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 CONTENTS vii

Janis Joplin 180

Other San Francisco Groups 181
Acid Rock Outside San Francisco 182
Musical Close-Up: The Art of Improvisation 186

11 JAZZ ROCK 191

Overview: A Tale of Sibling Rivalry and Its Resolution 191
Blood, Sweat, and Tears 192
Chicago 196
Other Jazz Rock Groups 199
Musical Close-Up: An Analysis of “Symphony for the Devil/Sympathy
for the Devil” (Blood, Sweat, and Tears) 199

12 ART ROCK 205

Overview: Rock as a “Legitimate” Musical Vocabulary 205
Rock with Orchestra 206
Rock Operas and Theatrical Works 209
Nontheatrical Art Rock by Unaccompanied Rock Groups 214
Musical Close-Up: An Analysis of Karn Evil 9 by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer 220

13 MAINSTREAM ROCK 228

Overview: The Decade of Nondirection 228
Mainstream Trends of the 1970s 230
Mainstream Rock in the 1980s 238
Mainstream Rock Beyond the 1980s 242
Musical Close-Up: A Look at Rock Lyrics 244

14 THE CONTINUING FRAGMENTATION OF ROCK 249

Overview: Sub-styles of the 1960s Evolve into the 1970s and Beyond 249
Art Rock Evolves into Progressive Rock 250
Jazz Rock Evolves into Fusion 253
The Singer-Songwriters of the 1970s 257
Folk Influences in the 1980s and 1990s 263
Country Rock and Progressive Country 264
The Jam Band Phenomenon 272
Soft Rock of the 1970s 273
Soft Rock Continues to Evolve 277
Musical Close-Up: Country or Rock? 280

15 HEAVY METAL 289

Overview: “We’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore” 289
British Heavy Metal Evolves 290
American Heavy Metal 293
The 1980s: Heavy Metal Continues 296
Musical Close-Up: Meter in Heavy Metal and Metal-Influenced
Alternative Rock 302
viii CONTENTS

16 DANCE MUSIC 305

Overview: The Selling of Rock—Changes in the 1980s and 1990s 305
The Return of Dance Music 310
Disco 310
Motown Keeps Dancing 313
Other Music for Dancing 316
Dancing Through the 1990s and Beyond 319
The Latin Invasion 322
Musical Close-Up: The Anatomy of Disco 325

17 RAP AND HIP-HOP 330

Overview: Technology, the Internet, and the Music Industry 330
Rap’s Beginnings 334
Rap Comes of Age 339
Other Rappers 342
New Jack Swing 344
Musical Close-Up: Expressive Musical Performance Delivery of Rap 346

18 ALTERNATIVE STYLES 350

Overview: Boomers and Post-boomers 350
Alternative Rock: The Problem of Definitions 353
The Beginnings of Alternative Rock: The 1970s 354
Punk Movements: Back to Basics 356
Alternative Styles Evolve 361
Grunge 362
Indie Rock 369
Punk III: Neo-Punk Propels Rock into the New Millennium 371
Prog Rock 372
Musical Close-up: Alternative Views of Alternative Rock 375

19 AN OVERVIEW AND AN EDITORIAL 382

Overview: Eight Basic Statements 382
Editorial 389
Where to Now? 392

DISCOGRAPHY 394
A Basic Recorded Library of Rock and Roll 394
Selected Discography 395
Anthologies 400
Music DVDs and Rockumentaries 401

BIBLIOGRAPHY 402

GLOSSARY 409

INDEX 421
What’s New in
this Edition

PERSONALIZE LEARNING WITH MYSEARCHLAB

■ MySearchLab with eText can be packaged with this text.
● MySearchLab provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and
comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment
to helping students and instructors achieve their goals.
● eText—Just like the printed text, you can highlight and add notes to the eText or
download it to your iPad.
● Assessment—Chapter quizzes and flashcards offer immediate feedback and
report directly to your gradebook.
● Writing and Research—A wide range of writing, grammar and research tools and
access to a variety of academic journals, census data, Associated Press newsfeeds,
and discipline-specific readings help you hone your writing and research skills.

IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING

■ Updated “Take Note” section at the beginning of each chapter focuses the students
to address a series of key questions in the chapter. The questions are restated at the
end of the chapter along with concise answers derived from the text.
■ Expanded list of key terms draws students’ attention to important terminology that
appears in bold type within the narrative.

ENGAGE STUDENTS
■ New images and photos of important rock artists, instruments, events, and influ-
encers capture the readers’ attention.
■ Updated “Become an Active Listener” activity enhances the reader’s understanding
of the text.
x WHAT’S NEW IN THIS EDITION

■ New sidebar references in each chapter direct students to MySearchLab where

they can explore related video and audio clips.
■ Up-to-date information incorporated into later chapters.

SUPPORT INSTRUCTORS
■ Instructor’s Manual—This manual contains many innovative ideas for stimulating
students both inside and outside the classroom. Suggested activities, readings, and
sample test questions allow instructors to aide students in developing an intimate
understanding of rock and roll.
Acknowledgments

Even rock and rollers grow older. Some of the key figures in the early chapters of this book
are now in their 60s (or deceased). The remaining Fab Four and the Bad Boys of Rock are
over 60 years old. I began playing in rock and roll bands in about 1957, at the age of 14.
Some quick math reveals that I, too, crossed the mid-century mark over a decade ago. While
creating the third edition of this book, it became obvious that a new chapter was needed on
recent trends in rock. I feared that my appreciation for and knowledge of most post-1980s
rock left much to be desired. My attitude toward much of this music was that of a crusty
curmudgeon. The need for a more sympathetic (but still critical) approach was apparent.
Dr. Scott Lipscomb has, I believe, admirably filled this need in the third and subsequent
editions. I continue to appreciate his contributions.
I also want to thank Dr. Charles Eagle, former professor of music at Southern Methodist
University. Over the past 40 years, he has greatly influenced my growth as a musician,
scholar, and person. He has helped me see beyond the trivial, think beyond the obvious,
and feel beyond the immediate.
I taught a course in rock music for over 35 years. From the more than 10,000 students in
these classes, I learned a great deal about how nonmusic majors interact with music. Many
of these students—at Southern Methodist University, The University of Texas at San
Antonio, and Texas State University—made helpful comments, asked provocative ques-
tions, offered loans of recordings, and shared important pieces of information. I am grate-
ful to all of them for their help and interest.
Special thanks go to the many people at Prentice Hall who helped see this project
through to its completion.
Finally, I want to thank my family for their unswerving support. My parents, Mr. and
Mrs. C. J. Stuessy, never gave less than their total support, whether I was playing a piano
concerto with the Houston Symphony or “Rock Around the Clock” with my teenage rock
and roll combo. My wife Chris has injected a whole new spirit into my life and work. Her
unwavering love and support are appreciated more than I can say. And my kids—Debbi
and Kevin—have shown continuing interest in and appreciation of the fact that Dad would
be writing a book about rock and roll!

