Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Rhythm and Blues
Rhythm ‘n’ Blues was the name given to Afro-American music that appeared in Chicago and other
American cities shortly after the Second World War. The label, however, was not entirely accurate.
The name was coined by Jerry Wexler, one of the partners of Atlantic Records who later said “If I
understood then what I know now, I would have called it rhythm and gospel”. Rhythm ‘n’ Blues,
or Soul Music as it is sometimes called, is really a combination of many different styles of music.
Rhythm ‘n’ Blues can be traced back to the blues, an oral tradition, which grew out of the plantation
work songs slaves used to sing as they picked cotton. When eventually the traditional vocal blues
was combined with the instrumental jazz blues of New Orleans the music proved to be very popular
with white audiences who began to buy this “black” music. With the development of the electric
guitar in the 1930’s the music began to develop quicker and heavier rhythms. Black artists like
Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf played this heavier style of blues in the clubs of Chicago. The
white audiences who frequented these clubs were not so receptive to this new style however and, as
a result, went searching for a sweeter sound. They discovered it in gospel music, or Afro-American
church music.
A strong feature of gospel music was precision harmony singing and groups like the Soul Stirrers
packed black churches throughout America. Gospel singers had certain mannerisms, a combination
of sweetness and spontaneity that made for real power of presentation. People attempted to teach
gospel singing technique and in 1951, a group called the Dominoes had three big hits. This
prompted a horde of black gospel quartets, many of which became one hit wonders though very few
of these groups maintained their popularity in the 1960s.
There were two main record companies in America in the 1960s producing this style of music. One
was Atlantic Records in New York and the other was Motown in Detroit. Atlantic Records
celebrated its black roots while Motown hit on a formula that would provide hundreds of pop hits
throughout the 1960s and early 1970s.
Answer the following questions in your book.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles is often
considered to be the
first real Rhythm ‘n’
Blues artist. After
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some early recordings
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in the style of Nat
”King” Cole, he
rethought his approach
and recorded I Got A
Woman which had
huge success in 1955. The release of this song
caused a lot of controversy. Big Bill Broonzy
proclaimed “He’s mixing the blues with
thespirituals, he should be in church!” This
started a whole new phase in black music. One
which allowed artists such as James Brown, Sam
Cooke, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Wilson
Pickett to call upon their own church background
and create what became known as Soul Music.
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Who was Jerry Wexler?
What is the other name sometimes given to
Rhythm ‘n’ Blues?
Blues is described as an oral tradition. What
does this mean?
Where was instrumental jazz blues popular?
Which singer made several recordings in the
1920s?
What did white audiences think of the music of
Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf? Why?
What was a strong feature of gospel music?
When were the Dominoes popular and how many
hits did they have?
Who sang I GOT A WOMAN ? When was this
song a hit?
How did Big Bill Broonzy describe I GOT A
WOMAN ?
Name two of the artists who followed Ray
Charles’ example.
Which two record companies produced most of
the Rhythm and Blues music of the 1960s and
1970s?
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
MOTOWN
MOTOWN Records was created by Berry Gordy in Detroit in 1959. Gordy had owned a record
store with his brother but decided that song writing was a better proposition. After writing a few
successful songs, he was encouraged by his friend William “Smokey” Robinson to begin his own
publishing company, called Jobete, and his own record label. MOTOWN was born.
In its early days, MOTOWN was a real family business. Everybody
involved worked hard to renovate an old building, located on West
Grand Boulevard, which was affectionately called “Hitsville,
U.S.A.” They employed a group of session musicians who called
themselves The Funk Brothers :- Benny Benjamin - drummer,
James Jamerson -bass player, Robert White - guitarist and Earl Van
Dyke - pianist. This group of players became Motown’s “house
band” and were responsible for the unique sound of most of label’s
smash hits of the 1960s. In fact they were so important that during
this time Berry Gordy paid each of them between $25,000 and
$50,000 a year just to keep them at the company
Berry Gordy saw a market for contempory Negro music among
white listeners. In those days of significant racial segregation
many white people preferred to buy copies of the Rhythm ‘n’ Blues sound produced by white
copycat bands labelled “blue-eyed soul”. Berry was confident however that he had a formula that
would sell. With the aid of talented song writers and producers they developed a sound that
contained repeated refrains, gospel vocal mannerisms, horns and shrill percussion which were
rearranged time after time providing hits for their biggest stars - Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye,
Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson
and the Jackson 5 to name but a few.
