

songs, so I was valuable.

I

and another

remember thinking he smelled

a bit drunk.

couple of old things."

Paul's sensibilities,

and

to play '20 Flight Rock'

Anyway, that was

a bit drunk.

When McCartney speaks here kidding

how

many

'20 Flight Rock'

my first intro-

'

of singing "a couple of old things," he's not

ranged from the toodle-doo Jazz

at that time,

of his father's generation to the "Pennies from Heaven" style of Fred Astaire.

He

always had conventional

Quarrymen. ed,

tastes,

and he brought them to the

Who knows what direction Lennon, who was more

would've taken had he never met McCartney? But

gave It

Pop

Lennon

the conviction to pursue his

would become

underestimating cisely the

ship:

its

was

significance.

a force to

a tragic event

on July

was McCartney who

musical ideas in the

first place.

unique and eventually strained partnership, but

same way without the

their talents

Soon

a

own

it

Rock-orient-

there's

Neither of them could have made other.

On the

it

no

in pre-

other hand, the combination of

be reckoned with.

would occur

15, 1958, John's

that

would further cement

mother stopped by Mimi's

their relation-

for her usual

visit,

and

CHAPTER 5: THE BEATLES on her way

out, she

was struck

fatally

by

a car.

99

This tragedy would have much

bearing on Lennon's psyche. Initially he reacted with bitterness, becoming even

more withdrawn,

abusive,

and mean-spirited. But

McCartney, whose own mother had earlier.

Now

it

brought him closer to

also prematurely passed

away four vears

they really were "brothers," psychically linked through circum-

stance and misfortune.

From the

that point on, they attacked their music with a vengeance. Although

Quarrymen

quickly rose to

music scene, the scene

some degree of prominence on

itself didn't really offer

much

the Liverpool

of a future for the two

musical aspirants. Nevertheless, they had a very professional attitude about their music.

No doubt when Lennon later said "nothing affected me

what he meant was

that Presley's celebrity affected him, and he

'til

Elvis,"

would use

it

as a

blueprint for his own.

Both Lennon and McCartney were devoted

One way

as well.

to

ranks. Paul's friend,

do

this

was to add another

George Harrison, was three

honing

to

their musical chops

guitarist to the

Quarrymen's

years Lennon's junior, which

put him in the unenviable position of being Lennon's proverbial "whipping boy."

Even Lennon had

to admit that the youngster

was

a

much more accom-

plished guitarist than either himself or McCartney. Harrison had been plaving

was

since he

six

and possessed

twangy Country

&

Western

a

mastery of the basic Rock influences.

The

licks as well as

manv

prevailing influence of Carl

Perkins on the Beatles' early recordings no doubt stemmed from Harrison's entrance into the group.

In 1958, the disillusioned of Art.

A

lot

Lennon began

attending the Liverpool College

of wayward British youths in the

late '50s

found themselves

enrolled in art school, probably because the curriculum was easy and they could just slide.

This included Lennon, Pete Townshend, Keith Richards, Eric

Clapton, and the various Kinks. Considering the arty pretense of a great deal

of subsequent British Rock, has

left its

it's

not hard to see

how the art school

"occupation"

mark. In Lennon's case, the most significant thing to happen to him

while at art school was that he came to admire another student, Stuart Sutcliffe,

who became Sutcliffe

apparendy had some musical

One of the lious

the next big influence

first

on

his life after

ability, it

was

of the real "teddy boys," Sutcliffe

McCartney. Although

his style that

flirted

Lennon

liked.

with the kind of rebel-

imagery that Lennon found instantly beguiling. So when the Quarrymen

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

100

needed an

band and with

electric bass player in their effort to

less

many

of a

skiffle

Rock legend

a

how

matter whether he actually knew

For

—most

ever since

Sutcliffe.

to play his instrument yet.

it

The

next task at hand was to find a drummer.

was more important that he looked the

Scodand. This gave them their

Shordy

infinitely familiar

didn't

work

and dumpy, he did own

mom

importandy, his It

Buddy

owned

—

drum

did he also

was an experience

kit,

a replacement.

Although he was plain

at least for a while.

a big consideration at that time.

the Casbah Club, the

most well-known club

Quarrymen anymore:

many

Holly's Crickets (although there are just as

name was

this

a reference to "the Beats"

own two

—which

clubs in Liverpool

first

in

they'd

honor of

who would

doubtful, considering readers).

manager, Allan Williams.

Not

only

—the Blue Angel and the Jacaranda—but he

had connections in Hamburg, Germany, where

thrived since the '30s. In the early '60s, the strip in

Rock bands

is

historians

form were more rockers than

point the band gained their

to feature live

More

was inevitable that the Quarrymen became the "house band"

that the Beades in their original

At

It

and soon they were looking for

out,

a full

two-week tour of

a

the Silver Beatles and then simply the Beades, apparendy in

claim the

a well-

permanent drummer, Thomas

except by then they weren't calling themselves the

become

learn.

with in the years to follow.

Pete Best would prove to be perfect

Liverpool.

He'd

Johnny Hutchinson,

of the road.

first taste

thereafter they hired their first

Moore. But he

didn't

part.

named Johnny Gende on

hackoid singer

a

become

it

At the urging of Liverpool impresario Larry Parnes, they

their first tour.

they'd

—

provided the support needed for the band to embark on

local stand-in,

accompanied

Roll

'n'

As has been the case

particularly Sid Vicious

now

known

ROLL

become more of a Rock

Lennon nominated

one,

N'

a nighttime sleaze scene

had

Hamburg was just beginning

as part of the debauchery.

As the Beades were,

time, playing at least a close approximation of standard

American Rock

at that

'n' Roll,

they were hired.

As Lennon remembered:

jumped around

on the

floor.

until

come

we'd have to drink Say".'

it

in... They'd just

even though

So we'd have

to

it

do

much

hated the club owners so the stage.

Paul would be doing 'What

gangsters would

"What I

"We

we broke through

I

Say' for an

send

a crate

killed us.

this

We'd

show

all

that

we

end jumpin' 'round

hour and

a half. All these

of champagne onstage and

They'd say 'Drink for them,

it

and then do

whatever time of night.

CHAPTER If they

came

in at five in the

5:

THE BEATLES

morning, and we'd been playing for seven hours,

they gave us a crate of champagne and

we were supposed

This nightmarish experience helped them hone

just getting

Taylor

&

underway, with Cliff Richard ("Move

the Playboys ("Brand

("Shakin' All Over," "Restless"),

New

Cadillac"),

Tony Dangerfield

the Tornadoes ("Telstar"). Although these and

to carry on."

their chops,

returned to Liverpool with renewed self-confidence.

was

101

The It,"

tuted

wimpy

from Hamburg

as

Rock scene

"Living Doll"), Vince

&

Johnny Kidd

the Pirates

Too Way

("She's

many other

fine

Out"), and

examples repre-

Rock scene of

their

Roll attempts until that time had consti-

regurgitations of already-outdated

realized immediately

The

'n'

and they soon

British

sented an attempt on the part of the British to establish a

own, the majority of British Rock

:

American

styles.

The

Beatles

how superior they were to the competition. They returned

conquering heroes.

nexus for the Liverpool explosion was

the Cavern Club, which

a

former Jazz venue known

became the stomping ground

Liverpool "beat" groups: Kingsize Taylor

new wave of

for the

& the Dominoes, Rory Storm & the

Hurricanes (featuring soon-to-be-crowned Beatle drummer Ringo and, of course, the Beatles themselves. According to Peter

Robert Sconfeld: "The attraction to

soon brought

'beat'

of Liverpool's children flocking to the

as

new

clubs.

a

Starr),

McCabe and

wide cross-section

They ranged from young

school kids to art students and poets... Slowly they acquired a group consciousness that

went beyond the

The musicians were

close to each other, but

Much

the musicians were friends. tained because

many

onlookers... for the friends

of the band

most

had matched, and

in

part,

some

Presley and Little Richard."

By

fact that they appreciated the

basement club

—

members were

no

cases even surpassed, their

American heroes,

'

a sophisticated

much

like the

Punk or

indie scenes of

and supportive pack of peers jammed into

to witness the pinnacles

illusions

old school friends of the

the audiences were... impressed that their

and

Meltzer has observed, the Beatles and dieir teens with

the audience and

of the inevitable hero worship was con-

description this scene sounds very

subsequent years

more important,

same music.

pratfalls

ilk

of their peers. As Richard

were: "a pack of basic limey post-

of takin' over die world... yet there's already sometbm* to

ENGLAND IS SOMEHOW FINALLY ABOUT TO ENTER CENTURY AND EMERGE FROM THE DUST OF SI VKF-

indicate that

THE 20

1U

a

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

102

N'

ROLL

SPEARE/CHURCHILL/QUEEN VICTORIA/LESLEY HOWARD. And where 's

this

emergence

Mick Jagger of

takin' place: the

remember

"Liverpool Sound" this way: "I can to Liverpool the

what

it

was, but

of its time."

the

While the bands

in the

south played

—

in

London who

I

can't

remember

a

more choppy

were mining

Blues, they turned to

a

American

pattern.

&

& His All

Blues, the Beades

wasn't that fit

much

"girl

their

groups," white-bread harmonizers like the

The bottom

having to maintain nine-hour

sets

like

line was, the

and

all.

Carl

Beades

There simply

Blues to go around, and the Beades were never a "purist" out-

—they were perfecdy

to begin with

favor of pure

and

myriad of Colonial resources. Along with the

Perkins and Chet Atkins for their inspiration. versatile,

They

those harmonies."

Everly Brothers and Four Freshman, and countrified rockabillies

had to be

as

'

all

coalesced around Alexis Korner

were preoccupied with American Rhythm ilk

time the Stones ever

do know that they played four to the bar on the bass drum

I

did have a different sound, and the other thing was

Mersey-side

first

drummers played completely different.

opposed to what drummers

Stars

4

Rolling Stones described the uniqueness of the

the

went

CBGBs

Pop

if it

paid

willing to supplant such tendencies in

off.

At that time, the connotations of "pop" weren't that ominous. Although

some musicians Rock

purity. It

strove for Blues purity, hardly anyone at that time strove for

was expected of every musician playing the form to eventually

Hit Parade. This was the precedent

join the

the world the Beades were

group had done, however

would argue that they

coming

—they

killed

into.

set

The Beades

elevated the

"Rock"

by Elvis

form

in the process

Presley,

did something

at the

by

and that was

no other

same time. Some

foisting

upon

who knows what would

it

a

bunch

of high-minded

ideals,

pened? Rock

Roll could've been relegated to the same terminally retro sta-

tus as

'n'

lounge music. As

but

it

ultimate "popular music"

if

they hadn't,

have hap-

was, the Beades forever solidified Rock's status as the

—even

if

they emasculated

it

in the process (which

is

debatable anyway).

The Beades were type of

mane

also catching long stares for their hairstyles

that resembled the

pudding-bowl

clips

—

a

shaggy

of mentally retarded kids

locked up in the notorious "snake pits" before the days of enlightenment. Sutcliffe

had introduced the haircut to the group, influenced by Astrid

Kirchherr, a beautiful blonde pre-Nico

German

artist/bohemian who'd

become

.

CHAPTER

5:

THE BEATLES

103

acquainted with Sutcliffe a few months before he joined the Beatles. say

what other influences

Sutcliffe

quit and decided to stay in

By this British

time, the

Rock

like

Gene

like

Johnny

Hamburg

1

0,

1

Hamburg scene had become

962

a thriving circuit for not only

musicians, but the American originals as well. After

&

welcome anymore

the Hurricanes weren't exactly

Many of them moved

Cochran loomed

particularly large

England before dying

on the

British

the Beades

cultivating a leatherboy

was during one of their many first

met

Hamburg,

a

expatriates' juvenile

young vocalist named

image close to that of Vincent and

trips to the

legendary Star Club that

make

the singer. Sheridan was getting ready to

and asked the group to accompany him. By to bass, replacing Sutcliffe.

this

the B-side, "Ain't She Sweet,"

The song was

marked the

first

"My

called

Bonnie," and

recorded appearance of

a

vocal.

seems while the Beades had been away in

Hamburg they'd

lowing back home. In a few months, the group would top Mersey Beat year-end

who

record

time McCartney had switched

"My Bonnie" led to a strange request for a record store owner in It

a

Lennon, Harrison, and Sheridan played guitar on

the session, and Best added the beat.

Lennon

cult adulation.

in a car crash in 1960.

delinquent mannerisms and style of dress. In

It

Pop-

in the early

music scene, having moved to

European musicians everywhere began aping these

Tony Sheridan was

in the

Europe

to

where they found themselves the objects of widespread

Cochran.

bad boys

all,

Vincent, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, and even instrumental acts

oriented music scene back home. '60s,

hard to

with Kirchherr. Shortly thereafter,

of a brain hemorrhage on April

Sutcliffe died

It's

would've brought to the group had he not

started the

poll.

magazine

famous

up

a cult fol-

categories in the

all

Mersey Beat was the brainstorm of one

Bill

I

Iain,

in reaction to the Liverpool Echo's failure to recognize

the "beat" scene. This was early fanzine pioneering at referred to the

built

Liverpool.

river,

which reached

a

its

best.

vortex in Liverpool.

"Mersey"

From

its

banks came the sound that would rock die world.

During the 1960s,

British culture

became highly exportable,

particularly in

America, where Anglophilia was at an all-time high. As Meltzer noted, the Brits

were

finally

shaking off the cobwebs of Elizabedvan formalin-. In 1963 the

Profumo Scandal, around on

in

leashes,

which top-ranking government rocked Britain. Soon

after,

officials

were leading

Swingin'

girls

London would

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

104

N'

ROLL

implode. Thanks to the English, fashion and Rock would become inextricably linked.

However, the day that young Raymond Jones

"My

Record Store requesting

Nems

strolled into the

Bonnie," the Beades and their

ilk

had yet to

achieve anything beyond local notoriety, and British working class fashion was still

more

in the league of

docker boots and

Navy

trousers.

The

store's propri-

Brian Epstein, had never even heard of the group, despite the fact that they

etor,

were from Liverpool. Intrigued by the notion of a

Cavern one night

into the

to hear the

Beades

local scene, Epstein

play. It

was

likely that,

time, Epstein was thinking in entrepreneurial terms. His interest in

was

limited, but as a

manger of a

successful music outlet,

smelly,

and

regretted

I

was black

my decision

to

even

at least curious

Cavern,

deep grave, dark and damp and

as a

6

come."

—and

Epstein introduced himself to the band, and while they

Lennon It

was

—were

them

agreed to meet him

at

Nems

really

had

a responsible

potential in a

much

and

were being

Hamburg

filled.

Epstein realized the group's

larger sense.

homosexual, and almost

most was

his adult

Beatles

but had no eye on the

Brian was not a likely party to get involved with a

most of

The

manager. Allen Williams was able to help

establish themselves in Liverpool

future as long as his pockets

chiefly

the following day.

time that he offered to take over managerial duties.

at this

had never

skeptical, they

at that

Rock music

Upon his first visit to the

about the sudden popularity of these upstarts. Epstein's impression was: "It

he was

jammed

life.

thirty,

Rock group: Jewish,

he'd been working in the family business for

Although the store was prospering, having become the

successful record store in Liverpool, Brian's relationship with his father

still testy.

That probably stemmed from an incident

Brian was a teenager. As he recalled: "I wrote

from school so that Brian and his

of the

'60s:

I

ilk

home and

could become a dress designer."

that

asked to be taken away

7

were emblematic of the whole "Swingin' London" phase

young, elegant, and slighdy pouffy, these nonconformists were

rebelling against the stifling repression of the '50s

Soon they would become

by flouncing the

field

of Rock, Brian obviously

winner when he saw and heard one. Having the group record it

fashion.

millionaires.

Despite his lack of experience in the

shopping

happened when

around to the various record

labels in

England

a

knew

a

demo, he began

whom he knew from

CHAPTER 5: THE BEATLES his connections in the retail business.

105

At that time, the "beat" explosion was

still

mostly a provincial phenomenon, and the London-based British record industry wasn't entirely interested. Finally,

on the

audition with Decca, at that time Britain's later sign the Rolling Stones).

But the

first

most

day of 1962, he got them an

successful record label (who'd

label rejected the Beades,

A&R man Dick Rowe's immortal comment on the occasion

and Decca

stands

still

the greatest blunders of history: "Groups of guitars are on their

way

among

out,

Mr.

Epstein."

Groups of guitars and their

become

ilk,

weren't

on

their

way

out, however.

Thanks

to the Beatles

the guitar-based four- or five-man performing unit was about to

the wave of the future.

After subsequent rejections by several other major labels, the Beatles went

back to toiling

at the Star

Club

in

Hamburg.

It

was not an encouraging He, on

prospect, and the group began to have second thoughts about Epstein.

the other hand, never lost faith in his charges and was always confident that the Beatles were going to take the British music industiy

of 1962, Epstein decided to have the Beatles' plastic record.

Coleman for

As luck would have

it,

demo

pressed onto a one-sided

the person he enlisted to do

—an old record biz contact—happened

EMI. Coleman was blown away by

with a friend

by storm. In the summer

to also be

this,

Syd

doing similar work

the Beatles and arranged an audition

who at that time was a staff producer for Parlophone,

an

EMI sub-

sidiary.

George Martin was the

right person at the right place at the right time to

hear the Beatles. Parlophone was kind of EMI's "offbeat" branch then, had specialized in

comedy

which meant Martin had

records,

the absurd. For this reason, he wasn't quite as opposed to

of his peers.

The

that,

Beatles didn't lay a heavy

Rock

'n'

Rock trip on him from

way, auditioning with lightweight fare like "Til There

Was

up

until

a taste for

Roll as

some

the start any-

You." Martin was

impressed enough to grant them a recording session. Almost immediately, the

band began rehearsing new material.

There was one

stipulation: Pete Best

ly displease the Beatles, as

already had their eye

become

would have

he'd never really

fit

to go.

in anyway.

This didn't entire-

By

that time they

on another Liverpool drummer, Ringo

friendly with the

group when

his

own

Starr,

band, Rory Storm

who'd *Sc

the

Hurricanes, had backed them up in Hamburg. Starr was told he could join the

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

106

group on the eve of their

EMI

Not yet

Beades," said Brian.

if

ten back in the '50s, "Love

any means,

it

Alley

still

Me

from

this

By

it

complex construction by

On the basis of this, Martin had hadn't lost his mind. EMI needn't

point on the Beades would repay

a

all

modest

on the

hit

none of

insisting

it,

"Please Please

The

British charts,

dividends.

the time of the Beades' second release, however, the result,

in those days

charts.

—although the record was only

company was

still

they tried to convince the young upstarts to

record a cover song, but the ambitious

all

a

was self-penned, an anomaly

dominated the

not entirely convinced. As a

most

song John and Paul had writ-

Do." Although not

hard time convincing his uppers that he

have worried

beards in the

anyway.

was unique because

when Tin Pan

"No

he shaved his beard.

their first recording, the Beatles chose a

For

a

debut

ROLL

N'

Lennon and McCartney were having

on recording another new self-composed tune

Me." This was the turning point of the group's

Beatles' forthrightness in this area

called

career.

was unique and trendsetting

would've succumbed and gone for the gold. For instance, look at

artists

the crap that Presley cut.

The

Beatles, however,

had

total faith in their

capabilities

and knew they were destined to turn the record industry inside

out. That's

why

restrict

every subsequent Beatles hit would be an original and they'd

cover material to their album

— and even then they'd discontinue

filler

that after 1965.

Part of this had to do with a deal Brian cut with publisher Dick James. Until

then a not-very-successful entrepreneur, James was looking for a passport out of

Tin Pan

Alley.

He

was convinced

that,

within five years,

would be the most successful composing team Epstein, he created realized that a fact

Northern Songs

in

England. In cahoots with

to exclusively publish

Rock music publishing was another whole

already proven by Hill

to stress that

"Please Please dards.

of a

The

lot

first

the taking

& Range, Elvis's publishers. After the Beades, it was

Rock was an

morons or lovelorn

Beades songs. James

field ripe for

considered very passe for bands to do nothing but covers. first

Lennon/McCartney

art form,

not merely

a

way

The

Beatles were the

to entertain sock

hop

teenagers.

Me" was

indicative of the band's high musical

and

lyrical stan-

thing one noticed about a Beatles song was that there was a hell

going on,

as

opposed to most records of the day (save for those produced

by Phil Spector or Brian Wilson). "Please Please Me,"

for instance,

moved

rap-

CHAPTER 5: THE BEATLES idly

107

The "c'mon c'mon"

through several vexing variations.

call-and-response

buildup set the tone for the next several years of record making,

songs themselves would build to explosive climaxes (almost

The Beades were

which the

in

a lost art

now).

about excitement, no question. Sure, thev threw

all

in

schmaltzy stuff for a quick sellout. But they weren't becoming famous for "This

Boy" and "Til There Was You"

—they were becoming famous "From

of walloping hit singles like "Please Please Me,"

Me

for their string

to You,"

and "She

Loves You." George Martin's excellent production helped render everything else anachronistic, primitive, and,

The faint.

worse

Bye-bye, Four Seasons.

yet, square.

excitement was infectious. Crowds started to scream. Girls started to

And

a

few music biz people began to draw comparisons to names

like

"Sinatra" and "Presley."