—Joe Stuessy
xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many individuals played an important role in the preparation of this text. I am extremely
fortunate to have benefited greatly over the years from the knowledge of my many students
at the University of California, Los Angeles, The University of Texas at San Antonio,
Northwestern University, and the University of Minnesota. I arrive in the classroom
every day, well prepared for the purpose of filling the fertile minds of my students with the
wonders of music, and yet my students manage to teach me something new during every
class session. Particularly important to more recent developments referenced in Chapters 13
through 18 of this text was the substantial amount of assistance received from several gifted
past students. Sarah Williams, Jennifer Walshe, Michael Gaertner, and Kristin Bird were
extremely helpful in providing an additional (i.e., younger) perspective regarding current
groups, artists, and musical trends. In addition, I am fortunate—though some may quibble
with this assessment!—to have had a teenager in my home for the past 16 years and a sister
to fill the age gap between my children and me; to J.D., Kevin, Sterling, and Shari, I once
again express my appreciation for the many artists and musical examples you have shared
with me throughout your lives. Without the input of these individuals representing two
younger generations, the more recent evolutions evident in popular music would not have
been covered with near the depth or insight that you will find in these pages. I would also
like to express my appreciation to Chelsea Valenzo-Duggan and Alissa Yatcko for their as-
sistance with a variety of research- and library-related tasks. Additionally, as many scholars
working in the field of popular music have found, the research of Joel Whitburn and his
published compilations of dates, lists, and statistics derived from the Billboard charts were
indispensable to our work. His kind and unhesitating willingness to assist personally with
a couple of requests is greatly appreciated by both authors. Likewise, the Rolling Stone
Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (3rd edition) was a valuable and oft-used resource. The Web
site of the Recording Industry Association of America (http://www.riaa .com) and the of-
ficial Billboard site (http://www.billboard.com) were indispensable in finding up-to-date
information on Gold and Platinum certification and chart histories of various recordings.
Of course, special thanks are due my coauthor, Joe Stuessy, our editors Richard Carlin and
Lauren Wilcox, and Prentice Hall for allowing me the privilege of participating in the revi-
sion of this seventh edition text, the fifth with which I have been involved.
Most important, I want to acknowledge the essential role my family plays in every as-
pect of my life and the patience they have shown as I spent many late nights and weekends
burning the midnight oil to complete this labor of love. I would like to express my heartfelt
appreciation to my loving wife, Jordana, and our children Sterling, Kevin, and J.D.

—Scott Lipscomb

REVIEWERS Ken Keaton

Florida Atlantic University
George Beyer
Cypress College Herbert Midgley
Stephen F. Austin State University
Francis Graeme
Scott Plugge
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Sam Houston State University
Scott Harris Frank Repper
Stephen F. Austin State University KCTCS—Jefferson Downtown
David Irving Drew Stephen
Del Mar College The University of Texas at San Antonio
Doug Jones Gary T. Wurtz
KCTCS—Jefferson Downtown Stephen F. Austin State University
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii

LYRIC PERMISSIONS
“My Back Pages” © 1964 by Warner Bros. Inc. Copyright renewed 1992 by Special Rider
Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Reprinted by permission.
“Mr. Tambourine Man” © 1964, 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc. Copyright renewed 1992
by Special Rider Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Reprinted by
permission.
“Blowin’ in the Wind” © 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc. Copyright renewed 1990 by
Special Rider Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Reprinted by
permission.
“The Times They Are A-Changin’” © 1963, 1964 by Warner Bros. Inc. Copyright re-
newed 1991 by Special Rider Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Reprinted by permission.
“And Your Bird Can Sing” © 1966 (renewed) by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC. Words and
music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music
Publishing, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” © 1967 (renewed) by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC.
Words and music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. All rights administered by Sony/
ATV Music Publishing, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
“Help” © 1965 (renewed) by Sony/ATV Songs LLC. Words and music by John Lennon
and Paul McCartney. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, 8 Music
Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Tutti Frutti” © 1955 (renewed) by Sony/ATV Songs LLC. Words and music by Richard
Penniman, Dorothy La Bostrie, and Joe Lubin. All rights administered by Sony/ATV
Music Publishing, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
“Hound Dog” by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Copyright © 1956 by Elvis Presley
Music Inc. and Lion Publishing Co. Inc. Copyright renewed and assigned to Gladys Music
and Universal-MCA Music Publishing, a division of Universal Studios Inc. All rights ad-
ministered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company Inc. and Chrysalis Music. Interna-
tional copyright secured. All rights reserved.
“Copkiller” © 1992 by Universal-MCA Music Limited. Written by Ernie Cunnigan and
Tracy Marrow. Administered by Universal-PolyGram International Publishing Inc., OBO
Itself, Ernkneesea Music, and Rhyme Syndicate Music (ASCAP). International copyright
secured. All rights reserved.
This page intentionally left blank
 1

Introduction

Why Study Rock?

Let us begin with the question, “Why study rock and roll?” One might reply somewhat flip-
pantly, “Because it’s there!” But the question deserves a more thoughtful answer than that.
First, we must realize that rock and roll is basically and primarily a musical style.
It utilizes the same musical elements (rhythm, pitch, dynamics, form, timbre, etc.) found
in all styles of music. How these ingredients are combined—in what proportions and with
what characteristics—defines rock as a distinct musical style.
As with all musical styles, there are some good examples, some bad examples, and a
lot in between. It is as inaccurate to say that all rock is bad as it is to say that all classical
music is good. Such musical value judgments should rest not on a total style per se, but on
how creatively and skillfully the musical creator uses the musical resources appropriate to
a specific style.
But rock and roll is more than just a musical style. It is an extremely important and
influential social factor. Since its beginning in the mid-1950s, rock has proven to be the
single most potent economic factor in the multibillion-dollar music industry. Musically,
rock has influenced the music we hear on television, in films, and in commercials. It has
influenced jazz, church music, classical music, and even its own ancestors: Rhythm &
Blues and Country & Western. Socially, rock culture’s influence has been witnessed in
hairstyles, clothing, language, lifestyles, and politics. In other words, any historian of the
last half of the 20th century must devote significant consideration to rock and roll being
one of the primary forces in our society as a whole (socially, culturally, economically,
politically, and musically). Any force that has that kind of impact on society deserves
study. That is the purpose of this book.

Why This Book?

Certainly, there is no lack of written material on the subject of rock and roll. Over
300 books have been written on Elvis Presley alone. Several books also deal effectively
with the general history of rock and roll. So why this book?
Obviously, one driving motivation for any author who sets out to write a book is that
there is a need for that new book—specifically, that it will either cover new areas of the
2 CHAPTER 1 • INTRODUCTION

general topic or cover previously discussed areas in a new way. This study of rock hopes
to bring to the reader the history of rock and roll with the following four guiding principles
in mind:

