American Music: Roots and Routes
History, Geography, and Musical Style
Professor Allen Tullos
e-mail: allen [dot] tullos [at] emory [dot] edu
Office hours at 327 Bowden: Tuesdays 11:30-12:30. And by appointment.
Spring 2018. HIST 359. AMST 321.
Tuesdays/Thursdays 4:00-5:15. Bowden Hall 116.
This course satisfies Emory GER for Area VII HAP (Humanities, Arts, Performance)
This course explores the roots and routes of several genres and styles of vernacular music in the United States in the context of history, geography, emblematic performers, song content, audiences, circulation, and preservation. Where, when, and why do musical forms emerge, spread as influential cultural streams, or disappear? How do musical genres express social history, cultural identities, qualities of feeling, “authenticity,” displacement and mobility, and political critique?
The assigned songs and readings are either linked from this syllabus or available on Emory course reserves. Check the syllabus regularly (refresh browser page) for updates and changes.
January 23 Introduction
“Roots” and “routes,” song genres, styles, and their trajectories. Discussion of syllabus and assignments.
Helpful resources:
- Emory Course Reserves
- Emory Music & Media Library (Level 4 of Woodruff Library)
- American Routes radio show hosted by Nick Spitzer
- kexp radio in Seattle
- Allmusic.com
- Pitchfork
- American Song
- Smithsonian Global Sound
Alabama Shakes— “Hold On” (2012) LYRICS
http://www.youtube.com/user/alabamashakes?v=Le-3MIBxQTw
Son House, “Death Letter” (1967). LYRICS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdgrQoZHnNY
Cassandra Wilson, “Death Letter” New Moon Daughter (Blue Note Records, 1995). LYRICS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQE0I98Bgs
White Stripes, “Death Letter” (2000).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fM2qhG8mA4
Black Eyed Peas , “Street Livin'” (2018) LYRICS
January 25 Routes and Routes
Well-travelled songs. Listen to and read about versions of “In the Pines“
https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/americanroutes/topics/roots-and-routes/
Writing Assignment: For class discussion, write a page or two comparing each of the different versions of “In the Pines.” Consider the singers’ biographical and geographical situations, styles of singing, the emotions they evoke, how they adapt the song, the instrumentation, etc. Turn in your printed commentary at the end of class.
Read about “In the Pines.” (Wikipedia)
Read an excerpt from Bob Dylan’s memoir Chronicles (2004) about his early life in Minnesota, some of his musical influences, and the beginnings of the folk revival in New York City.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/bob-dylan/chronicle-excerpts-of-chapter-5-river-of-ice/575/
Woody Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land” (written 1940)
In class, discussion of “In the Pines” to illustrate questions that the American Music course raises about genre and performance style in relation to regional geography, social class, race, and gender. Discussion of terms such as “authenticity” and “popular” applied to songs and performers. Excerpt from No Direction Home (2005), Martin Scorsese’s film about Bob Dylan.
Related: Newport Folk Festival begun in 1959. Recent Newport performers.
“Pirate Jenny” Performed by Nina Simone. (1992) LYRICS. Read about the song.
January 30 Folksong Style and Culture: African American Spirituals and the Carolina Low Country Region
View: Maps of The Transatlantic Slave Trade. Map 1: “Overview of the slave trade out of Africa, 1500-1900.”
Read essay by Lawrence Levine, “Slave Songs and Slave Consciousness.” (PDF available on Emory Course Reserves)
Read/listen to the materials on the Low Country web page.
Read Guy Carawan and Candie Carawan, “Singing and Shouting in Moving Star Hall.” (PDF available on Emory Course Reserves)
Quiz on Levine and Caraway readings (four or five short-answer questions).
For class discussion: Draw upon the Levine and Carawan readings to address why the spiritual was the most important expressive musical form to emerge from the era of slavery.
In class: YouTube: “Down on Me” sung by Janis Joplin; versions of “Motherless Children,” “Michael Row the Boat,” other examples of well-travelled songs with roots in nineteenth century African American culture.
Moving Star Hall Singers and Benjamin Bligen, “Let That Liar Alone.”—Compare with Ray Charles, “Leave My Woman Alone.”
Fisk Jubilee Singers recording of “I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray” (1909).
Scenes from The Language You Cry In (1998) by Alvaro Toepke and Angel Serrano, DVD 12808, Emory Music and Media Library.
Recommended: Slave Songs of the United States (1867). Read about this song collection.
Alexis S. Wells, “Spirits of the Landscape Rediscovered” (2013)
Gullah (Wikipedia)
February 1 The “Folk,” Authenticity, Cultural Mediators, and Ballad Mongers
Read for class discussion: Benjamin Filene, “Setting the Stage” (Chap 1 of Romancing the Folk available at Emory Course Reserves. What are key ideas presented by Filene?