Under

their breath, that

sidered very freaky.

is,

because at that time the Beades were

One way the Beades would change

on the album market, which

heavily

for Presley

—who

Rock had been

more

fell

able to

where

is

all

into the "entertainer" category

make

dent in

a

this area.

it's

The hour

Beades'

first

quickly.

The

result

—no one

was

a

in

who

KO'ing the competition on

so.

The Beades were

marathons, thanks to their experience in Hamburg.

not go over budget on such

was. Save

anyway

album, Please Please Me, was recorded during

all-night session in early 1963.

in

fight for respect every inch of

to their credit that they succeeded,

almost every front until at least 1966 or

money

Like a heavyweight boxer

had to come up the hard way, the Beades had to the way, and

the royalty

con-

was to weigh

this

all

still

a sixteen-

used to doing such

EMI

was determined to

dubious venture and urged the boys to work

as "live"-sounding a

recording as could be hoped

for,

considering the circumstances.

That

didn't help

it

in America,

sell

Seasons' label, had leased

it.

Vee Jay

didn't

where Vee Jay records, the Four

seem

group, and the record languished in obscurity. erwise

it

Meanwhile

in

England,

During the spring of

'63,

to wait eight

Epstein had predicted,

Roy Orbison

to the top of the Melody

Maker

to

promote the it,

but oth-

more months

to

becoming known back home).

the Beatles headlined

with American pop legend

Me

as

know how

A few weirdos heard

went unnoticed. Americans would have

discover the Fab Four (as they were

to

a

in tow.

charts,

where

tilings

were happening

national tour for the

first

fast.

time

This helped propel Please Please it

stayed for an unprecedented

108

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

thirty weeks!

When

it

was

finally

knocked off the top

London Palladium"

arrival

more than

was by the

slot, it

second album. That kind of popularity was simply unheard

Nothing signaled the Beades'

ROLL

N'

even for Presley.

of,

the "Sunday Night at the

broadcast on October 13, 1963.

By now

—venues. The Palladium was the

drew so many

biggest,

their

The next day the

fans that they blocked the streets.

pictures of girls fainting and bobbies carrying

and

the Beades had

—and soon

long since surpassed the Cavern and were playing national international

Beatles'

them away.

It

was

to be

performance

papers carried

definitely a sign

of things to come.

The

Beatles kept recording at a frenetic pace. Their second album, With

showed

the Beatles,

by now prepared (as

a

marked

technical

improvement over

to spend the big bucks to both

they affectionately became known).

moptops shrouded concepts of the

in the shadows,

'60s.

As

for the

— the new compositions Got

Do" and George

to

The

EMI

first.

promote and record the

cover, with

its

was

"lads"

four ear-cropped

was one of the most mimicked album cover

music contained in the grooves,

Won't Be Long," "Not

"It

their

Harrison's "Don't Bother

a

at least half

Second Time,"

Me"

of

"All I've

—were shimmering

in

their brilliance.

At

this

EMI knew

they had a winner on their hands and was willing

aim

American market

point

to take another

at the

—unfortunately,

about the time Lee Harvey Oswald was taking his aim

that

was right

at President

Kennedy,

and suddenly the country was beset by tragedy. For the next month, the nation

hung over

mised, perhaps

seemed

it

the nation like a black cloud. As

some

assassi-

sociologists have sur-

was the void caused by the death of

a president

who had

to possess such youthful vigor that enabled the Beades to so totally cap-

ture the imagination of America's youth.

EMI was relendess in its hype — the United States on February

7,

Beades were scheduled to arrive

1964. As early as

December

EMI's North American wing, was pressing copies of the

Hand"

single

and Meet

British albums).

They

the Beatles

album

'63,

"I

Capitol Records,

Want

to

Hold Your

(an amalgamation of their

also distributed stickers, press releases,

in the

first

two

and other hype,

including one million Beades wigs, which became a popular novelty before the countercultural hordes got brash and grew their own.

Even selves, for

all

the hype couldn't have prepared the public, or the Beades them-

what happened

next.

When

the Beades finally arrived at

Kennedy

CHAPTER

—so named

Airport

5:

THE BEATLES

—

after the slain president

109

thousands of screaming

literally

youths were there to greet them, and the media were there to cover port

official told

for presidents

One

air-

Not even

and kings."

But the times they were a-changin'.

made

it.

the press: "We've never seen anything like this before.

their successful

the Beades

debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was the American

equivalent of the televised Palladium

egy on Epstein's

Two days after their arrival,

part: Sullivan's

show back home. This was

show was,

at that time, the

brilliant strat-

most watched

in

America, and he was one of the most powerful moguls in the industry.

Although he'd

later

have run-ins with other groups (the Rolling Stones, the

Doors), he'd continue to host the Beatles whenever they appeared on these shores

—and pay Epstein

a sizable

portion for the right.

Despite the Beatles' phenomenal success, acceptance from the "straight"

world was slow in coming. Take, for instance, the opening paragraph of the

Newsweek cover story dated February 24, 1964: "Visually they are tight dandified

Edwardian beatnik

a

nightmare:

and great pudding-bowls of

suits

Musically they are a near-disaster: guitars and drums slamming out beat that does away with secondary rhythms,

a

merciless

harmony and melody. Their

(punctuated by nutty shouts of yeah, yeah, yeah!) are

hair.

a catastrophe, a

lyrics

prepos-

terous farrago of valentine-card romantic sentiments."

In light of this kind of condescension, the Beades had their

America. As Lennon

The

British

press

anything. .And .

bermuda looked

said:

are

"When we the

arrived

toughest in

all

walking around

on your

we thought how

McCartney concurred: "There they were

hip

we

were."

in America,

trained for adulthood with their indisputable principle of

men, long hair equals women. Well we got them.

And

a

few others too."

All this talk about hair

that the

mainly,

rid

the Billboard

Top

jazz.

We just

'

getting house-

short hair equals

of that small convention for

"

would have been

charts.

all

life:

irrelevant if

it

Beades kept outdistancing die competition where

on the record

in fuckin'

teeth... The chicks

There was no conception of dress or any of that .

the press.

we could handle

world;

the

shorts with Boston crewcuts and stuff

thought what an ugly race. .and

ideas about

we knew how to handle

when we got here you were

like 1940s.

own

On April

4,

1

wasn't for the it

really

fact

counted—

964, they held the top five slots on

100, with seven in the top ten as well as a smattering of hits

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

10

lower depths. Even Elvis had never achieved

in the

number one

weren't at

penned number

Without Love"

The because

that year, there

group or

for another

was

artist

—was dominating the top

—

it

meant

hit parade in

these groups relied

on

the navigating force of

if

work this

&

Gordon's "A World

named

clever,

and the

the

Manfred Mann, the Searchers, the all

place records in the top ten.

heavily amplified guitars or organs, electricity 'n'

level

As

became

Roll.

Beatles were at the forefront of

not

upon

alarming quantities. In 1964 alone, such significant

Rock

all this

They were

joyful noise.

noth-

of enthusiasm with which they approached their

—and that they subsequently injected into —was palpable. Nowhere was it

more apparent than

in their first film,

A

Hard

Day's Night, and

panying soundtrack. Lennon and McCartney were composing sophistication with songs like Instead," and "Things

and there was

a

was the

We

"I'll

Be Back," "When

Said Today."

I

Get Home,"

The harmonies were

Rock

'n'

Roll. Part of the reason for this

few months would become simply airborne: songs

film,

Cry

"I'll

getting stronger,

ecstatic

until then a

sudden maturity

fame demanded, which would make anyone age

overnight. As a result of their increasing sophistication, their

The

accom-

—

frantic pace that

were downright

its

new level of

at a

complexity to the work that bespoke maturity

foreign concept in

—the notes and harmonies

like

work

in the next

"Eight Days a

literally

hung

in the

Week" air.

meanwhile, showed that the Beatles, unlike Presley, had depth

"personalities" as well. It

came

Beades

that a John-and-Paul-

that other British groups could start descending

Animals, the Kinks, and the Zombies would

ing

Peter

When the

slot.

British musical acts as the Rolling Stones,

The

like

ROLL

Beades' arrival signaled the start of the British Invasion, so

American

all

this feat.

good chance

a

N'

to the fore: John

was

in

as

A Hard Days Night that their four distinct personas

was "the smart one," Paul, "the cute one," George, "the quiet

one," and Ringo, the normal average Joe with a heart of gold. At this point, the

Beades began to be taken seriously by cultural spokespeople

Norman assault

Mailer, and Arthur Schlesinger,

on the public consciousness

Musically, the Beatles '65

was

as

band continued

were pivotal

much

via

in that they

a part of their

sound

Jr.

Dr. Joyce Brothers,

The Beades had now completed

two mediums: music and

to evolve.

Albums

confirmed the as

like

like

fact that

Pop or Rhythm

&

their

"celebrity."

Something

Country

New and

& Western

Blues. This

would be

an important influx on the American music scene, helping young musicians

dis-

1

CHAPTER

5:

THE BEATLES

1 1

cover redneck roots that might've otherwise evaded them. tion the Byrds, the International

Springfield,

with

field,

and the English did

American record

Coincidentally, the Beatles'

Country

Submarine Band, Lovin' Spoonful, Buffalo

country bumpkinism,

etc.:

One need only men-

label, Capitol,

down-home music makers

was

first!

it

a leader in the

Merle Haggard and Roy

like

Clark being their main money-pullers until the Fabs.

Another thing these albums established was

"And

ladeer in the group. Songs like

became

I

Paul's role as the chief bal-

Love Her" and

readily adaptable "standards" easily covered

could work in the positive (Herbie In any case,

it

worked

Mann)

Follow the Sun"

by non-Rock artists, which

or negative

in favor of the Beatles'

"I'll

(New Christy Minstrels).

pocketbooks

as far as publishing

went. Because of this romantic manifestation in the Beatles' music, rockers

were inspired to display

their

more

"sensitive" leanings,

Rolling Stones added sop to their repertoire like "As Tears

which

is

why

the

Go By." This would

romanticism of the singer/songwriters in the next

in turn influence the wistful

decade (Neil Young, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Elton John, and other guys

who wore The 'n'

Roll.

their hearts

on

their sleeves).

Beatles' innovations sparked a creative revolution in the

For instance, the mere spurt of feedback

at the

world of Rock

beginning of

Fine" foreshadowed the electrified eruptions of the Yardbirds and

"I Feel

Who. The

chiming twelve-string guitar played by George Harrison in A Hard Days Sight provided the impetus for the Byrds and

Bob Dylan,

a

thousand other "folk-rockers." Even

the only one besides perhaps the Rolling Stones to actually chal-

lenge the Beatles' mantle in the '60s, had gone electric.

Dylan became

a colossal

phenomenon

were paying enormous attention to

lyrics.

ground, and his "protest" songs were

This put him in lyric

a decisive

in 1965 and,

all

of a sudden,

Dylan had come from

rife

a folkie

critics

back-

with peculiar allegorical imager)-.

advantage over either Lennon or McCartney in the

writing category because, up until that time, most of dieir songs had been

of the contrived boy/girl quality.

John Lennon was the

first

"I'm a Loser" on Beatles '65 face

"You've

Got

to

to explore

{Beatles for Sale in

Beade facade might not be

vein of self-doubt even

Beade

entirely

more on

on the

more

topical lyrical terrain.

England) hinted that the smileylevel.

Lennon would pursue

this

the next album with songs like "Help!" and

Hide Your Love Away."

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK N' ROLL

12

of the things that might have inspired the Beatles to delve further

One

"into their heads" to legend,

began smoking marijuana. According

fact that they'd

was Dylan who introduced them to pot during

it

tour in 1964.

The

Hamburg/Cavern ance

was the

Beades, however, were no strangers to drugs:

all

during the

years they used uppers to maintain their vigorous perform-

In the '60s, psychedelic drugs like marijuana and

level.

American

their first

preference of the young, rich, hip, and famous. Soon

would

became the

down

trickle

the real revolution would begin

when

the sandlot leagues. That's

it

LSD

(e.g.,

to

the

Stooges).

The

"artists"

of the '60s viewed chemical consumption as an integral part

of the creative process. in an interview

much

The Beades were no

later,

the whole time the band was

Although the Beades' personal fringe, their public

their second

been awarded the royal

clean.

May

Not only

1965

it

did they gleefully frolic

was announced that they'd

MBE (Medal of the Order of the British Empire). This

was Mother England repaying them for the British economy.

towards the bohemian

interests drifted

image was squeaky

through the uninspired Help!, but in

a

making

Lennon

they were baked.

film, Help!,

On

exception. According to

They were,

performance

level,

all

the

money they'd helped pump into

at that time, Britain's

the Beades were

most exportable item.

by now going through the

motions. Such was the volume of the screaming fans that they couldn't even hear

themselves play (sound systems in those days were

would soon convince them couldn't just

jump

to give

up touring

Beades were

at their absolute zenith

less efficient).

For one

thing, Brian Epstein

of the year. There's no doubt that the

rest

when

Sid Bernstein

booked them

for the leg-

endary Shea Stadium concert on August 15 before 55,000 screaming event,

more than any

other, helped

This

altogether. In 1965, however, they

off the whirlwind they'd created.

had sealed up engagements for the

much

awaken promoters to the

fans.

This

lucrative potential

of live Rock. Within a few years, "stadium" concerts would be the norm.

The

Beatles' dissatisfaction over

become more ensconced

The

result

was Rubber

performance conditions led them to

womb-like security of the recording

in the

Soul, released in

group's ambitions were clear

album (gone were the Rock album's cohesive singularity,

December

1965.

By

studio.

this time, the

—not only did they compose every song on the

'n'

Roll oldies) but also, almost as

no

singles

were released from

it.

if

to stress the

So confident

3

CHAPTER were the Fabs by

now in

THE BEATLES

5:

1 1

the ability of their images alone to

nowhere on the front cover did the name "Beatles"

sell

an album that

The

appear.

cover was

innovative in another way: the strange, distorted image of the Beatles' stretched faces

—rendered with

inspire further visual trickery in the

work was soon

demand

to

album packaging

become an industry

in

rise

&

the Holding

in

Rock album

art-

which the groups would

Company with

R.

Dead with

Stanley

Crumb. This

all

Mouse and Big

had to do with the

of drugs.

Rubber Soul was the ent

itself,

field.

—would

to have their favorite artists design their record sleeves, such as the

Stones with Michael Cooper, the Grateful

Brother

photo technique

typical '60s "fisheye"

—not

just

on the

first

Beades album in which drug use was readily appar-

cover, but in the hypnotic

lilts

in the songs that could only

have been conceived in the seclusion of the studio (and dreamed of in an altered state). Lyrically,

the songs proved

no

less perplexing.

album on which George Harrison came

first

"Think For Yourself was

John or Paul had

into his

of weird harmonic

full

Rubber Soul was also the

shifts

own

on

as a songwriter:

a par

with anything

written.

Harrison was soon to exert an even bigger influence on the group due to Eastern music and philosophy. Already a big buzz

his interest in

and

intellectuals,

among

poets

Eastern religion was another by-product of the drug culture

and consciousness-raising in general. Fortunately, Harrison's mystical inclinations

were

haps the

at this

first

time

still

mosdy

musical.

appearance of the Indian

was

time, however, there

recording was even

Rock

a question as to 'n'

Rock

a

'n'

Roll record.

By

this

whether what the Beades were

Many times

this

meant outright non-Rock

piano solo George Martin played on "In

moves

like the semi-Classical

Life,"

which once again confirmed it

on

Roll anymore. In any case, they were definitely

pushing the boundaries of the form.

Beades were having

sitar

"Norwegian Wood" marked per-

both ways

My The

their reputation with highbrows.

—inducing the hippie hordes on the one hand

but charming the knickers off the bowtie and cufflink set on the other. All those

comparisons to Schubert were starting to add up. In December 1965 reported that there had already been "Yesterday."

The ing.

The song had

more than

styles,

was

three hundred versions of

only been out for three months.

thing about the Beades in those days was that they were always

Changing

it

mov-

instrumentation, even their appearance with every album.

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

14

they were able to create a later

admitted

instance, in

that,

momentum

that has

N'

seldom been matched. Lennon

during those years, he saw himself "sending messages." For

"The Word," Lennon

states:

"the

word

is

Only Love," he

meaning and Ah,

yes:

that's precisely

the hippies.

uses the phrase "I get high" in typical

Tin Pan

knew

the dou-

Alley fashion to describe the elation of love, but the fact was, he ble

enough,

love." Sure

among

within the next few years "love" would be the word Similarly, in "It's

ROLL

way he meant

the

it.

double entendres, hidden meanings, and the

LSD. The implosion of acid

made

sense under

effect

on the whole mindset of Rock

Roll.

'n'

in

like. It

could only have

1966 was to have

The Rock scene

in

a

profound

San Francisco,

haven of the hippies, was based entirely around the experience of tripping.

whole record industry went mad

for a while with psychedelic imagery, so

on her album

so that Petula Clark had multicolored florals exploding

The

shape, sound, and visual image of

pop

becoming

culture were

The

much

covers.

lysergically

distorted.

LSD chosis.

was originally conceived

This naturally resulted in

Sometimes

overhaul.

a

an agent to help people overcome psy-

a lot

of deep inner reflection and emotional

person would relive his or her whole

The whole

of one "trip."

as

it

was thanks to

in the course

soul-searching notion of "self-help" that became so

popular in the next decade began with the acid. acid

life

a dentist friend

The

first

time the Beatles tried

mad

of George's, and they went

their limos like submarines, etc. In other words, their shenanigans

were akin to their winky-blink dope-smoking case, the

antics:

driving

on the drug

pure fun. In Lennon's

drugs would eventually produce full-blown paranoia

(as reflected

by

his later work).

To produce

the accompanying psychedelic sounds, the Beatles

became

on the properties of the modern recording studio

(in large

increasingly reliant

part assisted

by George Martin). Like the Beach Boys

who were

also

becoming

less

embarking on

their

own

at

around the same time,

psychedelic voyage, the Beades were

of a performance unit and more of a studio tool

become

—

albeit a

mul-

The Beades

tifaceted one.

To

were seeking

isolation so they could continue their "experiments" unfettered.

the band, touring had

This included drugs

as well as music.

By now

all

but irrelevant.

the acid had magnified their

musical vision to an almost Utopian sense of mission. Such were the trappings

of guru-dom.

1

CHAPTER

THE BEATLES

5:

This was the age when acid freaks

1

5

sat next to roto-styluses trying to deci-

pher the "message" of each Beatles record. In 1966 they got plenty of 'em:

"Nowhere Man" seemed another autobiographical toward

was

total alienation. "Rain," the flip side

a reverberating piece

step in

John Lennon's road

of the "Paperback Writer" single,

of proto-psych that foretold doomsday woe and had

Lennon chanting backwards through an

oscillator.

This was

technique

a

George Martin would help him perfect on the next two albums.

Lennon was

quickly becoming the most adventurous Beatle, not just in

terms of his drug taking but also in the tunes he was composing

at that time.

"I'm Only Sleeping" was a creative collage of tape loops and interzoidal head sounds. Lennon, as dopefied

jester,

cherishes his precious sleep, a

and

a very regal attitude,

it

how much

sneers and literally coos about

theme he'd repeat again

in the near future. It

reflected a lot of the arrogant trappings that

he

was

Rock

was about to take on.

Lennon was issues.

also

becoming the most publicly outspoken Beatle on other

In 1966 the group found themselves in the midst of controversy over a

comment

he'd

made

earlier that year to a reporter

from the London Evening We're more popular

Standard: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink.

than Jesus now."

When

these

comments were taken out of context

in

August

1966, essentially being interpreted in the media as "Beatles Proclaim They're

Bigger

Than

and unwanted controversy just

as

they were about to embark on what was to be

American tour (although no one knew

their final

it

at the time). Brian Epstein

made Lennon hold

a press conference to apologize,

some of the venues

in the

Belt,

awkward

Christ," the group found themselves in the midst of an

had threatened to

upcoming

mosdy

for

tour, particularly in the

pull out at the last

minute

if

Lennon

PR

reasons:

southern Bible

didn't retract his

"blasphemous" statements.