1. Don’t let the trees get in the way of the forest. Many books on rock and roll make
the admirable attempt to discuss virtually every rock and roll performer who ever
plugged in a guitar or stepped up to a microphone. That is not the purpose of this
study. Rather, we have attempted to determine major trends and influential perform-
ers, thus painting the history of rock and roll in broad brushstrokes. The result is that
many performers in the history of rock are only briefly mentioned in these pages or
not mentioned at all.
To write a study of contemporary (or recent) history in this way is to engage in a
continuing exercise in self-control. When we approach the history of the 16th century,
for example, we have an easier time identifying the main trends, the most influential
ideas, and the principal characters. Our vantage point, from 500 years away, allows
us to take that perspective. We have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight and know with
assurance what really proved to be important in light of subsequent human experience.
But when we look at our own times, our temporal closeness, although it is an
advantage in some ways, is also our worst enemy. Our perspective is cluttered with
details; we know too much! Therefore, we must repetitively force ourselves to ask
questions like: “Was this really important in light of what followed?” or “Was this
so-called new style or idea really a significant departure from that which preceded
it?” We hope, then, that this study will provide the reader with a feeling for the
evolution of rock and roll since the mid-1950s, not through a recitation of each and
every detail along the way, but by means of a broader representation of the general
flow of styles, people, and ideas.
2. Try to “tell it like it is.” Another pitfall of being too close to a subject is that one’s
personal biases may creep into the writing and prejudice the reader’s perspective.
As much as possible, we hope that histories are objectively written, but again, our
closeness to the subject makes such objectivity difficult (for author and reader). It
is fairly easy to be objective about some phenomenon that occurred over a century
ago, but we often have strong feelings about ideas, events, and people in our own
lifetimes. We are hard pressed to remain objective about something (such as music)
that interacts with us at a very personal level.
Nevertheless, in this book we have consciously attempted to outline the history
of rock as fairly as possible. Of course, any author is a distinct human being and,
therefore, cannot totally escape his or her own particular perspective. Thus, there is
always some amount of the author’s personality and philosophy reflected in his or
her work, no matter how honest the attempt to achieve complete objectivity.
Indeed, we should expect the historian to have subjective opinions about the
subject under study. Such opinions, in fact, might prove especially insightful to the
reader. In this book, such personal reflections have been gathered to be presented all
in one chapter, clearly labeled as such (see Chapter 19). If the comments contained
therein prove provocative or instructive, so be it; if not, perhaps they will prove in-
teresting or at least entertaining.
3. Rock and roll is, first and foremost, music. Rock and roll is many things: It is show
biz; it is money; it is record contracts, Top 40 radio, and role models; it is all this
and much more. But strip all that away, and one still comes to an inescapable fact:
Rock and roll is a musical style. Many books speak of performers’ lives, tell amus-
ing anecdotes, reveal sales statistics, chronicle albums and songs, and analyze lyrics
but neglect to describe what is fundamental to all of the above: the music.
 BEFORE WE BEGIN: A LIBERAL VIEW OF ROCK HISTORY 3

Although the current study will include the foregoing elements, it also will ad-
dress the basic question: “What, musically speaking, is rock and roll?” It is assumed
that most readers will not be conversant with the technical aspects of music (if so,
all the better!). Thus, each of the following chapters (except Chapter 19) includes
a section that discusses a specific musical aspect of rock and roll. These sections,
called “Musical Close-Ups,” focus on a particular aspect of the music itself. (The
organization of Chapter 2 is a bit different; it has three Musical Close-Ups—one
following each of the three main topic areas.) In some of the Musical Close-Ups,
various elements of the music are discussed (e.g., rhythm, melody, form, or texture).
In other Musical Close-Ups, related musical topics are addressed (e.g., improvisation
or lyrics); and in Chapters 11 and 12, specific pieces of music are analyzed in detail.
We hope that this approach will remind the reader that the person who is knowl-
edgeable about rock music must know more than album titles, song lyrics, sales
charts, and performer biographies. Whereas understanding the social, economic, and
political implications of rock and roll is of great importance, understanding the mu-
sic is fundamental.
4. Rock and roll is an important part of society. Rock and roll has not existed in a vac-
uum. Quite the contrary, it has had a vital and active interrelationship with society
in general. Various aspects of this interrelationship (social, economic, and politi-
cal) will be discussed, as appropriate, within each chapter. In addition, each chapter
begins with an Overview, providing a general introduction to a relevant topic or
setting the scene for what is to follow. As appropriate, the Overview may discuss
where a particular style came from, how it fits into a broader historical perspective,
or how it interrelates with other aspects of society.

In comparison to previous editions, the present edition of this book includes a number
of additions and modifications that should be of help to the reader. These changes include
the following:

■ Listening Guides. There are 17 Listening Guides that are new to the most recent
editions. Each guide provides a formal analysis plus commentary about the music
(all correlated to second-by-second timings).
■ Glossary. The Glossary, near the end of the book, provides definitions for terms
that are highlighted in boldface throughout the chapters.
■ Updated and Revised Text. As with each previous edition, the authors have at-
tempted to revise and update the material so that it is as current as possible. More
than 20 years have passed since the first edition of this book was published. A
30-year-old art form at the time of the initial edition of this text is now over 50 years
old. To accommodate for this constantly expanding material, there must be a corre-
sponding tightening of previous material. We hope that the present edition success-
fully achieves the desired balance between adding the new and preserving the old.
■ New Photos. There are additional photos of more recent performers. Readers of
previous editions will also note that some photos (standard publicity shots) have
been replaced by more performance-oriented photos.

Before We Begin: A Liberal View of Rock History

When we speak of so-called musical snobs, many people immediately think of the ste-
reotyped classical musician or classical music lover. In fact, musical snobs come in many
forms. For example, there are several varieties of jazz snobs. One variety feels that jazz
is the only true American music, dismissing rock, for example, as being a rather decadent
4 CHAPTER 1 • INTRODUCTION

musical corruption and a mindless glob of musical nonsense. Even within jazz, there are
specialists in snobbery. Some, for instance, feel that the early Dixieland was the only true
and classic jazz, with all that follows being a declining aberration of a once-pure style.
Others feel that bebop style of the mid- and late 1940s was the apex of jazz history, view-
ing all that preceded it as being preparatory and that which followed as being a subsequent
decline. Some look at a very popular jazz style, such as swing (the big band era music) and
vehemently assert that it is not jazz at all!
Similarly, in rock and roll, we have our resident snobs. Like jazz fans, they identify
one particular style (such as the Beatles or Jimi Hendrix or the Presley–Little Richard
style) as the “real” rock and roll and dismiss most other styles with words of damnation
such as soft rock, wimp rock, bubblegum rock, or (worst of all) commercial junk! Usually,
comments such as these reveal more about the person making the statement than about the
music being discussed. Perhaps an accurate translation of these lofty statements would be,
“The style I like is real rock; other styles are not.” This is, to say the least, a very narrow-
minded and egocentric view of musical style. Perhaps a better perspective is to say,
“I prefer this particular style, but I recognize that there are many other legitimate styles
that others may prefer.”
This study opts for the latter, rather liberal, view. Rock is interpreted here as a broad,
generic term under which a diverse subsystem of styles can legitimately exist. The list of
substyles is mind-boggling: rockabilly, country rock, folk rock, jazz rock, hard rock, soft
rock, punk rock, heavy metal, Latin rock, progressive rock, disco, fusion, new wave, ska,
glitter rock, art rock—the list could go on and on. Many labels are simply the artificial
creations of the media and the public relations persons who must promote yet another rock
band as being somehow “new” and “different.” Often, there is little or nothing new, dif-
ferent, or significant, and the stylistic label has virtually no musical meaning. To give too
much credence to this myriad of ministyles would lead to utter bewilderment on the part
of the student of rock history. Therefore, we shall propose a very broad organizational pat-
tern for the history of rock.
As we shall see in Chapters 2 and 3, the early formation of rock resulted from the
flowing together (in unequal proportions) of three preexisting styles: Pop music, Country &
Western, and Rhythm & Blues. Somewhat later, a second infusion came from jazz, folk
music, gospel, and classical music (again, in unequal proportions). These, then, are the
seven basic styles that have flowed into the creation and development of rock. In some
instances, these tributaries flowed together into an integrated mainstream, in which the
individual donors lost their distinct identities in the mixture known as rock and roll. In
other cases, elements of one of the tributaries retained a distinctive presence and created a
shading of rock and roll closer to the tributary’s original identity. As an example, consider
Pop music (discussed in Chapter 2). In some ways, pop elements were absorbed into early
rock and roll, but we must also note that there has always been a softer side of rock that
favors one of its direct ancestors: Pop music.
In this way, rock is very much like a child as related to parents and grandparents. To
a large extent, the child is a blend of characteristics (in unequal proportions) of all these
direct ancestors. This child has a distinct look and personality and is not a carbon copy of
any one ancestor but is an indefinable mixture. Nevertheless, throughout the individual’s
development, there are certain characteristics and behaviors that occasionally remind us
very distinctly of one of the parents or grandparents. For example, as children reach ado-
lescence, they may develop a body build much like their mom’s or display a natural talent
for music, reminding us of their paternal grandmother.
Two colossal entities will appear in this history of rock music. In some ways, they
are similar, but they serve very different purposes. The first, Elvis Presley, was able to
bring together the three tributary streams that led to rock and roll and embody them all.
 BEFORE WE BEGIN: A LIBERAL VIEW OF ROCK HISTORY 5