Berry Gordy
Selling albums however, was not enough for Berry Gordy. He
wanted MOTOWN to be the “Sound of Young America” so he sent
the artists on tour to promote their records. These early tours were
called the “Motortown Revue”. The first tour consisted of The
Miracles, Mary Wells, The Contours, Marvin Gaye, The
Marvelettes, Martha and The Vandellas, The Supremes, Marv
Johnson, Singin’ Sammy Ward, Bill Murry and a band led by
Choker Campbell. America at this time was unsettled in many ways.
Racial tension was extremely high with people crying out for civil
rights and because of this the “Motortown Revue” was not without
The Funk Brothers
incident. Shots were fired at the tour bus on one occasion and the
artists were often not allowed to eat in restaurants, but fed at the back door away from the view of
other customers. The music was extremely popular though and the hits kept coming.
By the mid 1960s, Motown was expanding; however, a problem was beginning to emerge. Many
of the artists lacked style, partly because they were mostly very young and partly because they had
come from Detroit’s tough, inner-city neighbourhoods and housing projects. Berry Gordy thought
a professional, polished style was essential if they were to appeal to white audiences. Mrs Powell
was employed from Maxine Powell’s Finishing School to teach every aspect of the social graces
these “young kids” needed to behave “properly” in public and private. As well as Mrs Powell, two
other gentlemen were brought in. Maurice King taught harmonies and on stage production while
“Pop Cholly” taught choreography, movement and even how to get on and off stage. It was a real
production line with the aim of producing potential stars.
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
In 1964, Motown was thriving. Thanks to a brilliant team of writers, producers, choreographers,
etc., they released 60 singles,19 of which reached the number one position on the charts. Everyone
around “Hitsville” was caught up in the excitement. Even the secretary, Martha Reeves, was
singing lead vocal lines on records.
In 1965, three young women who called themselves The Supremes had five consecutive Number
One hits. The Four Tops were also having great success. Berry Gordy was profiled in Ebony
magazine that year. The article said that Motown grossed $8 million in 1965.
In April 1966, song-writers from Motown - Brian Holland, Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier were awarded eight trophies at Broadcast Music Inc.’s annual dinner, ahead of John Lennon and
Paul McCartney who won five. Hits by the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and the Four
Tops continued for the next two years, well into 1968.
1968 was a time of change. Riots, the Vietnam War and the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King
to name a few. Motown was changing too. It had moved away from its “Hitsville” address to the
Donovan building at Woodward Ave. and faced new offices in Hollywood. Writers were leaving
and new ones were arriving. There were some new sounds emerging too, such as heavier guitar
riffs but Motown was still thriving. The formula was still working.
With the separation of Diana Ross and The Supremes (carefully calculated by Motown) at the end
of the 60s, The Jackson 5 filled the void with the first number one record of 1970 on both the R&B
and pop charts.
The 1970s saw great success for The Jackson 5 (and Michael Jackson singing solo as well) and for
Stevie Wonder who was the first artist in Motown history to win a contract giving him artistic
control of his music. Marvin Gaye later followed in his footsteps, achieving a similar deal. By the
mid 70s The Commodores were doing big things for Motown. They first appeared as a support act
for The Jackson 5 but became so popular that in 1975 they released two albums. The Rhythm ‘n’
Blues sound of the 60s was fast disappearing to make way for the new Disco sound but many of the
60s artists still enjoyed great popularity, Diana Ross, the Temptations and Marvin Gaye to name a
few. By the end of the 1970s, Motown was in financial trouble due to costs involved in running an
increasingly large company with a shrinking number of guaranteed hit makers.
In the 1980s Motown music was still popular but the style had changed to new sounds that were
more a combination of soul, pop, rock and jazz. The heady Rhythm ‘n’ Blues days were finished.
