Rock Around the Clock!100 Years of Rock n’ Roll History!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SET:!• 2-4 Pedestals for statues!• Standing Arch with big sign [ROCK n’ ROLL MUSEUM] with working door/ OPEN/CLOSED sign.!• Risers!!!!ACT ONE - SCENE ONE - INTRO!Class and teacher are at the last exhibit of the ROCK AND ROLL MUSEUM. As the teacher is lining the kids up to leave she takes a head count. After she counts the last student!![CURTAIN]!Music starts and curtain opens: I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL!Students roam around the stage chatting and looking at an Elvis statue on a pedestal. !TEACHER: ! [The second the music stops -shouting] C’mon class! We need to shake a leg or we will miss the bus!!Teacher leads the class towards the exit.!TEACHER: ! Alright students, partner up -PARTNER-UP!!Students start lining up and joining their partners, teacher assists. Students and teacher’s backs are to the statue!ELVIS !! [statue sings and thrusts his pelvis] [Sung] Well it’s one for the money!No one notices but LANA!LANA:! [nudges his/her friend] Hey! Did you see that?!RIA: ! See what? You’re so weird, just listen to the teacher will you?!!ELVIS: ! [Sung and moves to the beat] Two for the show!!Still, no one notices. LANA walks over to ELVIS,!LANA: ! SEE! Did you see it then? Did you hear it? Elvis just moved!!

CAST:!Lana!Ria!Friend 1!Friend 2!(Teacher/ Class)!Elvis Presley*!(Prisoners)!Lead Prisoner 1&2!Lead Belly!Jimmie Rodgers!Trixie Smith!Robert Palmer*!

CAST:!Duke Ellington Robert Johnson!Ray Charles!Beatles:!John, Paul, George, Ringo!Chuck Berry!Little Richard!Wanda Jackson!Bill Haley!The Coasters (4)!Fats Domino

CAST:!Diana Ross!Buddy Holly!The Big Bopper!Ritchie Valens!(Hippies)!Hippie #1!Hippie #2!Joey Ramone!Tommy Ramone!!Stage Manager!Curtain Engineer

FRIEND: ! Seriously? you’re losing it. ![Teacher and class exit the museum, LANA, RIA, FRIEND, stay behind]!RIA: ! ! Yea, you didn’t even pay attention to anything on this trip, I’m surprised you even !

know his name!!FRIEND: ! See you on the bus [runs out of the museum]!ELVIS: ! [Sung] Three to get ready now GO CAT GO!!!LANA grabs RIA and runs over to ELVIS as his/her class exits the museum. !LANA: ! [Shouts at Elvis] Hey, YOU!!ELVIS: ! … [stays frozen]!LANA: ! I heard you sing. I saw you dance! Are you alive?!RIA:! [turns to LANA Are you crazy?!LANA:![Pokes Elvis’s shoulder] C’mon man, say it again! [Turns to RIA] I’m NOT crazy!!Stage Manager- turns the OPEN sign to CLOSED and slams the door.!!After the door closes RIA notices and runs over to open the door and it’s locked.!!ELVIS:!! Hey Mama! I noticed your ride left ya.!RIA:! [turns toward the door] OH NO! The bus?! … [Runs for the door then stops, pauses, take a long curious look at Elvis]!LANA:![Excitedly!] You CAN talk!? !ELVIS:! Listen partner, I know you’re all shook up! I can talk, and you can walk… and

there is only ONE way out of this museum. You’ve got to go back to the beginning and learn about Rock and Roll. !

LANA: ! I already know all about Rock and Roll!!RIA:! [shoves LANA] NO YOU DON’T - You were talking and fooling around all day.!LANA! :! Noooooo - I am an expert on Rock n’ Roll!!ELVIS:!! Oh yea?! Then who’s THE KING?! HI - YA![kicks a high karate kick and strikes a karate pose]!LANA! :! Uh? What? I don’t get it.!RIA:! [bows head and shakes it in disappointment] !ELVIS: ! [Disappointingly] Oh boy. The Exit is closed [points to the door] You have to go back

to the entrance - that way! [points to the door] Don’t be lonesome tonight, my friends will keep you company. !

RIA: ! Thanks Elvis!!ELVIS: ! I should mention, that my friends are a little upset that you weren’t paying atten-

tion to! day. They will probably want to educate you on 100 years of Rock n’ Roll History before they let you leave!!

RIA:! Oh brother…!ELVIS: ! Thank you, Thank you very much!![CURTAIN] REMOVE ALL SCENERY - 4th Grade Prisoners take the stage!![In front of curtain -LANA/RIA at STAGE RIGHT walking across to STAGE LEFT]!LANA:![walking] I wonder who we’ll meet first! This is exciting.!RIA:! You’re ridiculous - First off, you should know who we’ll meet first! It was the first exhibit?!LANA:![Shrugs]!RIA: ! Uh, the early blues - call and response sung by prisoners on the chain gang? I

can’t believe I am stuck here with you. My mom is probably worried sick! ![Drags LANA off stage]!!!

