Music through the 90s

1900’s:During this decade music was still mainly classical, consisting of artists such as George Marie Lloyd, Dan Leno and Little Tich.During this particular decade music hall was very popular. Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was highly popular during these time. They used to play a mixture of popular songs, but also involved putting on comedy shows and specialty acts. This type of entertainment called “vaudevilles” which originated from saloon bars within public houses during the 1830s which were highly popular and therefore evolved into becoming music halls.

1910s:

The first movie stunt appeared during this time, a man jumped into the Hudson River from a burning balloon. During this time credits began to appear at the beginning of videos.

During this time, New York City companies paid musicians to create songs. One of the best was George M. Cahan who wrote his songs about the war. Many people who tend to play Jazz music as it was highly popular which came from blues and ragtime. Music was also composed on Broadway and entertainment could be found in theatres.

1920s:

Jazz music further gained popularity in America and worldwide by the 1920s, new dance routines were created to be performed with this music. During the mid 1920s, jazz was being played in theatres and dance halls all over the country, also marching bands tended to play jazz music. In its early years, jazz was referred to as the “devils music” by many of the public. Many public dance halls, clubs and tearooms opened in the cities, which became highly popular. 50 new musicals opened in just one season, a significant amount of the public paid up to £3.50 for a seat at the musicals.

1930s:• The 1930s was significant as there was a large

development in terms of radio, film and various other technologies. Notably, the bass guitar was invented in 1936 Paul Tutmarc, which is commonly used in rock music today. During this particular time, people burned phonographs to keep warm due to it being the great depression, therefore the invention of radio helped music survive.

• Swing bands made up to 15 to 20 musicians, who were highly popular in this time due to the sophistication evident within the music. It also include swing dancing, and managed to lift peoples spirits after the great depression which was highly needed. Duke Ellington was an American composer at this time who could play piano and was a bandleader of jazz orchestras.

1930s:

• Blues music began develop during this time, which expressed the depression of American people, originating from southern black slaves. Robert Johnson was musician who played blues music, however this type of music was hardly ever recorded as it wasn’t popular.

• Country Western were normally simplistic songs played on banjos, guitars and fiddles. This type of music is still popular today with artists such as Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift.

1940s:

• As blues music began to get more popular, artists such as Basie’s band became closely associated with the blues music.

• The boogie-woogie is an African American style of piano based blues music which became popular during the 1940s, but originated much earlier. Mostly, boogie-woogie tunes are twelve bar blues, however the style has been applied to popular songs such as “Swanee River”.

A commonly used boogie-woogie bassline:

1940s:• Frank Sinatra was one of the best male selling pop

artists of the 1940’s along with Glenn Miller who was a trombonist/bandleader in the mid 1940s.

• Pure Jazz was very popular at this time along with Pop as shown through Sinatra.

• Western music became popular through this period due to Hollywood movies which often citied cowboys as the heroes. Therefore, film producers began putting folk music within the movies.

• Some genres even merged, and by the mid 1940s Western swing became popular which included rough vocals, a acoustic guitar, fiddle and string bass. Usually focusing upon the themes of love, adultery, loss, alcoholism and self-pity.

1950s:

• Rock, Pop, Swing, Blues and Country dominated this decades music.

• Pop music took over from swing, a vocal driven style which often used orchestras to back the vocalists, including big voiced singers such as Mitch Miller.

• Artists such as Elvis Presley began to emerge, a musical style which originated in the United States.

• The growth in popularity of the electric guitar during this time was evident with artists such as Chuck Berry who was seen as one of the founders of Rock, making the genre distinctive, introducing guitar solos and entertainment through performance.

• Elvis Presley soon became the face of Rock and Roll, appearing on various TV programmes with his ever chart topping records. His performance style enormously popular and controversial during this period of time.

1960s:

• At the beginning of the 60s, rock and pop dominate, the trend continuing through from the 1950s.

• In this era, pop rock, beat, psychedelic rock, blues rock and folk rock were the most popular.

• The Beatles originated from England, Liverpool, widely regarded as the most influential band of rock and roll. Their sophisticated song writing skills and unique style lead to ultimate popularity.

The Beatles, originally named the Blackjacks, then the Quarrymen were formed in 1957 by John Lennon aged 16. They increased their popularity through playing at clubs across a three year period, soon impressing Brian Epstein who later moulded them into professional performers through his management.

Their first hit “Love Me Do” gained extensive popularity within the UK in late 1962. Acquiring the name “the Fab Four” their fan base grew across England, becoming known as international superstars through frequently producing number one albums. Their popularity soon spread to America as they become the best-selling music artists according to the RIAA, achieving countless amounts of awards such as Grammys, Academy Awards, Ivor Novello Awards and many more.

Other influential artists such as The Rolling Stones formed in 1962, best known for their long hair with youthful/rebellious tendencies