When the

Beatles quit touring, Brian Epstein's role

became minimal. For

three years he had vigorously sold his boys to the world

each time.

had

little

He

took care of their tours, film

influence

on

their music. It

they were entering their most musically ing

them up were

over, in other words.

to pursue the nightlife of

despondent.

It

deals,

was during

—

higher price

at a

and public image this period,

however, that

fruitful period. Epstein's

And although

London's "underground,"

this it

— but he

days of dress-

gave him more time

left

him

was only when he died unexpectedly of a sleeping

increasingly pill

overdose

— 1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

16

the following year that

N'

ROLL

became apparent how important he'd

it

actually

been

phenomenon. One of the

great

to the group.

In 1967

Rock had reached its apex as a Rock was

factors of '60s

period of time.

that such incredible refinement took place in such a short

The Beades

always seemed to be at the forefront of it

the

Rock scene grew larger,

or

Bob Dylan (who'd warned

"movement"

itself

cultural

reliance

on

all. Still,

as

superficial "leaders" like the Beades, Elvis,

against

them anyway) became

had become more important than any single

Before the Beades ceased to be relevant they had one

irrelevant.

The

entity.

and

last fling,

it

was the

—and of the counterculture. Conscious of

most momentous event of their career their musical

ed myth

on

seal

development

—the Beades the whole

set

—and of

out in

their highly inflated but not totally

late '66 to create

movement, an

create such a

album could that's

There was more

to

it

that,

offering because so

throughout

like

with songs that

The Beach Boys had it

took one hundred takes

all

ran together.

The

Beatles

And Captain

Beefheart

& His Magic Band were

were conscious of all these developments, which

Sgt. Pepper's Lo?iely Sgt.

The sound less.

The

Hearts Club Band came about.

marching through the purple haze

forms pledging to save the world "with our love" soaked Harri).

They

really could see its

is

it

how

really a

had reached

exacdy how

it's

in their bright

(this last

level, I

hasn't aged well.

technically proficient, playful, even fascinating, but

Beatles

filter.

On a purely technical

Pepper was purty big cheez. But like The Doors,

is

shows

light

Velvet Underground was playing

distorting the Delta Blues through a weirdo-dadaist dope-soaked

suppose

just released

"Arnold Layne." Frank Zappa was cutting two-record

screeching songs about whips.

The

history.

of their peers were chal-

Pink Floyd was out-hallucinating the Beatles with their

and with material sets

many

Vibrations," a construction so intricate that

to perfect.

the collective

though: the Beades, at that time, had to

lenging the parameters they'd established.

"Good

rival

hard to believe a Rock n' Roll

place, right time... happens all

than

come up with an ambitious

itself. It's

would

but in the primitive frenzy of the Rock Boom,

stir,

what happened. Right

an album that would put the

actual event that

achievements of Western civilization

unfound-

not time-

band uni-

courtesy of the acid-

their stride, perfected their craft.

You

whole generation of dopeheads could be gobbled up by

euphoric good vibes. But the big hoopla surrounding the album was hype

all it

ultimately

wrought was

circus carousel sounds (the Hollies' "Carrie

Ann,"

7

CHAPTER 5: THE BEATLES Spanky

1 1

& Our Gang's "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," and a host of others)

and psychedelic poesy lemon-drop

lyrics

invented the Strawberry Alarm Clock (Did

—next I

hear

thing you

Lemon

know someone

Pipers?).

"Getting Better" was a slap on the back from McCartney to the hippie hordes... we're winning, we're winning. But there was a darker side to

people stand there and disagree/And wonder

"Silly

door." I

The

why they

it all:

don't get past

my

paranoia had begun, in other words. (Or "I Choose the Sycophants

Want"—Paul.) "She's Leaving

Home"

incorporated strings, which raised highbrows even

was quintessential mid-'60s generation-gap

higher. It

runaway who

leaves the nest because "fun

is

Runaways were another whole aspect of the '60s (along

fare dealing with a teenage

the one thing that

money can't buy."

culture that grimly blossomed in the

VD and serial killers). There was a grim malevolence that was

with

beginning to pervade every aspect of the "underground." In Pepper was like the alism

last blast

many

of uncorrupted '60s "fun." Soon such exuberant ide-

would be replaced by cynicism, and the Beades would pipe

too, but in

women,

ways, Sgt.

1967 they had other

priorities

—

in

on

that

one

money, and

like drugs, gurus,

in that order.

After

all

the accolades afforded Sgt. Pepper by everyone from Leonard

Bernstein to the Opera Ti?nes, there seemed to be

Four and the average kid on the

streets.

some

The myth

is

distance between the that

all

Rock

at that

was undergoing similar highbrow pretensions, but that simply wasn't

Fab

time true.

There was potent Rock being made everywhere, from the Pretty Things and

Them in England to the MC5 in

1967

ited

it

from

was

all

and Shadows of Knight

overshadowed by McCartney's music-hall

his father for chrissakes

—on pap

like

"When

helped turn a few hip rockers into Beade-haters

been

full

United

States.

sensibilities

But

—inher-

I'm 64." This must have

at that time.

And

the world has

of Beade-haters ever since (generally, anyone wishing to downplay the

wuss quotient in Rock niques

in the

'n' Roll).

—which sounded great

into lightweights in the

The

to

Fabs' whole dalliance with cutesy-pie tech-

them because they were stoned

minds of rockers (and Rock

So while the Beatles "refined" the supposedly for

art's

nowadays have

a

sake, they turned

it

historians) everywhere.

sounds/sensibilities of

into

hard time understanding

is

Pop

—turned them

as well.

Rock

One

Chuck Berry

or

Roll,

thing people

that diey weren't always

the same. Little Richard was not Pop, nor was

'n'

one and

Gene Vincent

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

18

They were Rock their basic

artists

who had

ROLL

N'

They never compromised

crossover success.

sound/premise to achieve success. Starting with the advent of Elvis

and then Buddy Holly and Phil Spector, Rock began to aspire to standards. But Rock, as a purely brutalizing musical form, less.

Occasionally in the '60s

Rock and Pop were on

Rolling Stones hits like "Get off

My Cloud"

which were enormously popular while Roll).

But

this

was purely by accident.

still

"hit parade"

went on neverthe-

the same par

and "19th Nervous Breakdown," being uncompromising Rock

If the record

made

ier for

their

move toward housewife muzak, they made

companies to ignore the more eccentric

their rosters with people-pleasing tunesmiths.

which

why

is

The sion

on

—

nay, genuine

The

—

the

much

eas-

artists

and pad

the remainder of their hits were astoundingly lightweight.

their psyches, particularly Lennon's.

Lennon came

artist

his

Earth

a

Japanese conceptual and per-

Momma. Yoko

had been staging "hap-

penings" on the

Lower East Side of New York for years,

London

owner John Dunbar introduced Lennon

gallery

a lasting impres-

by what the Beatles had become. His

to feel stifled

who became

it left

Always the group's most complex

reawakening came when he met Yoko Ono,

formance

that

it

when

Beatles were aware of this,

Beatles ultimately left psychedelia behind, but

personality,

'n'

companies had their way,

they'd never have to deal with anything that creates friction, and Beatles

the

(e.g.,

to

little

acclaim.

When John

to her in 1968,

apparently became smitten. Lennon's infatuation led to an open affair with the "artist,"

which brought about the demise of his marriage

Powell.

It also

The

erhood so righteous that

The wives waited

various

on

tour.

at

had been forged

women were

home while

But

in

blood back in the day, a broth-

not permitted to come between them.

the band toiled endless hard day's nights in the

as the partnership

began to splinter in the

members of the group found themselves more

personal endeavors than those of the group girlfriends. In

exposed him

Cynthia

helped bring about the demise of the Beatles.

Beatles' partnership

studio or

(since '63) to

Lennon's case

to,

which was

it

was the panorama of

just the excuse

from the "pop" confines of the In perfect hippie fashion,

—very

late '60s, the

interested in their

own

often, this included their radical notions that

he was looking for to

Yoko

free himself

Beatles.

Lennon

refused to be apart

—even

from Yoko

while he was in the recording studio with the other chaps. This has proven time

and again to be

a detrimental factor to

any band's existence. In Lennon's

case,

CHAPTER the other boys had to indulge

5:

THE BEATLES

him because he

1

was, after

—he

n't just bring Yoko into the studio, however

also

all,

the leader.

He

19

did-

brought her influence into

the group: "Revolution #9," for instance, was a weird avant-garde melange that

sounded more

Almost

like

John Cage than the

Beatles.

of the group's collective

as if to stress the dissolution

identity, the

next album was simply entitled The Beatles and came in a plain white sleeve.

There were four separate giveaway photos of the Beades, but none of them together.

As Lennon would

other's session Stills,

dio

Nash,

&

they were, at

later claim,

Young

"white album" was in it's

each

men." This would, of course, become the domain of Crosby, as well as the patent for

Rock of the 70s (Fleetwood Mac even

dard,

this point, "acting as

many ways

much

did their

of the

own

the Beades' last stand

showed

a pretty hip sonic barrage. It also

sterile

El

Lay

"white album").

— even by

that, for the

stu-

The

today's stan-

most

part, the

Beatles had left the psychedelic circus-sounds of Sgt. Pepper behind and were

getting ready to rock again.

Besides the slow disintegration of the group

itself,

there were other prob-

lems on the Beades' horizon. In March 1969, both Lennon and McCartney

were married: John to Yoko, Paul to American Rock photographer/groupie

New

Linda Eastman. Linda's family were well-to-do found himself assimilating to their middle

wanted

his brother-in-law,

Lee Eastman,

his shares

affairs.

New

also decided

many problems

before, the Beades

was the key word here

Meanwhile,

Dick James had sold

rebirth (pardy due to Yoko).

sugar daddies to any crazies

As

indeed!). After the

their

new and

who walked

own

record label, Apple, not

"unusual" talent as well. Unusual

in particular

a result, the

of the duds they sponsored never

Lew

to sort out.

had started

—Lennon

he

York strong-arm lawyer Allen

further complicate matters,

only to represent them but to nurture

The

He

of Northern Songs, the Beades' publishing company, to Sir

Grade, and there were

A year

To

class values.

to represent his fortunes.

Lennon, Harrison, and Starr had chosen Klein to run their

Yorkers, and Paul soon

was

in the midst of a radical

Beades found themselves playing

in off the streets. Unfortunately,

made

it

off the starting

most

ramp (Magic Alex

Beades paid them large sums of money, of course.

Beades' lack of business acumen was probably their undoing

goes back to the death of Brian Epstein. to represent themselves. In retrospect,

The

it

—which

Beatles were basically unprepared

probably wasn't

a

good

idea for

them

— SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

120

to launch their

own

label.

The jet set whirlwind

not to mention the drug indulgence business.

As

a result, hippie

—

Beatles:

number one most noteworthy group, by 1970, when they

revolution they'd created.

anymore.

their

officially split,

No

grown accustomed

much

when

moment

to

time for running a right.

they had ceased to be the died. It

had lasted

a

long

they were merely spectators in the

one was looking to the Beatles for "the word"

The only thing people

make money. Ultimately

didn't leave

ROLL

hangers-on ripped them off left and

That was the problem with the

time, but

they'd

N'

in

Rock

'n'

way to

Roll were looking for was a

the Beatles failed in this regard, as they ended

up

giv-

ing away the store (Apple failed miserably). In this sense they had joined the

Judy Garland, and Erroll Flynn:

fossilized

realm of people

like Elvis,

whose

would always be preserved within the times they

identities

was the groups who'd followed

far as

Rock

steps

who'd ultimately go on

'n'

Roll went,

forever encapsulated in ers

—

forever.

it

television

lived in.

As

in the Beatles' foot-

to shape the future while the

—and the minds of

wax

myths

Beades remained

documentary mak-

Chapter

6

6S.

Big Brother, which turned out to be her downhill.

No matter how sloppy they were, Big Brother understood their star better than any slick cats ever could. When she made some more "professional'' records in the late '60s, her music suffered from loss of character

had bigger problems by then

—

(i.e.,

like heroin, tor instance,

blandness). But she

which eventually

killed

her in 1970.

A lot of the lution.

The

early Frisco bands

were

folkies prior to the psychedelic revo-

Quicksilver Messenger Service

combined very

basic Blues

is

a

perfect example of a

band

and Folk elements transformed by acid and

that elec-

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

184

tricity into

something

The word

totally original.

describe the heavy vibrato of guitarist

be some kind of chemical

lowed by hypnotic instrumentals guitar duels

Tom

John Cipollina

good-time songs like

ROLL

"mercurial"

is

always used to

—indeed there seems

compound coursing through

pie bands, Quicksilver did

N'

it.

to

Like most of the hip-

the classic "Dino's Song" fol-

like

"Gold and

Silver,"

between Cipollina and Gary Duncan

which showcased the premonition of

in a direct

Verlaine and Richard Lloyd in Television. Verlaine, as well as the Patti

Smith Group's Lenny Kaye, has cited Cipollina

&

Country Joe

Country Joe brought Marxist parents

—

the Fish, like the Dead, had jug-band roots, but what to the scene

no

in Berkeley,

"movement" instandy and with pressed an indie.

The

was

less

his

New Left politics.

—he embraced the

Raised a liberal by

radical notions of the

reckless abandon. Flaunting his

EP on his own Rag Baby label,

once again in

a direct

drug

use,

its

time." Later Joe

immortal

became

a

one more trip/And

refrain: "Just

premonition of

I'll

stay high

bigwig in the "protest" category, playing

smoke-ins, love-ins, be-ins,

Woodstock). Recording for a

(including a

etc.

folkie label,

classic

all

San Francisco was changing the whole like this

the

all

the ben-

appearance at

Vanguard, the Fish were

a Frisco insti-

tution that reveled in their "underground" status. It was a testament to the

group

he

record contained the classic fogged-out San Francisco anthem "Bass

Strings," with

efits,

as a direct influence.

way

of the record industry that a

politics

could actually thrive in the climate of the

late '60s

without hav-

ing any mainstream "hit" potential whatsoever.

The same cannot be Columbia

said of

Grape,

in the feeding frenzy following the

the other Frisco bands, the first

Moby

a

band that was signed

Monterey Pop

Grape weren't prone

Festival.

to long excursions,

to

Unlike

and their

album consisted of tighdy constructed, heavily harmonized Rock of the

Beatles/Byrds variety. But Columbia botched the job by releasing five singles at

once from the album, an exercise

in overkill that

confused radio programmers

and blew the band's chances of being the only other Frisco band that could

low the Jefferson Airplane into the Top Forty. total narcissism,

making

their next

album

The group seemed

a

included brass and other incongruous elements.

fol-

to react with

jam-based excursion that also It

was becoming evident to the

record companies that, despite the hype, the chances of getting these stoners to

commit anything memorable

to vinyl

put his pants on. You had to be there,

was I

like trying to get

guess.

Allen Ginsberg to

CHAPTER 8: THE REVOLUTION

—

185

—signed

to Capitol for

an unprecedented sum in 1967, but once again the experience didn't

really translate

The

Band

Steve Miller

Chicago transplant

actually a

to vinyl. Miller found himself jetting back

and forth between Frisco and England,

enlisting the aid of Brit session heavies like

Michaels in order to get his sound ductions like "Baby's House,"

and Elton John.

It

The San

When

right.

sounded

It's

late arrivals as

a Beautiful

Day,

he

like the

had nothing to do with the

words, nor did such other

Rock hybrid, or

it

Glyn Johns, Nicky Hopkins, and Lee

who were

such as on

mammoth

"San Francisco Sound,"

who perfected a kind

other

in

of Latin Ja/.y-

just tired folkies in hippie drag.

Francisco groups brought national attention to the

eyes of the world, San Francisco

pro-

missing link between the Beades

classic

Santana,

did,

became the

capital of the hippies.

promise of Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco (Wear

In the

city.

Some Flowers

On

the

Your

in

Hair)," thousands of teen runaways flooded the streets of San Francisco during

the

summer of 1967

(the

"Summer of Love"). The dupes fresh off the

thought about such considerations them, there were

as

money, food, or hygiene. Fortunatelv

altruistic forces like the

Free Clinic in place. That didn't stop disease of the '60s.

roads for a whole

WTiat was

is

They were

when Jefferson Airplane named felt

as the

the need to

dresses like Tarzan, has hair like Jane, and

the Great Unwashed, no question! In

their third

album After Bathing at

document the occasion because

happened so infrequently. But hippies relished because

it

grossly offended

that cleanliness

Haight became the cross-

anyway? According to California governor Ronald

someone who

smells like Cheetah."

probably

from becoming the new childhood

kind of depravity.

a "hippie"

Reagan: "A hippie

VD

for

Diggers and the Haight-Ashbury

The neighborhood known

new

bus never

Mom

it

fact,

Baxters, they

was something that

their reputation as dirtballs

and Pop America (who'd always preached

was next to you-know-what). "Hippie" came

to

connote

a vast

array of political and social implications, but as a generic term in the '60s,

meant

a

general),

person had long

hair,

took drugs, scorned work (and "materialism"

in

and listened to Rock music.

The San

Francisco groups

— the

Grateful Dead, the Great Society, the

Jefferson Airplane, the Charlatans, Big Brother

Moby

it

&

the Holding

Company,

Grape, 50 Foot Hose, the Loading Zone, Mother Earth, the Steve

Miller Band, Quicksilver, Sopwith Camel, the Serpent Power, Country Joe the Fish, Santana,

Dan Hicks

&

His Hot Licks, Kak, Aum, Cold Blood,

X

Mad

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

186

River, Sly lot

&

the Family Stone, the Harbinger

Complex

of the tendencies that made Rock "mature." These

N'

ROLL

—helped introduce

a

included the Jazz-like

notion of the extended jam, amplification, better equipment, higher production

horn sections and other

values,

munalism, light shows,

acid,

eclectic instrumentation, real long hair,

album-oriented Rock, big contracts,

artistic

cominde-

pendence, underground radio, and the underground press. In a weird premonition of the ensuing hippie culture, the Beatles played

performance

their last live

as a

touring had

this point, the

group

in

San Francisco on August 29, 1966. At

become drudgery, and

the recording studio held the greatest allure.

they found a whole

England that

fall,

clubs like the

UFO

new

and Speakeasy. They

the reclusive tendencies of

When

the Beatles returned to

"psychedelic" scene emerging at

also

found

a

new

standard of musi-

cianship to be reckoned with and an environment of elevated intent, primarily in the

form of two upstart

acts that also

both happened to be

trios:

Cream and

the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the form of these "power trios" lay the proto-

type for "heavy metal."

Cream

perfected the notion of

Rock one-upmanship by

their

name

alone

(they considered themselves the "cream" of British musicians). Surely their

lumbering versions of "Spoonful" and a

"Sittin'

on Top of the World" exhibited

kind of arrogance bordering on contempt. This wasn't Herman's Hermits, in

other words.

Cream

considered themselves accomplished enough musicians to

subject their audience to their every artistic fancy. This resulted in bloated

eighteen-minute versions of "Spoonful," but it also resulted in some of the most well-crafted

Rock of

the period: "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "I'm So Free,"

"Sweet Wine," "White Room," "Swlabr," "Badge," Squirrel" they

etc.

In songs like "Cat's

were already putting Zeppelin-oid fluctuations to

use.

Cream's

ambitions often overshadowed the resulting music, but they were self-consciously trying to elevate the art

form of Rock (even

if

they were

still

mistaken impression that Rock was merely an extension of the Blues

under the

—

guitarist

Eric Clapton had earned his rep being "Blues or nothing," remember?). Ginger Baker's wild, cyclical

(Beatles/Stones) a

drumming wouldn't have made

nonimprov format

gentlemanly detachment:

Cream and the

"Who

sense in the conventional the high-art notions

came

needs the hurry, the worry of city

life?"

(i.e.,

Pop).

With

presaged the whole wave of English Rock Aristocracy, buying casdes like.

CHAPTER 8: THE REVOLUTION The Jimi Hendrix despite

its

leader's

1

Experience came about no more organically than Cream,

dues-paying as

backup musician to such

a

R&B artists as

Richard, Wilson Pickett, and the Isley Brothers on the chitlin circuit psychedelic incarnation. His being a Black

man from

Seattle,

Hendrix had already fronted

distortion

tion of

was

still

special effects. It

dreamed

—and

kick

of.

in

in his

pre-

in a

freak era.

New York called Jimmy James &

the Blue-

R&B-based, he was already experimenting with

Chas Chandler, the former

new

for a

and odd

it

band

a

Little

Washington, fimi

Hendrix's arrival in England was the epitome of "freak" acts

Flames, and although

87

was during this time that he caught the bass player of the Animals,

who was

atten-

Looking

managing Hendrix was more than he could have ever

Taking him back to England, Chandler bedecked Hendrix

him

chedelic garb and introduced

(drums) and Noel Redding

(bass).