!SCENE TWO - BLUES!SONGS: I’ve Been Working On the Railroad, Rock Island Line, In the Jailhouse Now, Jailhouse Rock!![2 chairs stage RIGHT]!![CURTAIN]!4th grade prisoners (Teachers are prison guards) with “pick axes” chopping at the ground in time ![UP DOWN UP DOWN]!LEAD PRISONER: [Chanting] I’ve been working on the railroad.!4th grade CHAIN GANG: [Respond] I’ve been working on the railroad.!LEAD PRISONER: [Chanting] All the live long day.!4th grade CHAIN GANG: [Respond] All the live long day.!GUARDs/TEACHER: I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!![A Capella] I’ve been workin' on the railroad, Just to pass the time away.!! ! Don't you hear the whistle blowing? Rise up so early in the morn.!! ! Don't you hear the captain shouting, "Dinah, blow your horn?”!

Dinah won't you blow, Dinah won’t you blow, Dinah won’t you blow your horn,!Dinah won't you blow, Dinah won’t you blow, Dinah won’t you blow your horn!!Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah, someone’s in the kitchen I know,!Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah! Strummin’ on the ole banjo!!!

Chain Gang continues “working” without singing.![LANA/RIA walk on-stage]!RIA:! ! Look! The prisoners! !(LANA/RIA sit in chairs)!LEAD PRISONER: [Steps out to the front] In the 1800s, Americans could hear slave and prison

work songs contained elements of spiritual music. Spirituals are an important relative of the blues; and the although we don’t know an exact date when the blues began, we do know that it is the earliest root of Rock and Roll!!Many of these blues elements, such as the call-and-response format, can be traced back to the music of Africa.!

LEAD PRISONER 2: In the 1950s, there was a musical earthquake called Rock & Roll that shook everything up. But this exciting music didn’t happen overnight, it was actually centuries in the making. Ancient Rhythms from Africa first game to America on slave ships hundreds of years earlier. Lyrical melodies trailed from Europe to this country with immigrants. Gradually, in the south and southwest of America, where people from these different backgrounds heard each other’s musical tradi-tions, the rhythms and melodies merged.!

LEAD PRISONER: So by the early 20th century, rhythmic call-and-response gospel echoed in Alabama churches, blues rang out in Mississippi cotton fields, country & western shook the rafters in Texas dance halls, banjo and fiddle fueled folk songs soared across the Appalachian mountaintops, and rhythm & blues set toes a-tappin’ in Chicago hot-spots.!

LEAD PRISONER 2: The songs that you will hear tonight were made popular by the legendary founders of Rock & Roll. You will meet them, hear their stories, and learn how they worked together to help make Rock & Roll the music of a generation!!

!LEAD PRISONER: The first important figure in Rock n’ Roll History is a guy who has been his-

torically referenced as an early influence to Rock!!

Leadbelly with acoustic guitar OR ukulele walks on the stage!

LEAD BELLY:!Hello, I’m Huddie William Ledbetter but everybody calls me LEAD BELLY. I am a Blues and Folk songwriter and musician. My music covered a wide range of top-ics, including gospel; blues about women, liquor, prison life, and racism; and folk songs about cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing.!

In 1988 I was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence to Rock and Roll. My songs tell stories and mix blues with folk and country style music. I’ve influenced songwriters from John Lennon to Kurt Cobain.!

! ! Please join me in a song. [ 4th grade take risers]!

LEAD BELLY & CHAIN GANG (Sing): ! ! !On the Rock Island Line, there's a mighty good roadOn the Rock Island Line, it's a road to rideOn the Rock Island Line, there's a mighty good roadIf you want to ride, you gotta ride it like you find itGet your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Line!Yes, the A B C -W X Y ZCats in the cupboard but they can't see me!On the Rock Island Line, it's a mighty good roadOn the Rock Island Line, it's a road to rideOn the Rock Island Line, it's a mighty good roadIf you want to ride, you gotta ride it like you find itGet your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Line!I may be right and I may be wrongYou know you’re gonna miss me when I'm gone!On the Rock Island Line, there's a mighty good roadOn the Rock Island Line, it's a road to rideOn the Rock Island Line, there's a mighty good roadIf you want to ride, you gotta ride it like you find itGet your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Line!

Another “man” walks in with an acoustic guitar!JIMMIE RODGERS: Howdy Ya’ll Jailbirds and Little Kids, I’m the singing brakeman, Jimmy

Rodgers. I’ve been called the FATHER OF COUNTRY MUSIC and my music has in-fluenced artists like U2, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, even ELVIS PRESLEY and THE BEATLES!!!

Jimmie Rodgers, Lead Belly & CHAIN GANG (Sing): ! ! !!I had a friend named Ramblin' Bob Who used to steal gamble and rob He thought he was he was the smartest guy around But I found out last Monday That Bob got locked up Sunday

They've got him in the jailhouse way down town He's in the jailhouse now - he’s in the jailhouse now I told him once or twice stop playin' cards and shootin' dice He's in the jailhouse now !Bob liked to play his Poker, Pinochle (pea-knuckle), Whist and Euchre (yoka) But shootin' dice was his favorite game Well, he got throwed in jail, with nobody to go his bail The judge done said that he refused a fine He's in the jailhouse now he's in the jailhouse now I told him once or twice quit playin' cards and shootin' dice He's in the jailhouse now !(prisoners sit) !!

