The American Blues in Britain
In what ways did American Blues affect English musicians in the early 1960s?
View ArticleConsidering the Future of Rock and Roll
How is Rock and Roll's power, at least in part, a result of its being born on the margins of society?
View ArticleThematic Lesson: Love Songs
Why is the Pop song such a common medium for expressing feelings about love, and how do individual songs relate to their historical moments?
View ArticleSinger-Songwriters and the Environmental Movement
How did the singer-songwriters of the 1960s and 70s address the concerns of the environmental movement?
View ArticleRadio Before Rock and Roll
How did radio influence American life in the years before the birth of Rock and Roll?
View ArticleGlam: The Return of the Teenager
How was Glam Rock part of a new teenage culture in the 1970s?
View ArticleThe Rise of the Electric Guitar as Rock and Roll’s Dominant Symbol
What factors led to the rise of the electric guitar as the dominant symbol of Rock and Roll?
View ArticleThe Blues and the Great Migration
How did the Great Migration spread Southern culture, helping to give the Blues a central place in American popular music?
View ArticleThe Roots of the Protest Era: McCarthyism and the Artist’s Voice in 1950s...
How were musicians and artists affected by McCarthyism in 1950s America?
View ArticleBo Diddley’s Unconventional 1950s Sound and Its Anticipation of Hip Hop
How were Bo Diddley’s recordings an anomaly in relation to 1950s Pop music, and how is his rhythm-driven sound and self-presentation a precursor to Hip Hop style?
View ArticleFunk Asserts Itself: Black Art for Black Audiences
How did 1970s Funk respond to African-American life in the decade following the Civil Rights movement?
View ArticleThe Influence of Latin Music in Postwar New York City
How did the growth of New York City’s Latino population in the 1940s and 50s help to increase the popularity of Latin music and dance in American culture?
View ArticleWorld War II and the Shrinking of the Ensemble
How did wartime restrictions and other factors cause popular music ensembles to shrink in size during the 1940s, helping to set the stage for the small “combos” of Rock and Roll?
View ArticleInterdisciplinary Lesson: "Hound Dog"
How does the story of “Hound Dog” demonstrate music culture’s racial mixing as it differed from mainstream American life in the 1950s?
View ArticleInterdisciplinary Lesson: "Twist and Shout"
What role did cover songs like “Twist and Shout” play early in the Beatles's career, and how did their experiences growing up in post-WWII Liverpool and performing in Hamburg nightclubs help them to...
View ArticleInterdisciplinary Lesson: "Blowin' in the Wind"
How does the song “Blowin’ in the Wind” use poetic devices to communicate an open-ended yet powerful message about the human condition, without ever losing its historical specificity?
View ArticleInterdisciplinary Lesson: "Chain of Fools"
Essential Question: How did Aretha Franklin’s foundation in Gospel music influence her recording of “Chain of Fools,” helping to establish a Soul sound and bringing black culture into mainstream America?
View ArticleLittle Kids Rock Charts: “Hound Dog”
How does understanding the structure and context of the song "Hound Dog" inform its performance?
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