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Influence of radio and television in society
Influence of radio and television in society
Influence of radio and television in society
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For almost 90 years, The Grand Ole Opry has withstood the test of time to become one of the tried and true traditions in country music. From the show's humble beginnings as an obscure radio program, to it's renowned place today as one of the premiere stages for music, The Grand Ole Opry has had an extremely colorful and interesting existence. Over the 88 years that have passed since the show's inception, The Grand Ole Opry has featured many talented performers. Those performers, along with social changes and economics, have all contributed to the growth and success of The Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry began shortly after National Life and Accident Insurance Company Vice President Edwin Craig launched WSM radio on October 5, 1925 in Nashville, Tennessee. In those early days, however, The Grand Ole Opry went by a much different name. Known as the WSM Barn Dance, the radio program was named after National Life and Accident Insurance Company's slogan, “We Shield Millions” (Escott 4; Hagan 5). When WSM radio went on-air at 7pm that night in October 1925, the radio station had no plans for any country or folk programming. In fact, that first night the program consisted of a prayer, the national anthem, and then a lengthy dedication program. It wasn't until after WSM hired station manager George Hay in mid November 1925, that the station took it's first steps towards becoming a country radio show(Escott 4). Station manager George Hay featured a “champion barn dance fiddler” named Uncle Jimmy Thompson on November 28, 1925. Jimmy Thompson was featured again on WSM radio's show again on Saturday December 26, 1925. While the exact date of the beginning of the WSM Barn Dance remains somewhat in contention to this date, it undoubtedly ... ... middle of paper ... ...a premiere stage for many artists and musicians to showcase their talents. Combined with the efforts of those artists and the social and economic changes in America, The Grand Ole Opry continues to entertain it's listeners and viewers with only the best in country and bluegrass music. Works Cited "650 AM WSM Player and Mobile Apps." WSM Online. Grand Ole Opry, 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Escott, Colin. The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon. New York: Center Street, 2006. Print. "Grand Ole Opry History." Home. Grand Ole Opry, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Hagan, Chet. Grand Ole Opry. New York: H. Holt, 1989. Print. Kingsbury, Paul. The Grand Ole Opry History of Country Music: 70 Years of the Songs, the Stars, and the Stories. New York: Villard, 1995. Print. Shaw, Arnold. "Grand Ole Opry" Southern Music Network, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
“We stuck to who we were at Motown, and the world came around.” Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown records relayed at the Occidental College’s 125th commencement ceremony in 2007. Motown was “the new voice of America” due to its great impact and influence on the music industry and society. Numerous events were happening in America at that time and Berry Gordy identified several of these factors to target the music of Motown and its artists to young audiences in specific ways. There were various social, musical and cultural factors that were critically important and of these factors, Gordy identified the segregation and the civil rights movement, the music and cultural aspects of the black community at that time.
Motown is the sound that changed America. No other record company in history had more than 180 number 1 hit songs worldwide and counting. Motown just recently celebrated their 50th anniversary of the company’s founding. Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Jackson 5, and many much brought together racially divided country and segregated society around the world. In this essay I first will tell you more information about Motown and where it got its name from, I then will tell you about Marvin Gaye and his history dealings with Motown, next I will talk about Stevie Wonder and explain his life and how he became a part of Motown, and lastly I will talk about Jackson 5 and talk about how they became a group and their dealings with Motown.
-The American people were hungry for new music, so they accepted the independent stations of the majors.
By 1972 Billy Joel was finally on to the big stage when he released his first solo album named, Cold Spring Harbor. He named the album after a small village near his hometown on Long Island's North Shore. This album began to get air time when a Philadelphia based radio station, 93.3 WMMR began playing a live version of a new song called, Captain Jack. Despite its popularity on the east coast, Joel went west in search of some notoriety. He performed in piano bars regularly under the name Billy Martin. This experience is the basis for his hit song, Piano Man. As the popularity of Captain Jack spread west Joel was offered a contract with Columbia Records where he quickly produced top 20 hit, Piano Man.
The influences of long ago have come and gone from the radio air waves, but the extreme driving force of the country music industry, WSM Radio and the Grand Ole Opry turned a small town into a big city, nicknamed "Music City". Today, seventy-five plus years later, the Opry still broadcasts to listeners on the same radio station.