ELVIS runs on stage out of breath!ELVIS: ! Now that’s alright mama! I was just running all over the museum alerting my

friends that you’ll be coming to see them. Boy oh boy are they excited, they usu-ally don’t see much action after closing time. Move on to the next exhibit and you’ll meet the one and only Trixie Smith, who many don’t know, sang a song with a title that changed history!!

RIA:! Thanks Elvis, you really are the KING!!ELVIS: ! No worry darlin’ like I said before Thank you, Thank you very much (pulls scarf off

his neck, onto Lead 2’s neck)!HEY! COME ON OUT JAILBIRDS! WE’VE GOT ONE MORE SONG IN THIS SET!!!

[CURTAIN]!!EVERYONE ON STAGE: (sing)!

ALL 4th Grade!The warden threw a party in the county jail.!The prison band was there and they began to wail.!The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.!You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.!Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.!Everybody in the whole cell block!was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.!!Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone,!Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone.!The drummer boy from Illinois went CRASH BOOM BANG!!the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang.!Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.!Everybody in the whole cell block!was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.!Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.!Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.!Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.!! !

[CURTAIN] Prisoners stay - Mrs. M’s class leaves!

!!SCENE THREE - R & B!SONGS: Crossroad Blues, !!In front of curtain walks out Journalist Robert Palmer!ROBERT PALMER: Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen my name is ROBERT PALMER. I was a

writer and musicologist who contributed to the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine.!

! "Rock 'n' Roll was an inevitable outgrowth of the social and musical interactions !between people of all different colors in the South and Southwest. Its roots are a !complex tangle. Church music influenced blues, rural blues influenced folk song and the popular music of the Northern ghettos, blues and pop influenced jazz, and so on. But the single most important process was the influence of African ! Amer-ican musicians.”!

Robert walks off stage right, Stage manager sets up 2 pedestals stage left -!Trixie Smith statue on a one pedestal. Duke Ellington on another BEFORE LEADs walks in.!!LANA: ! (Runs over to Trixie) Oh WOW! There were women involved in the history of Rock

’n’ Roll?!RIA:! Not too close!LANA: ! (turns to LEAD 2) Why?!TRIXIE SMITH: (puts hands on LEAD 1’s shoulder) Hey there sugar.!LANA:! (screams!)!RIA: ! Told you! !TRIXIE:! You betcha there were women in Rock n’ Roll history darlin’ and I ain’t the only

one. I’m Trixie Smith. I was a blues singer, recording artist, actress and Vaudeville entertainer. I sang a song called “My Man Rocks Me With One Steady Roll” in 1922. It is the first recording to reference the phrase “Rock and Roll” Historians credit my performance in this song as the major inspiration for the term “Rock and Roll!”!

LANA: ! Wow! I can’t believe a girl had such a huge impact on Rock n’ Roll.!TRIXIE: ! That’s right sugar. The Blues influenced Rock n’ Roll, but first it lead to some great

Jazz in the twenties.!RIA: ! ! COOL!!DUKE: ! (to LEADs) Hey there cool cat!!RIA:! ! Hey there, Who are you?!DUKE: ! I’m Duke Ellington, famous Jazz composer and band leader. Although I was never

a part of that rock and roll scene, I helped contribute to the buzz of a new musical genre. My Jazz band recorded a song called “Rockin’ In Rhythm” in 1928. Blues and Jazz would share many musical sounds until the legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson came along and popularized the guitar in something he liked to call the DELTA BLUES!!

Robert Johnson walks on!ROBERT JOHNSON: Hi Duke and lost little girl! (walks over to Trixie) Hiiii Trixie! (flirtatiously)!TRIXIE:! (Giggles)! !ROBERT:! Blues also benefited from the development of new amplification and electronic

recording techniques from the 1930s onwards, including the invention of the elec-tric guitar!!

LANA: ! Cool! I love electric guitar!!

ROBERT JOHNSON: I would influence Rock ’n’ Roll by creating a unique style of guitar playing and giving birth to the Delta Blues whose greatest admirer would be the great Eric Clapton. The Delta Blues captured all of the soul in the blues and stretched it to the guitar.!!

[ Curtain]! !I went down to the crossroad, fell down on my knees ! ! ! ! !I went down to the crossroad, fell down on my kneesAsked the Lord above, "Have mercy, save me if you please.”I went down to the crossroad, fell down on my kneesI went down to the crossroad, fell down on my kneesNobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by.!I'm going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side.!I'm going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side.!You can still barrelhouse, baby, on the riverside.!!

[CURTAIN] !(3rd grade take the stage, 4th grade leave) !(Trixie, and leads stay in front of the curtain - Duke and Robert join singers on risers behind Curtain) !![Ray Charles walks on and freezes on the podium Stage Left]!

LANA: ! My oh my, there is so much history to Rock and Roll… I had no idea how slowly it evolved from all this old American music. I just thought it was Elvis and the Beatles.!

TRIXIE:! No way baby, Jazz and the blues gave birth to a whole new musical genre that would shake the world - Rhythm and Blues! We call it R&B.!(walks over to Ray Charles on podium) This fine man here is Ray Charles. He mixed Jazz, Gospel and Blues to make R&B something really special. !

RAY CHARLES: (Jumps down off his podium and gives Trixie a hug) Hey there Trixie! I thought I heard you.!