Quiz on the Filene readings.
Listen: Example of an Anglo-Celtic (or British) ballad: “Dowie Dens of Yarrow” sung by Davie Stewart (1962?). LYRICS and history of song. Read about Davie Stewart.
Pastoral romance and classical music’s use of “folksong”: Ralph Vaughn Williams, “Folk Songs of the Four Seasons Suite: The Sprig of Thyme”.
Folk Revival, Pop, and pastoral romance: Brothers Four, “Greenfields,” (1960)
Listen to some contemporary renderings of the ballad form:
“The Auld Triangle” performed by the Pogues (1984) . LYRICS. History of the song.
“Wayfaring Stranger,” Rhiannon Giddens (2017). Nineteenth century American ballad.
Colin Meloy sings his composition “The Crane Wife” Parts 1, 2, and 3. (2010 Performance)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPOMHM6waxk
“The Crane’s Wife,” a Japanese folk tale on which Meloy’s ballad is based.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crane_Wife
“The Last Living Rose” written and sung by P J Harvey (2010). LYRICS.
Example of cowboy song: “Chisholm Trail” sung by Woody Guthrie.
Browse John Lomax’s Cowboy Songs (1910).
Fisk Jubilee Singers recording of “I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray” (1909).
As you read the Filene assignment, begin listening to examples of fiddle tunes and ballads on the Southern Appalachians webpage. Locate a “Child” ballad.
Recommended: Anglo Celtic (Wikipedia)
February 6 Song Style and Culture: The Southern Appalachian Region
Continue reading and listening to the materials on the Southern Appalachians webpage.
Read carefully the essay by Joseph Wilson and Wayne Martin, “A Brief History of Blue Ridge Music,” and listen to the examples.
Quiz on Wilson and Martin essay.
Browse: Olive Dame Campbell and Cecil J. Sharp, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians (1917).
In class discussion of the murder ballad.
February 8 Southern Appalachians: Music Amid Devastation
Continue listening to the materials on the Southern Appalachians webpage.
Read essay by Scott L. Matthews, “John Cohen in Eastern Kentucky: Documentary Expression and the Image of Roscoe Halcomb During the Folk Revival.” http://southernspaces.org/2008/john-cohen-eastern-kentucky-documentary-expression-and-image-roscoe-halcomb-during-folk-revival
Quiz on the Matthews essay.
Halcomb sings, “Across the Rocky Mountains” from Mountain Music of Kentucky (1960).
Old Regular Baptist Church congregation sings “When We Shall Meet” from Mountain Music of Kentucky (1960).
Willie Chapman plays “Little Birdie” on the banjo from Mountain Music of Kentucky (1960).
Carter Family, “No Depression” (1936).
In class: Discussion of scenes from John Cohen‘s documentary film “The High Lonesome Sound.”
“On Some Foggy Mountain Top,” performed by the New Lost City Ramblers (1958-1962).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOESD0ru2Gw
Recommended: Bluegrass (Wikipedia)
February 13 Affrilachians
No Quiz Today. Catchup and review, with emphasis upon African American history and music in Appalachia.
Continue reading and listening to the materials on the Southern Appalachians webpage. Explore the “African American Banjo Styles” and the “John Henry” sections.
In class: Discussion of scenes from the Terry Zwigoff 1985 documentary film Louie Bluie (Emory Music & Media Library DVD 1510; Also on YouTube) about the life of African American musician Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, a native of LaFollette, Tennessee.
February 15 Some Varieties of Religious Song and the Emergence of Gospel
Listen to the “Genres of Religious Song in Appalachia” section of the Southern Appalachians webpage.
Read: Robert Darden, “The Foundations of Gospel,” People Get Ready! (2004). (Course Reserves)
Quiz on Darden article on “Foundations of Gospel.”
Jacob Lawrence, Migration Series (1940-41)
More about the Migration Series
Some examples of songs and performers discussed by Darden:
Arizona Dranes, “My Soul Is a Witness” (ca. 1928)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6nGQkR_vvQ
Fisk University Jubilee Singers, “My Soul Is a WItness for My Lord” (1920)
Arizona Dranes, “Lamb’s Blood Has Washed Me Clean”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSvP7QF17cA
Blind Willie Johnson, “Dark Was the Night,” (1927)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qePHCNoEtqQ&list=RDqePHCNoEtqQ#t=0
“Dark Was the Night,” Kronos Quartet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRntwp61eUg
Blind Willie Johnson and Willie B. Harris, “John the Revelator” (Recorded in Atlanta in 1930) LYRICS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hucTDV1Fvo
Blind Willie Johnson and Willie B. Harris, “Nobody’s Fault but Mine,” (1927) LYRICS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_o4omd8T5c&list=RDqePHCNoEtqQ&index=2
Tom Waits, “Jesus Gonna Be Here” (1992) LYRICS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4QYjjtQd8U
Rev. Pearly Brown, Georgia street singer. “It’s a Mean Old World To Try To Live In,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C_TvYZDlj0
William and Versey Smith, “When That Great Ship Went Down” (1927)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lq-cqHXJnw
LYRICS to “When That Great Ship Went Down”
http://theanthologyofamericanfolkmusic.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-that-great-ship-went-down-william.html
Rev. J. C. Burnett, “The Downfall of Nebuchadnezzer” sermon (1938)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSlqEC4BV-w
Pace Jubilee Singers, “Old Time Religion” (1928)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7VQJTWgNFI
Famous Blue Jay Singers of Birmingham, “Clanka A Lanka” (1929?)