Berry Gordy sold Motown records to MCA and Boston Ventures in 1988 for $61 million, retaining
ownership of the Jobete Publishing Catalogue. Boston Ventures later bought out MCA’s interest
and sold the company to the Polygram conglomerate for $325 million in 1993.
Motown is still a very successful company today, specialising in pop, R&B and Hip Hop with
successful acts including Erykah Badu, India Arie and Brian McKnight. In1985, Ester Gordy
Edwards opened the Motown Historical Museum inside the original Hitsville USA building which
is open for tours.
Motown Logo??
Answer the following questions in your book: 1.
Who was the founder of Motown Records?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
2.
What year did Motown Records begin and what was the name of their studio?
3.
Who were The Funk Brothers?
4.
What was the formula that Berry Gordy thought would sell lots of records?
5.
What was the “Motortown Revue”?
6.
Who was Mrs Powell and why was she employed by Motown?
7.
How many singles did Motown release in 1964 and how many of these reached the number
one position?
8.
Which Motown group had five consecutive number one hits in 1965?
9.
How many awards did Motown writers receive at the 1966 Broadcast Music Inc.’s annual
dinner?
10.
What was happening in America in 1968? How do you think this would have affected
Motown?
11.
Which MOTOWN group had the first number one hit single of 1970?
12.
Why was the contract that Stevie Wonder negotiated with MOTOWN in the 1970s unusual?
13.
Which group appeared as a support act for The Jackson 5 and later went on to become one of
MOTOWN’s hottest acts?
14.
Why was MOTOWN in financial trouble at the end of the 1970s?
15.
How had MOTOWN’s sound changed by the 1980s?
16.
Was Rhythm ‘n’ Blues still popular in the 1980s? Why?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
THE SUPREMES
The Supremes came together in Detroit in 1959 and
signed to Motown in 1960. The original members were
Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard (who was
replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967) and Barbara Martin
(who left in 1961). They were the most popular of the
“girl groups” in the 1960s, releasing twelve number one
hits between 1964 and 1969. Some say they were
responsible for changing the image of black women in
Western Culture.
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Diana Ross left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career
and sang many more hits including six number ones. She
was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal
of Billie Holiday in Berry Gordy’s 1972 film Lady Sings
The Blues. At one point she was Berry Gordy’s
girlfriend.
Ross left Motown and signed to RCA records in 1981; however, she returned “home” to Motown in
1989. Up to this point she has achieved 18 number one singles in America.
YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE
1.
How would you describe the tempo of this song?
2.
Which beats of the bar does the drum kit play on?
3.
Is the chorus sung in unison or harmony?
4.
Which instruments do you hear playing in the chorus?
STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE
1.
Which instrument begins this song?
2.
Are the opening vocals in unison or harmony?
3.
Which instruments are used in this song?
4.
How many times do they sing “Stop In The Name of Love”?
5.
How does the song end?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
MARVIN GAYE
Marvin Gaye was born in 1939 and was considered one of
the greatest singers and songwriters of his generation.
Being from a religious family he was a natural “soul man”
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part of the Motown family because he was married to Berry
Gordy’s sister Anna. Marvin had many successful albums
but his greatest musical contribution is considered to be his
1971 album What’s Going On which focused on the issues
of the environment, the Vietnam War and the state of life in
the urban stew pots of America. It contained four top ten
hits, including What’s Going On, and was said to be the first Rhythm ‘n’ Blues concept album. It
also helped to set the stage for rap.
Gaye had some personal hardship which were reflected in his music and saw an end to his marriage
but he later married Janis Hunter Gaye and they had two children. After some ups and downs, and
a move to Columbia records in 1982, his career came back on track with the release of the hit single
Sexual Healing. This single earned him two Grammy awards.
Marvin Gaye died in 1984 but was considered Motown’s most successful artist.
WHAT’S GOING ON
1.
How are the vocals in the first verse different to the vocals in the second verse?
2.
Which instruments come in after the second verse?
3.
Why are there people talking at different times in this song?
4.
How would you describe the tempo of this song?
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
1.
Name the instruments in the order that you hear them in the introduction.
2.
How does the music change at the words “Took me by surprise....”?
3.