TRIXIE:! Hey Ray honey, how you doin?!RAY:! Not bad, not bad - feels good to get down off that podium and get a stretch

(stretches his legs) Are these the two girls I’ve been hearin’ about? Need a little ex-tra education?!

RIA:! Hey, she was the one who wasn’t paying attention!!TRIXIE:! Yes, they need to get a thorough Rock n’ Roll history lesson before we can open

the EXIT.!RAY:! Certainly, In the 1940s early R&B featured the influence of Blues and Boogie Woo-

gie.!LANA: ! haha Boogie…!RIA:! (Shoves LANA)!RAY: ! Most of the earliest Rhythm and Blues songs were vocal Jazz arrangements that

emphasized songwriting style over instrumental virtuosity. In the late 1940s I started mixing lively gospel music and the blues to help form the influential style of Rhythm and Blues! Those hot Boogie Woogie rhythms mixed so well with the soul of the blues!!

LANA: ! hahahahahaa boooooogie woogie! Gross.!RAY: ! Are you even listening?!LANA: ! Sorry… what?!RAY: [Shouting!] Are you kiddin’ me baby?! HIT THE ROAD JACK!! ! ! ! !

(runs over to piano) !![Music starts]!![CURTAIN]!!

Girls: Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no more Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more (Ray: What you say?!)Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no more Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more!Boys: Woah, woman, oh woman, don't treat me so mean You're the meanest old woman that I've ever seen I guess if you said so I'd have to pack my things and go (Ray: That’s right)!Girls: Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no more Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more (Ray: What you say?!)Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no more Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more!Boys: Now baby, listen baby, don't ya treat me this a way'Cause I'll be back on my feet some dayDon't care if you do 'cause it's understood You ain't got no money you just ain't no good Well, I guess if you say so I'd have to pack my things and go (Ray: That’s right)!Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no more Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more (Ray: What you say?!)Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no more Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more!!!

[The Coasters come on stage]!THE COASTERS: [Shouting] It’s an R&B JAM!!! C’mon boys lets rock some more rhythm and

blues while everyone’s here!!RIA:! ! ! Who are you guys?!THE COASTERS: We are the Coasters, and we are going to clean up the stage with our hit from

the 50s. YAKETY YAK!!

Take out the papers and the trash,!Or you don’t get no spending cash.!If you don’t mop that kitchen floor,!You ain’t gonna rock and roll no more.!Yakety Yak - Don’t Talk Back!Just finish cleaning up your room,!Let’s see that dust fly with that broom.!Get all that garbage outa sight,!Or you don’t go out Friday night.!Yakety Yak - Don’t Talk Back!!Just go put on your coat and hat,!And walk yourself to the laundromat.!And when you’re finished doing that,!Bring in the dog and put out the cat!!Yakety Yak - Don’t Talk Back!!Yakety Yak - Yakety Yak!Yakety Yak - Yakety Yak!Yakety Yak - Yakety Yak!Yakety Yak - Yakety Yak!!

[Singers sit]!!LANA:! ! This music is a lot of fun, but it doesn't sound like Rock n’ Roll, it sounds more !

like MOTOWN!!RIA:! What’s Motown?!DIANA ROSS:[walks in to the Supremes’ music] Motown? Now you’re talking! Motown was a

record company that forged an entire genre of early R&B classics. Artists like the Tempations, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five and of course yours truly - Diana Ross.!

RIA:! Jackson Five? You mean THE Michael Jackson?!DIANA:! ! Oh yea honey, but he’s just a little piece of the pie, Motown played an important

role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American-owned record label which achieved significant crossover success!!

RIA:! WOW!!DIANA:! ! Hey, I feel like I may have jumped ahead a few years or so, let’s get back on track-

there’s someone I want you to meet!!! ! ! [Shouts off stage-] HEY FATS!! [Fats Domino walks in- Diana leaves!FATS DOMINO: Hey there Diana, shouldn’t you be in the Motown exhibit next door?!RIA:! ! Who are you?!FATS:! ! My name is Antoine (Antwan) Domino, but everyone calls me FATS!!RIA: ! [laughs] But, isn’t that mean? Does it hurt your feelings?!!FATS: ! Nah, in fact that nickname helped me write my first hit, THE FAT MAN! My music

had elements of Jazz and R&B, but my piano playing was something off the charts! I played Boogie Woogie in my left had and pounded lightening fast with my right!! [Shouting] LET’S HIT IT BOYS!!!They call, they call me the fat man!'Cause I weight two hundred pounds!All the girls they love me!

'Cause I know my way around!!I was standin', I was standin' on the corner!Of Rampart and Canal!I was watchin', watchin'!Watchin' all these creole gals!!Wah wah wah, wah wah!Wah wah waah, wah wah wah!Wah wah waah, wah wah wah!Wah wah wah!!Wah waaa-ah wah!Wah wah wah, wah wah wah!Wah wah wah, wah wah wah!Wah wah wah!!I'm goin', I'm goin' goin' away!And I'm goin', goin' to stay!'Cause women and a bad life!They're carrying this soul away.!![SINGERS SIT]!!

!SCENE FOUR - Rock n’ Roll / Day the Music Died!SONGS: Rock around the Clock, Let’s Have A Party, Little Red Riding Hood, La Bamba, Everyday!!!BILL HALEY:!Hello Everybody, I’m here to tell you about Rockabilly. !! R & B merged with Country and Western music as their popularity grew in the !

early 1950s. Once record labels, singers and songwriters noticed how much young people loved these new sounds Rockabilly started being recorded.!