Mitchell’s Christian Singers, “My Poor Mother Died a’ Shouting” (1938)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weVLSKjifWo
Sam Cook, “Good News” (1964)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDmasOKAneI
Mitchell’s Christian Singers, “Traveling Shoes,”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW9UnaZy_Kg
Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, “Gospel Train” (1937)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOxVExh1ULI
Mills Brothers, “Glow Worm” (1952)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8myK93FqbYc
Mahalia Jackson, “Move On Up a Little Higher” (1948)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtJbvdzXas4
Jefferson County [Alabama] Gospel Quartets radio documentary (1992).
https://storycorps.org/listen/jefferson-county-gospel-quartets/
February 20 Race Records and “Old-Time” Music
Listening quiz on songs highlighted in red from Southern Appalachians webpage. Be able to give the song title , the names of performer(s), and something significant about the song.
In class lecture centered upon Miller, “Race Records and Old-Time Music” (2010) (Available on Emory Course Reserves)
Mamie Smith, “Crazy Blues.” 1920. LYRICS. This is the first commercial recording of blues music by an African-American singer: “Crazy Blues” was composed by Perry Bradford and sold a million copies in its first year.
Minstrel Show (wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show
Rabbit Foot Minstrels
“Minstrel Potpourri” Edison Minstrels (1899). https://archive.org/details/EDIS-SRP-0202-22
“Lynching in the US — World War I to II” (wikipedia)
Performers and songs discussed in class and in Miller’s article:
“Arkansas Blues” sung by Mary Stafford (1921). LYRICS
“Dinah” sung by Ethel Waters (1926).
“Dinah” performed by Louis Armstrong (1933).
“Down South Blues” sung by Clara Smith (1924). LYRICS
“Mississippi Delta Blues” – Jimmie Rodgers (1933). LYRICS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD_8T30kFhw
Bette Davis from the 1938 film Jezebel “Raise a Ruckus Tonight”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmzQ6dIH5pc
Carolina Chocolate Drops
“Cornbread and Butterbeans” (2008). LYRICS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xOxHyTP91c
Fiddlin John Carson (1923) “The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOIBcnvOKY
Fiddlin John Carson (1923) “Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster’s Going To Crow”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-2sc2sLtVw
Fiddlin John Carson’s composition “Ballad of Little Mary Phagan” recorded by his daughter Rosa Lee Carson (“Moonshine Kate”) in 1925. LYRICS.
Read about Leo Frank and his lynching .
“Soldier’s Joy” Fiddle band dance tune recorded by Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers. Atlanta: 1929. Columbia Records. Tanner, fiddle; Clayton McMichen, fiddle, spoken interjections; Riley Pucket, vocal, guitar; Fate Norris, banjo. “Soldier’s Joy” is a well known fiddle piece with origins in eighteenth-century Britain. This popular north Georgia band, whose name typified the self-parody often favored by early rural fiddle bands, played with a tangy, wild abandon. The two fiddlers featured here represented strongly contrasting musical impulses: Tanner was a rural, undisciplined hoedown fiddler, while McMichen was a more controlled and eclectic player with a liking for pop music and jazz. They were backed by Riley Puckett, the blind musician from Alpharetta, whose rapid multiple guitar runs were a distinguishing feature of Skillet Lickers recordings.
Rural drama recordings:
Charlie Poole and His Allegheny Highlanders
Trip to New York Parts 3&4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5HezEBn27E
Charlie Poole, “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down” (1925). Old time string band version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgpyFRwEWa4
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down” Bluegrass version. (1957). LYRICS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpvKyMy4Yfw
February 22 The Mississippi Delta and the Birth of the Blues
Jacob Lawrence, Migration Series (1940-41)
More about the Migration Series
US Census map of black population in 1890.
Illinois Central Railroad map.
Read: David Evans, “The Development of the Blues.” (Course Reserves)
Quiz on the Evans essay.
