Friday, January 24, 2020

Music that influenced the band members

mark@marktreble.com


The music that influenced the band members. Did You Ever See Allegro
It’s necessary to know that the band members were all born between 1947 and 1950, so their earliest influences were what their parents listed to. That was the big bands, musical theater, jazz and a whole lot of what today is called elevator music.
The 1950s were the age of rock and roll, but they didn’t start that way. R&B got its wider introduction in the early 1950s with pieces such as Tutti Fruitti and Maybelline. Simultaneously, the Blues broke out of the lower Mississippi Valley with Chuck Barry and Bo Diddley leaving the monochrome melancholy at the door, and drew interest. Ray Charles and Fats Domino were the leading creative forces.
Then were jazz and folk.
Have to recall one of my favorites, Doo-Wop.
Eventually, the white people made a contribution. ‘bout time if you ask me.


Rock and roll was a celebratory and revolutionary fusion of all of these, and more. Their parents hated it, which ensured the youngsters eagerly sought it out. It was called obscene, and Elvis was only shown from the waist up on television. The Beatles were shamed for their long hair. The Doors were censored for the line “couldn’t get much higher.” All of that is laughable when one considers what came afterwards. But, at the time, it wasn’t sex, drugs and rock and roll. It was sex and drugs are rock and roll.

To be continued …

4 comments:

  1. As a child of the ‘80s I’m fascinated how the music of the '80s was influenced by ‘50s and '60s music. I can't be certain of what's inspired so may bands to take this retro route, why the late '50s and early '60s sound is so prominent in today's music, but I know this music appeals to me because it’s simple and comforting.
    I love when bands reinterpret that nostalgia in their own style. MTV pop like The Cars, The Bangles, The Go-Gos shared with Motown, the Beach Boys, and the British Invasion. Madonna's music had girl-group Motown influences like The Supremes and Martha & the Vandellas. Rock and roll took on a life of it’s own thanks to groundbreaking artists such as Elvis, ensuring Girls Could Have Fun!

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  2. Thanks, nnylirret. Looking forward to your continuing contributions. I hadn't thought of the music as simple and comforting, but I'm too close to it. You're right!

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  3. The evolution of music in the last 30 years (what I've been able to observe in my lifetime), has seemed a bit crazy, yet interesting to say the least.

    I'm currently enjoying some of the new combinations of music coming out, like lo-fi. It is upbeat, with synthetic sounds like such that you'd find in techno, but with relaxed jazz melodies. Some of the more obscure/indie musicians are also finding ways to merge 70's style music into their newer pieces. The building of these combinations is really neat, and I look forward to what new music builds on popular trends of the past!

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  4. Thanks, Cassie. All kinds of music can be good and be enjoyed. There are those who are genre snobs; I once was one, but saw the error of my ways. It doesn't have to be written by a dead Italian to be good.

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