Baby
boomer babble
Baby boomer boogie
LetÕs rock and roll. One of
the labels we boomers carry is ÒThe Rock & Roll Generation.Ó Now thatÕs a
label I donÕt mind having.
I was born in 1948. As fate
would have it, so was the 33 1/3 rpm vinyl record. Now, I donÕt want to make
too much of that coincidence, but it does make me an expert on music,
particularly rock & roll.
With the advent of the 33
1/3 record, it wasnÕt long after that Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler
coined the term Òrhythm and blues.Ó The saxophone and electric guitar took
center stage. Some of the first rhythm and blues stars included T-Bone Walker,
John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, The Mills Brothers, Billie Holiday, and The Ink
Spots. Most of the originals were before my time, but I have listened to them
over the years. In fact, I once saw The Ink Spots in a nightclub in Chicago,
pretty much by accident. I think we just happened to stumble in.
The Ôfifties ushered in a
fusion of rhythm and blues and country. In 1951, disc jockey Alan Freed, in
Cleveland, Ohio, coined the term Òrock and rollÓ and held the first rock
concert. It was called The Monday Coronation Ball. Now you know why the Rock
& Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland.
The first true rock &
roll song is debated, but Bill HaleyÕs ÒRock Around The ClockÓ was the first to
top the Billboard
chart. Other early rock and roll artists included Chuck Berry, Fats Domino,
Little Richard, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, and James Brown. ItÕs speculated
that Bill Haley was so popular because he was white and more sellable. Many
white radio stations were more willing to play him than the black artists of
the time. Remember, we werenÕt so far along in our race relations in the
1950Õs.
At any rate, the 50Õs was a
little early for me. I was a 60Õs and 70Õs rock fan. That period covered my
teen years into early adulthood, with college and marriage in-between. I
attended a lot of concerts over those years, many at the Mississippi River
Festival, at SIU Edwardsville. Some of the bands I heard there and other places
included The Band, with Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Van
Morrison, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, The Everly Brothers, John Lee Hooker, Willie
Nelson, John Prine, George Thorogood, Jackson Browne, Cheap Trick, Marshall
Tucker, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Santana, Eric Clapton, The Steve
Miller Band, Dr. John, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and The
Who. At least, those are some I can remember. It gets a little hazy.
I am a collector of
primarily 60Õs and 70Õs music. The first album I ever bought was ÒPaul Anka
Sings His Big 15.Ó I think it cost $2.50. The year was probably 1957 or 58. IÕve purchased about 999
others since than. My top ten follows: 1. My favorite album ever: The Beatles,
ÒSgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band,Ó 1967. 2. ÒHighway 61 Revisited,Ó by Bob
Dylan, 1965. 3.
ÒExile On Main Street,Ó by The Rolling Stones, 1972. 4. ÒAstral Weeks,Ó by Van
Morrison, 1968. 5. ÒAre You Experienced,Ó by Jimi Hendrix, 1966. 6. ÒTapestry,Ó by
Carole King, 1971. 7. ÒHotel California,Ó by The Eagles, 1976. 8. ÒDark Side of
the Moon,Ó by Pink Floyd, 1973. 9. ÒLegend,Ó by Bob Marley and The Wailers,
1984. 10. ÒParsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme,Ó by Simon & Garfunkel, 1966.
As you can see, rock and
roll dominates my taste. IÕm something of a one-dimensional music lover. But
than, IÕm a boomer.
Next week IÕll unveil my
top 30 single hits. Should be quite a treat, especially for you country fans.