WANDA:! And I was considered the Queen of Rockabilly, even Elvis gave me his seal of !approval!!

LANA: ! Rocka-what?!BILL: !! Rockabilly! - It’s a combination of Rock and Hillbilly!!WANDA:! YEA! and I was the QUEEN!!BILL:! ! YES, Wanda, we get it… [sacrastically] you were the Queen.!RIA: ! That’s so cool that women were involved in Rock and Roll back then! Who else

sung Rockabilly?!BILL:! ! Well, I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I was kind of a big deal!!LANA: ! Who are you?!BILL:! I’m Bill Haley and this is Wanda Jackson! I was the first Rock n’ Roll artist to ever

have a number one song on the charts! I used Jazzy Swing music to get all the kids on the dance floor and start bopping to Rockabilly! Me and my band THE COMETS recorded some well known tunes that I am sure you’ve heard!!!

[CURTAIN]!!

Bill Haley guitar Solo - Coasters SAX solo!![SINGERS STAND]!!

One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rockFive, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock rockNine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock rockWe're gonna rock around the clock tonight!!Put your glad rags on, join me, HonWe'll have some fun when the clock strikes oneWe're gonna rock around the clock tonightWe're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylightWer're gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight!!When the clock strikes two, three and fourIf the band slows down we'll yell for moreWe're gonna rock around the clock tonightWe're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylightWe're gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight![Instrumental Interlude]!When the chimes ring five, six, and sevenWe'll be right in seventh heavenWe're gonna rock around the clock tonightWe're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylightWe're gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight!!When it's eight, nine, ten, eleven tooI'll be goin' strong and so will youWe're gonna rock around the clock tonightWe're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylightWe're gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight![Instrumental Interlude]!When the clock strikes twelve, we'll cool off thenStart a'rockin' round the clock againWe're gonna rock around the clock tonightWe're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylightWe're gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight!!!

LANA:!! You’re right! I totally know that song!! I feel like I want to party!!WANDA:! If you wanna party darlin’ listen to this song, and you’ll be dancing in no time!!!

Some people like to rock, Some people like to roll But movin' and a groovin’ gonna satisfy my soul!Let’s have a party, Ooh, let's have a partyWell, send it to the store, let's buy some more Let's have a party tonight!!I never kissed a bear, I never kissed a goon But I can shake a chicken in the middle of the room!Let's have a party, Ooh, let's have a partyOh, send it to the store, let's buy some more Let's have a party tonight!!I never kissed a bear, I never kissed a goon But I can shake a chicken in the middle of the room!

Let's have a party, Ooh, let's have a partyOh, send it to the store, let's buy some more Let's have a party tonight!!Honkey Tonk Joe is knockin at the door, !Let him in, fill him up and send it to the floor !Let's have a party, Ooh, let's have a partyOh, send it to the store, let's buy some more Let's have a party tonight!!!

[CURTAIN] ![4th grade ‘ Day the Music Died’ take the stage]!!RIA:! Oh Man, it seems like Rock n’ Roll was so much fun! Did anyone ever sing sad

songs?!BILL:! Well, it was’t always fun and games. !WANDA:! There was a really sad day for music, when three rising stars were tragically killed

in a fateful plane crash. !BILL:! They call it THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED. We’ll let these legendary singers tell the

story!!![BILL and WANDA leave the stage AS Buddy, Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens enter]!BUDDY:! Hey Partner, I’m Buddy Holly, I was a famous young Rockabilly star from Texas

who rose to be the brightest Rock n’ Roller of the 50s. I also sung doo wop and romantic pop songs.!

RITCHIE:! Hi, I’m Ritchie Valens! I was the first Mexican-American to make it in Rock n’ Roll!!!BIG BOPPER:[shouted] I’M THE BIG BOPPER BABIES! My name is JP Richardson but I go by the

Big Bopper! Everyone loves the way I get the party started! [Holds up the phone to his ear]! !

! “Helloooooo Baby! Big Bopper here! Who’s this?… Little Red Riding Hood?!![Curtain]!

“Well Let me in, honey - This is the Big Bopper knocking!!”!!Hello, Little Red Ring Hood, I heard about you!And it's all been good!I wanna meet you so I'm standing at your door!I been a-knocking ’til My knuckles are sore!Baby, let me in - I wanna be your friend!Bing bang biddledy bang, Baby, let me in!!I been talking to The three little pigs!When they saw you, man They flipped their wigs!Said you're the swinginest and that's no lie!I'll take you, baby - For you I got eyes!!Baby, let me in - I wanna be your friend!Bing bang biddledy bang, Baby, let me in!I'm the big bad wolf That you heard about!Something about you Just knocks me out!Let me in, baby While your grandma ain't around!Or I'll huff, I'll puff And blow your house down!!