Mitch Mitchell

to a pair of Brit musicians:

The

in psy-

appearance of these two white kids with

the Big Black Stud completed the freak picture, but Hendrix lucked out

could actually play. Hendrix, a

man who wore

his guitar

around

his

—they

neck seven-

teen hours per day, was carving out such a distinct path as an instrumentalist that it's

likely

he elevated

his accompanists just

by sheer force of will. Credit Mitchell

and Redding for being able to make the cosmic jump. Along with Ginger Baker and Keith Moon, Mitchell was the best of the British drummers,

powerhouse who made every rimshot

a force to be

Hendrix was

Redding had

a lead-based guitar player,

rhythmically, and he was

more than capable

As evidenced by the band's

first

the whole genre

became

L. Burnside excepted). into outer space, but

less

than the

a vaudeville act (a

The

sometimes compensate

like

"Hey

Joe,"

Hendrix invented

his

"Remember,"

"May This Be Love," and

final

word

in the Blues, before

few modern-day purveyors

no matter what vibe he was pursuing, be

like R.

it

Blues or psy-

was absolute. Like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis,

John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Cecil

field

to

drugs undoubtedly helped him propel the Blues

chedelic, his basic language

neers,

reckoned with. Because

album, Are You Experienced?^ Hendrix

"51st Anniversary,"

"Highway Chile" were nothing

polyrhythmic

in this category.

never abandoned the Blues impulse. Songs

"The Wind Cries Mary,"

a

own

Taylor, or any of the other Jazz pio-

musical language. As

tar as

Rock

goes, in the

of "heavy metal," he was essential with crunching ritt-rockers

like

"Purple Haze," "Foxy Lady," "Manic Depression," "Voodoo Chile," ami the rest.

And when he mastered

the recording studio with alliums like

.

Ixis:

/>/ Crosby,

Stills.

Nash

&

Young,

119, 222,223, 231, 285, 121,

324 Crossover, 44. 56 57

3

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

570

ROLL

N'

Crover, Dave, 467, 468

Davies, Ray, 165,494

Destroy

Crowe, Cameron, 476

Davis, Betty,

Destructo

3

1

Monsters, 391

All

485, 486

label,

Davis, Clive, 203, 204, 218, 326

Detroit Cobras, 540

Crows, 84

Davis, Michael, 224, 389

Deviants, 228, 491

Crudup, Arthur, 25, 40

Davis, Miles, 25, 145,187, 188,

Devo, 200, 288, 342, 343, 359, 371,410,413

Crowley,

Aleister,

268

244, 245, 246, 248, 252, 286,

Cruise, Pablo, 304

Ruben

Cruisiii with

& the Jets,

199,214

Crumb,

R.

Crusaders, 252

Crypt

289, 290

label,

Crystallized

Devoto, Howard, 359

Sammy Jr.,

Davis,

Dayne, Taylor, 454

Diaz, Denny, 297

Passed, 193

Days of Future

Movements

506,

Dead

Boys, 274, 332, 342, 391,

492

Crystals, 84, 85

Cueball, 536

Dead Kennedys,

374, 378, 379,

Dead Milkmen,

486

392,

428

413,414,416,427,428,429,

Dean, James, 18,52,53,229

443, 449, 523, 524, 525

Dean, Tommy, 430

Cure, 387

386

Curtis, Ian,

&

Dick Dale 94

the Deltones, 91,

371,392,487

Dictators, 274, 301,324, 331,

332,333,369,380,383,391, 392, 436, 549 Diddley, Bo, 44, 45, 46, 51, 64, 121, 176

DeCarlo, Mark, 448, 449, 523

Didion, Joan, 295

Decca Records,

Die Kreuzen, 383,424

2

1,

24, 26, 44,

63,64, 105, 127,136,260

Curtola, Bobby, 72

Dibango, Manu, 308

Dickies,

384, 393, 483,

dumbing down, 412,

Neil, 89, 234, 265

Dickey, Whit, 553

Cudahy, Mike, 526

Dead C, 495

Culley, Frank, 83

Dogs, 274-75

Diamond,

Days of Rage, 208

,

Diamond

Day, Doris, 524

489, 490

507, 522

Cultural

529

DiFranco, Ani, 510

Curve, 493

Deconstruction, 52

Dig Me Out, 546

Cynecide, 391

Deep

Diggers, 185

Cyril Davies' All Stars, 161

Cyrkle, 89

C/Z

Purple, 265, 266, 279,

331,381

Cynics, 490

Records, 459

Deep

Digital

459

Six,

DiMeola,

Def Jam Records,

DiMucci, Dion, 87-88, 168

407, 408,

Da

Def Leppard, 381,421,455, 538

466

Capo, 195

DeFries, Tony, 273

Daddy Cool, 214

Dekker, Desmond, 216

Dahl, Jeff, 487

DelVetts, 168

Dale, Dick, 161

Damned,

Dan Hicks

&

His

Hot

Delmore

Dio, 426

Dion

&

the Belmonts, 86, 87

Dionysus

label,

Straits,

489

419

Dirtv Rotten Imbeciles (DRI),

Delmonas, 490

358, 364, 367, 369

290

Dinosaur Jr., 393, 460, 470, 484,496,497,499,500,511

Dire

Dells, 241

Damaged, 374

Al,

Dinosaurs, The, 496

Deface the Music, 287

Dadamah, 495

85

label,

Deep Wound, 496 439, 446

D Generation,

Underground, 537

Dimension

383

Brothers, 25, 26

Disc jockeys (DJs), 65-69, 75, '

Licks,

Delrons, 169

76,77

185,212

DeLuxe

label,

Discharge, 364, 382

65

Dangerfield, Tony, 101, 160

Dangerhouse

label,

&

Dischord

DeNiro, Robert, 229

Disco Casablanca Records and, 311-12

Denny, Martin, 74 the Juniors, 86

Denny, Sandy, 361 Danzig, 383

485, 486

cocaine and, 295

Danzig, Glenn, 383, 434

Densmore, John,

DePalma, Side of the

196, 197

Brian,

446

Moon, 282 Descendants, 393, 483

Dave Clark

Five, 162

Davenport,

Cow Cow,

commercialism and, 253-54,

Denver, John, 232

Darin, Bobby, 87

Dark

label,

370

Danko, Richard, 210

Danny

Demolition Doll Rods, 540

Desperado, 300

62

310,311,313,317,318 dancing and, 308

DJ

culture and

fetishism and,

312-13

homosexuality and, 309, 312

5

1

3

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL Tommy,

origins of, 253, 305

Dorsey,

post-Punk and, 320 Punk and, 369, 386 Rap and, 253-54, 403

Double Nickels on the Dime, 390

Dowd, Tom, 82

Down-home

Techno and, 308 upward mobility and, 310 wane of, 403

Downliners

Hook, 263

Dr.

Disney, 532

Harmonica

Boss,

40 Drake, Hamid, 553 Drake, Nick, 216, 499

Dixon, Willie, 47

Dream

486, 501

Syndicate, 387, 389,

393, 414,

DJ culture, 308-9 D-Mob, 536

153,203,209 Smith and. 325 Punk and, 341,384 Sonnv Bov Williamson and, Patti

Drake, Pete, 210

Movement, 483, 485,

47'

479

Dan

Steely Dress}' Bessy, 52

Drew, Nancy, 511

239

Woody

263-64, 273, 282, 290, 295,

Guthrie and, 158,

DYS,

381

299,300,308,311,367,371,

Dogbowl. See Stephen Tunney

372, 385, 387, 388, 389, 390,

401,402,408,424,430, 435-36,449-50,461,465, 477,483,492,497,523,553

51,75

Dokken, 424 Dolby, Thomas, 413

Drugs Are

Dominatrix, 423, 518

Drum

Fats, 48, 49, 50, 82,

Dry Dominoes, 39

550

Nice,

as

Dub

Eiist

Bone, 461

music, 386

I

Wage

Other,

John

If'

Eater,

.

364

560

EazyE.428,440,443 Duncan, Gary,

1

84 Fboli.

Duncan, Tommy, 28

214

Echo

Dunn, Bob, 22

Doors, 195, 196, 197,203,226,

228,258,298,361,369,417, 492 Doors of Perception, 178, 197 Doors, The, 116

and Fucking 463

Dope, Guns,

Dust, 218, 323

Ecstasy,

Dutch Hercules, 384

70

Bunnymen,

^s" 43,

493

l-JSulln-anShr.:-.*-. [09

Dwarves, 469, 485.4^2

Ed, led, and Fred, 467

Bob Alice Cooper and, 267 Baby Boomers and, 59

Dylan,

Eddy, Duane, 72

Edgar Winter

(

iroup, 269

1

in

tin-

The

Byrds and.

drugs and. 141

the

53-54, 56, SO

1

David Bowie and, 80

Tommy,

&

Echo chamber technology,

Duran Duran, 413

488

Dorsey Brothers,

1

Dunbar, John, 118

Doobie Brothers, 204, 263, 301

label,

"

Foster, 172

190, 191, 192,

Don't Look Back, 148, 151,316

Streets,

1

19

1

-

Easybeats, Dulles,

Dore

7

Easton, Sheena, 421,423

Dukakis, Michael, 512

Dookie,

1

McCartney

60

Donnas, 489, 529, 546, 548

84, 88,

Fire. 3

266

Eastman, Linda. See Linda

Duff, Bruce, 487 1

Wind &

Eastman, Lee,

Ducks Deluxe, 344

Donegan, Lonnie, 97-98,

264

F.arwigs,

the Goodtimes, 161

Donahue, Tom, 249

302.303,358.369,454.455 Earth.

Earth,

machine, 407

A

Eagles, 202, 223. 299, 300, 301,

Earth AD, 383

Dry, 514

213

Doowop,

209-10

159

Drugs, 218, 224, 243-44,

Doe, John, 370

of,

vocal inflection and, 170

Drifters, 81,83, 84, 87,

Donovan, 171, 221,528

and, 297

transformation

339

Bill,

Johnny Cash and, 2 1 Johnny Winter and, 218 later work and, 153 legacy of, 153.419,529 Lou Reed and, 324 motorcycle accident and,

Disposable income, 4 Dixieland, 160

Don &

Jefferson Airplane and. 1K2.

183

Dr. Ross the

Domino,

54V

Sect, 163

Downsizing, 409, 41

Dr. Feelgood, 345

288

Discreet Music,

Doggett,

169, 170, 171

14

Disco Three, 404

1

influence of. 171, 229,416,

music, 13

Dr. Dre, 445, 537 3

Factory and, 74-75 music and, 51, 87

folk to rock conversion of.

Downbeats, 166

413

Disco bonfire,

Elvis Costello and, 365

The folk

synthesizers and, 309-10,

DMZ, 388 DNA, 338, DOC, 443

Faglesand, 301

Double-tracking, 93

sexual revolution and, 308

D.I.Y.

62

571

~4 1

Edison Speaking Phonographic

70 2

_;;

Company

59

Edison, rhomas, 59

5

1

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

572

Edwards, Bernard, 405, 440 Effigies,

Erdelyi,

Tom.

See

Tommy

Ramone

462

Eisenhower, Dwight,

ROLL 206

Family, The,

Famous Door, 62

Erickson, Roky, 224

72

1

N'

Fankhauser, Merrill, 200

Erlandson, Eric, 516

Fantastic Baggys,

Ertegun, Ahmet, 44, 81, 83, 222

Fardon, Don, 212

El Dorados, 39

Ertegun, Nesuhi, 81, 83

Farlowe, Chris, 132

Elastica, 5

ESP-Disk

Farrakhan, Louis, 402, 439, 440

Mark, 380

Eitzel,

El

Ay

Studio Rock, 119

1

label, 173,

339, 374, 462, 505, 550

Eldorados, 43

Esquivel, Juan, 74

Electric bass, 33, 56

Electric Frankenstein,

Electric guitar, 21, 22, 34, 54,

448

Estes, Sleepy John, 17

Etiquette label, 95

Electric Light Orchestra

Euripedes, 516

(ELO), 285, 286, 315, 319

Electric Prunes, 168, 202,

464

270

Electric Warrior,

Everclear,

554

Marc, 318

Feederz, 433

Feldman, Andrea, 258

Evol,

479

Feminism,

1

Exile on Alain Street, 137,

Exploding

261

Plastic Inevitable,

177, 188

Ely, Jack, 95

Emerson, Lake

&

338,344

Ezrin, Bob, 267, 272

Fab Five Freddy, 405

Emery, Jill, 516 Fabian, 72, 160,455

Records, 105, 106, 107,

161,351,353,354,356

Faces,

138,263,278

434

Eminem, 524

Faces of Death,

En Vogue, 537

Factory, 174, 176, 271, 272

Endino, Jack, 461,468 England's Nrwest Hitmakers, 128

Enigma

label,

427

Eno, Brian, 275, 282,283,287, 288,319,336,387,413,504,

94

Ferguson, Jay, 304

Fagen, Donald, 297 Fahey, John, 513 Fair,

Ferry, Bryan, 319, 336,

504

Fetishism, 312-13 Fields,

Danny, 321,332

Fields, Lee,

551,552

50 Foot Hose, 185,281 Figgs, 553, 555

Fillmore East, 221

Fillmore West, 181, 182

David, 501

Finley, Karen,

Fairjad, 492, 497, 501,502,

433

Finn, Mickey, 270

527 Firefall,

304

Fairport Convention, 216, 217,

543

Entwhisde,John, 221

Enuff Z'Enuff, 424 Epic Records, 356

Faith

label,

486, 487

EPMD, 408 Epstein, Brian, 104-5, 106, 107, 109, 112, 115-16, 119, 128, 162, 203

Equals, 217

First National

513 Faith,

Epitaph

guitars, 33, 34, 56,

Ferrante, Arthur, 527

Fenrwood Tonight, 410 Fabares, Shelly, 72

108,

506,507,508,509,510,511, 512,513,514,515,518, 545-46

Palmer

(ELP), 193,281,284,285,

EMI

480, 481, 482, 483, 491-92,

Fender

Exploited, 364, 379

Emerson, Keith, 285

10, 229, 232, 233,

336,361,362,421,422,423, 430-31,433,476,478,479,

Exiles, 163

28

399

Everman, Jason, 468

Exile in Guyuille, 5

Ellington, Duke, 18, 19,20,21,

Trail,

Federal label, 25, 39

197,223,224,273,322,326

Eliot,

Campaign

Everly Brothers, 56—57

Exclusive label, 65

Day, 507

376

Fecal Matter, 468

Elektra Records, 159, 195, 196,

Dream

Fear,

Fear and Loathing on the

Electric Ladyland, 188

Electric organ, 75

281,527

Faust,

Estrus label, 489

62, 248, 395

Farren, Mick, 228

Fatboy Slim, 529

Estefan, Gloria,

538

70

Fat Boys, 404

Essex, 85

Electric Eels, 200, 340

11th

176,326,

1

Adam, 160

No More, 453

Faith, Percy, Faithful,

74

Matthew, 188

Flamin' Groovies, 214, 323, 347

287

360, 376, 513

Falwell, Jerry,

Fisher,

Band, 2 1

Wildman, 231

Five Royales, 25

Faithmll, Marianne, 131, 367 Fall,

Fischer,

421,428

Fame, George,

1

88

Family Argent, 216

Flamingos, 84 Flash

&

the Pan, 376

Flavor Flav, 438, 441, 442

Fleetwood Mac, 48,

1

19, 163,

202,216,300,302,303,316, 335,484,516

6

1

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL

573

Fleetwood Mac, 302, 303

Frampton Comes Alive, 316

Gainslwmrg, Serge. 554

Fleetwood, Mick, 303

Galas, Diamanda,

Fleming, Don, 502, 505

Frampton, 335

Flesheaters, 371

Francis, Connie, 56, 72

Galucci, Don, 90

Fleshtones, 165, 339, 376, 388,

Frank, Robert, 137,263

Gamble, Kenny, 254

490

Frankie

Flipper, 379, 385, 393, 483

Flying Burrito Brothers, 211

Nun Records,

389, 495

Focus, 288, 329

Fog, 499

212,419

Rock and, 509

Cang Green, 383 Gang of Four. 386,491

Freak Out, 198

Gant, Cecil, 64, 66

&

the Dreamers, 162

458, 487, 490, 493 Garcia, Jerry/71, 180, 181, 182

Garner, Sue, 518

Freed, Alan, 67-68, 69, 70-71,

Freedom

Fighters,

235

Garthwaite, Terry. 232

&

Garv Puckett Gap, 89 Gates,

Freisen, Gil, 318

Gates, David, 234

riots,

Frey,

Glenn

Bill,

395, 397. 529

251,255,407,445

Fripp, Robert, 283, 288

Gayle, Charles, 553

Frischmann, Justine, 511, 512

Gee

For Your Pleasure, 275

Froom, Mitchell, 376

Geflfen, David,

Forced Exposure, 172, 391, 428,

Frost, Edith,

For the

Roses,

231

462, 496, 505, 522, 526, 527

Forced Exposure

label,

505

Fuck You:

A

Magazine

of the Aits,

Ford, Tennessee Ernie, 25 Foreigner, 314, 315, 317, 320,

228,231,374,378,390 Fugs, The, 173

Funhouse, 90, 591

Formanek, Michael, 553

Funicello, Annette, 72,

RPM, 26

4 Aces of Western Swing, 44 Four Freshmen, 92

Four Seasons,

86, 88, 107, 145

Fowlev, Kim,

284

Genesis, 2S4

Genovese Family, 70

Funkmusic,243,248,251,252, 280,406,407,453,551

Gende, Johnny, 100

Funkadelic.251,252,267,268, 311,403,453

Germs,

Germ

Free * Mokuents, 162

Gerry I'.L'.s,

$71,

>S;

;

~". 385, 464,

4s:

the Pacemakers, 128,

1

381

Gershwin, George, 60

Fuzzy, 507, 510, 529

Geto Boys, 408, 429, 446, 447, 44«>.

Geto

Fox, Samantha, 427

Foxtrot,

521

523

414

Fusion music, 246. 2S"

546 Fox, James, 136

Foxscore movement,

equality, 435. 478, 4"''.

480,491-92, 506-7, 508-9, 510,511,512,513-14, 518,

162

>8,202,2S0,

( 1

Gender

Funicello, Ross "die Boss." 331

Furay, Richie, 2

Fourmost, 128, 162

Geflfen Records. 455. 456, 457,

Generation X. 519, 520, 522,

Forever Changes, 196

Foundations, 217

222-23, 231,

Generation Gap, 157, 41"

Funhouse, 273-74

375,377

73

470,471,475,488,493,517

172

Fugs, 96, 171, 172-3, 195, 198,

Ford, Mary, 34

label, 70,

299, 446, 454

518

Fugazi, 456, 485, 486, 502, 548

Ford, Gerald R., 400

Union

Gave, Marvin. 240, 243. 250,

Friday the 13th, 434

262-63

For EP Fans Only, 554

45

the

FreewheeUn', 147

Football

.

Garage Rock, 94. 168, 183, 202, 219,323,378,388-89. 389,

Rock

Fontana, D.J., 30, 41

-

Gants, 168

purism and, 168 and, 169, 170, 171

J59,

543

Gangsta Rap, 406, 408-9. -H 440, 444, 446, 450

73, 75, 76, 77, 78-79, 81

Rock and, 512-13, 515

550

Franzman, Erin, 53

146

13, 158, 159, 168,

x.

Gangsta XIP, 429. 449-50

Frantz, Chris, 336

159

233,377,378,435 Girl

217,243,255,403

Free Wheelm' Bob Dylan, The,

Folk Implosion, 499

1

GameTheoi-Y. 337-38,

Free Speech Movement, 158,

Foley, Red, 30

Indie

the

Free, 216, 217

Foghat,269, 314, 317

Folk music,

&

Teenagers, 71,84, 239,405

Freddie

Fogelberg, Dan, 304 Fogerty, John,

Lyman

Frantics, 161

Flying Lizards, 343

5

Galaxie 500, 492. 503, 507

Franklin, Aretha, 83, 145, 183,

Flock of Seagulls, A, 387

Flying

Peter, 316, 317, 318,

5

Gabriel, Peter, 284, 419 1

Gaffiiey, Eric, 499,

500

450, 4


Holly, Buddy, 45, 49, 56, 57,96,

llol/man.Jac. 195, 197, 22

163, 186

Heroes, 288,

162.222

Holloway, Brenda,

Herman, Woody, 64

Haslam, Annie, 361

62

Hollywood Punk Palace, 369

288

Harvey, PJ., 514

Billie,

Hollies, 116-17.

Hendrix,Jimi,46, 164, 170, 171, 186, 187, 188,221,

Henley, Don, 455

Hartman, Dan, 304

22

414

Holden, Randy, 220

Helmet, 463

1

Hoffman, Abbie, 259 Hoffman, Dusrin.

