Blues Influence On Rock and Rap

Vocab: Urban, Rural

What are the roots of rap and rock-- in other words what influenced the beginning of these genres?

Write a few sentences writing down your ideas.

Guided Practice:

         Read aloud the following quote from Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records:

"We had a little bit of a rough time trying to get our artists to do anything resembling the blues. They were more singers like LaVern Baker and Ruth Brown . . . the [New York City-based] bands we had were composed of players from the big jazz bands and swing orchestras who had become studio musicians. They were not at all like the kind of musicians who were playing the blues in Chicago, like Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon and all those people. When we had these musicians try to play in an authentic blues fashion, it didn't work. The result, however, was quite intriguing. What emerged was music with a blues feel, but with a particularly Northern, urban influence."

   1) Why do you think Ertegun said they couldn't play in an "authentic" fashion?

Play the clip of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone," from a live performance. Ask them the following.

   2) How would you describe the sound of Muddy Waters' music?

   3) What do you think Ahmet Ertegun liked about Muddy Waters' music?

And what, again, were the reasons Ertegun said he couldn't record music like Muddy Waters' in New York City?

     4) Have the class watch, as a group, the clip of LaVern Baker              performing "Tra La La."

     Once you have watched,  keep this and Muddy Waters in your              minds, and split into groups of three.

     Each group write down

      5) The instrumentation they see and hear in each song

      6) A list of adjectives that describe Baker's song and performance,     and then Waters'. Consider differences in vocal style, in the sounds     of the instruments (sweet or   rough, in the performance styles of         the singers, and in the overall moods of the songs.

    When they have had five minutes to complete this, ask each group       to have a representative read the results.

    Ask the students:

7) Why do you think Ertegun's recording of LaVern Baker ended up sounding "sweeter" than the music of Muddy Waters, which Ertegun said he originally hoped to capture?

8) What in Ertegun's statement above provides a clue to this question?

Formative Assessment: S. share answers with group

Closure: S. tell best attributes of each song.