At times, he was the indefinable mixture; at other times, he set one or another of rock’s
ancestors into clear relief. He was the master chef who blended the ingredients into a new
dish, yet allowing the distinctiveness of each ingredient to shine through.
As with Presley, the incalculable value of the Beatles was their musical breadth.
Through their leadership, they pulled rock together one last time and slung it into the fu-
ture in a variety of fragmented quantities. They were like the boy playing in the snow who
gathers up a huge handful of snow, compresses it into a simple ball, and then hurls it into
the air, only to see it fragment into dozens of pieces.
Let us begin in the early 1950s—a time when almost no one had heard the term “rock
and roll” or had any idea of the musical and social revolution that was about to occur.
 2

The Roots of Rock

TAKE NOTE
■ How did key trends and subgroups in 1950s society influence the development of rock
and roll?
■ What forces in popular music shaped the music that was heard before rock was popular?
■ What was the impact of Country & Western (C&W) on popular music?
■ What were the primary instruments used by early rock pioneers?
■ How was Rhythm & Blues (R&B) different from country and Pop?
■ What was the 12-bar blues, and why is this form important in the history of rock?

KEY TERMS
Rhythm & Blues (R&B) chord form
Tin Pan Alley triad indies
contour root falsetto
instrumentals octave yodel
majors tonality crooner
rhythm key shouter
tempo timbre Mellotron
pitch texture sequencer
melody monophony Musical Instrument
range homophony Digital Interface (MIDI)
conjunct polyphony 12-bar blues
disjunct synthesizer upbeat
motive loudness
harmony dynamics

Overview: The Early 1950s

The General Society
Preceded and followed by turbulent decades, the 1950s seemed serene and comfortable.
The late 1920s to mid-1930s were years of extreme financial pressure. The early 1940s
were consumed by the most destructive war the world has ever known. From 1950 to
 OVERVIEW: THE EARLY 1950s 7

1952, the United States was involved in a so-called “police action” (war) in Korea. The
decade following the 1950s was one of the most turbulent in our nation’s history, a time of
social and political unrest as well as war (Vietnam).
Certainly no decade is trouble-free. Even the 1950s witnessed several dramatic
issues. Senator Joe McCarthy stirred up considerable controversy regarding the invasion
of American society by communism. The Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in
1954 that declared the policy of “separate but equal” education for blacks and whites to
be unconstitutional. A lingering fear of “the bomb” caused many people to build bomb
shelters in their backyards and prompted schools to hold weekly air raid drills.
In general, despite these concerns, things were relatively good. General Dwight
Eisenhower was inaugurated as president in 1953. The economy stabilized with little or
no inflation. There was a feeling of well-being throughout the nation. After years of war
and depression, American society was finally able to settle down and go on with the busi-
ness of progress. Families looked forward to a stable and relatively predictable future. The
game plan was clear: Do well in school; go to college; marry and raise a family some-
what more affluently than you were raised. The plan called for men to follow their careers
and provide well for their families; women were to keep a stable and decent environment
functioning at home. If one followed the game plan, personal happiness and professional
success were the inevitable rewards.
Gradually, economic affluence sifted down to middle-class families, who were now
able to own their own home, buy a new car, take a vacation, and purchase a newcomer to
the entertainment scene: a television set. The fascination with television was overwhelm-
ing. There were those who would watch a test pattern if nothing else was on! The program-
ming was good, clean family entertainment: variety shows, family comedies, westerns,
children’s shows, news, cartoons, drama, sports, and music (Your Hit Parade).
The popular music of the early 1950s fit the pattern perfectly. Most of the nation
was listening to a style of music we shall refer to as Pop. This style of music was a con-
tinuation of the popular styles of earlier decades. The lyrics typically dealt with innocent
boy-girl love; the lyrical and musical content was nonthreatening. Like society in general,
Pop sought to be comfortable, pleasant, and righteous; excess was avoided. Musically, it
seemed to express a society’s desire to be left alone to enjoy the good life, unthreatened by
the turmoil, controversy, and ugliness endured in previous decades.

Subcultures
Of course, we oversimplify when we speak of society. Although we may use the term to
represent the majority of average citizens, we must also recognize a number of subcultures
that showed characteristics quite different from the norms of society in general. To begin
our study of rock and roll, we must focus on two of these subcultures.
The black culture of the early 1950s was quite distinct from the general white,
middle-class society. Racial segregation was the norm, especially in the South and the
Southwest. It is hard for us to realize today that it was just over 50 years ago that blacks
were required to sit in the last three or four rows of city buses. Public areas usually had
separate drinking fountains and bathrooms for colored and white. Blacks were routinely
barred from many public accommodations such as hotels and restaurants. Of course,
separate housing districts and schools existed for blacks and whites (even after the 1954
Supreme Court decision barring segregation in public schools).
With such strict segregation, it is only natural that the segregated culture would main-
tain its own distinct characteristics, including spoken dialect, dance, religion, dress, and
music. Among the musical styles associated with the black culture were jazz (in a variety
of substyles), gospel (a religiously oriented style), and Rhythm & Blues. Rhythm & Blues
(R&B), one of a variety of styles evolving from the blues during the early 20th century, is
of great importance in our story of the development of rock and roll.
8 CHAPTER 2 • THE ROOTS OF ROCK

Related to jazz, the spiritual, and gospel styles, R&B grew as a distinct style unto
itself. Just as blacks were segregated from white society, so R&B existed separately from
the Pop market. R&B had its own performers, record companies, and consumers. R&B re-
cords, often referred to as “race records,” sold within their own distinct market. An R&B
performer or record rarely crossed over into the national Pop market (conversely, Pop
rarely infiltrated the R&B market).
A second subculture was identified with Country & Western (C&W) music. The
poorer whites of the South developed a style of folk music often referred to as “hillbilly
music.” As time passed and the style spread, variations inevitably occurred (e.g., bluegrass
and western swing). As with R&B, the C&W market was quite distinct from the larger
Pop market. Appealing primarily to poorer rural whites in the South, Midwest, and South-
west, C&W maintained its own performers, record companies, and consumers. Pop songs
rarely crossed over into the C&W market. However, a few C&W performers and songs
managed to break into the national Pop scene (more about that later).
Each of these three markets—Pop, R&B, and C&W—contributed in varying degrees
to the formation of rock and roll. R&B was by far the heaviest musical contributor; C&W
also made its contribution; Pop contributed the least but must not be overlooked.