Helm, Chet, 183 1 1

"the Bear," 218

Hitmen, 389

207, 208

126, 191, 234, 503

Bob

Hider, Adolf, 331

Hell's Angels, 31, 135, 180, 206,

Harris,

Hite,

7

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

576

Huxley, Aldous, 178,196

Honky, 546 I

Ionky-tonk music, 22, 23, 28, 29, 33, 372 17, 18, 46,

Hooters, 409

I

Iopkins, Lighmin', 48

Hopkins, Nicky, 185

Hopper, Dennis, 529

Horn, Bob

326

Hot Buttered Soul, 253, 308 199,283,290

Hot

Rats,

Hot

Rock, The,

A

Capel/a,

IRA

IBM, 396 Cube, 444, 445, 448, 449

Ice-T, 408, 437, 440, 443 Idle Race,

285

Idol, Billy,

393

Happen

Burnett, 17, 18, 36, 38, 39,

44,87,213,239 Hubley, Georgia, 500, 501, 507

Hudson, Garth, 210 Huebner, Louise, 268 Huff, Leon, 254 508, 521

Hub, 528 Hull,

Robot

Immediate

226

540

Bud, 33

label,

Island Records, 217, 465

It

Takes a Nation of Millions

J

132

Imperial Records, 73, 82

'n

'Roll,

137, 138

& M Studio, 49

J Geils Band, 419

Jackson

5,

254

Jackson Five, 410

My Head, 383

In the Co/tit of the Crimson King,

Jackson, Janet, 421, 422, 423,

454

283 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, 220

Jackson, Jesse, 402

Incredible String Band, 216

Jackson, Joe, 376

Independent

526

labels, 24, 25, 35,

Jackson, Michael, 371, 384, 393,

411,413,415,416,420,443, 464, 529

Hullabaloo, 169

61,64,65,66,70,318,325,

Human Human

358, 374-75, 377, 408,

Jackson, Millie,

486-87, 488-89, 496, 502,

Jacoby, Bernie "Jowls," 441

503, 504, 544

Jagger, Bianca, 137, 263

Humble

League, 387, 413 Switchboard, 387, 539 Pie, 45,

165,216

Jagger, Mick, 260, 263, 333, 397

acting and, 136, 139,260

Hunk) Doiy, 271 Hunted Down, 461

495-96, 497, 500, 503, 504,

Hunter, Ian, 341

509,516,522,550,552,554, 556

Hunter, Meredith, 260 Hunter, Robert, 496

Hurdy Curdy Man, 22 Husik, Lida, 515

Husker Du, 374, 381, 382, 383, 388,389,393,423,436,455, 457, 470, 484, 497, 544 Hustler,

300

1

Indie Rock, 95, 338,431,433,

457,459,461,463,468,470, 478,483,485,491,493,494,

1

3

Indian-Rock, 212

Humperdinck, Engelbert, 89

Humphrey, Hubert, 247, 399

to

Hold Us Back, 408, 440, 441 Its Only Rock

74

Incredibly Strange Music, A.,

It,

Isuzu,Joe,443,448, 523

Imperial Teen, 544 In

376

label,

This

Isley Brothers, 187

549

Turner and His Kings of Rhythm, 36, 37, 50

Howlin' Wolf aka Chester

Is

Islam, 244, 247,439,445, 533

to Fall,

Ym in the Mood, Ym In You, 316

IRS

Isaacs,

If One of These Bottles Should

House, Son, 37

HuggyBear,

Iron Maiden, 381

Irons,Jack,475,476

Ike

284-85

345, 362

Ian, Janis, 193

Ibarra, Susie, 553

Hourglass, 2

Steve,

319

Iron Butterfly, 220

Iguanas, 224, 225

Howe,

Internet, 484, 497, 529, 530,

Iommi, Ibny, 424

215

Hotel California, 302, 369

Houston, Whitney, 443, 525

Submarine Band,

111

531,532,538

£ Una, 423

546

1

ROLL

Interview, 293,

Ice

Hornsby, Bruce, 230

Chrissie, 362,423, 511

N'

International

of the Seventh Galaxy, 290

Iypnotics, 493

7 Dig

Hoover, J. Edgar, 173

Horses,

Hymn

Hynde,

Hooker, John Lee, 125, 142,239

I

3

1

Indiscreet,

276

Industrial Rock, 373, 387, 555 Industrialization, 14

Ink Spots, 27, 40, 44, 65 Innervisions,

250

Instrumental Rock, 74, 86, 87, 91, 161

Lux, 391

Hutchinson, Johnny, 100

Interior,

HuttoJJB., 241

International Artists, 462, 505

decadence and, 260 genesis of Rolling Stones and,

124 Liverpool Sound and,

1

02

between Brian Jones and, 127, 129, 130,543'

rivalry

T Rex and, 271 Jam, 355, 358 Jamaican Blue Beat, 216 James, Dick, 106, 119

James, Elmore,

17, 18,

123,239,450

James Gang, 301 James,

Tommy, 89-90

47-18,

1

1

1

1

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL Jan

&

Dean, 91,94

Jandek, 506 Jane's Addiction, 453, 471, 485,

505

Johnson, Jimmy, 428, 522, 526 527

Jump

Johnson, J J., 25

Jupp, Mickey, 365

Jansch, Bert, 216

Johnson, Lyndon

Johnson, Pete, 61,62, 81

Jardine, Al, 91

&

the Americans, 86, 89

243^7

Jazz, 19,

B., 172,

397

408

Kalaparusha, 244, 247

Kaleidoscope,

17, 18, 32, 36,

Jon

&

1

5

Kansas City Swing, 81

the Nightriders, 390

&

background

Kaplan, Ian, 501 of, 90, 123, 126,

Band, 551

Elmore James and,

48, 123

82

with, 127, 129, 130, 132, 133,

Peter, 148

297

John Lennon and,

purism and, 122, 129, 132

background

violence and, 125-26, 128, 132,

54-55

131, 133

Jones, George, 29, 213

Phillips and, 54, 55

Kaye, Lenny, 184, 215, 326, 329,513' Keep the Faith, 268 Keisker, Marion, 40

259

and, 55

Kaukonen, Jorma, 182 Kay, John, 219

134,543

419

Jennings, Waylon, 305

Sam

500

Jagger and Richards' rivalry 1

Jerry Lee Lewis

Roy Hall

Karman, forty Lied,

Jefferson Airplane Takes Off,

of,

Ira,

innovations and, 123, 131, 133

185,203,216

Jefferson Starship,

Kaplan,

Kapp, Dave, 2

Jefferson Airplane, 135, 182, 184,

KAOS, 458

131

Dynamite

the Evil's

]X'>

Kansas, 314, 320

Jones, Brian

JBs, 403, 406

Records, 478, 501

Kak, 185

Johnson, Rick, 226

Johnston, Bob,

Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince,

K

Johnson, Robert,

41,47,48, 123

Jayhawks, 453

J.D.

blues, 25, 27, 36, 63, 64.

65

Johnson, Johnny and Ann, 50

Jaquet, Illinois, 43, 63

Jay

577

Kellgren, Gary, 199

Jones, Grace, 313, 423

Kendricks, Eddie, 254

Jones, Grandpa, 25

Kenne Highland

Jesus Lizard, 463

Jones, Jenny, 27

KennedvJohnE,

Jethro Tull, 216, 281, 286, 287

Jones,

Jerry Springer, 427, 484, 524 Jesus Christ Superstar,

Jett,

234

Joan, 371, 478, 479, 480,

Jones,

Jimi Hendrix Experience,

1

86,

the Blue

Flames, 187

&

Jo Jo Zep Joel, Billy,

the Falcons, 406

304

&

366, 367, 436, 455

Tom,

89,

554

Joplinjanis, 183,203,259

Jordan, Louis, 26, 36, 66

& the Pussycats, 410

John, Elton,

Jourdan, Louis, 236-37

230, 233, 250,

275,293,294,319,344 John Wesley Harding, 152-53, 210

&

1

"4.

Ketamine, 493 Kick

Out

Joy Division, 386, 387, 52S, 554

224

Kidd, Johnny. [60

kill

&

Rock

the

I

Ggfa

Ro.uk

145

Stars label. 376,478,

482 267

killer.

Journey, 320, 366, 377

the Jams,

Kid Creole. 404

kilburn Josie

Johnny

4, 28, 14S.

Kesey, Ken. 179, 180, 181,530

Jordan, Michael, 443

Johansen, David, 276, 277 1,

208

State, 205,

Kerplunk, 488

Joplin, Scott, 14-15

the Starlighters, 87

1 1

Kent

Kerouac, Jack,

Jones, Spike, 198

Jones, Steve, 348, 351, 352, 353,

Jones,

Joerg, Steven, 552

Joey Dee

Kennedy, Ted, 259 Kent, Nick, 354

178

188,215,218,220

Jimmy James &

Raymond, 104

Jones, Ricky Lee, 233

GeilsBand, 218, 269

187,

Jones, Leroi, 245

108, 14".

157-58,172, 174,397,484

Paul, 22

Jones, Mick, 357, 405

482 Jewel, 515 J.

John

Klan, 490

killingjoke, 320 kilinister. l.einmy. 2S2. }61

Joy of Cooking, 232 the Hurricanes, 74,

103

Johnny Kidd

&

Johns, Glyn,

1

die Pirates, 101

85

Johnson, Calvin, 501

Kilslug,

Jubilee label, 65

Judas

Prist,

381

Kimino

379-80,435,450, 527

M\

House, 2~>

kind of Blue. 246

Judge, Mike, 523 King,

B.I?..

$5,

16,

39,44, 21

Jukeboxes, 22, 24 King, Carole, 84, 170, 229,230, 23

1

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

578

King Crimson,

193, 198,283,

284, 285, 288, 289, 297, 390

ROLL

N'

Kubrick, Stanley, 263

Leisure time,

Kunkel, Russ, 170

Leitch,

3

Donovan. See Donovan

King, Joe, 488

Kursaal Flyers, 345

Lemonheads, 429

King, Martin Luther, 235, 243,

Kurt ami Courtney, 474

Lennon, Cynthia Powell,

247,402,407

Lennon, John,

King Missile, 503, 504 kins? Records, 25, 35, 42, 61,

Peste,

art school and,

388

background

65,67,73,81,82,454 LaBostrie, Dorothy, 50

King, Rodney, 447, 450

Lad Kingsmen, 90,

rock, 263, 348

95, 161

Laibach, 387

98 drug-themed song first

Lake, Oliver, 247 Lalas, Alexi,

Lamb

Lies

The,

Kirschner,

Don,

first

on Broadway,

284 label,

Plastic

85

Kiss, 228, 230, 267, 279, 294,

295,297,309,311,315,319,

Landau, Jon, 215,225, 227

324, 328, 343, 349, 366, 381,

Lane, Frankie, 62

424,426,427,434,435,441, 463,474,516

Larsen, Nicolette, 303

Kiss

Meets the Phantom of the

Last Poets, 247

Klein, Robert, 296, 364

Laughner, Peter, 226, 340, 342,

Lauper, Cyndi, 414

Laurie

label,

It Bleed,

Let

Be, 214,

505

135

Roclc, 346,

it

347

Dance, 413

Letters to Cleo,

521,529

Lay, Sam, 225

Letwin, Gordon, 530

Lazy Cowgirls, 484, 485

Knights, 93

Lazy Susan, 508

Levene, Keith, 386 Levy, Alison Faith, 518

Knopfler, Mark, 420

Leader, 165 Levy, Morris, 69-70, 71, 88,

Knox, Buddy, 70

Lear,

Knox, Chris, 494

Amanda, 275, 313,423

Leary, Timothy, 178, 179-80,

the Gang, 407

259 Leave Home, 334 Lewis, Jerry Lee, 49, 51, 86,

Kooper.Al, 150

Leaves, 168

Korn, 456, 524, 525, 554, 556

Leaving Trains, 484, 516

Korner, Alexis, 122, 123, 124-25, 163 Kraftwerk, 282,413

552

KramerAlark, 503 Kravitz, Lenny, 453,

529

Krieger, Robbie, 196, 197 Kristal, Hilly, 324,

325

Led

165,322,439

Zeppelin, 165, 186, 190,

204,216,220,221,222,223 224,225,227,230,232,262 263, 264, 266, 268, 277, 279 303,304,305,308,314,319 321,322,337,338,344,360 365,370,374,381,382,416 417,423,424,425,426,438 459, 460, 474, 496

Kristofferson, Kris, 213

Led Zeppelin IV, 265

KRS-One/Boogie Down

Lee, Arthur, 195, 196

Productions, 440

Krugman, Murray, 268 Krupps, Gene, 141

405,531 Lewis, Heather, 183

Lewis, Huey, 401, 419

D, 404

Krall, Diana,

it

Let

85

Knight, Gladys, 253

&

Let

Lettermen, 92

Knickerbockers, 168

Moe

Lenoir, J.B., 48

Let's

Knaves, 168

Kool

Lennox, Annie, 42 1 423

369

Knack, 376, 539

Kool

Stuart Sutcliffe and, 99

Les Lutins, 166

244

Lately I Keep Scissors, 513

Klein, Allen, 119, 136

and, 214

and, 97-98, 99

,

Lateef, Yusef,

424

Ono Band

Quarrymen

1 1

115

of,

YokoOnoand, 118-19

Last Exit to Brooklyn, 326

Park, 425 Kix,

recorded vocal and, 103

influence of Dylan and,

outspokenness

84, 202

Lance

impressions of the U.S.

and, 109

476

Down

lyrics and,

114

Kinks, 99, 110, 162, 163, 164,

Kirchherr, Astrid, 102-3

97-98

celebrity and,

Lake, Greg, 285

Kinsey Report, 6-7, 10

99

of, 90,

Brian Jones and, 131, 133

Kingston Trio, 143, 159

165,166, 190,221,319

18

296, 474, 475, 494, 520

L7, 480

La

1

53, 230, 269-70,

Lewis,

Meade Lux,

245 License to

Lick Life,

III,

Lee, Spike, 439

&

Stoller,

Leiber, Jerry, 8

408

My Deals Off Baby,

Lifestyles

of the Rich

& Famous,

293 Lightcap, Chris, 553

Gordon, 233

Lightin' Hopkins, 142

Limbomaniacs, 453 83-84, 239

200

221

Lightfoot,

Leiber

62

Liberation Music Ensemble,

Lime

Spiders, 389

5

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL Limp

554

Bizkit, 456,

Lind, Bob, 89

Louis Jordan

Little

Lounge

168,219

Litter,

Anthony

&

the Imperials,

Bov Blue and

the Blues

Boys, 124, 224

Little

His Tvmpani

revival,

526

Louvin Brothers, 25, 56 Lovano, Joe, 552

84 Litde

Little

and, 82

Louisiana Hayride, 29, 30

277

Lipstick Killers,

&

Five, 26-27, 63, 64'

216

Lindisfarne,

McGhee

Sticks

Love, 195, 196,212,389

Hippodrome, 347

Love Child, 494, 507, 508, 509,

Litde Milton, 241 48, 49-51, 54,

213,218,224,237,238 Band, 304, 529

Litde Walter, 40

189

IMiighs,

Madder

Rose, 507, 52

Madonna, 294, 312, 393, 408, 412,413,415.416,420,421, 422,423,425,42". 42*. 42. 433,436,454,464,479,512, 514,540

529 Mael, Ron, 275

Mael, Russ, 275, 276

Magazine, 359, 360

Love Connection, 448 Love, Courtney, 303, 474, 483,

484,515-16,517,520,523 Love

it to

Magic

Alex, 119

Magic Band, 200

Magic Sam, 239, 241

Death, 267

Magic Tramps, 278, 324

Love, Mike, 91

214

Live at Leeds,

Battery, 460,

521

55,66, 117, 141, 143, 187,

Little River

Madcap

328, 330

Mae, Jenny, 518

Love

8,

Mad Magazine, 142, Mad River, 185-86

Love, 547

Games, 190

Litde Richard,

579

Love Sculpture, 216

Magicians, 171

Live at the Apollo, 242

Love Unlimited Orchestra, 254

Magma, 288

Live Through This, 516

Lovell,Vic, 179

Magnuson, Ann, 503-4

Liverpool scene, 101, 160, 161,

Loverboy, 315, 320

Mahavishnu Orchestra, 289, 290

457

Lovich, Lene, 365

Living Colour, 453, 471, 485

LLCoolJ,408,439,443 Lloyd, Richard, 184

Lovin' Spoonful, 111, 171

Law, 288, 413

Lowenstein, Jason, 500

Loaded, 500

Lowndes, Sarah, 151

Loading Zone, 185

LSD,

Norman,

Maimudes,

Lowe, Nick, 338, 358, 364, 365

Lloyd, rRchard, 324

Mailer,

114, 115, 177-78, 179,

Loder, Kurt, 412

180, 181, 183, 184, 188, 189,

Lodga; 288

190,

197,229,251,282,397

172. 295.

MainMan,273,274 Mainstream Majora

culture, 4, 6

505, 506

label,

Makers, 545

Malanga, Gerard, 175

Malcolm X, 243.402.407 Malfunkshun. 459, 460. 469

Lofgren, Nils, 453

Ludlam, Charles, 276-77

Lollipop Shoppe, 168, 202, 219

Luna, 509

Malmsteen, Yngwie. 424

Lomax, Alan, 35

Lunch, Lvdia, 429, 478-79, 479,481

Malone,

Lomax, John,

London

15,

20

blues scene, 163, 164

Man,

London Calling, 111

London Records, 329

Lydon,John. See Johnny Rotten

Lookout 489

label,

486, 487, 488,

Loose Nut, 383

Lord,

Mary Lou,

Los Angeles

5

1

scene, 170, 193,

Manchester, Melissa. 304

Lynnejeff, 285

Maneri, Mat, 553

Lynyrd Skynyrd, 269, 305. 320, 366

Manifesto,

314,368,369,370,371,483

Lyrics, 168

the

Hand

4W

Loud

Family, 507, 543, 544,

549 Louis Jordan

Manic

Panic. 351

319

Manilow, Barn. 326 Manitoba, 387,

People,

the World. I he.

271

Mandrill. 252

Los Bravos, 166

&

216, 263

Mm Who Sold

Lyman, Mel, 233

Lyres, 363, 388,

171,280,527

20, 22. 33

the Papas, 170, 182.

Lyman, Frankie, 87

194, 201, 202, 298, 299, 302,

Lorhar

Bill,

Mamas & 299

Lush, 493 Lutcher, Joe, 27

Long Run, The, 302

1

[andsome Dick.

436

M, 376

Ma

Machine Head, 265

Mann. Barn. S4

Ian, 380,

it

made

Cirl.

550

Mann, Herbie, 111,263,283

Mack, Lonnie, 46

MacKaye,

429

Victor, 148

485

Mann, Manfred. 171

110. 162, 164,

1

1

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

580

N'

ROLL

Manning, Barbara, 183,495, 513,514,522,529

Matthews, Donna, 51 1-12

McGuire

Maupin, Bernie, 290

Mclntyre, Maurice, 247

Man's Ruin

Maximum

label

Manson, Charles, 206, 207, 208, 233,362,429,430,434,477, 485, 528, 529

Manson

V

Rod-

Roll,

278, 324, 336,430

Manson, Marilyn, 294, 524, 556

Mayalljohn, 216

Scott,

1

85

McLaren, Malcolm, 312, 346, 500

347, 348, 349, 350, 352, 353, 354, 356, 366, 367

133, 163, 164,

McLaughlin, John, 289

Mantovani, 74

Mayfield, Curtis, 241,249,250

McLean,

Manuel, Richard, 210

Mazzy

McLean, Don, 233

Manzarek, Ray, 196, 197

MC Hammer, 445, 454, 466

McLean, Jackie, 244

Mapplethorpe, Robert, 312, 433

MC5,

McLuhan,

Marbles, 324

Marcus, Greil, 227, 370, 450

Star,

509

195,214,220,

117, 168,

267, 328, 339, 355, 363, 389,

McManus, Declan. See

McCabe,

Marquee, 351

McCall,

Mart] uce Moon, 326

Married

..with Children,

Marriot, Steve, 165

Marsalis,

McVie, John, 303

550 1,

Me Decade, 293, 298 2-3,

3,

68, 157

119

Wynton, 552

Meat

Puppets, 374, 393, 496,

544

McCartney, Linda Eastman,

Mars, 338

Meatmen,

331, 383, 384, 392,

423

McCartney, Paul, 203, 230, 234,

Meddle, 282

Marsh, Dave, 228, 323, 331, 412

254, 298, 352, 419, 505

Marshall Tucker Band, 305, 320

the bass and, 103

Medium

is

Beades'chief balladeer and,

Meet the

Beatles,

Martha & the Vandellas, 240,255

86,

Martin, Dean, 87, 235, 436

Martin, George, 105, 106, 107, 113, 114, 115,151, 191

Martin, Ricky, 448

background

of,

111

impressions of the U.S.