Name the instruments that you hear.
4.
Write out the structure of this song - verse, chorus etc.
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS
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Martha Reeves was in charge of booking studio time for Motown and on one occasion found herself
substituting for Mary Wells at the microphone. The producers liked what they heard and Martha
went on to form her own group which recorded with some success.
The group has recently reformed and are again enjoying some success. They have a number of new
songs and tour frequently. The latest album is called Home to You.
NOWHERE TO RUN
1.
Which beats of the bar does the tambourine play on?
2.
What kind of pattern do the brass play during the chorus of this song?
3.
Is the chorus sung in unison or harmony?
4.
How many times do they sing the words “Nowhere to run”?
DANCING IN THE STREET
1.
What is Martha Reeves talking about in verses 2 and 4?
2.
This song features a bridge which can be heard twice. How many bars long is this bridge and do the backing
vocals sing in harmony or unison?
3.
The tambourine is again a strong feature of this song. Is it playing on the “on” beats or “off” beats of the bar?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
THE JACKSON FIVE
This family of talented children burst onto the pop scene in 1970
with their smash hit single I Want You Back (which sold over
two million) and the Jackson family has been the most successful
black pop soul vocal group selling over 100 million records
worldwide. The five brothers that made up this group were
Michael, Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Marlon Jackson.
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Managed by their father, they were signed by Motown in 1969. I
Want You Back was the first of 13 top twenty singles. They
toured frequently, always tutored and supervised by Motown staff
but their father remained their manager
The group left Motown in 1975 over artistic control of their music. Motown sued for 20 million
dollars for breach of contract but it was eventually settled out of court in 1980 for $600,000. They
signed with Epic, although Jermaine left the group to begin a solo career at Motown as he was
married to Berry Gordy’s daughter, Hazel. Jermaine was replaced by brother Randy and the hits
continued into the 80s. Jermaine had limited success as a solo artist but brother Michael went on to
become one of the biggest selling solo artists in history.
I WANT YOU BACK
1.
Name the instruments in the order that you hear them in the introduction.
2.
Which musical device is used in this song? Which instrument plays it?
3.
Write down the structure of this song. Eg chorus, verse etc.
ABC
1.
Which musical device is used in the bass line in the first verse?
2.
Is the chorus of this song in unison or harmony?
3.
Write down the structure of this song.
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
STEVIE WONDER
Steveland Morris Judkins was born in 1950 and was blind at birth. At an
early age, he started singing in a Michigan church choir with his family.
Berry Gordy signed Stevie to Motown when he was just ten.
Unlike so many other child stars, Stevie more than fulfilled his early
promise, and churned out a string of hits through the 1960s. Motown,
meanwhile, looked after his money and carefully steered his career. All
that changed in 1971, when Stevie turned 21 and claimed his childhood
earnings, and insisted on full artistic control of his future recordings. From
now on, Stevie’s records would sound just as he wanted them to, and were released only when he
felt they were ready.
He married fellow Motown star Syreeta in September 1970. His last album was released in 1999
and is titled At the Close of a Century.
SUPERSTITION
1.
How many bars long is the drum introduction before the guitar enters?
2.
What is the function of the electric guitar throughout this song?
3.
Which section of the band performs in the brief instrumental break?
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED, I’M YOURS
1.
Write out the form of this song in terms of verses, choruses, instrumental breaks etc.
2.
After Stevie sings the words “signed, sealed, delivered, I’m yours” in which direction does the accompaniment
move?
3.
Which percussion instrument is dominant in the third verse?
4.
In what style is this song sung?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES
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William ‘Smokey’ Robinson would have been remembered as one of the chief figures in soul
music, even if he had never sung a note. His writing for Motown acts, such as the Temptations,
Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells, led Bob Dylan to name him ‘America’s greatest living folk poet’.
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles were spotted by Berry Gordy in 1957. For the next decade,
they recorded some of Motown’s greatest hits including I Second That Emotion.
I SECOND THAT EMOTION
1.
How would you describe the role of the lead guitar in the verses to this song?
2.
On which beats of the bar is the rhythm guitar playing on in the verses?
3.
Are the backing vocals being sung in unison or in harmony?
