MUS 505 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: The Crew-Cuts, Bill Haley, Paul Whiteman
Document Summary
Early rock"n" roll cover versions (cid:498)sh-boom" by the chords (1954) and the crew cuts (1954). Many people get into the record "business", starting independent labels and shops to cater to local audiences and tastes. Proto-market: the local, independent music scenes where musicians are willing to work for little or no economic reward in the hopes of "making it"; provides a cheap labour source for the big businesses. Indie labels better equipped to know what is happening on the "streets", major labels pick up on the successful acts. Independent labels become the "research and development" wing of major labels. Bill haley and the comets: "rock around the clock" (1955), first rock song to be a best-seller. Haley, like paul whiteman, an important popularizer of a previously marginalized style, making black r&b palatable for a white audience. Inspired young musicians to take up the guitar and play.