Vera Hall, “Another Man Done Gone,” LYRICS (1942)
Listen to songs on the Mississippi Delta webpage.
In class: scenes from Worth Long and Alan Lomax’s documentary film: The Land Where the Blues Began (1979).
Read: Mikko Saikku, “Bioregional Approach to Southern History: The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. ”
For reference: Charles Reagan Wilson “Mississippi Delta.”
February 27 Authenticity and the Blues
Read: Dockery Plantation. Visit: Poor Monkey’s, one of the last Delta juke joints.
“Sharecropping in the United States” “Convict Lease System” “Incarceration in the United States”
Read: Filene, “Creating the Cult of Authenticity,” (Course Reserves).
Write a page or two identifying the major points of Filene’s chapter two.
Lead Belly: Find songs by Lead Belly at Smithsonian Global Sound.
Lead Belly, “Mr. Tom Hughes Town” (1934)
Lead Belly’s Last Sessions (1948) http://search.alexanderstreet.com.proxy.library.emory.edu/glmu/view/work/73313 “Tom Hughes Town” or “Fannin Street” LYRICS
Listen: Alan Lomax: Recording the World (9:24 min).
The Weavers: “Goodnight Irene.” (Song begins at 9:18 in the video.)
Sample: Afro-American Work Songs in a Texas Prison.
Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys performing “Heartbroken, In Disrepair” (released in 2009). LYRICS
March 1 Regional Styles and Blues Routes
Read: Filene, “Mastering the Cult of Authenticity,” (Course Reserves).
Quiz on Filene’s chapter.
The Great Migration. Map of the Blues Migration. http://www.inmotionaame.org/gallery/detail.cfm?migration=8&topic=10&id=8_007M&type=map
Jacob Lawrence, Migration Series (1940-41)
More about the Migration Series
Continue listening to songs on the Mississippi Delta webpage.
Listen to songs on the following webpages: “Texas Blues and Gospel Blues,” “Piedmont Blues,” “Chicago Blues.” Can you distinguish differences between Delta, Piedmont, and Chicago styles?
Robert Pete Williams, “This Wild Old Life” (1994)
Recommended: Kevin Pask essay, “Deep Ellum Blues”
Elmore James “Dust My Broom (1951)
Bettye Lavette and Jon Bon Jovi “A Change Gonna Come” (Obama Inaaugural, 2009). Written by Sam Cooke. LYRICS.
March 6 Revising the Blues Narrative
Read: Susan McClary,”Thinking Blues” (2000). (Course Reserves)
Write a page or two identifying the most important points in McClary’s essay.
Mamie Smith —- “Crazy Blues.” LYRICS. This 1920 record is the first commercial recording of blues music by an African-American singer: “Crazy Blues” was composed by Perry Bradford and sold a million copies in its first year.
Bessie Smith‘s recording of “St. Louis Blues” (Written by W. C. Handy). Smith (voc); Louis Armstrong (cornet); Fred Longshaw (reed organ). Recorded 1925.
Bessie Smith, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (1928).
Bessie Smith, “Thinking Blues,” (1928). Read the discussion of this song in McClary’s essay.
Ma Rainey — “Deep Moaning Blues” (1928). LYRICS
Memphis Minnie — “Black Rat Swing” (1942) LYRICS
Memphis Minnie — “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” (1941)
“Cross Road Blues” Robert Johnson, vocal and guitar. 1936. Source: Robert Johnson: King of the Delta Blues Singers (Columbia, 1998). LYRICS.
“Crossroads” Cream featuring Eric Clapton. 1968.
Skip James — “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues” (originally recorded 1931).
Lucinda Williams — “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues“
Janis joplin “Little Girl Blue” (1969?)
Bettye LaVette, “Things Have Changed” (2018). Written by Bob Dylan. LYRICS
Brits and Blues:
Rock & Roll – An Unruly History (1995 PBS documentary)
Rock Crossroads Pt 1 A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t35z2647SM&index=19&list=PLB2OvO0jddW4rlkMRy_XHl-PnYIvy9yVy
Pt 1 B (Rolling Stones beginnings, Yardbirds, Clapton on the blues, Eric Burdon leads up to “House”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMOFdVmA_74&list=PLB2OvO0jddW4rlkMRy_XHl-PnYIvy9yVy&index=20
Burdon, “House of the Rising Sun” 1964
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sB3Fjw3Uvc
LYRICS Animals bio
Mark Lanegan, “Methamphetmine Blues” LYRICS
Gary Clark, Jr. “Bright Lights” (2010)
March 8 Midterm Exam — Bring a blue book.
Material to be covered includes all the reading and listening assignments indicated in red, as well as the class lectures. The midterm will consist of music listening identifications (give title, artist, and significance), as well as short-answer and fill-in-the-blank questions.
