Swing

History[edit] 1920s: Origins[edit] Like jazz, swing was created by African Americans, and its impact on the overall American culture was such that it marked and named an entire era of the USA, the swing era – as the 1920s had been termed "The Jazz Age".[1] Such an influence from the black community was unprecedented in any western country.[1] Swing music abandoned the string orchestra and used simpler, "edgier" arrangements that emphasized horns and wind instruments and improvised melodies. Louis Armstrong shared a different version of the history of swing during a nationwide broadcast of the Bing Crosby (radio) Show.[2] Crosby said, "We have as our guest the master of swing and I'm going to get him to tell you what swing music is." Armstrong said, "Ah, swing, well, we used to call it syncopation — then they called it ragtime, then blues — then jazz. Now, it's swing. 1930: Birth of swing[edit] 1935-1946: The Swing Era[edit] In his autobiography W.C. Peak and decline[edit] Frank Sinatra

Big Band A big band is a type of musical ensemble that originated in the United States and is associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately 12 to 25 musicians. The terms jazz band, jazz ensemble, jazz orchestra, stage band, society band, and dance band may describe this type of ensemble in particular contexts. Instrumentation[edit] Typical seating diagram for a big band. A standard 17-piece instrumentation evolved in the big-bands, for which many commercial arrangements are available. Some arrangements call for saxophone players to double on other woodwind instruments, such as flute, clarinet, soprano sax, or bass clarinet. History and style[edit] Paul Whiteman and his orchestra in 1921 Radio and movies[edit] Big Bands also began to appear in movies in the 1930s right on through to the 1960s. Rise and fall of swing[edit] Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee Big Bands played a major role in lifting morale during World War II.

Traditional pop music Traditional pop (also classic pop or pop standards) music consists of Western (and particularly American) popular music that generally predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. Introduction[edit] Traditional/classic pop music is generally regarded as having existed between the mid-1940s and mid-1950s. Allmusic defines traditional pop as "post-big band and pre-rock & roll pop music." Traditional pop music is often regarded as having enduring appeal, possessing certain ineffable qualities, including but not limited to an ease and memorability of melody, as well as wit and charm of lyric. Origin[edit] Mid-1940s to mid-1950s: Height of popularity[edit] Following the swing era, many of the bands and vocalists became part of the period's popular music. Late 1950s to 1960s: Decline of traditional pop[edit] In the late 1950s and 1960s, rock became a very prominent musical style. Advent of rock and roll[edit] Current adherence to traditional pop[edit] See also[edit] References[edit]

Country Early origins[edit] Ryman Auditorium, the "Mother Church of Country Music" Immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of the Old World along with them for nearly 300 years. They brought some of their most important valuables with them, and to most of them this was an instrument: "Early Irish settlers enjoyed the fiddle because it could be played to sound sad and mournful or bright and bouncy."[7] The Irish fiddle, the German-derived dulcimer, the Italian mandolin, the Spanish guitar, and the West African banjo[8] were the most common musical instruments. According to historian Bill Malone in Country Music U.S.A, country music was "introduced to the world as a southern phenomenon "Country music is the combination of African and European folk songs coming together and doing a little waltz right here in the American south. Country music is often erroneously thought of as solely the creation of European Americans. Hillbilly boogie[edit]

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is a term used to denote the canon of the most important and most influential American popular songs of the 20th century – principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film. These enduring songs are from the 1920s through the 1950s, and include dozens of songs of enduring popularity. Definition[edit] Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart In one 1972 study of the canon, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900–1950, songwriter and critic Alec Wilder provided a list of the artists he believes belong to the Great American Songbook canon, as well as his ranking of their relative worth. Songwriters and songs[edit] There is no definitive list of musicians and lyricists whose work constitutes the Great American Songbook, but the following writers and songs are often included: Irving Berlin, one of the most prolific composers and lyricists of the Great American Songbook. Style and structure[edit] Style[edit] Structure[edit] Singers[edit]