Pop
Tin Pan Alley
To appreciate the tremendous impact of rock and roll, one must first understand the nature
of the popular music the nation listened to in the early 1950s. Pop was derived from the
long Tin Pan Alley tradition, with influences from the old swing period of the 1930s and
early 1940s, Hollywood movie music, and Broadway show tunes. Tin Pan Alley is the
name given to an area of New York City that became the center of popular music pub-
lishing from the late 1800s to the late 1950s. Tin Pan Alley songs were written primarily
by white professional songwriters. Although the style changed over the decades, certain
general characteristics were constant.
Typically, the lyrics were non-offensive, noncontroversial, and most often dealt with
simple boy-girl romantic love. Usually, Tin Pan Alley songs had a very straight, un-
complicated rhythm, with four (or sometimes three) beats to each measure. The rhythm
was kept in the background of the musical fabric. Melodies were very important; they
were usually rather easy to remember, so the average person could sing or whistle them
after hearing them a few times. The melodies were pretty, in a traditional sense; they
usually moved freely within one octave (sometimes a little more) and moved stepwise
or with small leaps. The melodic contours were interesting, much like a gently undulat-
ing curve. The musical material was symmetrically organized into units of four mea-
sures (called phrases). Tempos were usually moderate to slow; faster tunes were typically
bouncy and cute, often with light or humorous lyrics. Usually, the songs were recorded
by professional singers with fine voices and were accompanied by a full orchestra and
small chorus.
This Tin Pan Alley tradition was still very much alive in the Pop songs of the early
1950s. Songs from Broadway shows and Hollywood movies conformed to the popular
style and provided a wealth of material. Table 2–1 gives 10 representative selections of
the Top 50 songs from 1950 to 1954, with a brief description of each.
Notice that all but two of these songs are in a slow-to-moderate tempo; most are love-
oriented; several are pure instrumentals. Two of the songs deserve additional comment.
Nat “King” Cole’s “Too Young” is a rather rare example of an early 1950s Pop song that
speaks directly to youth. Specifically, it commiserates with a person who is told that he or
 POP 9

TABLE 2–1

Title Artist Date of Peak Popularity Comments

“Goodnight Irene” The Weavers August to November 1950 slow, lush, romantic ballad
“Mona Lisa” Nat “King” Cole July to August 1950 slow, romantic ballad
“Music, Music, Music” Teresa Brewer March to April 1950 upbeat, cute
“Tennessee Waltz” Patti Page January to February 1951 moderate tempo; cover of
a C&W hit
“Too Young” Nat “King” Cole June to July 1951 slow, romantic ballad
“Cry” Johnnie Ray January to March 1952 an early example of emotive
performance style; about lost love
“Wheel of Fortune” Kay Starr March to May 1952 moderate-to-slow; ballad
“Doggie in the Window” Patti Page March to May 1953 upbeat; cutesy-pie novelty song
“Wanted” Perry Como April to May 1954 slow; lonely-for-love song
“Hey There” Rosemary Clooney September to October 1954 slow love song; Broadway show

she is too young to really be in love. Johnnie Ray’s “Cry” is unusual because of the vocal
style, which, due to Ray’s very emotive performance, foreshadows the shouting emotion-
ality of some early rockers. Note also that only one of the artists, Nat “King” Cole, was
black (there were a few other black Pop performers, such as the Mills Brothers and the Ink
Spots). Note also that most of the songs held their peak popularity for about two months.
Usually, there was a period of rising popularity that lasted about four weeks and an
equal period of declining popularity. Thus, a top song would exist on the charts for 16 to
20 weeks, sometimes as long as 25 weeks.

The Majors EXPLORE

Another facet of the early 1950s Pop market was its complete domination by a handful iTunes links for
of major recording companies known as “the majors”—RCA Victor, Columbia, Capitol, these songs on
Mercury, and Decca. In 1954, of the mysearchlab
50 top-selling discs, 42 were produced
by these five companies. Although the
majors’ biggest income came from Pop,
they also produced classical, jazz, and
some C&W recordings.
These major companies held a large
number of artists under contract. Their
promotion and distribution systems were
sophisticated and effective. Thus, when
a new record was to be released, a na-
tionwide promotional campaign was
launched, and the product was distrib-
uted through a network of middlemen
to retail outlets throughout the nation.
Several of these major companies also

Frank Sinatra in the Studio, c. 1947. Courtesy

William P. Gottlieb Collection (Source: Library of
Congress).
10 CHAPTER 2 • THE ROOTS OF ROCK

produced phonographs, were tied to radio and television networks and stations, and had
subsidiary sheet music publishing operations. They truly seemed to have a stranglehold on
the popular music industry.
The huge resources of these companies were used to create a very professional prod-
uct. Professional composers and arrangers created the songs. The written arrangements
were placed in the hands of professional musicians. Typically, large musical forces were
used—a full orchestra and small chorus. All these musicians read their music; there was
virtually no improvisation. The lead singers were pros; they read music and sang across a
wide pitch range, with superb control, and excellent voice quality.
The Pop market was national in its scope. Over a period of four to eight weeks, a
song’s popularity would peak in every regional market. Furthermore, it was not uncom-
mon to have multiple versions of a hit song. Thus, if an artist on Columbia had commer-
cial success with a particular song, the other majors would quickly produce a version of
the same song featuring one of their own artists.
Two final characteristics of considerable importance must be underscored. First, the
Pop market was adult-oriented. Although the 1950s were years of increasing affluence,
the adults still controlled the money in the early years of the decade. The recording com-
panies were controlled by adults; the professional songwriters, performers, and consumers
were adults. During this era, teens simply listened to and accepted their parents’ music.
There seemed to be no real alternative; in fact, most teens saw nothing unusual about the
situation.
Finally, the Pop market of the early 1950s was almost exclusively white. Again, the
record company personnel, the songwriters, the performers, and the consumers were pre-
dominantly white. As with most aspects of the music industry, the basic reason had to do
with the pocketbook. The adult whites were the primary consumers; thus, the recording
industry aimed its product squarely at that market.
Neither the Pop consumer nor the recording industry could have anticipated that
within a few years, the music market would experience a total revolution—one that would
reverse almost every one of the foregoing characteristics!

MUSICAL CLOSE-UP:
THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
To fully understand any musical style, one must be able to analyze the various elements
of music as they exist within that particular style. In this first Musical Close-Up, we shall
briefly describe these elements of music. In subsequent Musical Close-Ups, we shall
examine one or another of these elements in greater detail as it pertains to a given style or
topic.

Rhythm
We begin with rhythm because it is basic to all music. Rhythm refers to the interrelation-
ship between music and time. Music, even in its simplest form, exists in time. Whether
we are speaking of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony or just one note, there is a beginning, a
duration, and an ending. Although we often compare music and art, they are dissimilar in
at least this one respect. When you look at a painting, your eyes see it all at once. Music
is more like dance, plays, books, movies, and even baseball games. All these develop
through time. We cannot listen to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, read War and Peace,
or watch the seventh game of the World Series in an instant. We must allow each to
unfold over its own appropriate period of time. Furthermore, each has an internal pace of
Another random document with
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 MR. GRADY AS A CHRISTIAN.