RITCHIE VALENS: My smash hit song LA BAMBA, was the first ever hit American song in Span-ish. It made me an overnight sensation! And I was still in High School - TAKE THAT JUSTIN BEIBER!!!!!Para bailar a La Bamba, Para bailar a La Bamba!Se necessit-una poca de gracia, !Una poca de gracia Par’mi, par’ti ah - arriba, arriba!Arriba arriba, Por ti sere, por ti sere, por ti sere!!Yo no soy marinero, Yo no soy marinero, soy capitan!Soy capitan, soy capitan. Bam-ba, bamba!Bam-ba bamba, Bam-ba bamba, Ba!!Para bailar La Bamba, Para bailar La Bamba!Se necessita una poca de gracia!Una poca de gracia, Para mi, para ti, arriba, arriba!(Guitar solo)!!

BUDDY:! Wow! Those were some rockin’ songs guys, but remember, we were supposed to tell this little stowaway our story. So, it was the WINTER DANCE PARTY tour in February 1959! Our manager put us on a last minute show so we had to take a small plane in order to get there in time because our tour bus couldn’t handle the weather. Well… the weather got worse and a snow storm became a blizzard and our pilot couldn’t control the plane and we went down shortly after take-off. !

RITCHIE: ! As tragic as it was to lose such talented musicians at such a young age, we have been immortalized as legends of Rock n Roll.!

BUDDY:! We’d like to end with one more song, maybe something a bit more mellow? !! (looks to the other musicians) Whata ya say boys?!!

Everyday it's a-gettin' closer - Goin’ faster than a roller coaster!Love like yours will surely come my way - A-hey, a-hey-hey!Everyday it's a-gettin' faster - Everyone said, "Go ahead and ask her"!Love like yours will surely come my way -A-hey, a-hey-hey!Everyday seems a little longer, Every way love's a little stronger!Come what may - Do you ever long for true love from me?!Everyday it's a-gettin' closer - Goin' faster than a rollercoaster!Love like yours will surely come my way - A-hey, a-hey-hey!Everyday seems a little longer, Every way love's a little stronger!Come what may - Do you ever long for true love from me?!Everyday it's a-gettin' closer - Goin' faster than a rollercoaster!Love like yours will surely come my way.!

[CURTAIN]!![3rd and 4th grade switch!]!!!!!!!

SCENE FIVE - ROCK!!Good Golly Miss Molly, Rock and Roll Music!![3rd grade behind curtain]![in front of curtain]!!(Leads walking around looking lost)!RIA: ! I wonder what is next… this museum is so huge, and there is so much history of

Rock n’ Roll I feel like we will never get out… !LANA: ! OKAY. Early blues from prisoners was formed from spiritual and folk music. Then

there was country music, then rhythm & blues and Rockabilly is the combination of Rock and Hillbilly. [Little Richard and Chuck Berry sneak up behind her] But I still don’t understand how all of this becomes rock and roll… did all of these gen-res get combines? !

LITTLE RICHARD & CHUCK BERRY: [From behind Leads] BOO!!LEADs:! [scream and fall down]!LITTLE RICHARD & CHUCK BERRY: [Laugh and High-Five]!LEADs: ! [gets up and brushes herself off] GOOD GOLLY!!LITTLE RICHARD: ! MISS MOLLY!!CHUCK BERRY: ! SURE LIKES TO BALL!!LITTLE RICHARD: ! WHEN YOU’RE ROCKIN’ AND A ROLLIN’!CHUCK BERRY: ! CAN’T HEAR YOU MAMA CALL!!!(Leads run off stage)!![MUSIC STARTS & CURTAIN OPENS] (3rd Graders behind the curtain on risers) (Chuck w/ guitar dancing, Little Richard standing at the piano, LEAD dancing on the side - singing along- 3rd graders: WEZA and MANNAT)!!

Good Golly Miss Molly, sure like to ball.Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball.When you're rockin' and a rollin', I can't hear your momma call.From the early early mornin' till the early early nightWhen I caught Miss Molly rockin' at the house of blue lights.Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball.When you're rockin' and a rollin', I can't hear your momma call.Momma, poppa told me: "Son, you better watch yourself."If they knew about miss molly, I have to walk all by myself.Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like a ball.When you're rockin' and a rollin', I can't hear your momma call.I am going to the corner, gonna buy a diamond ring.Would you pardon me a tip made me ting-a-ling-a-ling.Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like a ball.When you're rockin' and a rollin', I can't hear your momma call.Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like a ball.

Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like a ball.When you're rockin' and a rollin', I can't hear your momma call.!!

(Singers sit on risers)!![Robert Palmer walks out while audience is applauding]!ROBERT PALMER: Now when the Blues led to R&B, and Country led to Rockabilly - Rock n’ Roll

really picked up when all four of these genres merged together in a crazy explo-sion of energy and fantastic sounds! [walks over to Little Richard and presents him to the audience] Artists like Little Richard and [over to Chuck and presents him] Chuck Berry who pushed Rock n’ Roll even further gave the Beatles some of their earli-est material! Good Golly Miss Molly is one of Little Richards best known songs, and now for a classic from Chuck Berry!!

(Singers stand)!CHUCK:! [shouting out to the audience] You ready to hear some ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC!!?!! I CAN’T HEAR YOU- ARE YOU READY TO HEAR SOME ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC!?!!