Motown founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Motown played
...gers of the old folk music are referred to as “authentic”. The author uses the biographies and the personal experiences of true Appalachian folk musicians to portray what life in the Appalachians was like. The strong family values, the music, the legends.
All across the world, music is a major part of daily lives. Different genres, instruments, languages, and rhythms may exist, but the fact that music brings people of different races and religion together remains untouched. The Grand Ole Opry, a show that began in Nashville, Tennessee, has brought millions of people together over the years. Whether a person is tuning in to the AM station, online, on the app, or enjoying a live show at the historic Grand Ole Opry House, all Opry listeners share the same passion for country music, bluegrass, gospel, and of course, a laugh every now and then.
Country music was brought over by the first European settlers. In medieval times, storytelling was a tradition that allowed history to be recorded when few were able to read and write. When the first British settlers came to America, they brought this tradition with them, along with songs that they had learned in Europe. The people who settled the Appalachian Mountains and the West did not have an easy life and their music gave them an outlet to express their hardships.
Every Wednesday evening, all across America in the 1960s, a very familiar tune could be heard seeping out of the speakers of a plethora of televisions. “Come and listen to a story ‘bout a man named Jed, poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed” are the opening lyrics of a song that everybody knew (VinylNostalgia). The song is entitled “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”, and it is the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies, a popular comedic television show from the 1960s and early 1970s (“The Ballad of Jed Clampett.”).
Whitfield’s early life was like any young child. He was born on May 12, 1940 in New York. During his life as a teenager he frequently spent time at pool halls having been influenced by R&B in his mid teens. Moving on to Whitfield’s late teens his father relocated his family to be closer to his sister ,and to also work for her husband’s family drug store chain. When he was at the age of 19, Whitfield began making an appearance at Motown’s Hitsville U.S.A to get an opportunity to work for an expanding company. The founder Berry Gordy Jr. acknowledges Whitfield’s tenacity and hired him for the quality control department. You can say that this was the start of his career.
In closing, the undoubtable influence of music, more specifically of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society is responsible for a number of changes to the status quo. These range from sexual liberation and racial desegregation all culminating with other influences to create an intergenerational identity. Despite the desperate attempts of older generations to smother these influences, these changes ultimately shaped the years that followed, molding the country into what it is today. Along the way these changes as well as individual involvement in them has also eased the lives of many through empowerment and a feeling of community and purpose. Despite a lull and renewal Rock ‘n’ Roll continues to serve as an agent of influence and change in today’s youth culture and continues to burn in the heart of past generations of loyal fans.
The modern banjo was formed in the nineteenth century as a “commercial adaptation of an instrument used by enslaved West Africans” (Odell). “It was popularized in the 19th century by ‘minstrels’ and, later, by jazz bands. In late 19th-century USA, and also in Britain, the banjo became a popular parlour instrument, and ‘classic’ concert styles were also developed by soloists” (Montagu). Today the most common use for the banjo is in south-eastern traditional music and in bluegrass (Montagu).
Brooks and Dunn was a Country band consisting of two vocalists, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn. They initially were formed in 1988 in Nashville, TN. Both Ronnie and Kix were solo recording artists before forming a band together. The band Brooks and Dunn were influenced by many people and kinds of music as well as they influenced others. They used influences of Honky-Tonk, Mainstream Rock, and other Rock in their music. The band is mostly known for the kick starting of the line dancing craze, the dance that swept the nation (Huey). They liked to use rock in their country songs and they influenced a lot of upcoming artists to be more rock as well. A lot of the music produced after that all had the same honky-tonk vibe to it with danceable beats and incorporated rock in it somehow.
In the text book America’s Musical Landscape by Jean Ferris, the book takes us through the history of the evolution of American music. The book delves into the different time periods of America’s music beginning with early North American music all the way to today’s modern music. Additionally, the book also explains how music, theater and film intertwine to provide some spectacular art. Jean Ferris finishes the book by exploring America’s concert music. Let us now take a closer look into the different time periods brought out in the book.