One of our able New York journals last spring printed a question
and sent it to many people, and, among others, to myself: “Can the
editor of a secular journal be a Christian?” Some of the newspapers
answered no. I answered yes; and, lest you may not understand me,
I say yes again. Summer before last, riding with Mr. Grady from a
religious meeting in Georgia on Sunday night, he said to me some
things which I now reveal for the first time, because it is appropriate
now that I reveal them. He expressed his complete faith in the
gospel, and expressed his astonishment and his grief that in our day
so many young men were rejecting Christianity. From the
earnestness and the tenderness and the confidence with which he
spoke on these things I concluded that when Henry W. Grady made
public profession of his faith in Christ, and took his place at the holy
communion in the Methodist Church, he was honestly and truly
Christian. That conversation that Sunday night, first in the carriage
and then resumed in the hotel, impressed me in such a way that
when I simply heard of his departure, without any of the particulars, I
concluded that he was ready to go. I warrant there was no fright in
the last exigency, but that he found what is commonly called “the last
enemy” a good friend, and from his home on earth he went to a
home in heaven. Yes, Mr. Grady not only demonstrated that an
editor may be a Christian, but that a very great intellect may be
gospelized. His mental capacity was so wonderful it was almost
startling. I have been with him in active conversation while at the
same time he was dictating to a stenographer editorials for the
Atlanta Constitution. But that intellect was not ashamed to bow to
Christ. Among his last dying utterances was a request for the
prayers of the churches in his behalf.
There was that particular quality in him that you do not find in more
than one person out of hundreds of thousands—namely, personal
magnetism. People have tried to define that quality, and always
failed, yet we have all felt its power. There are some persons who
have only to enter a room or step upon a platform or into a pulpit,
and you are thrilled by their presence, and when they speak your
nature responds and you cannot help it. What is the peculiar
influence with which such a magnetic person takes hold of social
groups and audiences? Without attempting to define this, which is
indefinable, I will say it seems to correspond to the waves of air set
in motion by the voice or the movements of the body. Just like that
atmospheric vibration is the moral or spiritual vibration which rolls out
from the soul of what we call a magnetic person. As there may be a
cord or rope binding bodies together, there may be an invisible cord
binding souls. A magnetic man throws it over others as a hunter
throws a lasso. Mr. Grady was surcharged with this influence, and it
was employed for patriotism and Christianity and elevated purposes.
 GREAT MEN MAY BE CHRISTIANS.

You may not know why, in the conversation which I had with Mr.
Gladstone a few weeks ago, he uttered these memorable words
about Christianity, some of which were cabled to America. He was
speaking in reply to this remark: I said: “Mr. Gladstone, we are told in
America by some people that Christianity does very well for weak-
minded men and children in the infant class, but it is not fit for
stronger minded men; but when we mention you, of such large
intellectuality, as being a pronounced friend of religion, we silence
their batteries.” Then Mr. Gladstone stopped on the hillside where we
were exercising, and said: “The older I grow, the more confirmed I
am in my faith in religion.” “Sir,” said he, with flashing eye and
uplifted hand, “talk about the questions of the day, there is but one
question, and that is the Gospel. That can and will correct
everything. Do you have any of that dreadful agnosticism in
America?” Having told him we had, he went on to say: “I am
profoundly thankful that none of my children or kindred have been
blasted by it. I am glad to say that about all the men at the top in
Great Britain are Christians. Why, sir,” he said, “I have been in public
position fifty-eight years, and forty-seven years in the cabinet of the
British government, and during those forty-seven years I have been
associated with sixty of the master minds of the century, and all but
five of the sixty were Christians.” He then named the four leading
physicians and surgeons of his country, calling them by name and
remarking upon the high qualities of each of them and added: “They
are all thoroughly Christian.” My friends, I think it will be quite
respectable for a little longer to be the friends of religion. William E.
Gladstone, a Christian; Henry W. Grady, a Christian. What the
greatest of Englishmen said of England is true of America and of all
Christendom. The men at the top are the friends of God and
believers in the sanctities of religion, the most eminent of the
doctors, the most eminent of the lawyers, the most eminent of the
merchants, and there are no better men in all our land than some of
those who sit in editorial chairs. And if that does not correspond with
your acquaintanceship, I am sorry that you have fallen into bad
company. In answer to the question put last spring, “Can a secular
journalist be a Christian?” I not only answer in the affirmative, but I
assert that so great are the responsibilities of that profession, so
infinite and eternal the consequences of their obedience or
disobedience of the words of my text, “Take thee a great roll and
write in it with a man’s pen,” and so many are the surrounding
temptations, that the men of no other profession more deeply need
the defenses and the reinforcements of the grace of God.
 THE OPPORTUNITIES OF JOURNALISM.

And then look at the opportunities of journalism. I praise the pulpit

and magnify my office, but I state a fact which you all know when I
say that where the pulpit touches one person the press touches five
hundred. The vast majority of people do not go to church, but all
intelligent people read the newspapers. While, therefore, the
responsibility of the minister is great, the responsibilities of editors
and reporters is greater. Come, brother journalist, and get your
ordination, not by the laying on of human hands, but by the laying on
of the hands of the Almighty. To you is committed the precious
reputation of men and the more precious reputation of women.
Spread before our children an elevated literature. Make sin appear
disgusting and virtue admirable. Believe good rather than evil. While
you show up the hypocrisies of the church, show up the stupendous
hypocrisies outside of the church. Be not, as some of you are, the
mere echoes of public opinion; make public opinion. Let the great roll
on which you write with a man’s pen be a message of light and
liberty, and kindness and an awakening of moral power. But who is
sufficient for these things! Not one of you without Divine help. But get
that influence and the editors and reporters can go up and take this
world for God and the truth. The mightiest opportunity in all the world
for usefulness to-day is open before editors and reporters and
publishers, whether of knowledge on foot, as in the book, or
knowledge on the wing, as in the newspaper; I pray God, men of the
newspaper press, whether you hear or read this sermon, that you
may rise up to your full opportunity and that you may be divinely
helped and rescued and blessed.
Some one might say to me: “How can you talk thus of the
newspaper press when you yourself have sometimes been unfairly
treated and misrepresented?” I answer that in the opportunity the
newspaper press of this country and other countries have given me
week by week to preach the gospel to the nations, I am put under so
much obligation that I defy all editors and reporters, the world over,
to write anything that shall call forth from me one word of bitter retort
from now till the day of my death. My opinion is that all reformers and
religious teachers, instead of spending so much time and energy in
denouncing the press, had better spend more time in thanking them
for what they have done for the world’s intelligence, and declaring
their magnificent opportunity and urging their employment of it all for
beneficent and righteous purposes.
 A TYPE OF CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM.