Charlie,

Melle Mel, 404

McCrae, Gwen, 310

Marvelettes, 86

McDaniels, Darryl aka

410 Mascis, J., 496, 497, 498, 499,

500

Mason, Dave, 188 Mason, Ray, 547, 548 Master of Reality, 265

Matador Records, 495, 496, 505,514,554 Matassa, Cosimo, 49

3

1

DMC,

407

McDonald, Country Joe, 171

Al,

Mathis, Johnny, 145

Madock, Glen, 348-49, 353,

Melody Maker, 107,464

McDowell, Jack, 476

Melvins, 459, 460, 467, 468

McDuffJack, 75

Memphis

McGhee,

Memphis sound, 309

Sticks, 82

McGonigal, Mike, 527

McGovern, George

S.,

McGuinn, Roger

Mendelsohn, John, 222, 227, 261

194, 195,210-11

McGuinness-Flint, 212

McGuire,

Slim, 27

Men at Work, 409, 41 398,

(nee Jim

354 Matrix, 182

Mellon Family, 178

103,226,227,268,331,369, 370,391,392,502,532

350

400, 520

Matchmaker, The, 448

Mellencamp, John Cougar, 393, 419,456

Meltzer, Richard, 51, 101-2,

McDonnell, Evelyn, 545

McDowell,

85

207

210

McCoy, Van,

Mary Hartman,

label,

Melcher, Terry, 170, 193, 206,

McCaughan, Mac, 502

Martinez, Christina, 43

Hart/nan,

177

108

Melanie, 529

Melba

and, 109

McCoy,

the Massage, The,

Mekons, 491

Martin, Steve, 296, 300

Mary

Medea, 516

98

criticism of, 117 first

501

McVie, Christine, 300, 302

Peter, 101

Tris, 549,

McCarthy Hearings, 449

McNeil, Legs, 328, 367

McNew, James,

McAuliffe, Leon, 21,22

Marley, Bob, 216, 291

Elvis

Costello

455 Marks, David, 91

Marshall, 177, 397,

445, 450, 534, 554

MCA Records, 317, 318, 374,

Marketts, 94

Brian, 195

223,224,225,226,228,251, 423, 438, 473, 482, 485

Mardones, Benny, 304

238

Mcjohn, Goldy, 219 McKenzie,

Max's Kansas City, 257, 277,

May I Sing with Me?,

Family, 195

378, 391

Sisters, 85,

Barry, 170

),

Mentors, 427, 435

Mer label,

325

Mercer Arts Center, 277, 324 Mercer, Johnny, 24, 60

1

6

3

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL

581

Mercury, Freddie, 295, 352

Miracles, 240

Mooncv

Mercury Records,

Miro, Jennifer, 379,423

Moonglows.

Miscegenation, 35, 533

Moonlighting, 529

Misfits, 267, 380, 383, 392, 423,

Moore,

93, 252, 278,

325, 341, 347

Mercury Rev, 529

Merge

label,

434,435

502

Suzuki, 538 44, 68, 238

54

Merrill,

Moore, Scorn,

34. 41, 54, 161

Mermaids, 85

Miss Christine, 261

Moore, Thomas, 100

Merry

Mss

Moore, Thurston, 552

Pranksters, 180

Pamela, 261

Mersey Beat, 102, 103

Mission of Burma, 388, 393

Moore, Wild

Mersey beat sound, 457

Missy, 537

Moose, 493

161, 372,

27

Bill,

Mistaken, 509

Mops, 166

Merseybeats, 162

Mistress Ruby, 518, 519

Moreland, James, 484,

"Message, The," 406

Mitch Rvder & the Detroit Wheels, 224

Morgan, Jeffrey,

Messina, Jim, 2

Met

1

Puppets, 497

232,299,300,301,454,513, 529

Metallica, 364, 374, 382, 383

Morris, Keith, 373

Mob influence,

Morrisey, Paul, 259

69-70

Morrison, Jim,

Moby Grape,

Miami Sound Machine, 448

182, 184, 185,

434

Mod groups, 64, Mod Squad, 203 1

Miasma, 491 Michael, George, 454, 464

Moddy Blues, Modem Dance,

Michaels, Lee, 185 Sylvia,

405

Modern Jazz

Microsoft, 395

Modern

Middle of the Road sound

(MOR), 301,303,

304, 310

193

Morrissey, 442, 464, 554

Quartet, 83

xMorton, Jelly Roll, 15

Moss, Jerry, 318 Most. Mickey, 190

Records, 35, 36, 38, 46,

Mother

Earth, 185

Mothers

Motor City

Monk, Thelonious, 243 Monkees, 191,202,211,309,

Glenn, 85

376, 505

Miller, Jerry, 182

Monroe,

145,204

Bill,

550

453

The, 526

32, 41

Moit die

loople, 151, 21".

Mountain. 218.

Mouse. 171

Monti' Pythons Ffymg

Moog,

Robert,

374, 380, 383, 384, 393, 423,

Moon,

Keith, IS". 221

485, 486, 496

Moondog, 69

Minutemen, 374, 381, 386, 390,

1

263,272,273, 324

Montrose, 269

Minor Threat,

Mintz, Leo, 67

Records. 86, 240, 242.

Monterey Pop Festival, 170. 184, 191,202,203,204.231

Mingus, Charles, 83, 244, 252 202, 331,372,

scene, 540

249.250. 253. 254. 255, 311, 318

Monroe, Marilyn, 33

Miller, Scott, 543, 544, 549,

"Moondog

(.'inns,

296

Mouse. Stanley,

1

13

MP3, 530,531 Mr.

68 Party,

4M

Move, 189,285

2 SO

Coronation

Moondog House

; ''''.

Motorhead, 274, 360, 361, 364, 381,383,423,430,473,544

Motown

Monkees, The, -W0

Jimmy, 137

198,

Motley Que, 392, 424, 466

Money, Eddie, 305

Milkshakes, 490

252

Mothers of Invention. 504

Molly Hatchett, 320

Miles, Trevor, 346

Finest,

Essra, 231, 378

Moles, 505

Milburn, Amos, 36

392, 393

76

230, 234

The, 341

Lovers, 326, 336, 337,

Mohawk,

Miles, Buddy, 248

Millionaire,

1

Morrison, Van, 164,215,227,

Mods, 217, 262

Mighty Caesars, 490

Miller, Steve, 212, 305,

Morrison, Sterling.

Mother Love Bone, 469. 475

Midnighters, 25, 96

Miller, Mitch,

Modern

IT.

48

Mdnight Oil, 409

Miller,

65

347, 502

Midnight Cowboy, 258-59

Miller,

1

18, 196.

259,298,325,349,350.381. 418,419

203

&

311

Mitchell, Mitch, 187

MGM Records, 28, 204

Mickey

Moroder, Giorgio, 309, 310,

Mitchell, Willie, 253

Meyer, Russ, 367, 464

Vice,

1

Morris, Joe, 553

Meters, 241,406

Miami

5

1

Morissette, Alanis, 515, 529

Mitchell, Joni, 167, 223, 231,

Metal Machine Music, 272

3

67

Ball,"

Gasser&

the

Mr. Rogers, ^20

Wardos.93

7

1

5

3

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

582

MTV,64,285,

314, 317, 360,

381,385,393,409-10,411, 412,413,414,419,420,421, 424,425,426,427,454,455, 456, 458, 466, 472, 475, 477,

479,490,505,511,513,517, 524-25, 528, 533, 539, 541

Nashville Skyline, 2

"New

1

Mudhoney,

New York Dolls,

Freedom (NAF) National Association of

391, 460, 461, 463,

Bam Dame,

490,494,516

National Front, 345, 385

Moon,

National

23, 25,

54

Mulligan, Gerry, 244

label,

Nationalism,

3

Newport Folk Newport Jazz

Ned Kelly, 260

42

Newport

Negative FX, 429

341

Nelson,

Murphy's Law, 392

Nelson, Paul, 278

Muscle Shoals Studios,

2

1

for Airports, 288, 387

Randy, 227, 229, 230,

231

Neats, 388

Murphy, Patrick "Murph", 496, 498

Music

Newman,

Nazz, 266

Devils, 545

Murder City USA, 402

Newborn, Phineas, 36 Newley, Anthony, 275

Navarro, Fats, 244

277, 278

Festival,

Olivia,

Bill,

289

Nicks, Stevie, 300, 302, 303

Nico, 176,321,326,378,379,

Nelson, Ricky, 48, 57

414, 509, 550

Nelson, Sandy, 75

Night Fever Disco, 403^4 Night Flight, 410

Nelson, Willie, 305

Nems

Record Store, 104

Night Owl, 171

Music Machine, 168

Neon

Boys, 278

Nightblooms, 507

to

Put Her

in the

Mood, 74

Neo-retro, 388-89, 389

Neuwirth, Bob, 149

Mutants, 391

Never Mind

Sound, 200, 343

My Ami is True, 494, 495

Sky

Were Fair and Had

in Their

Hair But Now

They're Content to

Wear Stars

on Their Brows, 270

My

War, 383

Myers, Richard. See Richard Hell

Myra

Breckinridge,

259

Naked and the Dead,

Naked Raygun,

Nilsson, Harry

Nine Inch 366

Nevermind, 471, 472, 473, 474,

Nails, 525

Nine, Ron, 460

Nine

to the

Universe, 188,

249

497

365

My Bloody Valentine, 492, 493, My People

the Bollocks,

443

Nightline,

Nesmith, Mike, 2 1

Mussorgsky, Petrovich, 285

MX-80

304

Nice, 284, 285

Music for Lovers, 74

Musical Brownies, 22

50

245

Rebels,

Newton-John,

Nektar, 288

1

244-45

Festival,

Music fi-om Big Pink, 210

Music

171, 324, 325,

339

296

Mummies, 489

Elliot,

Roll

York Rocker, 319

New York scene,

National Lampoon, 296

Murcia,

Murphy Brown,

New

65

National Lampoon Radio Hour,

Multiple overdubs, 93

Murder City

York Press, 518

New York Rock & Ensemble, 193

Mull, Martin, 296

Murphy,

362, 367, 425, 484, 538

New 1

National Broadcasting, 61

Billy,

168, 276, 277,

278, 279, 294, 324, 325, 328, 339, 340, 342, 347, 348, 350,

464, 465, 466, 468, 469, 470,

Mullican,

Wave, 288, 314, 335, 336, 337,338,343,358,365

Nathan, Syd, 25, 39, 81,242 National Association for

National

Thing," 246

New

Nashville Teens, 164

Broadcaster (NAB), 24

Mud, 262

ROLL

N'

1984, 349 Neville Brothers, 241

New Birth, 252 New Christs, 389 New Christy Minstrels,

1910 Fruitgum Company, 202, 212

111,

170

New comedy, New Geocenmc

470,471,472,473,475,477, 480, 484, 486, 487, 488, 489,

296

457, 462

Napster, 531,540

Nash, Graham, 221,222 Nashville Pussy, 546, 547

493,496,497,505,511,516, 522, 539, 544, 554, 556

World, 553

New Jacks, 443 New journalism, 295, 296 New Kids on the Block, 445, 466

The, 172

Nirvana, 28, 374, 393, 455, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 469,

New Model band, 332 New Order, 386, 387, 392 New Race, 389 New Radiant Storm King, New Route, 460

Nixon, Richard, 213, 247, 249, 259, 293, 304, 307, 327, 379, 398, 399, 400

No No

Control,

486

Depression,

547

No Doubt, 525, No Nukes, 305 499

No One Can Do

No wave,

529, 556

It Better,

338, 340, 391

443

5

7

1

1

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL Nobles, Gene, 66

100 Club, 351

Noel, Hattie, 11

Rainbow, 460

Noise

New York,

503

Noise, The, 521

Parents'

Only Ones, 539

Paris,

Ono, Yoko, 118-19,433,482

Parker, Charlie, 18,41, 187,

NOIZE, 438

Opera Times,

Oprah, 295, 464, 525

Nolen, Jimmy, 248

Option,

Northwest Frat Rock scene, 161, 167

Notorious Byrd Brothers, 210, 211 Notorious Byrd Brothers,

The,

5

1

Novoselic, Chris/Krist, 466, 467, 472, 468, 473

Now, 129 Nowottny, Marianne, 529, 550

Nugent, Ted, 228, 230, 315, 317,349,381,467 Nuggets, 215, 329

Numan,

Gary, 413

Number One Record, 337

Parker, Colonel Tom, 52, 53,

58,471

462

333, 408, 409, 423, 428,

429,437,441,442,443,444, 445, 446, 456, 529

Parker, William, 553

Orbison, Rov, 34-35, 55-56, 89, 107

Parks,

Organ, 87

Parkway Records, 72

Orioles, 39, 68

Parliaments, 251, 31

Ork

Parlophone, 105

label,

326

Van Dyke, 194

1,

453

Ork, Terry, 325

Parnes, Larry, 100

Orleans, 263, 304

Parsons,

Ormsby, Buck, 95

Parton, Dolly, 213, 305

Gram,

2

1

491

,

1

Orpheus, 204

Partridge Family, 48

Osborne, Buzz, 459

Partridge Family, The,

Osboume, Ozzy,

Passion Piny, A,

261, 265, 381,

492

Pastels, 491,

382

410

286

O'Shea, Bonnie, 520

Patton, Bigjohn, 75

Osibasa, 252

Patton, Charley, 17, 36

Osmond, Donny, 271,301

Paul, Les, 34

Osmond, Marie, 301

Paul Revere

Osmonds, 204, 364, 365

Nuns, 379

NWA,

302

243,244,333

1 1

195

Nova, Heather,

Music Resource Center

(PMRQ,423,425,426

Nolan, Jerry, 278, 327, 348

Northern Songs, 106, 119

583

Osterberg, James, 225 O'Sullivan, Gilbert, 234

&

the Raiders, 161,

167, 169, 323

Pauls Boutique, 453

Pavement, 499 Pavitt, Bruce, 458, 460, 461,

Other Half, 168,219

463,464,465.469,471 Nyro, Laura, 203, 223, 227, 228,230,231

Otis,

Oui,

Johnny, 27, 45 Payola, 42, 68-69, 68-69. 72,

430

75-77, 77-78

Outlaw Josie Wales, The, 260 Oakley, Berry, 217

Outlaws, 305, 306, 320

Oasis, 493, 525, 537

Outlets, 388

Peace Corps, 158

Odes, Rebecca, 183,518

Overkill L.A., 374, 383

Odetta, 159

Owens, Buck, 25

Pearl,

O'Donoghue, Michael, 296

Oy!, 378

Pearls Before Swine,

Ohio

Express, 202

Ohio

Players, 252, 312, 403

O'Jays,

Okeh

Olatunji,

label, 15, 16,

21

176,244 288

126-27, 128, 129, 131-32,

203 the Beach, 232, 303 1

74

One Flrw 179

A Time,

3

"4

222, 268,

1

Oi

Parallel Lines ,319

Paramount record

Penguins, 39, 198

Pentangle, 216

Paisley underground,

Palmer, Earl, 49

3

Peer, Ralph, 16

Pennebaker, D..V, 203

Page, Patti, 42

Pansy Division, 48

493-94 l

Pagans, 274, 342. 359, 391

Palmer, Carl, 285

Onassis, Blackie, 463

Once Upon

Minne. 32

Peel sessions. 4 >3- l >4

Pallenberg, Anita, 132, 136,260

the Road,

505, 520, 529

Peel, John.

1

Pagejimmv, 220-21, 424

Oldham, Andrew Loog,

On On

Pacific Arts label, 2

Pacino, Al, 446

Oldfield, Mike,

1

Peeble, Ann, 253

254

record

"2

Peace Eye Bookshop,

Pearl Jam. 475, 476, 477, 4S4.

label, 15

Pere Ubu, 200, 340, 341, 342, 344 Peregrine-look, Steve. 270

Petja nutut

,

1

36,

260

3

1

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

584

Performance

art,

432-33, 503-4

Perkins, Carl, 35, 53, 54, 99,

103

Me,

214

Pet Sounds; 194, 195

&

Gordon,

Peter, Paul

107, 126

Creedence Clearwater Revival and, 211,212 departure from Sam Phillips and, 52

255

Persuasions,

Peter

Player Von Get, The, 302 Please Please

Perry, Lee,

156,421,430

Playboy, 9-10, 10,

ROLL

N'

Elvis Costello and, 365

Poco, 2

Grand Ole Op/y and,

1

32, 42,

52

Poetry slam, 504

110, 162

& Mary,

Pleazers, 167

Hank

Pogo, 372

Williams' influence on,

35

159

Pogues, 363

image and, 160, 239

Peterson, Charles, 465

Poison, 392, 421, 424, 455, 473

Ink Spots and, 40

Peterson, Dickie, 548

Poison Idea, 383,429,435

innovations and, 42, 86, 159,

Petrillo,

James C, 24

Petty,

Norman, 56

Petty,

Tom,

Poison

Polanski,

418, 419

Pfister,

Leiber/Stoller and, 81

535

Litde Richard and, 49, 5 Louisiana Hayrick and, 30

PolyStyrene, 362,479

Snoopy, 195

Polydor Records, 308

P-Funk,46

Polygram Records, 329, 469

Phair, Liz, 303, 514-15,

529

Ph.D., 387,413 Philles label, 80, 85 Phillips,

419

Politically Incoirect,

483

Pfaff, Kristen,

Roman, 207

Police, 376,418,

Peyton Place, 10

221,333,472,556 Jim Morrison and, 197 Johnny Rotten and, 356

479

Ivy,

Dewey, 42

Phillips, Flip,

Pomus, Doc, 239

Poneman, Jonathan, 460, 461, 465,468,469,471,490 Pop, 102, 118 Pop Goes

43

Electric

Star, 191

mama's boy and, 28, 40 and, 228 musical demise of, 56, 116 Punk music and, 331 RCA Records and, 52 redemption and, 55 Ricky Nelson and, 57

Mick Farren

Roy

Hall and, 55

Sun Records audition and, 40 Phillips,

John, 171,203

Phillips,

Sam,

25, 30, 35, 36, 37,

38,39,40,41,43,49,52,53, 54,55,471 Philo

label,

Pop,Iggy,95, 197,225,226,

262,272,274,321,340,341, 342,350,371,373,391,460,

Porno For Pyros, 505 an Exhibition, 285

492

Fairies, 228,

Porter, Cole, 60

Post, Louise, 511

29, 33

289

162, 163,

189,200,216,276

Pretty Things,

329

Price, Lloyd,

67

Primus, 284, 453 Prince, 384, 393,414,415,416,

Powers, Ann, 545

464,498

Pink Flag, 359

Powertrip, 383

Prince Buster, 216

Pink Floyd, 116, 188-89,281,

Premieres, 96

Prine, John, 233

282,283,303,324,338,365, 370,416

Prendergrass, Teddy, 439 Presence,

Pinkus,

Jeff,

Prior,

344

Presley, Elvis

Pipkins, 403

Plan

9,

B.B. King's influence on, 35

black music and, 235 388, 490

Plant, Robert, 221,222, 548

Plaster Casters, 261 Plastic

Ono

Plastic

People of the Universe,

509

Band, 214

Process Church aka Church of the Final Judgement, 251,

268

burnout and, 18 cars and,

Colonel Plasmatics, 379

446

Private Dancer, 42 3

Arthur Crudup and, 25, 40

508

Maddy, 361

Priority label,

546

Pixies, 336, 392, 429, 479, 507,

516

Pretty Things, 117, 128, 161,

Primitives, 163

Powell, Cynthia, 118

Power Puff Girls, 550

Pigpen, 181,259

Pink

Mama"

166

Presley, Reg,

Porn Rock, 430, 431, 432, 433

255

Webb,

"Big

Pretty on the Inside,

Pickett, Wilson, 187, 217, 236,

Pierce, Jason,

Mae

Thornton and, 42

464, 525

Popwatch, 522

Pierce,

Willie

Popular culture, 4

48

Phluph, 204

Pictures at

vocal quality and, 40, 41

ProcolHarum,

4

Tom

Parker and, 52,

Professor Longhair, 82

53,58,471 comeback of, 2 1 commercialization

151, 188, 191,

289, 320

Profile label, of,

52-3,

Profumo

407

Scandal, 103-4

58, 102, 118

controversy and, 166 creative

freedom and, 41

Progressive Rock, 163, 210,

281,284,285,286,288,309

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL Pryor, Richard, 296

Psychedelic Furs, 386, 387

Psychedelic Rock, 180, 181, 184, 185

Psychedelic scene, 186, 187, 188, 189, 194,

199,204,219,

220,247,251,492-93 Psychedelic Soul, 249 Psychoanalysis, 156

Public Enemy, 404, 408, 437,

438,439,440,441,443,456 Public Image Ltd. (PiL), 386

Puff Daddy, 525, 537

Punch the Cbck, 366

New Wave and,

Rage

288, 314,

554

358, 365, 369, 376, 378,

Ragtime,

381,385,387,405,4(38,

413,419,430,431,511, 539, 543, 544 noncommercialism of, 322, 325,327,329,331,332, 334-35, 338, 339, 362-63,

373,377,417,556 214,217,224,225,226, 228,262,263,267,273, 274,282,289,310,321, 288

antidrug and, 372, 380,

449-50

Rap and, 403 Rock and, 362-63, 367-68, 373,385,393,482 1

39

surf music and, 91, 96

Pure Pop for

Now

People,

364

Pursey, Jimmy, 364

Pussy Whipped, 482

fashion and, 345, 346, 347,

P)Tamids, 94

Grunge

and, 472, 473, 474,

372, 373, 374, 379, 380,

Maw,

Quarrymen,

126

QUBE,410 Queers, 487, 488, 489

Tommy,

humor

and, 330-31,

340

London

beat scene ami,

101-2

machismo and, 380-81, 392 Metal and, 381-82, 383, 384 Mod revival ami, 354-55,

358

363,364,369,370,371,373, 374,379,381,382,392,401, 412,429,430,434,442,457, 472, 484, 487, 4ss. 489, 546

182, 183, 184,

t.