March 12-16 Spring Break
March 20 The Old Wave: Ethnic Roots and Routes from Tin Pan Alley to Broadway
Read: Klezmer and Tin Pan Alley
Read and listen to the “Klezmer” materials at “Ethic Roots and Routes“ page.
Quiz on the klezmer and Tin Pan Alley readings.
In class: Excerpts from “Jumpin’ Night in the Garden of Eden” and “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy”
“Sher (A minor)” Steven Greenman, first violin; Alicia Svigals, second violin; Walter Zev Feldman, cimbal or hammer dulcimer. This old dance tune was published in Brooklyn in 1916 in Hebrew Wedding Melodies.
Dobriden (G minor) Steven Greenman, first violin; Alicia Svigals, second violin; Walter Zev Feldman, cimbal or hammer dulcimer. This piece, which dates from the mid nineteenth century, was used either on the morning of a wedding or after the wedding to honor the members of the bride’s family or the bride and groom themselves. Dobridens were display pieces created by talented klezmorim that used a 3/4 rhythmic structure with a peculiar rhythmic formula at the close of phrases.
Budapest Klezmer Band (2013)
In class, view: “Taraf de Haidouks,” scene from Latcho Drom (1993).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQn6Qb-9mD8
The Roma
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/sunday-review/are-the-roma-primitive-or-just-poor.html?_r=0
Yiddish Theatre. 12:39
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoTugbLZOs&list=PLcKI9H6EUVWKyFDCdl1RyWqtOf5FXu9Aq
Black Music and Jewish Music. 1:25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZH_RiZ1vjY
Gershwin “Swanee” (1919)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrMruZgnJyc
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue 1924
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpQZxipMLZM
Rhapsody in Blue. George Gershwin (1924)
Playing the glissando
http://www.classicfm.com/composers/gershwin/guides/clarinet-glissando-rhapsody-in-blue/
Irving Berlin. 2:31
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxO7D0fcxFo&list=PLcKI9H6EUVWKyFDCdl1RyWqtOf5FXu9Aq&index=2
Cole Porter. 3:01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z43IszaqhAQ
“Pirate Jenny” Performed by Nina Simone. (1992) LYRICS. Read about the song.
“A Sunday Smile” performed by Beirut (2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbGiDxg8kwM
Gogol Bordello, “Start Wearing Purple” (2006) Written by Ukranian-born political refugee Eugene Hütz
Polka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polka
Frankie Yankovic “Beer Barrel Polka”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eKSVu8ECIo
“Polka Power” by Weird Al Yankovic. (2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yugldxpRDMo
“Hamilton Polka” (2018) Weird Al Yankovic, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jimmy Fallon.
March 22 The Beginnings of Jazz and the Life of Louis Armstrong
Read a short diatribe against jazz from the 1921 Ladies Home Journal. Anne Shaw, “Does Jazz Put the Sin in Syncopation?” (Course Reserves)
Read the following three chapters from Lawrence Bergreen’s biography Louis Armstrong. (Course Reserves):
Chapter 4, “Coal Cart Blues”; Chapter 5, “Hotter than That”; and Chapter 6, “Lazy River.” As you read, listen to Louis Armstrong Centennial Show on American Routes Radio devoted to Armstrong and his influences. Follow the show on the Playlist.
Louis Armstrong, “West End Blues” (1928)
Armstrong, “Mack the Knife” (1959)
Kara Walker New Orleans sculpture and calliope (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS46dYw8hXE
In class: excerpts from film documentary Jazz (2000) that follow Armstrong’s emergence as one of the most original, influential, and widely known musicians of the twentieth century.
Louis Armstrong and Jazz Use this link (with your Emory ID and Password) to access the Jazz video episodes: Online link to Jazz series.
Louis Armstrong thread:
Once you are at the site for the Jazz videos, proceed as follows :
Episode 1: begin at 38:00 and go to 47:00 Or search the online transcript for: Big Noise
Episode 2: begin at 12:15 and go to 22:00 At age 11
Episode 2: begin at 47:50 and go to 59:10 1922
Episode 4: begin at 14:00 and go to 31:20 mostly black
Episode 9: begin at 40:30 and go to 50:40 vaudevillian
March 27 Creolization: Louisiana and Beyond
Read and listen: Nick Spitzer, “Creolization as Cultural Continuity and Creativity in Postdiluvian New Orleans and Beyond” (2011). In class discussion of Spitzer’s essay, history of Cajun and Black French Louisiana music.
Write a page or two of commentary identifying Spitzer’s main points.