Again, I remark that Henry W. Grady stood for Christian patriotism

irrespective of political spoils. He declined all official reward. He
could have been Governor of Georgia, but refused it. He could have
been Senator of the United States, but declined it. He remained plain
Henry Grady. Nearly all the other orators of the political arena, as
soon as the elections are over, go to Washington, or Albany, or
Harrisburg, or Atlanta, to get in city or state or national office, reward
for their services, and not getting what they want spend the rest of
the time of that administration in pouting about the management of
public affairs or cursing Harrison or Cleveland. When the great
political campaigns were over Mr. Grady went home to his
newspaper. He demonstrated that it is possible to toil for principles
which he thought to be right, simply because they were right.
Christian patriotism is too rare a commodity in this country. Surely
the joy of living under such free institutions as those established here
ought to be enough reward for political fidelity. Among all the great
writers that stood at the last Presidential election on Democratic and
Republican platforms, you cannot recall in your mind ten who were
not themselves looking for remunerative appointments. Aye, you can
count them all on the fingers of one hand. The most illustrious
specimen of that style of man for the last ten years was Henry W.
Grady.
Again, Mr. Grady stood for the New South, and was just what we
want to meet three other men, one to speak for the New North,
another for the New East, and another for the New West. The
bravest speech made for the last quarter of a century was that made
by Mr. Grady at the New England dinner in New York about two or
three years ago. I sat with him that evening and know something of
his anxieties, for he was to tread on dangerous ground, and might by
one misspoken word have antagonized both sections. His speech
was a victory that thrilled all of us who heard him and all who read
him. That speech, great for wisdom, great for kindness, great for
pacification, great for bravery, will go down to the generations with
Webster’s speech at Bunker Hill, William Wirt’s speech at the
arraignment of Aaron Burr, Edmund Burke’s speech on Warren
Hastings, Robert Emmett’s speech for his own vindication.
Who will in conspicuous action represent the New North as he did
the New South? Who will come forth for the New East and who for
the New West? Let old political issues be buried, let old grudges die.
Let new theories be launched. With the coming in of a new nation at
the gates of Castle Garden every year, and the wheat bin and corn
crib of our land enlarged with every harvest, and a vast multitude of
our population still plunged in illiteracy to be educated, and moral
questions abroad involving the very existence of our Republic, let the
old political platforms that are worm-eaten be dropped, and platforms
that shall be made of two planks, the one the Ten Commandments,
and the other the Sermon on the Mount, lifted for all of us to stand
on. But there is a lot of old politicians grumbling all around the sky
who don’t want a New South, a New North, a New East, or a New
West. They have some old war speeches that they prepared in 1861,
that in all our autumnal elections they feel called upon to inflict upon
the country. They growl louder and louder in proportion as they are
pushed back further and further and the Henry W. Gradys come to
the front. But the mandate, I think, has gone forth from the throne of
God that a new American Nation shall take the place of the old, and
the new has been baptized for God and liberty, and justice and
peace and morality and religion.
 THE APOTHEOSIS.

And now our much lamented friend has gone to give account.
Suddenly the facile and potent pen is laid down and the eloquent
tongue is silent. What? Is there no safeguard against fatal disease?
The impersonation of stout health was Mr. Grady. What
compactness of muscle! What ruddy complexion! What flashing eye!
Standing with him in a group of twenty or thirty persons at Piedmont,
he looked the healthiest, as his spirits were the blithest. Shall we
never feel again the hearty grasp of his hand or be magnetized with
his eloquence? Men of the great roll, men of the pen, men of wit,
men of power, if our friend had to go when the call came, so must
you when your call comes. When God asks you what have you done
with your pen, or your eloquence, or your wealth, or your social
position, will you be able to give satisfactory answer? What have we
been writing all these years? If mirth, has it been innocent mirth, or
that which tears and stings and lacerates? From our pen have there
come forth productions healthy or poisonous! In the last great day,
when the warrior must give account of what he has done with his
sword, and the merchant what he has done with his yard stick, and
the mason what he has done with his trowel, and the artist what he
has done with his pencil, we shall have to give account of what we
have done with our pen. There are gold pens and diamond pens,
and pens of exquisite manufacture, and every few weeks I see some
new kind of pen, each said to be better than the other; but in the
great day of our arraignment before the Judge of the quick and dead,
that will be the most beautiful pen, whether gold or steel or quill,
which never wrote a profane or unclean or cruel word, or which from
the day it was carved or split at the nib, dropped from its point
kindness and encouragement, and help and gratitude to God and
benediction for man.
May God comfort that torn up Southern home, and all the homes
of this country, and of all the world, which have been swept by this
plague of influenza, which has deepened sometimes into pneumonia
and sometimes into typhus, and the victims of which are counted by
the ten thousand, Satan, who is the “prince of the power of the air,”
has been poisoning the atmosphere in all nations. Though it is the
first time in our remembrance, he has done the same thing before. In
1696 the unwholesome air of Cairo, Egypt, destroyed the life of ten
thousand in one day, and in Constantinople in 1714 three hundred
thousand people died of it. I am glad that by the better sanitation of
our cities and wider understanding of hygienic laws and the greater
skill of physicians these Apollyonic assaults upon the human race
are being resisted, but pestilential atmosphere is still abroad. Hardly
a family here but has felt its lighter or heavier touch. Some of the
best of my flock fell under its power and many homes here
represented have been crushed. The fact is the biggest failure in the
universe is this world, if there be no heaven beyond. But there is,
and the friends who have gone there are many, and very dear. Oh,
tearful eyes, look up to the hills crimsoning with eternal morn! That
reunion kiss will more than make up for the parting kiss, and the
welcome will obliterate the good-by. “The Lamb which is in the midst
of the throne shall lead them to living fountains of water and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Till then, O departed loved
ones, promise us that you will remember us, as we promise to
remember you. And some of you gone up from this city by the sea,
and others from under southern skies and others from the homes of
the more rigorous North and some from the cabins on great western
farms, we shall meet again when our pen has written its last word
and our arm has done its last day’s work and our lips have spoken
their last adieu.
And now, thou great and magnificent soul of editor and orator!
under brighter skies we shall meet again. From God thou camest,
and to God thou hast returned. Not broken down, but ascended. Not
collapsed, but irradiated. Enthroned one! Coroneted one! Sceptered
one! Emparadised one! Hail and farewell!
 TRIBUTES
OF THE

NORTHERN PRESS.
 HE WAS THE EMBODIMENT OF THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW
SOUTH.

From the “New York World.”

A S the soldier falls upon the battle-field in the line of duty, so died
Henry Woodfin Grady, the progressive editor of the Atlanta
Constitution. Mr. Grady came to the North twelve days ago, with his
fatal illness upon him, against the entreaties of his family, to speak a
word for the South, to the mind and conscience of New England. He
performed his task in splendid spirit, and with the effective and
moving eloquence that were always his, and then returned home to
die. It is highly probable that if he had not gone to Boston he would
be living and writing to-day. It is as more than a journalist or an
orator, that Mr. Grady is to be counted. He was admirable as both,
but he was more than a Southerner, a peacemaker between the
sections. He was intensely Southern, filled full of all the traditions of
his people, proud of them and their past, but he accepted the new
order with the magnificent enthusiasm of his intense nature, and
became the embodiment of the spirit of the New South. More than
any other man of this section, he had the ear of the people of the
North. They believed the patriotic assurances which he made in
behalf of his people, because they knew him to be honest and
sincere and thoroughly devoted to all that makes for the best in
public affairs. His influence in Atlanta and throughout the South was
deservedly great. No Southerner could have been so ill-spared as
this young man, whose future only a day or two ago seemed brilliant
to a degree. His death is a wonderfully great bereavement, and not
only to his family and the community in which he lived and labored,
but the whole country, whose peace and unity and kindly sentiment
he did so much to promote.
 A THOROUGHLY AMERICAN JOURNALIST.

From the “New York Herald.”