408

405,44041

185,212

drugs and, 449-50 early lyrics and, 5

fashion and. 441

Quiet Riot, 424, 467

future and, 533, 555

legacy

Race music,

16. 20. 27.

t,

542

origins of, 247, 248, 250-51,

33

Radiators from Space, 360 Radio, 15,21,24.73

legacy of, 393

350,357,359,360,361. 362.

disco and. 403

160

Raburn, Yern, 530

jazzand, 338-39, 552

334, 335, 340, 342. 345, 349,

copyright controversj and,

industrialization and, 342,

Jewish

Ramones,28, 57,90,96, 138, 165,223,225,273,278,324, 326,329,330,331,332, $33,

commercialization

Queen, 276, 314, 352

and, 522

343

>

404,437-38,440,442, 444 breakdancing and, 404

Quicksilver Messenger Service,

Rock

(

Ramone, Dee Dee, 436

black identitv and. 251, 402,

98, 99, 100

408, 426, 434, 435-36,

Indie

70

antidrug and, 437

Quant,

Quickly,

487, 496, 497, 503

label,

Rap/Hip Hop, 45

381,382,388,391,392, 439, 475, 483, 484, 486,

Rama

379

1

Raparata, 169

Quatro, Suzi, 478

475 Hardcore and, 359, 364, 371,

3 3

Rap-a-Lot, 446

348, 350-51, 352, 354

458-59

Boys,

Rancid, 487

Pussy Galore, 227,431

449-50, 483, 492, 503 England and, 344, 345, 346

grassroots and, 343, 344, 377,

label, 377,

Rama

Romanes, 332, 334

388, 389, 390, 435-36,

feminism and, 361, 362 Glam Rock and, 324

Ralph

Ramone, Tommy, 334

racism and, 384, 385

Rolling Stones and, 138,

479

Rainy Daze. 192,202

Ramone,Joey. 4s 8

Purple Ivy Shadows, 499

drugs and, 367, 385, 387,

Raincoats, 361, 386,

Ramirez, Richard, 42

politicalization and, 344, 345,

purism and, 122, 129

disco and, 386

Railroads, 14

Rambo, 434

355,378,379,484, 486-87

372-73,373,375,378, 385,386,392,431-32 amorality and, 327, 328

160

Rain Parade, 387,414

origins of, 165, 173, 200,

346, 347, 348, 350, 352,

363, 368, 370, 371,

14, 15,

Raiders, 212

Punk music, 95, 96, 168, 170 333,340,341,350,352, 353,354,357,361-62,

Machine, 456,

.Against the

335,336,337,338,343,

Punk, 319, 328, 329, 367

alienation and, 328, 330, 331,

585

254,403,408 Punk mu\. 403 Rock ,\nd. 456 sampling and. 2^2. ^S~.

4.

'

Radio Birdman, 363, 389 Radio City,

sexism and. 442,445, 446

337

technolog} and. 53

Radiohead, 520 Rafferty, Gerry,

407

304

Rag Baby label, 184

54,403,

404,405,406,408 toasting and, 403, 405 [reniers and,

;

2

1

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

586

violence and, 438, 439, 440,

441,442,444,446,447 Rapp, Tom, 171

R.E.M., 335, 338, 359, 387,

388,392,454,457,470,472, 525, 547, 554

Rascals, 171

Remains, 168

Raspberries, 324, 337

Renaissance, 329

Rat, The,

Rationals, Ratskellar,

Ratt,

REO

505

174

Rivingtons, 96

Roberts, John, 204

Robertson, Pat, 42

Robinson, David, 337

Robinson, Joe, 405

488, 498

166

Riittus Norvegicus,

361

Robinson, Smokey, 240

Rock

Residents, 200, 379

Baby Boomers and, 322

Rave, 493

Retro scene, 489, 490, 497, 542, Power, 274, 331,363

Rays, 86

545,551,553 Return to Forever, 338

RCA Records, 95,

89

Roberts, Howard, 80

Speedwagon, 320

Research, 526

Raw

Rivers, Johnny,

Reprise Records, 230, 378, 480,

424

Rattles,

489

Riverdales, 488,

Roach, Max, 244

Replacements (the Mats), 338, 388, 393, 436, 457, 554

224

ROLL

N'

16, 50, 52, 53,

Retu ni

Forever,

to

182,318,471,539 Revelations front

Reagan, Ronald, 185, 306, 307,

Rezillos,

419, 420, 424, 454, 456,

471,473,490

506

336, 345, 379, 392, 395, 397,

400-401,402,415,421,428,

290

Pandemonium,

commercialism and, 169, 181, 199,204,222,284, 291,314,315-16,317, 375,411,412,414,417,

creative control and, 181,

360

192, 193, 198,

204

435, 437, 442, 449, 461, 464,

Reznor, Trent, 524

465,471,513,514

Rhoads, Randy, 382

181, 186, 187, 188,204,

Rhodes, Bernie, 354

205,218,224,263-64,

Rhodes, Todd, 67

273, 282, 290, 299, 300,

Real Kids, 388, 554 Realistics,

538

Record collector syndrome,

213,338,356,527

Rhythm

&

drugs and, 173, 174-75, 180,

Blues, 27, 36, 37, 44,

63,64,68,69,81,372

Record industry growth, 24, 60, 61,64,69,73,76,82

Rich, Charlie, 31

Record Rendezvous Shop, 67

Richards, Keith, 38, 46, 90, 99,

Recording, 59 -60 Recycle);

283-84

Red,

Hot and

Cliff, 101,

electric guitar and,

124, 126, 128, 129, 130, 138,

42

540, 541, 543, 544, 545,

Richman, Jonathan, 336, 337, 359,365,467,501,539

improvisation-based develop-

Richmond

legacy

Sluts, 541,

Rick, Dave, 504

Red

Rickenbacker

Transistor, 338

383, 475, 483, 528

543

Reddy, Helen, 234

Rimbaud, Arthur, 325

Reed, Jerry, 213

Riot Grrl Movement, 373, 478,

of,

44

& Fall of'Ziggy Stardust &

the Spidei?

from Mars, The,

273,287 Risky Business,

American, 482

185-86 guv" and,

454

Ritchie, John. See Sid Vicious Ritchie, Lionel, 41 Ritter, Tex,

nostalgia and, 542 politicalization and,

Pop

25

Rock and,

186, 191, 192, 193, 197,

202

Punk

and, 362-63, 367-68,

373, 385, 393, 482

and, 456

return to roots and, 213, 214,

322

Rock

'n'

Rolls transition

from, 169 satire and, 198,

Rivera, Jake, 338

507

and, 234, 273, 303-4

Progressive/ Art

Rap

224

Reggae, 216, 217, 255,262, 378, 384, 405

of,

"sensitive

229,232,422,423

479,480,481,482,483,486, 512,516,521,546 Rise

new

the

development

Reed, Lou, 171, 175-76,271,

290, 326, 355, 357, 367, 377,

229

maturation Riff

195

533-34, 538

and, 177-78, 180, 181,

196,

Riddle, Nelson, 74

Redding, Otis, 122, 236, 240, 243, 255

272,274,275,279,285,324, 325, 326, 500, 504, 520, 539

of, 190,

of,

183, 184, 188, 189, 190,

339

Ride, 493

Reed, Jimmy, 46, 47, 128, 492

ment

LSD

guitar, 34,

Redding, Noel, 187

Reject All

the future and, 531, 534, 538,

553, 554, 555 Blue,

Red Krayola, 553

Reflections,

248

Folk music and, 435

546,548-49,550,551,

Richbourg, John R., 66

Red Hot Chili Peppers, 453, 457,471,475

Redd Kross,

553 160

260, 436, 543

The, 516

Red,

Richard,

308,311,367,371,424, 435-36,449-50,461,465, 477,483,497,503,523,

199

8

83

5

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL second album syndrome and, 316 upheaval and, 156, 157,

social

158,203 technology and, 218-19, 280,

281,282,424

the

Pop Nation,

2

1

of,

Wayne "Duane," 506

label,

277

commercialism and,

8,

222,

Rolling Stones Records, 136 136,

207, 208, 259-60, 263

529

Pop

162, 163

and, 275 Baby Boomers and, 3 15, 417

128, 129, 131,

Bob Dylan

214 synthesis and, 66 technology and, 53-54

Rock

169 Rock

V Roll Confidential, 412

Rock

'n'

Rock

press,

214-15, 226, 227,

228,300,301,323,391,393, 406, 412, 416, 442, 500, 502,

517-18,522,525,549 Rock Seme, 276, 326 Rockabilly, 34, 41, 43, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 70, 370, 390,

490

Rocket from the Tombs, 340, 341, 342

Rocket

460

to Russia,

214 Cbckwork Orawje and, 128, 129

Rockin' Ramrods, 167

Rockonomics,

3

1

Rocky Horror Picture Show, 279-

Rotten, Johnny, 26". 34S. J49, 350, 352, 354, 355. 357, 360.

Roxy. 351

Elmore James and, 48 of,

Rough Trade

label,

88,

405 105, 12"

Music. 21". 275, 287, 288,

319, 556,

>W,

Royal. Bilk/ Joe,

innovations and, 416

>>:. 504

89

Royal Guardsmen, 162

1

legacy of, 418, 4R>, 420. 453

Royalties, 61, 82

Liverpool Sound ami. 102

RSO label,

127, 12

503, 504

Roulette Records, 70-71. 73,

Row

123-24,

and, 2

367, 373, 386, 387

317

anil, 125, 126, l

>,

130, 151. 132.

Rubber Soul, 112-13, 182, I'M. 201

134, 135, 136, 139, 163.

80,310 Rodgers and Hammerstein, 60 Rodgers and

Rotolo, Suze, 146, 14°

drugs and, 131, 138

machismo

Rockpile, 345

Rossington Collins Band, 320 Rothchild, Paul, 258

Rowe, Dick,

Johnny Winter Rockin' Roberts, 95

the Hurricanes,

Rose, Frank, 33

commercialism and, 134, 319,344,416,417 David Bailey and, 269 decadence and, 259, 261, 263,312-13 Decca Records and, 105

125-26, 127, 138

488

&

Rorv Storm

Roslie, Gerry, 95

and, 121, 124,

127, 128,131, 132, 136,

formation

59

and,

121-23, 125

A

1

Rootboy Slim, 529

Rose, Fred, 28

movement

Chuck Berry

Roll Trio, 54

Rocket, The,

134,543

British blues

and, 165,

454

303, 305,

Rooftop Singers,

Rose, Ad, 455, 456

and, 149

Brian Jones and, 127, 132, 133,

Ronstadt, Linda, 223, 299, 300,

101

124, 125

and, 89, 118

transition to

191,259

Blues and, 161

revival of, 213,

244

Rollins, Sonny,

Ronettes, 84, 85, 326 3 16,

Blues Incorporated and, 123,

payola and, 68-69

Henry, 373, 381, 383,

434, 529

Romantic Moods, 74

Beatles and, 111, 122, 127,

nostalgia and, 524-25, 528,

168

Rollins,

Andy Warhol

533-34, 541

of,

Allen Klein and, 136

drugs and, 112, 114, 131 explosion of, 79

of,

133-34, 137 violence and, 125-26, 128

Altamontand, 134-35,

and, 65

12''.

U.S. derivations

American marketplace and,

legacy

136.261

touring and, 110.

Aerosmith and, 279

52, 58,

use of classic line-up

of,

tax laws and, 134,

325, 334, 356, 366, 384, 387,

73, 134, 149, 167, 556 Country/ Blues and, 41

first

Punk and, 138,365,375 Rock and Pop crossover sitar and, 191

1

Rolling Stones

116

128-29

IIS

391,393,406,412,464

Roll

'n'

Rogers,

ROIR

524, 525,

537, 541

apex

psychedelia and, 216

261,273,300,301,317,323,

Rock Hall of Fame, Rock

Phil Spectorand,

Rogers, Kenny, 254

Rolling Stone, 2 14, 2

ment, 355, 385

Rock and

Roessler, Kira, 507

RoUerderby, 433, 517

Rock Against Racism move-

587

1

lart,

Rodgers, Jimmie,

60

17,

Rodgers, Nile, 405

Rodman, Dennis, 440

Rubell, Steve,

226 maturation of rock and, 130

158

Michael Cooper and,

Moshe Brakha

New

1

1

1

Ruhmoos, 330

&

Ruin

and. 334

York Dolls ami, 276,

277

1

Rubin, Rick. 40S. 44o

Marshall Chess and. 38

Rue.

(

the Rednecks, 278, 124

'.iiolinc.

Rumblers, "4

5

16

5

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

588

Savoy Records, 25, 35, 41, 65,

Rumours, 303

Runaways, 280, 478, 489, 529, 546

454

Sex and the Single

Saxon, Sky, 224

Sex

Saxon,

Sayer, Leo,

304

Rushing, Jimmy, 62

Scepter

Leon, 170

336

Sexism, 299, 423, 425, 426, 427,

85

label,

430-32, 436, 443, 445, 446,

Schaumberg, Ron, 167

Rudes, 528

Schilling, Peter,

Rydell, Bobby, 72

481-82,483,492,507,514, 516,546

413

Scholz,Tom, 314, 316 School's Out,

Sabu, 244

Sexual revolution,

267, 275

10,

Sconfeld, Robert, 101

426

507

Seals,

Sgt.

Scratch Acid, 463

389

7, 9,

SF Sorrow, 189

Tom, 297

Scott,

200

Saints, 274, 363,

Peppers Lonely Hearts Club

Band, 116, 117, 119, 132,

Screamers, 371

153,189, 192,193,194,195,

Saloman, Nick, 490-91

Screaming Trees, 469, 484

Dave, 255

Sammy the

SF

Scott, Shirley, 75

Sadomasochism, 518, 519

6-7,

5,

156,157, 158,257,258,

260,261,262,294,308,312, 395,421,422,423

495

Scott, Robert,

Saddlemen, 44

&

374,380,381,386,387,436, 455,457,464,472,473,484, 489

446

Scavullo, Francesco,

Ruskin, Mickey, 257

Safe as Milk,

56

363, 364, 366, 367, 368, 370,

Scaiface,

Sacrilege,

1

167,202,

356, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362,

Scandinavian Rock, 545

Rush, Tom, 203

Russell,

Girl,

Pistols, 57, 165,

267,274,312,328,345,349, 350,351,352,353,354,355,

464

Sly,

Scaduto, Anthony, 143, 144

Rupe, Art, 50, 66

Sam

Sex, 347

Saxon, 381

Run-DMC, 537

ROLL

Sex, 433

Rundgren, Todd, 229, 232, 233, 278, 287, 543 407, 408, 437, 438,

N'

196, 199, 202, 227, 262, 265,

Screeching Weasel, 488

Snooper, 441

Seals

Sampling, 387,406,407,

&

Croft,

269,283,285,311,316,317, 344,414

234

ShaNaNa,214,

Searchers, 110, 162

327, 332

440-41,443,446 San Francisco scene,

1

Shadows, 160

66

Sears, Zena,

80, 181,

182, 183, 184, 185, 190, 206,

212,220,249,378,379,380,

Seattle scene, 457-58, 459, 461,

462, 465, 468, 475, 476, 477

117, 168,

Shaggs, 502

Sebadoh, 498, 499, 500

483, 543, 544

Shadows of Knight, 224

296

Shakers, 166

Sanchez, Tony, 260

Second City

Sander, Ellen, 221

Seconds,

Sanders, Deion, 440

Secrets, 541

Sham

Sanders, Ed, 172, 173,206

Sedaka, Neil, 84

Shamburg, Robin, 518

469

Shakur, Tupac, 537, 555

Seduction through Witchcraft,

404

Seeds,

Sargent, Stefanie, 483

Seeger, Pete, 143, 145, 146,

Satan's Rats,

360

Satriani,Joe,

424

Saturday Night Fever,

Shankar, Ravi, 191

Sharpton, Al, 402 Shatter, Will,

147,232,323

385

Shaw, Arnold, 63

Seger, Bob, 165-66, 171,224,

305,306,313,315,316,375,

Shaw, Greg, 215, 323 Shell,

550

377, 393 3 10, 3

1

5,

316,317, 318, 416

Shelley, Pete, Seinfeld,

359

484 Shelton, Robert, 146

Selling

Saturday Night Live, 296, Satyrs,

268

168,202,227,349,389

Santana, Carlos, 185, 233, 290

Satan Rock, 264, 266, 267, 268

364

69, 360,

Shangri Las, 85, 86

Sedgewick, Edie, 346

Sanders, Pharoah, 252, 289 Sanders, Randy,

Television,

3

England By

the Pound,

547

284 Shepherd

1

85

Sisters,

September 11th Sheridan, Tony, 103

Serpent Power, 185 Sauceiftl of Secrets, A, 189

Sherlock, George,

Sesame

Savage, Jon, 349, 350

7 Year Bitch, 482, 483,

Savage, Roger, 127

Seven Seconds, 384

Savoy Brown, 216

1

3

Serrano, Andres, 43 3

Saunders, Mike, 226, 298, 323, 391

Shernoff, Andy, 226, 331 Street,

520 She's So Unusual,

78

RPM,

478

Shimmy

Shindig, 169

15

414

Disc, 503, 504

8

3

1

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL Shipp, Matthew, 553

Ska, 216, 377, 378

Shirley

&

Shirts,

324

Smith,

Lee, 241

160

Skiffle, 97,

Smiths, 45, 359, 387, 554

Skinheads, 217, 262,439

Sinoker You Drink, The, 302

Shocklee, Keith, 404

Skrewdriver, 360, 364

Shoegazers, 493

Skronk, 338, 339

Shonen Knife, 528, 553

Slackers, 461, 476, 477, 497,

Smothers, Smokey, 239

Shrimpton, Chrissie, 128

Snail, Azalia,

518

Snider, Dee, 425

502, 504

Wayne, 289

Shorter,

273, 278, 324,

Smith, Clarence Pinetop, 26, 62

Skin Yard, 459, 468

Shocklee, Hank, 404

Patti, 184,

325,326,336,340,341,374, 457,478,513

Skid Row, 468

85

Shirelles,

589

Slade, 262, 263,

Sniff

324

&

the Tears, 376

344

Slamdancing, 379, 380

Sniper,

Sid and Nancy, 516

Slammies, 434

Sniveling Shits, 360

Sidran, Ben, 243, 245

Slanted and Enchanted, 462

Snoop, 537

Signifying 45

Slash Records, 376, 456

Snow, Hank, 52

Shuman, Mort, 239

Silber, Irwin,

148

Slayer, 382,

406

Silk, Sills,

&

Slaughter

Silver Apples, 270, 281

Sleepyhead, 52

Silver Beatles, 100

Slick,

Silver Metre,

Soft Machine, 283

Grace, 182, 183,478

Slick Rick, 408, 426,

220

Simmons, Joe, 407

Slickee Boys, 388

Simmons, Russell, 403, 404, 407,408

Slint,

Simon

&

Garfunkel, 171

Slits,

Simon, Paul, 231, 232, 234, 285,419

Slut Rock,

Simpsons, The, 449,

Sly

&

Some

383

Simon, Carly, 230, 298

Simply Saucer, 289

Solanis, Valerie,

P.

524

the Family Stone,

John, 223, 226

Smalls, Biggie, 537, 555

476

Sioux, Siouxsie, 350, 352, 353,

361,362 Siouxsie

&

the Banshees, 361

Lord Baltimore,

Sir

2

1

Sire Records, 318, 329, 334,

335, 342, 376 Sitar,

191

Sixteen, 2 16,

Smash Your Head on Rock, 499

86,

14

159

370, 389, 390, 393, 425, 42^.