Listen to songs at “South Louisiana” — Read: Cajun and Zydeco (Wikipedia)
“Acadian One Step.” Early Cajun recording. Joe Falcon, accordian; Cleoma Breaux Falcon, guitar; Ophy Breaux, fiddle; unknown, triangle. Recorded in Atlanta, 1929. Joe Falcon (1900-1965) and his wife Cleoma Breaux (d. 1941) made the first Cajun music record (“Allons a Lafayette”) for Columbia in 1928. Falcon and Breaux’s recordings were extremely popular in Louisiana and opened up the Cajun record market. Cleoma was the vocalist on their recordings. Falcon played accordion for dances and cajun fais do-dos in his home area.
“Jolie Blonde.” Hackberry Ramblers, recorded in New Orleans, 1936. Luderin Darbone, fiddle; Lennis Sonnier, guitar and vocal; Wayne Perry, fiddle; Julius “Papa Cairo” Lamperez, guitar. The most popular Cajun band of the mid-1930s, the Hackberry Ramblers, led by fiddler Luderin Darbone from Evangeline, were a progressive group that incorporated influences from mainstream country music, western swing, and blues. “Jolie Blonde,” often referred to as the Cajun national anthem was the Ramblers most popular recording. In 1946, Harry Choates became the first Cajun performer to have an impact on commercial country music with his hit recording of the song as “Jole Blon.” Source: Le Gran Mamou, Vol. I. (Country Music Foundation, 1990).
“Zydeco Sont Pas Salé“ Clifton Chenier, piano accordion and vocal. (ca 1992) Chenier did not invent zydeco, but he defined it with every performance. Source: Cajun Music and Zydeco, Rounder Records, 1992.
“La Danse De Mardi Gras.“ Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. Since the late 1980s, Riley and his group have earned a reputation as one of the premier bands playing the traditional Cajun repertoire, bringing the old songs to enthusiastic audiences in dancehalls and on stages around the world, and more recently writing original material that carries the tradition forward. Their interpretation of the minor-key “La Danse de Mardi Gras,” one of the oldest Cajun songs, shows how powerful and plaintive this music can be. Source: Louisiana Spice: 25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records, 1995.
In class: Scenes from documentary film “J’ai Ete Au Bal” (“I Went to the Dance) by Les Blank, Chris Strachwitz, and Maureen Gosling (2003).
“Reuben’s Train” and “Alberta,” performed by Bonsoir Caitin (2010)
March 29 From HIllbilly to Country Music
Read: Richard Peterson, Chap. 10 only: “Honky Tonk Firmament” (1997) (Course Reserves)
and Bob Dylan’s 2015 MusiCares speech.
Quiz on Peterson and Dylan readings.
Listen:
Stanley Brothers, “Rank Strangers” (196?) LYRICS
Bob Wills — “Steel Guitar Rag“ (1936)
Ernest Tubb — “Walking the Floor Over You” (originally recorded 1941)
Hank Williams — “Honky Tonkin’” (1948)
Floyd Tillman “Slippin’ Around” (1949)
Jimmy Wakely and Margaret Whiting — “Slipping Around” (1949) A pop cover version.
Hank Thompson “The Wild Side of Life” (1952)
Kitty Wells — “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” (originally recorded 1952)
Wanda Jackson, “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down” (1958) LYRICS
Wanda Jackson and Justin Townes Earle, “Am I Even a Memory?” (2012)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHPy6fJcV2o
Johnny Cash — “Big River,” (1958) — “Ring of Fire” (1963)
George Jones, “She Thinks I Still Care” (1958)
Carl and Pearl Butler, “Don’t Let Me Cross Over” (1962)
Patsy Cline, “Crazy” (1962)
George Jones and Melba Montgomery, “We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds” (1963)
Loretta Lynn, “Don’t Come Home a’ Drinkin’” (1967)
Loretta Lynn, “Coal Miner’s Daughter“ (1969)
Merle Haggard, “Hungry Eyes” (1969) LYRICS
Johnny Paycheck, “The Pint of No Return” (1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf3Qgzrvdb8
George Strait, “Amarillo by Morning“ (1983)
Dwight Yoakam, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet” (1993)
Dixie Chicks, “Goodbye Earl” (2000)
Johnny Cash, “Hurt” (2003) LYRICS Read about the song and the Cash video
Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me” (2010)
Steve Earle, “So You Wannabe An Outlaw” (2017) LYRICS
Willie Nelson, “Still Not Dead” (2017)
Margo Price, “A Little Pain” (2018) LYRICS
April 3 Memphis Notions: Emergence of Rock ‘n Roll:
Read: George Lipsitz, “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens: The Class Origins of Rock and Roll.” (Course Reserves).
On YouTube, sample the songs Lipsitz discusses.
Quiz on Lipsitz essay.
Listen to songs on “Memphis” website.
Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, “That’s All Right” (1946)
Elvis Presley, “That’s All Right” (1954)
Louis Jordan, “Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens” (1947)
Jackie Brenston with His Delta Cats, “Rocket 88” (1951)
Ruth Brown, “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” (1955)
Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
Jerry Lee Lewis , “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On” (1957)
April 5 Rock and Youth Culture in the 1960s and ’70s
Read: George Lipsitz, “Who’ll Stop the Rain” (1994). (Course Reserves).
On YouTube, listen to songs mentioned by Lipsitz.
Quiz on Lipsitz’ article.
Percy Faith, “Theme from A Summer Place“ (1960)
Four Freshmen, “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring” (1960)
Beach Boys, “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring” (1962?)
Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963)
Beach Boys, “Don’t Worry Baby” (1964)
Bob Dylan, “Masters of War” (1963)
Martha and the Vandellas, “Dancing in the Streets“ (1964)
Aretha Franklin, “Respect” (1967)
Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969)
Neil Young, “Ohio” (1970)
Janis joplin “Little Girl Blue” (1969?)
Carly Simon, “That’s the Way I Always Heard It Should Be” (1971)
Joni Mitchell, “Hejira” (1976) LYRICS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AfPR_B8s-A
James Brown, “The Big Payback” (1973)
Recommended: Robert Christgau, dean of American rock critics
April 10 Origins of Hip Hop
Read: Tricia Rose, “All Aboard the Night Train,” (1994). (Course reserves)
Draw upon Rose’s chapter to write a commentary (one to two pages) about the social and cultural context out of which the musical form “rap” emerged.
Deep background in African American oral traditions, toasts, boasting talk. “The Signifying Monkey”
Begin video at approx. 54:30
Hip Hop history. VH1. Part 1 (“And You Don’t Stop)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v43FLqEx1JU
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP7MLPrO80A
“Rapper’s Delight,” Sugar Hill Gang, (1979)
“The Message“ — Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 1982. — LYRICS.
“Roxanne’s Revenge” –– Roxanne Shante, 1984.– LYRICS
“Roxanne Finally Gets Her Revenge” New York Times, March 20, 2018.
“Who Protects Us from You?” 1989. Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One. LYRICS.
“Ladies First” — Queen Latifah, 1989. LYRICS.
“Illegal Search” LL Cool J 1990 LYRICS
“911 is a Joke” Public Enemy, 1990. LYRICS
“Fight the Power” Public Enemy, 1990. LYRICS
Recommended: Art Crimes: City Walls: United States
April 12 Uneasy Listening: Badlands, Alternative Tracks, and Dirty Boulevards
Read: David P. Szatmary, “The Generation X Blues.” (2010). (Course Reserves)
Listen to Szatmary’s examples on YouTube, Spotify, etc.
Write a page or two identifying Szatmary’s main points.
Patti Smith, “Gloria” (1975) LYRICS
Bruce Springsteen, “Badlands” (1978) LYRICS
Ramones, “I Wanna Be Sedated” (1978) LYRICS
X, “We’re Desperate” (1981) LYRICS
Black Flag, “Rise Above” (1981) LYRICS
Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the USA,” (1984)
Acoustic Version LYRICS
The Replacements, “Bastards of Young” (1985) LYRICS
R.E.M., “Driver 8” (1985) LYRICS
R.E.M. “Fall on Me” (1986) LYRICS
Peter Gabriel, “Big Time,” (1986) LYRICS
Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car” (1988) LYRICS
Lou Reed, “Busload of Faith” LYRICS
(1989) LYRICS
Metallica, “One” (1989) LYRICS
Theme from “Twin Peaks” (1990) Angelo Badalamenti
Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) LYRICS
Everclear, “Father of Mine” (1997) LYRICS
Read: Riot Girl scene
Sleater-Kinney, “Jumpers” (2005) LYRICS
April 17 No Class Today
April 19 Protest Songs and Social Justice
Assignment: Listen to American Routes radio show (two hours): “Midnight Special” and write no more than two pages of comments about the music and musicians featured on this show about prison music.
Historical US Incarceration Rates
Woody Guthrie “Pretty Boy Floyd“ (1930s) Biographical sketch of Floyd.
LYRICS
Scenes from the documentary Chulas Fronteras: The Roots of Tex-Mex Music
“Gregorio Cortez” Corrido as sung by Raymon Ayala LYRICS
“Mal Hombre” Lydia Mendoza (1934) LYRICS
Billie Holiday “Strange Fruit” (1939). Read about “Strange Fruit”
“Tennessee” written and performed by Atlanta’s Arrested Development (1992). LYRICS.
