THE INFLUENCE OF RHYTHM AND BLUES

OVERVIEW

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What did R&B bring to early Rock and Roll, and how was
early Rock and Roll different?

OVERVIEW

All popular music comes from somewhere. But when

innovative music gets on the radio, the television, or to the
public’s ears and eyes in some other fashion, it often sounds
like it appeared from nowhere; like it landed on the doorstep
and had no parents. But whether Punk, Hip Hop, Hard Rock
or any other music, it all came from somewhere.

So, too, was the case with early Rock and Roll. What Elvis did
pre-existed him—even if the way he put it together did not.
As this lesson will suggest, one crucial “parent” to early Rock
and Roll was Rhythm and Blues, or R&B. As Fats Domino said
in the mid-1950s, “What they call Rock and Roll I’ve been playing in New Orleans for years.” Many
would agree with him. The subject of this lesson is the music of which Fats Domino speaks: the R&B
of the pre-Rock and Roll era.

What was R&B, and where did it come from? The answers to that question are many and certainly
crucial for any deeper understanding of the Rock and Roll story. The short version has it that when
the Swing bands went out, due in part to the wartime economy and the daunting costs of keeping
a large ensemble on the road, smaller combos became popular. Those smaller combos had a sound
that many described as more “raw.” Artists like Louis Jordan emerged in this moment, influencing a
number of Rock and Rollers, Chuck Berry among them. As the R&B recordings reveal, these smaller
combos retained the emphasis on horn sections, but, by virtue of being smaller groups of players,
their sound left more musical room for other instruments. That being the time when electric guitar
technology was getting more advanced, this meant that when the guitar players got more space, they
met it with more volume. Thus the R&B sound edged toward Rock and Roll.

But even if R&B provided early Rock and Roll with many of its constituent elements, it is important
to also consider what made them different. In this lesson, students will compare LaVern Baker’s “Tra
La La,” an example of R&B, with her contemporary Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene,” an example of early
Rock and Roll. By way of conclusion, LaVern Baker’s record label, Atlantic, will be discussed as an
example of the independent companies that made R&B for black audiences, only to find that white
teenagers were, unexpectedly, their growing audience.

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OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this lesson, students will:

1. KNOW (KNOWLEDGE): 2. BE ABLE TO (SKILLS):

•T
 he importance of R&B as a musical gateway to •E
 xtrapolate arguments about music by
the Rock and Roll of the mid-1950s assessing sound, mood, tone, instrumentation

•T
 he role of labels like Atlantic Records in •D
 raw connections among various print, audio
circulating R&B to both a black and a white and visual texts
audience
•W
 rite creatively for personal and/or small group
•S
 ome key differences between R&B and early expression
Rock and Roll
• Compare and contrast texts, arguments and ideas

•C
 ommon Core: Students will work together to
closely read a text to determine what the text
says and to draw logical inferences; students
will cite specific quotes when writing and
speaking to support their conclusions (CCSS
Reading 1; CCSS Speaking and Listening 1;
CCSS Language 6)

• Common
​ Core: Students will review multiple
sources to gain knowledge and make
connections (CCSS Speaking and Listening
2); students will either take a position in a
music review (CCSS Writing 1) or write a short
research paper (CCSS Writing 7)

ACTIVITIES

MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY:

1. Share the following quote with the students, explaining that the speaker is Ahmet Ertegun,
founder of Atlantic Records.

“We had a little bit of a rough time trying to get our artists to do anything resembling the
blues. They were more singers like LaVern Baker and Ruth Brown . . .
the [New York City-based] bands we had were composed of players
from the big jazz bands and swing orchestras who had become studio musicians.
They were not at all like the kind of musicians who were playing the blues in Chicago,
like Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon and all those people.
When we had these musicians try to play in an authentic blues fashion, it didn’t work.
The result, however, was quite intriguing. What emerged was music with a blues feel,
but with a particularly Northern, urban influence.”

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MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY: (CONTINUED)

2. Ask students to explain what they think Ertegun was after but couldn’t find. Write down
their ideas.

• What kind of music was he looking for?

• Why do you think he wanted a “Blues” sound?

• Why couldn’t he find it in New York City?

• What could he find?

• What kind of musicians specifically was Ertegun able to find to play on records?

3. Ask the students if they know of the Blues musicians Ertegun refers to.

4. Play the clip of Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ Stone,” from a live performance.
Ask them the following:

• How would you describe the sound of Muddy Waters’ music?

• What do you think Ahmet Ertegun liked about Muddy Waters’ music?

• And what, again, were the reasons Ertegun said he couldn’t record music like Muddy Waters’ in New York City?