Mr. Grady’s death will be deeply and justly regretted all over the
country. He had, though still a young man, made for himself a
national reputation, and by his steadfast counsels for peace and
good will, and by his intelligent devotion to the development of his
State and of the South, had won the good will of North and South
alike.
It is seldom that so good a journalist is at the same time so brilliant
and effective an orator as Mr. Grady was. The reason probably is
that when he spoke he had something to say, and that he was of so
cheerful and hopeful a spirit that he was able to affect his hearers
with his own optimism. In that he was a thorough American, for, as
one of the shrewdest New Yorkers once said, “This is a bull country,
and the bears have the wrong philosophy for the American people.”
For that training which made him not only a brilliant and
successful, but, what is better, a broadly intelligent and useful
journalist, the Herald claims a not inconsiderable share of credit,
which Mr. Grady himself was accustomed to give it. The Herald was
his early and best school. As a correspondent of this journal he first
made his mark by the fearless accuracy of his reports of some
exciting scenes in the reconstruction period. He showed in those
days so keen an eye as an observer, united with such rapid and just
judgment of the bearings of facts, that his reports in the Herald
attracted general attention and were recognized freely, even by
those whom they inconvenienced, as the clearest, the most truthful,
and the most just reports made of those events. He was then still a
very young man; but he quickly saw that the province of a
newspaper, and of a reporter of events for it, is to tell the exact truth,
to tell it simply and straightforwardly, and without fear, favor or
prejudice. This is what he learned from his connection with the
Herald, and this lesson he carried into his own able journal, the
Atlanta Constitution.
 It does not often happen that so young a man as Mr. Grady was
makes so great and widespread a reputation, and this without any of
the tricks of self-puffery which are the cheap resort of too many
young men ambitious of fame, or what they mistake for fame—
notoriety.
In Mr. Grady’s untimely death the country loses one of its foremost
and most clear-headed journalists, and his State one of its most
eminent and justly admired citizens.
 A LOSS TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

From the “New York Tribune.”

The death of Henry Grady is a loss to the whole country, but there
is some consolation in the general recognition of this fact. During his
brief career as a public man he has said many things that it was
profitable for both North and South to hear, and he has said them in
such a way as to enhance their significance. As editor of one of the
few widely influential papers of the South, he possessed an
opportunity, which he had also in great measure created, of
impressing his opinions upon Southern society, but it was to a few
occasional addresses in Northern cities that he chiefly owed his
national reputation. His rhetorical gifts were not of the highest order,
but he had command of a style of speaking which was most effective
for his purposes. It was marked by the Celtic characteristic of
exuberance, but it was so agreeable and inspiring that he was able
to command at will audiences at home and abroad. When so
endowed he has also a significant message to deliver, and is,
moreover, animated by a sincere desire to serve his generation to
the full measure of his ability, the loss which his death inflicts is not
easily repaired. The whole country will unite in deploring the sudden
extinction of a faithful life. Mr. Grady’s zeal, activity and patriotism
were fully recognized in the North, as we have said, but yet it was
pre-eminently to his own people that he was an example and
inspiration. His loyalty to the cause in which his father fell was
untinged with bitterness, and he never permitted himself to imagine
that vain regrets were more sacred than present obligations. He was
an admirable illustration of that sagacious and progressive spirit
which is gradually, but surely, renewing the South, and which, though
it still lacks something of being altogether equal to its opportunities,
does nevertheless recognize the fact that “new occasions teach new
duties, time makes ancient good uncouth.”
 WHAT HENRY W. GRADY REPRESENTED.

From the “New York Commercial Advertiser.”

What undoubtedly interested and fascinated people most in the
late Henry W. Grady was the fact that he represented an order of
genius now almost extinct in our country, and yet one in which some
of the favorite episodes of its history are entwined. The orator who
appealed at once to the reason and the feelings was beyond
question the foremost power of our early national century of history.
He was not predominant in the councils which founded our
government, nor in the first decade of its administration; because the
duties of that period called for the calm deliberations of statesmen
rather than the arousing of voters to action. As this era of national
infancy drew to its close, and the gigantic problems, destined at a
later day to involve the nation in civil war, came forth into sudden
prominence, the orator became the central figure of the national
stage. The rank and file gave their allegiance to their chosen
oratorical leader. He spoke in their behalf in Congress; he defined in
all political gatherings the will and purposes of his constituents; and
not less powerfully was his influence exerted to shape those
opinions and purposes. Indeed, the speeches of Clay, Calhoun and
Webster, and at a later day of Douglas and Lincoln, are better
understood when regarded as shaping public opinion than as
following the popular will already formed. The speeches of these
leaders supplied the need which is now met by the newspaper
editorial in journals of influence and public spirit. Like the newspaper
of this later day, the American orator of half a century ago was quick
to note a change in the trend of public sentiment, and at his best
fearless in leading the movement even before the popular mind had
given assent.
The civil war brought to a close the epoch in which flourished this
interesting and impressive figure of our earlier politics. To-day, partly
because of the greater diffusion of news and intelligence, partly by
reason of the more technical and analytical character of the national
problems which confront us, he has quite disappeared from the
political stage. One need only recall the congressional or campaign
speeches of our ablest public speakers to appreciate the truth of this.
It was Mr. Grady’s good fortune that he, equipped with the keen
insight and fervid eloquence of our old public leaders, was placed in
an epoch and a community where the reconciling of the North and
the South called for just these powers. Presently, when the wave of
closer commercial intercourse and the better mutual understanding
shall have swept with unprecedented rapidity over the whole nation,
the feelings which made such mediation necessary will be quite
dead. But the work of the men who led the way is not likely to be
forgotten.
 A FAR-SIGHTED STATESMAN.

From the “New York Star.”

The death of Henry W. Grady is a very much greater national loss
than the public will at first concede; and while his death will be
regretted, not only by the Democracy of the country, but by all
patriotic citizens, few will recognize that he was one of the few
prominent young men, who were children during the War, who
labored to obliterate absolutely the animosity it engendered. We
believe that if the circumstance of his prominent position had not
silenced Jefferson Davis, who died almost simultaneously with this
youth, he, too, would have been found advocating the truth that the
Union of these States is homogeneous, and that Union is worth all
the sacrifices it cost.
The young Atlanta editor has, during the past few years, done as
much as any other public man toward the accomplishment of perfect
reunion and for the prosperity of his State and section. His later
addresses had been specially characterized by a broad grasp of
political and industrial problems that entitled him to high rank as an
accomplished and far-sighted statesman.
There have been few more interesting personalities in the life of
the country in the past decade, and there was no man of his years
with brighter prospects than Grady at the time of his last visit to the
North, which will be memorable as the occasion of his most
comprehensive and effective address on his constant theme of
American prosperity through fraternity.
 AN APOSTLE OF THE NEW FAITH.

From the “New York Times.”

Few men who have never entered the public service were more
widely known throughout the country than Henry W. Grady, who died
at Atlanta, and the death of only a few even of those who have won
the honors and the prominence of public life would be more sincerely
deplored. Ten years ago Mr. Grady had made himself known in the
South by the fervency of his devotion to her interests and by the
unusual ability he displayed in his newspaper work, and the people
of the South met his devotion with characteristic warmth of affection
and generosity of praise. A little later he was recognized in the North
as an eloquent interpreter of the new spirit which had awakened and
possessed the South. His speech at the dinner of the New England
Society three years ago was only an expression from a more
conspicuous platform of the sentiments which had long inspired his
daily writing. And it was not merely as an interpreter of Southern
feeling that Mr. Grady was entitled to recognition. In a large measure
he was the creator of the spirit that now animates the South. He was
an apostle of the new faith. He exhorted the people of the Southern
States to concern themselves no longer about what they had lost,
but to busy themselves with what they might find to do, to consecrate
the memories of the war if they would, but to put the whole strength
of their minds and bodies into the building up of the New South. To
his teaching and his example, as much as to any other single
influence perhaps, the South owes the impulses of material
advancement, of downright hard work, and that well-nigh complete
reconciliation to the conditions and duties of the present and the
future that distinguish her to-day.