Western Swing This article is about the musical subgenre. For the dance, see West Coast Swing. Western swing differs in several ways from the music played by the nationally popular horn-driven big swing bands of the same era. In Western bands—even the fully orchestrated bands—vocals and other instruments followed the fiddle's lead. Additionally, although popular horn bands tended to arrange and score their music, most Western bands improvised freely, either by soloists or collectively.[11] Prominent groups during the peak of Western swing's popularity included The Light Crust Doughboys, Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies, and Spade Cooley and His Orchestra. According to legendary guitarist Merle Travis, "Western swing is nothing more than a group of talented country boys, unschooled in music, but playing the music they feel, beating a solid two-four rhythm to the harmonies that buzz around their brains. History[edit] Origin of the name[edit] Bob Wills

Show tune A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" (or stage musical), especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Particular musicals that have yielded "show tunes" include: Though show tunes vary in style, they do tend to share common characteristics—they usually fit the context of a story being told in the original musical, they are useful in enhancing and heightening choice moments. Show tunes were a major venue for popular music before the rock and roll and television era; most of the hits of such songwriters as Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin came from their shows. Although show tunes no longer have such a major role in popular music as they did in their heyday, they maintain somewhat popular, especially among niche audiences. Bibliography[edit] Green, Stanley. References[edit] External links[edit] Show Tunes at allmusic.com

Outlaw Country Willie Nelson History[edit] Origins[edit] The roots of the outlaw movement can be traced to the 1950s. David Allan Coe at the time was a patched member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, a notorious one percenter motorcycle club. The 1960s was a decade of enormous change, and that change was also reflected in the music of the time. L-R Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings at Willie's 1972 4th of July Picnic. Development[edit] Other Texans, like Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Guy Clark, have developed the outlaw ethos through their songs and their lifestyles. Although Johnny Cash spent most of his time in Arkansas and Tennessee, he experienced a revival of his career with the outlaw movement, especially after his live albums At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin, both of which were recorded in prisons. Female outlaws[edit] Another woman who achieved the Outlaw success of her male counterparts was Sammi Smith, a singer from California. Texas country[edit] Notable artists[edit]

Bluegrass Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of Appalachia.[1] It has mixed roots in Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and English[2] traditional music, and also later influenced by the music of African-Americans[3] through incorporation of jazz elements. Bluegrass music has attracted a diverse following worldwide. Characteristics[edit] Instrumentation[edit] Unlike mainstream country music, bluegrass is traditionally played on acoustic stringed instruments. Instrumentation has been an ongoing topic of debate. Vocals[edit] Apart from specific instrumentation, a distinguishing characteristic of bluegrass is vocal harmony featuring two, three, or four parts, often with a dissonant or modal sound in the highest voice (see modal frame), a style described as the "high, lonesome sound Themes[edit] History[edit] Creation[edit] Classification[edit] Origin of name[edit] "Oh, (Monroe) was the first. First generation[edit]

Old-Timey or Hillbilly Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of various cultures of Ireland, Britain, Africa, and Continental Europe. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, flatfoot dancing, buck dancing, and clogging. The genre also encompasses ballads and other types of folk songs. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination of fiddle and plucked string instruments (most often the guitar and banjo). History[edit] Reflecting the cultures that settled North America, the roots of old-time music are in the traditional musics of the British Isles (primarily English and Scottish) and Ireland. The term "old-time"[edit] With its origins in traditional music of Europe and Africa, old-time music represents perhaps the oldest form of North American traditional music other than Native American music, and thus the term "old-time" is an appropriate one. Other sources[edit] Revival[edit] Appalachia[edit]

Bakersfield History[edit] Two important British Invasion-era rock bands also displayed some Bakersfield influences. The Beatles recorded a popular version of Owens' "Act Naturally". Years later, The Rolling Stones made their connection explicit in the lyrics of the very Bakersfield-sounding Far Away Eyes, which begins: "I was driving home early Sunday morning, through Bakersfield ...". The Bakersfield Sound has such a large influence on the West Coast music scene that many small guitar companies set up shop in Bakersfield in the 1960s. The biggest of significance was the Mosrite guitar company that still influences rock, country, and jazz music to this day. Buck Owens and The Buckaroos[edit] Buck Owens and the Buckaroos developed it further, incorporating different styles of music to fit his music tastes. Other successful artists[edit] In an interview, Dwight Yoakam defined the term "Bakersfield sound": References[edit] ^ Jump up to: a b c d e McNutt, Randy (2002). External links[edit]