Just let me hear some of that Rock And Roll Music,!Any old way you choose it;!It's got a back beat, you can't lose it,!Any old time you use it.!It's gotta be Rock And Roll Music,!If you want to dance with me,!If you want to dance with me.!!I've got no kick against modern jazz,!Unless they try to play it way too fast;!And change the beauty of the melody,!Until they sounded like a symphony,!!That's why I go for that Rock And Roll Music!Any old way you choose it;!It's got a back beat, you can't lose it,!Any old time you use it.!It's gotta be Rock And Roll Music,!If you want to dance with me,!If you want to dance with me.!!

[Curtain]!!SCENE SIX!Songs: With a little help from my friends, you can’t always get what you want, California Dreamin’!All Along the Watch Tower!![The Beatles frozen on a podium stage left holding a sign that says BRITISH INVASION]!!RIA: ! Woah, I know these guys!! You’re the… the…. oh man! I can’t remember their

name… the, the…!BEATLES: ! [All together] THE BEATLES! [They jump off the podium and toss the sign]!LEADs:! [Screams]!

JOHN:! Oh Darling! Please believe me, I never meant to do you no wrong!!PAUL:! Dear Prudence! !RIA:! You scared us! That wasn’t very nice!!PAUL:! We can work it out, Honey Pie.!GEORGE:! Hello, Goodbye [They start to leave]!LANA:! HELP! [The Beatles stop in their track] Won’t you please please help me? [they turn

around] [She starts to cry]!JOHN:! Martha My Dear, Don’t Cry Baby Cry. !PAUL:! Yea, Just Let it Be.!LANA:! [sniffling] Who’s Martha?!JOHN:! We can help you, Tell us what you need?!LANA:! We’ve got to get out of this museum! !RIA:! We are lost and stuck here and we just want to go home.!RINGO:! Well! You can do that… With a Little Help From your Friends!!![CURTAIN]!!

What would you think if I sang out of tune!Would you stand up and walk out on me?!Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song!And I'll try not to sing out of key!Oh I get by with a little help from my friends!Mm I get by with a little help from my friends!Mm going to try with a little help from my friends!!What do I do when my love is away?!(Does it worry you to be alone?)!How do I feel by the end of the day?!(Are you sad because you're on your own?)!No I get by with a little help from my friends!Mm I get by with a little help from my friends!Mm going to try with a little help from my friends!!Do you need anybody? I need somebody to love!Could it be anybody? I want somebody to love!!Oh I get by with a little help from my friends!Mm going to try with a little help from my friends!Oh I get by with a little help from my friends!Yes I get by with a little help from my friends!With a little help from my friends!!

[Lights Flicker - Hippies on risers get off the risers and pick up picket signs] ![Beatles and LEAD run to the STAGE RIGHT]![Hippies hold up Picket Signs like: (PEACE, LOVE, HIPPIES RULE) and start chanting]!HIPPIES:! NO NO, WE WON’T GO! (SIX TIMES)!RIA:! ! What are they doing?!JOHN:!! Protesting my dear, All they are saying is GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!!HIPPIES:! NO NO WE WONT GO!!RIA:! ! [screams] STOP!!!!!!!!!!!![Everyone freezes]!

!RIA:! This is enough! I have learned enough about Rock and Roll History, I just want to

go home! I want to go home! I want to go…!HIPPIE #1:! [Cuts LEAD off] You can’t always get what you want!!!A Capella:!! No You can’t always get what you want.!

You can’t always get what you want.!You can’t always get what you want.!But if you try sometimes, well, you might find!You get what you need.!!

With Guitar: You can’t always get what you want.!You can’t always get what you want.!You can’t always get what you want.!But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find!You get what you need.!!

LANA:!! Who are you guys?!HIPPIE #1:! We are what you might call… hippies.!HIPPIE #2:! We love a good protest!!HIPPIE #1:! We were originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the

mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The word 'hippie' came from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into New York City's Greenwich Village and San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district.!

HIPPIE #2:! And now we live here in DUBLIN, just waiting for a good song to break out so we can share the 1960s contribution to Rock n’ Roll History!!

HIPPIE #1! Don’t you just looooove (Love) CALIFORNIA!!!??!!(Hippies put down their picket signs and get back to their spots on the risers)!!

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray.!I've been for a walk on a winter's day.!I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A.;!California dreamin' on such a winter's day.!!Stopped in to a church I passed along the way.!Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray.!You know the preacher liked the cold;!He knows I'm gonna stay.!!California dreamin' on such a winter's day.!California dreamin' on such a winter's day.!California dreamin' on such a winter's day.!!

[CURTAIN]![Hippies put on Black T-Shirts to become additional Punk rockers]!

!!!!

!SCENE SEVEN!Blitzkreig Bop! We Will Rock You! Jump!!!ROBERT PALMER: Punk rock (or simply punk) is a rock music genre that developed between

1969 and 1976 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock, bands typically use short or fast-paced songs, with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Let’s let these punk rock legends show you what I mean!!!

[CURTAIN OPENS- Flashing lights]![punk rockers AND Ramones all jumping and singing!]!!

Hey ho, let's go - Hey ho, let's go!!They're forming in a straight line,!They're going through a tight wind,!The kids are losing their minds,!The Blitzkrieg Bop!!!They're piling in the back seat,!They're generating steam heat,!Pulsating to the back beat,!The Blitzkrieg Bop!!!Hey ho, let's go- Shouting in the back now,!What they want, I don't know,!They're all revved up and ready to go!!!Hey ho, let's go - Hey ho, let's go!!Hey ho, let's go - Hey ho, let's go!!Hey ho, let's go - Hey ho, let's go!!!