431,434.455, 456, 45". 45''. 463, 464, 470, 471. 47 l >. 4S2.

the

Punk

507,508,511,513,516,528, 529 Sonics, 95, 161, 167, 458. 464.

528

Sons of Adam,

1

95

Smashing Orange, 493, 507, 509

Sons of Champlin, $78

Smashing Pumpkins, 336, 507, 520, 536

Sony Records. 46

Smile, 194, 195

Sopwith Camel. 185, I'M

Smith, Arlene, 84

Soul Benders.

Smith, Arthur, 34

Soul Fire

Smith, Bessie, 145, 183

Soul Music, 262

Smith, Dr. David, 205

Smith,

Elliot, 52'),

79

484, 493, 495, 496, 497. 501.

Sinclair,

Singles,

1

348Stooges348

Small-band influence, 23

229-30,231,232,233,369, 549, 550

1

Sonic Youth, 267, 336, 339,

Small Faces, 164, 165, 347,

Nancy, 89, 312

Singer-songwriter movement,

1 1

Sometimes a Great Notion,

427

Sinatra,

Sing Out, 148, 159

1

138

Something/Anything?, 287

Small, Millie, 216

235,529

Girls,

Something Neir,

F, 170

246,249,250,251,403

Sinatra, Frank, 25, 62, 65, 87,

346

Solitude Standing, 5

361,479

Sloan,

Sohl, Richard, 326, 335

Sohn, Amy, 518

445

462, 463, 499

Slip it In,

Soft Boys, 288, 387 Soft Cell, 387,413

Sleeper, 512

93

Social upheaval, 157, 158, 177,

250

383,426

Sleater/Kinney, 545-46, 549

Lester, 80, 81

Silly Surfers,

the Dogs, 360

549

Sony, 404 l

>.

475

Sopor Generation, 264. 265

V^

label. 551.

552

album market and, 250, 253 business practice changes

and, 242

Smith, Jean, 51S

Chicago Soul and. 241 Smith, Jimmy, 75

60 Minutes, 137

Smith, Mamie, 16, 61

$64,000 Question, The, 75

Smith,

Mark

E.,

360

church's influence and.

2 J6,

237,241,242,253 crossover mu\. 238—39, 25

1

8

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK 'N' ROLL

590

electric guitar and, 248,

255

heroin and, 243-44

Spinners, 254

Stewart, Ian, 123, 124, 125, 127

Having Flown,

Spirits

innovations and, 249

3

1

inverse racism and, 255 "Spirituals to

Islam and, 244

Memphis sound

Motown

Swing" concerts,

Spock, Dr. Benjamin, 156, 418,

Spooky Tooth, 216

urbanization

Springfield, Dusty,

of,

250, 251,

520

461,465,468,469,475,477, 484 Soundtrack album syndrome,

306,326,363,365,393,412, 416,418,419

310,317

Sprinkle, Annie, 433

Chimnoy, 233

461,462,484,486,497,498, 544

South Park, 524 South Park Psycho, 449

Southern Culture on the Skids,

547

St. Vitus,

Southside Johnny

&

the Asbury

Jukes, 305

Spacemen

Star

Spades, 168

& Our Gang,

116-17

Spann, Otis, 47, 125

and Bible

Black,

Starr,

Edwin, 249 Ringo, 105-6,271

Steel Wheelchairs, 137

Special Ed, 445

Steele,

Specialty Records, 35, 50, 66,

Steeleye Span, 216 Steely

93, 106, 118, 128-29, 170,

272, 297, 529

Tommy, 160

Speedies, 338

Spencer Davis Group, 162, 165, 188 Spencer, Jon, 43

431,462, 528

Stein, Chris, 320, Stein,

336

Seymour, 329, 332 label,

360

Stephens, Leigh, 219-20

Steppenwolf, 219, 227 Stereolab, 507, 509, 527 Sterling

363,371,373,382,389,391,

544

Straight Outta Compton, 423,

Company, 28

Steve Miller Band, 185 Stevens, Cat, 230, 234, 285

Spin Doctors, 453

Stevens, Jay, 177

Spinanes, 507

Stevens, Ray, 213, 529

Spines, 389

168,195,220,225,226,227, 251,262,264,267,272,273, 274,278,289,321,322,323, 324,326,328,331,339,340,

Storming Heaven, 177

Dan, 198, 296-97, 328

404

Speed metal, 374

477, 505

473, 489, 499, 502, 527, 543,

Step Forward City,

Pilots,

Stones' innovations and, 123

392, 412, 423, 425, 430, 464,

Steam, 263

Spector, Phil, 79, 80-81, 84, 85,

484

Stone Roses, 493

341, 342, 347, 350, 360, 361,

Stax label, 240, 242, 248, 253,

Spears, Britney, 554

Spectrum

284

Starr,

Speakeasy, 186

82

Stone, Oliver,

Stooges, 90, 112, 128, 165, 166,

255,337

Sparks, 275

Stompd^eat, 240

Stooge, Iggy, 225

Wan, 313

Starless

Mike, 81

Stonewall Riots, 258

Starbucks, 477

387

Ballet,

Spaniels, 39

Spanky

389

180

Star Club, 103, 105

492, 509

Stoller,

280, 407

Standells, 202, 323,

Stanley, Owsley,

420

Sting, 412, 419,

Stone Temple

Space Oddity, 271 3,

Stephen, 222, 233

Stimulators, 339

Stone, Sly, 248, 249, 251,255,

374, 383

374

Stains,

1

324

Stollman, Bernard, 173

SSD Control, 381,382 SST label, 373, 374, 383,458,

South, Joe, 213,265

Stills,

3

365 363

Sanson, Bob, 436

Spungen, Nancy, 367, 474, 516 Sri

Stigwood, Robert, Stilettos,

89

Springsteen, Bruce, 301, 305,

Soundgarden, 284, 459, 460,

Spandau

Stiff Little Fingers, 362,

Springer, Jerry, 529, 547

Soul Stirrers, 239

275 Stiff label, 338, 358, 364,

249 stomp-beat and, 240 street culture's emergence and, 250-51

254

&

Sticky Fingers, 136, 260, 261,

Spitting, 372

and, 240

politicalization of, 242, 243,

Stewart, Sylvester. See Sly

the Family Stone

62

and, 240

Stewart, Rod, 215, 217, 229,

233,278,319,344,365

14

Spirituals, 13,

Spin,

7

441 Straight

to Hell,

388,391,484,485 Strangeloves, 45

Strange, Steve, 413 Stranglers, 361

Strawberry Alarm Clock, 202,

529 Strawbs, 216 Stray Cats, 390 Streisand, Barbra, 145 Strictly Personal,

Stewart, Al,

516

Straightedge, 372, 380, 381,

200

304 Strokes, 529, 538, 539, 540, 541

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL

591

Strong, Barrett, 240

Swan Records,

Strummer, Joe, 357

Swank, 430

Student Teachers, 339

Swans, 423, 431

Tears for Fears, 409, 413

Studio 54, 313,403

Sweet, 262, 313, 324, 344

Techno, 438

Sweet, Matthew, 338

Teddy

Sweet, Rachel, 365

Teddy boys aka "Teds," 213,217,347

448

Studs,

254

Stylistics,

Styx, 314, 320, 375,

377

Sub Pop Records, 376, 391, 458,460,461,462,463,464, 465,468,469,470,471,478, 483,485,487,489,490,498,

72, 85

Taylor,

Sweet Revenge, 313

Idles,

389

Teen

Idols,

75

Swervedriver, 493

Teenage Fanclub, 338, 455, 491, 493

Swing, 18-19,20,63

493

Singles Club, 461, 462,

Switched-On Bach, 280

463

Sylvester Stewart. See Sly Stone

Subteiranean Pop, 458, 460

Teenage Jesus 339

Teicher, Louis, 527

Suckdog, Lisa, 433, 517, 528,

Sympathy

for the

Record

Sugarhill

Synthesizers, 280, 281,282,

Gang, 405, 440

Sugarhill label, 405,

406

Suicidal Tendencies, 383 Suicide, 278, 324, 548,

Suicide

285,287,309,314,386,413, 438

Temptations, 240, 249, 25

Terminator X, 438 Terry Knight

301

&

the Pack, 224

T Rex, 262,270-71

Thatcher, Margaret, 345

Tad, 465, 468

That'll

Summer, Donna,

Taking Tiger Mountain By

Thayil, Kim, 460

317,335

Strategy,

Summer

of Love, 185

Sun City

Girls,

506

287

Talking Back,

Talking Heads, 288, 332, 335, 336, 337, 358, 370, 507, 508

Sun Records,

Talking Heads 77, 3 3 5

39,212

Tall

Sun

Sessions, 221

Sun

Studios. See

Super Shitty

Dwarves, 389, 494

in the

Max, 544

Super Stocks, 93

Tampa Red,

Tangerine Dream, 282 Tar,

Them, 11". 221,224

162. 163. 164. 171,

Theremin, ^2~ Tarantula, 152

Tate, Sharon, 207

Supertramp, 529

Tatoo You, 138

Theremin, Leon/Lev, 2S0. 527 There's a Riot Coin'

Supremes, 86,240, 249, 251

Tavares, 305 Taylor, Cecil, 57, 187,245

161,170,390

Taylor,

Swrea/istic Pillow,

1

82

99-

Swa, 383 Swaggart, Jimmy, 54 Rats, 168

100, 102-3

Hound Dog.

Third, 1X>

Third Bardo, 168

Taylor, Dick, 124

94

On, 24".

Thick as a Brick, 286

Surf music, 91,92,94, 95, 96,

Swamp

553 Their Satanic Majesties' Request,

Theoretical Girls. 338

463

Superfuzz Big Muff, 464

Sutcliffe, Stuart,

Thee Michelle Elephant Gun,

131-32

18

Superchunk, 502, 507

Surfaris,

Thee Headcoats, 490

Talmy, Shel, 164-65

Sun Records

Be the Day, 347

Theatre of the Ridiculous. 276-77

250

Sun Ra, 224, 246-47, 374 35, 49, 56, 40, 38,

255

Tex, Joe, 236

Sultans of Swing, 67 309, 311, 312,

1,

10 Years After, 216

Szymczyk,

550

Commandos, 342

Temple of the Dog, 475, 477

Synth-Pop, 413, 419 Bill,

8-9, 438-39,

324, 325, 326, 327, 539. 543

Sid, 32

Suede, 493

486

6,

Television (the band), 184. 278,

Industry, 489, 540

Suffer,

1, 5,

524, 525, 528, 536

Sucking in Stereo, 554

Symphony

the Jerks, 338,

Teenage Lust, 278, 324

Television,

mentary), 133

550

&

Teenagers, 39

Sympathy, 489 Syvipathy for the Devil (docu-

4

Suburbia,

53, 99,

Teen

Swirlies,

Sublime, 554

Bears, 80

Sweetheart of the Rodeo, 210, 211

499, 505, 544, 545, 547

Sub Pop

Sam, 83

Icardrop Explodes, 387

132,241

Third Generation, 220, 228, 267, 322, 323

Taylor, James, 111,229,230,

232, 234, 29S, ^y>

Thirteenth Floor Elevators, 171,228, ^44. 189, 528

Taylor, Mick, 133, 135, 136,

'137-38, 139, 163 Tavlor, Plithv Animal, 361

33

RPM.26,73

This Wideness Goes, 506

2

"" 1

Webb, Chick; 63

371

Venet, Nick, 92

426

Re|*>rt.

Weaver, Courtney ^1S

Vie, 543

Waiters, 94-95, 161, 167,458

382,

Weather

Weathermen, 205,

513,521,527,528,529,539, 540, 543, 547, 554 1

155, 156, :: ,J

529

Vollenweider, Andreas, 424

Underground, The,

the Electric

Chairs, 278

label, 15, 61

344, 358, 361, 380, 387, 389,

414

;"i>

Wayne Count) &

Vol. 2,

Velvet

Waters, Roger. 2s2

249-50

Vogues, 89

Vom,

1". is. 18, 19,

Watts, Charlie, 122, 124, 126,

321,322,326,336,337,340,

502, 504, 505, 507, 508, 509,

aka McKinlev

Watts 103 r\l Street Band.

169, 171, 175-76, 177, 195,

412,460,491,492,494,501,

Muddy

Morganfield,

12l/l25. 128,213,239, 540

violence, 125-26, 128

226, 271, 272, 287-88, 289,

Watergate, 294, 2^5. 306. 175,

Waters,

Vee, Tesco, 384,427

116, 133, 164, 165, 166, 168,

359

89,

WASP, 426

53, 57, 103, 117,

160 46, 47, 107

Warner- Ame\. 410

397, 400

101

Vedder, Eddie, 476, 477, 520

Veejay Records,

&

318,329,337,343,3*6.455. 488,491

Warwick, Dionne,

300, 337, 406, 443,

Voice,

88 230,

W arrant, 466

Village People, 311,312

Vapors, 376

(studios),

Warner Brothers Records,

Vietnam War, 6, 171-72, 235, 294,295,306,375,397,415, 435,444,556

Vanderpool, Sylvia, 405

Vanguard

Warner Brothers

Video Jukebox

111.

233

Webb, Jim, 231, 253

Wedding Present; 493, 494 KferfFcrcstn',498

1

.

2

8

1

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

594

ROLL

N'

Wolfe, Allison, 517

Weezer, 529

Who

Weil, Cynthia, 84

Whyte

Weird-Ohs, 93

Wild Kingdom, 436

Wonder,

Wild Ones, 166

Wondt-rwall Music, 191

Weirdos, 341,370, 371

Pitt the

Bmnp, 323

Wolfe, Tom, 79,293,295

Boots, 86

Stevie, 250, 280,

Wood, Andy,

405

498

469, 475

Welch, Bob, 302

Wild

Welch, Raquel, 271

Wild Tchoupitoulas, 241

Wood,

Welden, Mike, 339

Wildflowers, 245

Wood, Ron,

Welk, Lawrence, 74, 155, 526

Will Bradley Orchestra, 62

Wood,

Weller, Paul, 358

Williams, Allen, 100, 104

Woods,

Williams, Hank, 17,18,21,23,

Woodstock, 134, 184, 204, 205, 210,297,528,556

Wells, Junior, 218, 241

27-28,30,31-32,33,35,40, 79,235,491,502,538,540

Wells, Mary, 86

Wener, Louise,

Style,

5

Wennerjann, 138,412 it for

the

Money,

Hank Jr., 485

Williams, Paul, 214

Williams,

Wesley, Fred, 248

Wendy O,

379, 423,

430 West, 218 label,

Western Swing, 43,212

297

Woodstock Nation, 204

World War

87,125,163,239

tion,

Bob and His Texas

Playboys, 20, 21

348, 350

Willy

Wexler, Jerry, 83,221

Weymouth, Tina,

Chocolate

511

Wilson, Brian, 90-93, 94, 106, 170, 193, 194, 195,232,280,

Wetton,John, 283

record produc-

Worrell, Bernie, 46

Wray,Link,51,75

Wurlitzer Company, 22 Wurtzel, Elizabeth, 518

Wyman,

Bill,

122, 126

Wynette, Tammy, 213

298, 303

336, 507

II

24

Wreckless Eric, 358, 365

Wonka and the

Factory,

306

305

World of Pooh, 513-14

Wills,

Westwood, Vivienne, 346, 347,

class appeal,

Workingman's Dead, 212

Williamson, Sonny Boy, 18, 47,

Wills, Bob, 22, 28, 32

Weston, Randy, 244

Working

Works, 285

251, 252, 312

20, 21, 23, 33,

Woodward, Bob, 295

Williamson, James, 273-74

Weston, Kim, 240

Wet Willie,

Phil,

Woolies, 224

Williams, Tennessee, 257

199

Westbound

138

Roy, 189,285

1

Williams, We're Only in

Chris, 188

Wilson, Carl, 91

What's Goiri On, 250, 254

Wilson, Cassandra, 552

X,45, 370, 371,376,459

Whiskey A

Wilson, Dennis, 91,94, 206

X

Wilson, Jackie, 239

X Generation, 418,

Wilson, Murray, 90-92, 93, 94,

X-RaySpex, 511,362

Go Go,

298, 368,

369

Whitcomb,

Ian, 22

White Album, The, 119,214

206

Files,

XTC,

529 517

288

White, Barry, 253, 254, 312

Wilson, Teddy, 62

White

Wilson, Tom, 87, 171

Yancey, Jimmy, 62

Winger, 466

Yardbirds, 111, 129, 161,162,

Boots, 529

White, Bukka,

17, 18

190,216,221,222,276

White, Clarence, 211

Wings, 301

White, Jack, 548

Winner, Langdon, 215

Yelvington, Malcolm, 53

White, Meg, 548

Winter, Johnny, 2

Yes,

White Panther

Winwood, Muff, 188

Party, 223, 224,

225

167,

Winwood,

White

Stripes, 540, 541,

548

White, Tony Joe, 213

1

Steve, 165-66, 188,

Wire, 359, 360, 511,513

Wired, 290, 477 Wish You Were Here, 282, 344

111, 162, 163, 164, 165,

189,190,214,215,221, 266,280,313,315,333,344, 166,

Witchfinder General, 426

With

the Beatles,

108

Wizard, 218

348, 349, 355, 365, 375, 380,

412,417,419,420,470

Who Do We

Think

We Ai-e, 265

Wizzard, 262, 285 Wizard,

A

Rush the Shaw, 439

YoLaTengo,

333, 370,479,

500, 501, 507, 508, 509, 529

Whitman,

Who,

Bam

To!

221,419

Whitfield/Strong, 240 Slim, 365

193,223,227,262,275, 277,281,283,284,285,287, 297,338,370

Yo

Yos, 545

Yohannon, Tim, 378 Yorke, Ritchie, 166 You

Axed far It, -Ml

You Can't Argue with a Sick

Mind, 302 True Stmy, A, 287

INDEX FOR SONIC COOL Young Americans, 319 Young, Charles M., 356 Young, Faron, 29 Young, Jesse Colin, 233 Young, Joe, 429

Young, Neil, 29, 111, 167, 202, 223,229,230,232,296,301, 303, 419, 459, 460, 497,

499

Young, Rusty, 211 Youngbloods, 171 You're Living All

Over Me, 497,

498 Yow, David, 463

Zapata, Mia, 483

Zappa, Frank, 116, 193, 197,

198,199,200,201,214,231, 261,266,283,284,288,290, 296,297,314,342,368,425, 426, 477 Zawinul, Joe, 289

Zevon, Warren, 300, 303 Zmieski, Paul Simon, 449

Zombies, 110, 163, 188

Zoom,

Billy,

371

Zulu Nation, 404

ZZTop,218,269,419

595

SONIC COOL: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ROCK

fr (TOE

S.

'N'

ROLL by Joe S.

HARRINSTOiO

N THE TRADITION of Nick Tosches, Torrl Wolfe, and an epic and

riveting history of rock

'n' roll-

rock.

Immense,

movement backdrop

and

it

is

the

first

fierce, opinionated,

and

of social factors

electric guitar, the jukebox,

recession, the

Reagan

in

in

the

the spirit of

book portrays rock as a and masterfully presents it against a

and important events such as the invention of the LSD, the 12-inch phonograph record, the Seventies

revolution, the Internet,

and the

movement, one

had meaning, but ultimately

that

written

hilarious, the

it's

never been

many ways

be

to

the history of rock as

inclinations. In

Bangs comes

a novel. Sonic Cool

we have to genuine myth

book about rock

of near-religious proportions

Lester

that reads like

presents the saga of rock as the closest thing u,o .-modern world

Harrington

told,

Harrington's

9/1 1/01 attacks. This

as the legend

book reads

of

a massive

is

cultural

own worst

fell

prey to

like

the raging polemics of

its

Jones (aka Amiri Baraka). Radically egalitarian in its assessments towering figures such as Lennon, Dylan, and Cobain stand alongside lesser-known but equally influential

Leroi

—

artists like the is

MC5, the

gripping reading for

Misfits, and Joy Division—Sonic Cool anyone who ever believed in the music.

JOE

S. HARRINGTON began writing at the age of 10, an act that provoked a rejection slip from Mad magazine. He has written about music for the Boston Globe, Boston Phoenix,

New

York Press, Seattle Stranger, Lowell Sun,

Wired, Reflex, Raygun, High Times, Seconds, Rollerderbfi

and numerous fanzines. He

lives in Portland,

Maine.

ISBN D-b34-DEflbl-fl

U.S. $24.95

CANADA $37.95

o

"73999 30763 1 HL00330763

4

HAL«LEONARD®

9

780634 028618