5. Once the class has discussed those questions, turn to the music Ertegun did record.

PROCEDURE: performance styles of the singers, and in

the overall moods of the songs.
1. Have the class watch, as a group, the
clip of LaVern Baker performing “Tra La 5. When they have had five minutes to
La.” complete this, ask each group to have a
representative read the results.
2. Once they have watched, ask them to
keep this and Muddy Waters in their 6. Ask the students:
minds, and split them into groups of
three. •W
 hy do you think Ertegun’s recording of LaVern
Baker ended up sounding “sweeter” than the
music of Muddy Waters, which Ertegun said he
3. Have each group write down, first, originally hoped to capture?
the instrumentation they see and hear
in each song, and, second, a list of •W
 hat in Ertegun’s statement above provides a
adjectives that describe Baker’s song and clue to this question?
performance, and then Waters’.
7. To the instructor: Help the class to
4. Ask them to consider differences consider Ertegun’s statement above that
in vocal style, in the sounds of the “the bands we had [in the studio] were
instruments (sweet or rough?), in the composed of players from the big jazz

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PROCEDURE: (CONTINUED)
bands and swing orchestras who had Band Jazz. Be sure your students grasp
become studio musicians. They were not what elements came together to make
at all like the kind of musicians who were Atlantic’s R&B sound.
playing the blues in Chicago, like Muddy
Waters and Willie Dixon and all those 9. Next, ask the students if they have any
people. When we had these musicians sense for how the R&B of LaVern Baker
try to play in an authentic blues fashion, is different from early Rock and Roll.
it didn’t work.” • What do you know about early Rock and Roll?

8. Specifically, point to Ertegun’s comment •W

 hat performers do you associate with early
that the musicians recording with him Rock and Roll?
were from “big jazz bands and swing •W
 hat instruments are featured in early Rock
orchestras.” Very different from Muddy and Roll?
Waters, who grew up on a plantation
•D
 o you think LaVern Baker qualifies as Rock
in Mississippi, the musicians from the and Roll?
Swing bands often had some kind of
formal training, could read music, and 10. Replay a minute of the LaVern Baker
had adhered to strict codes both of clip before turning to Chuck Berry’s
performance etiquette and musician “Maybellene.”
etiquette. The two cultures from which
Waters came and from which Ertegun’s 11. Have the class go back into their
studio players came were dramatically groups, creating another two lists of
different, as were the sounds they adjectives to describe the differences
produced. Ertegun, obviously, was more between Chuck Berry and LaVern Baker.
drawn to the culture associated with
Waters, but he created something “new” 12. When each group is finished, ask them
when he tried for a Blues sound using to share their lists with the class.
musicians associated with Swing and Big

SUMMARY ACTIVITY:

1. Have the class discuss the following question:

• Why might Ahmet Ertegun have liked the music of Chuck Berry? Base your answer on Ertegun’s
staments above.

• Does one specific aspect of Berry’s career seem especially key to his status as a Rock and Roll pioneer? Or
are they all equally important?

• Does Berry’s music feature any particular instrument?

• Is any particular instrument notably absent in the band he’s performing with?

•H
 ow, then, would you use this comparison to demonstrate the differences between R&B and early
Rock and Roll?

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SUMMARY ACTIVITY: (CONTINUED)

2. To the instructor: Explain to the class that Chuck Berry was introduced to his record
company, Chess Records, by Muddy Waters. Key among the differences between R&B
and Rock and Roll is the way the latter featured a more “raw” sound, just like the one
Ertegun was after. In that shift, the guitar played a role that can’t be underestimated.
Because of Chuck Berry and those who came after him, Rock and Roll was soon
associated with the electric guitar more than any other instrument.

HOMEWORK /ASSESSMENT:

Assign one or more of the following:

• Written expression: Have students write their own record review of “Maybellene” by Chuck Berry, as if
writing for an audience in 1956 that listens to R&B. In the review, they should explain how Rock and Roll is
“new” and what they find better (or worse) about it than R&B. Remember, this is an opinion piece.

• Research: Ask students to read the Rock’s Backpages essay on Louis Jordan by Cliff White. Have
them write a short response, explaining how Louis Jordan—perhaps Chuck Berry’s biggest influence—
distinguished himself in both his music and his performance style, in ways that made him an important
figure for many early Rock and Roll musicians.

EXTENSIONS:

• Read the Rock’s Backpages article about Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, two songwriters who worked
closely with Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records. Write a one-page response to the article that explains the
important role of these songwriter/producers in bringing R&B onto the pop charts. Make an argument for
what made them great contributors to popular music.

•H
 ave students research Atlantic Records, beginning with the Rock’s Backpages article by Hank Bordowitz
that focuses on Ahmet Ertegun. Have them create a classroom presentation that helps others to understand
how an independent label like Atlantic had such an impact on American popular music.

S TA N D A R D S

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

College and Career Readiness Reading Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12 for Literature and
Informational Text

Reading 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical
inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.

College and Career Readiness Writing Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12 in English
Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

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Writing 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,

using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Writing 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused
questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 6-12

Speaking and Listening 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of

conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Speaking and Listening 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media
and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language for Grades 6-12

Language 6: Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific
words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and
career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when
encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.​

SOCIAL STUDIES – NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES (NCSS)

Theme 1: Culture

Theme 4: Individual Development and Identity

Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION

Core Music Standard: Responding

Analyze: Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the
response.

Interpret: Support interpretations of musical works that reflect creators’ and/or

performers’ expressive intent.

Evaluate: Support evaluations of musical works and performances based on analysis,

interpretation, and established criteria.

Core Music Standard: Connecting

Connecting 11: Relate musical ideas and works to varied contexts and daily life to
deepen understanding.

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RESOURCES

VIDEO RESOURCES FEATURED PEOPLE

• Chuck Berry – Maybellene (1965) • LaVern Baker
• LaVern Baker – Tra La La (1956) • Chuck Berry
• Muddy Waters - Rollin’ Stone (1960) • Ahmet Ertegun
• Louis Jordan
• Muddy Waters

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