[LEAD walks on-stage, Punk Rockers sit on risers, Ramones walk up to LEAD]!!JOEY RAMONE: Hey Little Girl! We heard you were lost and we thought we could help teach you

about PUNK ROCK!!LANA:! Who are you guys?!JOEY RAMONE: We are the Ramones! From Forest Hills Queens! We busted on the scene in

1974 with that song, Blitzkreig Bop! We only had limited commercial success but we influenced the entire PUNK movement!!

TOMMY RAMONE: We rebelled against the mainstream and helped show kids that it was cool to be different even when others thought you were weird.!

JOEY:! Yea, Weird can be cool!!RIA:! Was Punk Rock the only influential music in the 1970s?!JOEY:! WHAT?! NO WAY! There is this incredible band called LED ZEPPELIN! That was

just as influential in the 70s as the Beatles were in the 60s. They rocked harder than any other music of their time contributing to hard rock, blues rock, and HEAVY METAL!!

![QUEEN walk on stage]!!TOMMY:! Who are you guys?!?!FREDDY:! We are the band Queen, and I am the legendary Freddy Mercury, they call me Mr.

Fahrenheit! !TOMMY: ! Any idea what happened to Led Zeppelin? I was just telling this little punk rocker

all about how influential they were in the 1970s!FREDDY: ! Led Zeppelin couldn't make it, their private jet broke down. [Turns to LEAD] But if

you want influential little darling, we are at your service. Queen rocked for hun-dreds of thousands of fans all over the world popularizing Arena Rock in the late 70s and 1980s. Our anthemic songs have been featured in movies and are even used till this day in sporting events!!!

LANA:! Really? What song? I love screaming my head off at baseball games… !! GO GIANTS!!!!!!FREDDY:! Why don’t we show you instead of tell you. [shouts out the audience] AND FEEL

FREE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TO SING ALONG!!!(Music Starts, Singers stand)!!

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise !Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day!You got mud on yo' face - You big disgrace!Kickin' your can all over the place!!Singin’ We will we will rock you!We will we will rock you!!Buddy you're a young man hard man !Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day!You got blood on yo' face - You big disgrace!Wavin' your banner all over the place!!We will we will rock you!We will we will rock you!!Buddy you're an old man poor man !Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day!You got mud on your face ya Big disgrace!Somebody better put you back into your place!!We will we will rock you!We will we will rock you!!We will we will rock you!We will we will rock you!!

[Curtain] !

[stage hand puts out EXIT archway, and a pedestal and Elvis gets on and freezes like a statue]! !! !

[Once the curtain in fully closed and Elvis is frozen, leads walk in singing]!

LEADS:! [in unison] WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU! [Laugh]!LANA:!! I LOVE that song!!RIA:! Look Elvis!! [The girls run over to him]!ELVIS:!! Hey there girls, I see that you’ve made your way through the museum!!LANA! :! Yea, you didn’t say how AWESOME it would be!!ELVIS:!! Well, the EXIT doors have been unlocked and now you’re free to go.!LANA:! But we didn’t learn about you Elvis! We learned all about how country led to

Rockabilly and then led to 50’s Rock n’ Roll, and then before we knew it we were all caught up singing with the Beatles!!

ELVIS:! Well, I was here guarding the doors, making sure no more little girls were lost!!RIA:! Sorry Elvis, will you tell us how you influenced Rock n’ Roll?!!ELVIS: ! I thought you’d never ask! !![Elvis end theme comes on and he runs around the stage waving at the audience]!![Curtain opens] Entire 5th grade class wearing some type of Elvis costume (sunglasses, scarf, etc.)!!ELVIS:! Well, I’m from Tupelo, Mississippi and I recorded my first song for my dear mama

in 1953, but I was also hoping to be discovered! I had saved up some money from a job drivin’ trucks to continue trying to record music because truck drivn’ wasn’t meant for me - I wanted to be a singer! After quite a few failed attempts, a record executive found my sound when I was goofin’ around singing “That’s Alright”! Soon I was singing country tunes, old blues songs, pop standards… but things really clicked when I started singing Rockabilly! Boy oh Boy, the fans went crazy for Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock… Pretty soon, before I knew it I was the first Rock Star! !!So how about I sing you that first hit of mine from 1954?!!!!Well, that's all right now mama!That's all right with you!That's all right now mama, just anyway you do!That's all right, that's all right!That's all right now mama, anyway you do!!I'm leaving town, baby!I'm leaving town for sure!Well, then you won't be bothered with me hanging 'round your door!Well, that's all right, that's all right!That's all right now mama, anyway you do!!That's all right, that's all right!That's all right now mama, anyway you do!Well, that's all right now mama, anyway you do!!

LANA:! Thanks so much Elvis for helping us!!RIA:! ! We’d be stuck in this museum forever if it wasn’t for you!! !

ELVIS:! Just doin’ what I do best girls!![Leads walk towards the EXIT] [All of the 5th grade characters wave]!ALL:! ! BYE!!RIA:! ! Goodbye.!LANA: ! Thanks everyone we will never forget you! !RIA:! ! And we’ll never forget Rock n’ Roll!![CURTAIN]