4.
Towards the end of the song, a four bar soli can be heard played by which instruments?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
THE TEMPTATIONS
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An American popular vocal group for the Motown Record
Company, the premier soul group of the 1960s. Formed in 1960
by five teenagers who had moved with their families from the
Deep South to Detroit, Michigan, the Temptations combined the
intricate harmonies of the Northern urban groups with the raw
abandon of Southern soul music.
First known as the Elgins, the original members of the
Temptations were Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin
Franklin, Otis Williams, and Elbridge Bryant. In 1964 David
Ruffin replaced Bryant.
Over the next five years, considered the group's prime, the Temptations had two lead singers:
Ruffin, a raspy baritone, and Kendricks, a winsome falsetto. The Temptations were also supported
by two brilliant songwriter-producers at Motown Studios, Smokey Robinson and Norman
Whitfield.
David Ruffin, a gospel singer before joining the Temptations, helped to bring the group
international stardom with his performance of the song My Girl (1964). My Girl became a numberone single on the Billboard magazine pop charts in 1965. The mixture of swirling violins, Ruffin's
ardent gospel style, and the velvety harmonies of the Temptations made classics of such songs as
My Girl, Since I Lost My Baby (1965), Say You (1966), Ain't Too Proud To Beg (1966), and (I
Know) I'm Losing You (1966).
In 1989 the Temptations were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
AIN’T TOO PROUD TO BEG
1.
On which beats of the bar are the percussion playing on in the first verse?
2.
In verse 2, the trombone is playing on which beat of the bar?
3.
During the saxophone solo, how many different chords is the piano playing?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
ATLANTIC RECORDS
While MOTOWN were producing black music for white audiences in Detroit, ATLANTIC were
distributing a small Memphis based STAX label that celebrated a unique black sound.
ATLANTIC Records was founded by the son of the Turkish ambassador to the USA in 1947. The
company was based in New York. Jerry Wexler became a partner in 1952. He is responsible for
the phrase Rhythm ‘n’ Blues. ATLANTIC is identified as the company that produced real soul
music from 1961 to 1968. They would often travel down South to some of the smaller studios for
an authentic soul sound, or bring musicians from down South to New York to record.
Wexler was impressed with the hard-edged sound coming from the STAX studio, affectionately
called “Soulsville USA”. STAX took its name from its founders - Jim STewart and his sister
Estelle AXton. The small studio came to the attention of Jerry Wexler in 1965. Their method of
recording was completely different to what was happening at MOTOWN. Very little of the music
was written down. The players would briefly experiment with the sound in the studio and record in
just a few takes. This spontaneity came through in the sound.
The “house band” at STAX were Booker T. and the MGs organist Booker T, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, drummer Al
Jackson Jr., and guitarist Steve Cropper. The most unusual
thing about this group was that they were a combination of
white and black musicians that played great soul music. Like
The Funk Brothers at MOTOWN, they backed all of STAX’s
leading artists in the studio, including Otis Redding.
Unlike MOTOWN, ATLANTIC allowed its artists the freedom
to record their songs and perform them with very little
interference and the passion heard in the singing is similar to
that heard in gospel singing. Hit after hit came out of this studio
throughout the 1960s.After the success of STAX, ATLANTIC
Booker T and the MG’s
became interested in a small studio in Muscle Shoals,Alabama
called FAME, run by Rick Hall. Jerry Wexler had a falling
out with STAX and was looking for another Southern studio to record at. He was impressed with
this sound and FAME produced artists like Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin. They too used a
“house band” and this group of musicians were all white, although they had been influenced by the
blues and gospel sound. They were Spooner Oldham, David Hood and Jimmy Johnson.
Like Motown, Stax was in financial trouble with music beginning to change in the 1970s. Many
say the turning point was the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King. Atlantic Records is still a
major recording company today.
Atlantic Logo??
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Answer the following questions in your book:1.
Where was STAX studios?
2.
When was ATLANTIC records founded?
3.
Who was Jerry Wexler?
4.
Where did STAX take its name from?
5.
What was the name of the STAX studio?
6.
How was their method of recording different to MOTOWN’s?