“Eyes on the Prize,” Mavis Staples.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZWdDI_fkns
Scenes from Episode 4 of Eyes on the Prize
John Coltrane “Alabama” (1963) Written in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963, an attack by the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four African-American girls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saN1BwlxJxA
Another song in reaction to the Birmingham church bombing: Nina Simone performs “Mississippi Goddamn.” (1964)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25-U3jNWM
Bob Dylan, “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA&list=RD8qDkC4yJxdc&index=25
Excerpt from Bob Dylan’s memoir Chronicles (2004)
Nina Simone. “Pirate Jenny” (1992) LYRICS. Read about the song.
Kendrick Lamar. “Alright” (2015) LYRICS
April 24 Hip Hop Geographies
Read: Nicholas Stoia, Kyle Adams, and Kevin Drakulich, “Rap Lyrics as Evidence: What Can Music Theory Tell Us?” (2017) (Course Reserves)
Quiz on article by Stoia, Adams, and Drakulich.
Listen to Terri Gross interview with Jay-Z, and discussion of Decoded.
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/131334322/the-fresh-air-interview-jay-z-decoded
“Word,” a review of Jay-Z’s Decoded by Kelefa Sanneh, from The New Yorker, Dec 6, 2010.
Jay-Z, “Hard Knock Life” (1999)
“Dirty South” Goodie Mob (1995) LYRICS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiuEFG0ZBd8
Atlanta’s Ever-Shifting Hip-Hop Scene, NY Times, July 2015.
Recommended:
Jay-Z video biography
Matt Miller, “Dirty Decade: Rap Music and the US South” (2008)
Holly Hobbs, “‘I Used That Katrina Water To Master My Flow’: Rap Performance, Disaster, and Recovery in New Orleans” (2015)
April 26 Presentations. All Over the Map: Recent Scenes and Networks
For presentation in class: drawing on approaches to music analysis that we have applied throughout the course, select a song from the last five to ten years and write two pages about it. Be prepared to present the highlights of your paper in class: time limit of five minutes.
For your listening pleasure:
Elliot Smith, “Between the Bars” (1997)
Beck, “Guess I’m Doing Fine” (2002)
Grant-Lee Phillips, “Far End of the NIght” (2004)
Cat Power, “The Greatest” (2005)
The National, “Green Gloves” (2008)
Justin Townes Earle, “Rogers Park,” (2010)
Wye Oak, “Civilian,” (2011) LYRICS
Fleet Foxes, “Lorelai,” (2011)
Sharon Van Etten, “Serpents,” (2011)
Angel Olsen, “Sister,” (2016)
Haley Bonar, “Hometown” (2017)
Black Eyed Peas , “Street Livin'” (2018) LYRICS
Recommended: Pan-Latin Music from San Antonio to New York
Ando Buscando Un Amor” Texmaniacs (2012) LYRICS translation
Grading for the Course:
Commentaries and quizzes on the assigned reading and listening. (40%)
To aid in comprehension and class discussion, a typed page or two of commentary demonstrating your understanding of the day’s readings is often assigned on the syllabus. In addition, there will be brief quizzes about the reading and listening assignments. Dates for quizzes and commentaries are posted on the syllabus
Midterm exam (30%) Covers the reading, musical examples, and lectures since the beginning of the course.
Final exam (30%) . WEDNESDAY, MAY 9. 11:30 — 2:00 Bring a blue book.
Material to be covered includes all the reading, musical examples, and lectures since the Midterm indicated in red. The final exam will consist of music listening identifications (give title, artist, and significance), as well as short-answer and fill-in-the-blank questions.
Course Deadlines: All deadlines are indicated on the course syllabus. Extensions will be made on an individual basis at the instructor’s discretion. Late work may be penalized.
Course Policies:
This seminar requires participation in discussion during the class sessions. On-time and regular attendance is expected. Because the seminar meets twice a week, two absences are allowed without penalty. For each additional unexcused absence, a student’s final course grade will be lowered by five points. (If you need to be late or absent for any reason, contact Prof. Tullos by email prior to the class meeting time.) Students are expected to complete the assignments on the syllabus prior to class meetings. Please report any problems with the syllabus website, Internet links, or the course reserves materials to Prof. Tullos.
Read and abide by the Emory University Honor Code. Plagiarism involves misrepresenting the work of another as your own and can range from turning in an essay written by someone else to using a direct quotation or paraphrasing without citing the author/speaker. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. In all writing and project work, be certain to cite authors, musicians, filmmakers, websites, recordings, interviews, and other sources properly, giving credit for ideas and quotations. Plagiarism or cheating in the class (including turning in work prepared for another class), will result in an “F” for the course and a report to the Honor Council and appropriate college dean.
Disability Services: The Office of Disability Services offers reasonable accommodations and assistance to students with a documented disability. You must register with ODS and supply your teacher with a letter from this office that details the specific accommodations that you need. ODS is located in the Administration Building Rm 110. You may contact this office by phone at 404-727-6016.