7.
Who were Booker T and the MGs?
8.
Why was it unusual that this group were a combination of white and black musicians?
9.
What style of singing could be heard in many of ATLANTIC’s artists and why?
10.
Where was the FAME studio located?
11.
Who were the musicians that made up the FAME “house band”?
12.
Name two artists who recorded at the FAME studio.
13.
The style of music began to change at the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s. What
event did many people see as a turning point for this change?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
RAY CHARLES
Ray Charles was born in 1930 in Georgia. He is a singer, composer,
and pianist but can also play the organ, saxophone and clarinet.
Completely blind by the age of seven Charles attended a boarding
school for the blind and, as a result, was educated away from his
family. He recorded with ATLANTIC from 1952 to 1959 and says of
this time, “Atlantic were very good to me. They didn’t interfere with
my music”.
In 1955 Charles recorded I Got A Woman which went on to become a
smash hit. This song, considered to be one of the first “Rhythm and Blues” (or “soul”) songs, was a
combination of characteristics of both the Blues and Gospel.He says about soul – “It’s the feeling
that comes through in the music. That’s the essence of soul….the words tell you that”
Known for singing in a number of different styles – blues, jazz, gospel, country and western, Ray
has taken an active role (particularly in raising money) in the quest for racial justice and social
consciousness and was friends with Dr. Martin Luther King. He is the only artist to have had a top
ten hit on the American Billboard charts in 5 different musical categories and is a member of 9
different Halls of Fame.
In 2003 he started his own record label called Crossover Records and has released an album on this
label called Thanks for Bringing Love Around Again featuring a number of new songs. Production
of a feature film about the life of Ray Charles is about to begin called Unchain My Heart; The Ray
Charles Story.
I GOT A WOMAN
1.
This song is traditionally a spiritual. What aspects of this style can be heard in the way Ray Charles sings it?
2.
What instruments are used?
3.
Which instrument plays a solo in the instrumental break?
WHAT’D I SAY
1.
This song uses a structure common in Blues music. What is it?
2.
Which instruments play a solo here?
3.
The chorus uses call and response between the vocal and which instrument?
4.
How could you describe the tempo of this song?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
OTIS REDDING
Otis Redding was born in 1941 in Georgia. He is considered the
most popular black act of his time, with the exception of James
Brown. He drove a friend to an audition at STAX studios in the
early 1960s and insisted on auditioning himself which earned him
a recording contract and his first top twenty hit on the R&B charts
with These Arms Of Mine. It was the first of fifteen songs to hit
the R&B charts.
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In 1957 he made an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival
which introduced his music to an enthusiastic white audience.
After this positive experience, he wrote Sitting On The Dock Of
The Bay and recorded it on the 7th of December, 1967. It was to
become his biggest hit, reaching number one on the pop and R&B charts early in 1968. He did not
live to see its success. He, along with most of his band, were killed in a plane accident on
December 10, 1967, flying to a performance.
SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY
1.
How could you describe the dynamics of this song?
2.
How could you describe the tempo of this song?
3.
Which instruments are added in the second verse?
4.
How does the song end?
TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS
1.
Which instruments play the introduction of this song?
2.
How would you describe the dynamics in the first verse?
3.
Which instrument accompanies the singer in the first verse?
4.
Which instruments are added in the second verse?
5.
How does the accompaniment change as the song progresses?
6.
How does the song end?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
WILSON PICKETT
Wilson Pickett was born in Alabama in 1941 and was one of the top soul singers of the 1960s. He
sang in various gospel groups as a teenager and was recruited by local R&B group, The Falcons in
a1959. He sang with them for two years before going solo. In 1964 he
signed with ATLANTIC nd Jerry Wexler took him down to STAX studio
in Memphis to record. The result was IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR. A
long list of R&B hits followed
He headlined a tour of American and African musicians in Ghana in 1971
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continued in the early 1970s and he continued to tour and record in the
1980s.
Pickett’s most recent album of new material called It’s Harder Now was
released in 1999 and he toured Australia as part of the Melbourne
International Music and Blues Festival in February, 2003.
IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
1.
Which instruments play the introduction to this song?
2.
Which instruments are added to the accompaniment at the words “I’m gonna take you and hold you...”?
3.
Which instrument plays a bass line for the first verse?
4.
Which instruments play a solo in the instrumental break?
5.
How could you describe the dynamics of this song?
MUSTANG SALLY
1.
Which instrument plays a bass line in the first verse?
2.
Which instruments come in at the words “You’ll be running all over town...”?
3.
Is there any similarity between the structure of this song and the Twelve Bar Blues structure? Once you have
identified this, compose a chord chart to this song using Roman numerals.
4.
Write down the structure of this song - verse, chorus etc.
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
ARETHA FRANKLIN
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis in 1942. She grew up with
gospel music, as her father was the Reverend at the 4,500 member
New Bethal Baptist Church. Her mother was also a gospel singer but
she abandoned the family when Aretha was six and died four years
later. Aretha and her sisters sang regularly at the church and Aretha’s
first recordings were made there when she was fourteen.
As a teenager she quit high school to tour the gospel circuit with her father and was befriended by
some of the gospel greats, including Mahalia Jackson.
In 1960 she moved to New York where she made ten albums for Columbia but only had a few hits
from these. She left Columbia in 1966 and with the help of Jerry Wexler would begin to make
albums with ATLANTIC that would see her renamed the “Queen of Soul”. Most of her albums
were recorded with the FAME musicians either at their studio or in New York. In 1980 she
performed both R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and Think for “The Blues Brothers” film.
In 1980 she left ATLANTIC and went to ARISTA where she recorded a number of pop albums the
latest of which, So Damn Happy was released in 2003 and has been critically acclaimed as one of
the best albums of her career. Overall Aretha has released 48 albums during her long career. She is
well respected in the industry and won a standing ovation at the 1998 Grammy Awards for her
unrehearsed rendition of NESSUN DORMA from the opera TURANDOT after Luciano Pavarotti
was unable to perform at the last minute.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
1.
Name the instruments that you hear in the introduction.
2.
Name the instruments that you hear in the first verse.
3.
Name the instrument that plays a solo during the instrumental break.
4.
Describe the use of vocals during the chorus
5.
How many times do they say the word “Respect”?
THINK
1.
Which instruments are added at the words “Freedom, Freedom...”?
2.
What happens to the music after the words “Freedom, Freedom...”?
3.
How is the accompaniment in the second verse different to the first?
4.
How has this song been influenced by gospel music?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
VIDEO - R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
1.
Which singer did Berry Gordy write a hit song for?
2.
How much money did Berry Gordy borrow from his family to start Motown?
3.
What was Motown’s first number one single? Who sang it?
4.
Which Motown artist was the son of a Pentecostal minister?
5.
What did Berry Gordy believe was the key to Motown’s long term success?
6.
Who wrote over 20 top ten songs for Motown?
7.
What was the name of the Motown session band?
8.
Who sang The Way You Do The Things You Do ?
9.
For how many years were The Supremes together before they had their first hit?
10.
What was the name of The Supremes first hit?
11.
How many one night performances were given on the first Motortown Revue tour?
12.
What did Marvin Gaye call the Motown finishing school?
13.
How did Mrs Powell say she could improve Marvin Gaye’s performance?
14.
What kind of venues were the Motown acts playing in 1967?
15.
Where was the “real soulful” music happening?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues
Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
16.
At STAX, how did the session players learn a song?
17.
Who were Booker T and the MGs?
18.
Who was the former gospel singer that became a very successful artist for STAX?
19.
In what way did Otis Redding sing differently to many other artists?
20.
Where did STAX tour with their performers?
21.
What was the audience response to this music?
22.
Who performed at the Monterey Festival?
23.
Why did a police officer approach the band?
24.
How did Otis Redding die?
25.
What was the Muscle Shoal studio called?
26.
Why was it risky to record black music in Alabama?
27.
Why do you think Wilson Pickett would be surprised to see people picking cotton in the
fields?
28.
Who was the artist who first recorded in 1967 at FAME studios and went on to become a
superstar?
29.
At what position did I Never Loved A Man debut on the charts?
Section Three – Rhythm and Blues