We continue our discussion of blues based rock in the first half of the 1970s, and
now we turn our attention to the American blues based rock bands.
As I was saying in the last video, you would think that the American blues based
rock groups would take most of their influence from American blues.
But the case is that most of these groups were very much influenced by the British
bands of the 1960s. So it's strange that a lot of the blues
influence come to them via the British group.
Just like the blues has to leave the United States, go to Britain and back
again for Americans. To, to play it, but in many, in many ways
that's not, in not all cases but it many ways that's, that's the way it played
out. Simply because the Stones and Cream were
so big that the people who were in these groups were teenagers when that music was
out. And so, that's the music that they got
into. Well, when we talk about American blues
rock. Now, it's probably important to, to raise
the the, the, the, the style type southern rock because southern rock is
usually thought of as the most blues based of the styles.
And of those groups we'll talk about The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd as
sort of important representatives of southern rock.
But there is a bigger question with regard to Southern Rock.
And that is, what makes southern rock southern?
Is it enough of a stylistic characteristic that I mean, is it, is it
southern rock because of where it comes from?
If you didn't know where it came from, would you be able to tell that there was
anything southern about it? I mean, it's certainly a characteristic
of the music. But is it an important stylistic
characteristic? Well, I think it's worth thinking about
what made southern rock southern. In large part, was not only elements in
the music itself, but the way in which it was packaged.
And for those of you who are taking this course from outside the United States,
it's probably important to recognize that southern rock.
Had its greatest sales in northern cities simply because that's where most of the
people were, now in this country over the past few decades.
There's been a migration from the north towards the south towards areas of the
south. Where there's greater opportunity and
things like that, and we're talking about the 1970s where.
What constituted southern was what constituted southern in the minds of
northerners who in many cases didn't have any direct contacts with the south had
maybe not even been there. For example, when you see confederate
flags, big dogs, and rifles, this all stands.
For a sort of southern life, almost a kind of a cartoonish version of it.
But one thing that the marketing people picked up on at these record labels is if
they pushed that image, you know, they could sell these groups and find a kind
of marketing niche from that. Because there's something interesting,
and heroic, and fun loving about, about images of the south.
So, not that these images are accurate. But they were almost sort of in
caricatures of things that people in the north had.
So, one thing that really draw, pulls these groups together is their imaging
as, as sort of their, their proud sort of demonstration of their southern roots and
their, and their southern identity. So, we'll talk about the Allman Brothers
Band based out of Macon, Georgia. Probably the representative album, if
you're going to grab one Allman Brothers album, would be At the Fillmore East.
At least the, the sort of first version of the group from 1971.
The Allman Brothers are Greg Allman organist and lead vocalist of the group,
and Duane Allman virtuoso guitarist. Much much respected for his ability to
play blues music and had been a session player played on some stash recordings.
Had worked with Jerry Wexler in the late 1960s.
Duane unfortunately dies in 1971, and the original bassist, Barry Oakley dies in
1972, almost a year later. Both the victim of motorcycle accidents.
but what you'll hear in the, the first couple of Allman Brothers records, and
especially At the Fillmore East, are the blues influences and the extended
soloing. It's almost like, when we talked about
the Grateful Dead in the first course. We talked about how the group was
essentially a live group, and capturing what they did on recording was kind of a
difficult kind of thing. Well, it was that way with the Allman
Brothers. The Allman Brothers were essentially a
kind of improvisatory live group. and so when, when you listen to a live
album, in some ways you're getting a more accurate representation of who they are
than when you're listening to the studio recordings.
Well, after Duane and Barry are gone they bring in Chuck Leavell on piano, Dickey
Betts the other guitarist in the group takes a more important role.
And they have an album called Brothers and Sisters from 1973 and and a hit song
with Ramblin Man. The other group that we talk about with
regard to southern rock a lot is a group called Lynyrd Skynyrd.
named interestingly enough after their gym teacher back in Jacksonville, Florida
where the group originated. A gym teacher who had a strict rule
about, you know, young men with long hair, right?
So they thought, what could be better? We'll name it, the band after him.
The group, I think, interestingly, was produced by Al Kooper, who had been the
keyboard player on so many of those Bob Dylan hits from 1965, 1966.
Al Kooper, a very interesting guy. But anyway, he produced a lot of those
things based out of Atlanta, for a label that I think was called Southern Sounds.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, a very radio-friendly style that that really sort of wears it's
southern heritage very much on it's sleeve.
their album from 1970, to their first album is called Pronounced Leh-nerd
Skin-nerd. And of course, the big song on that album
is Freebird. So, all of you who have been watching
these videos all this time and who have been wanting to say free bird while I'm
talking, now's your opportunity. There you go.
images of southern life can also be found in tunes like Sweet Home Alabama, from
1974, their second album called Second Helping, right?
That sort of countryfied southern life kind of title that goes with.
So anyway, Lynyrd Skynyrd may be a more sort of song oriented kind of group.
The Allman Brothers may be a more kind of jam oriented kind of group.
Other groups in the, from the southern rock style we should point out.
the Charlie Daniels Band. Charlie Daniels originally coming out of
North Carolina had been a session musician in Nashville, had actually
played bass on a couple of those late 60s Dylan records, as I understand it.
Their biggest hit, The Charlie Daniels Band, biggest hit was probably something
very late in the decade, 1979 called The Devil went down to Georgia.
But a lot of these other, other southern rock groups have talked about what an
important figure Charlie Daniels was in encouraging them and mentoring them.
He was almost a generation older than a lot of these guys and so had a lot more
expeience in the music business and was able to give them some advice based on
that experience. We should also talk about the marshall
tucker band. Come out of South Carolina, probably the
most representative song for them is from 1973, called Can't You See.
I mentioned in the last video, that what constitutes, sort of blues rock/southern
rock would you think that Texas for example, was southern?
Well certainly, it's southern geographically, but it's not really part
of, as thought of as part of of the part of the south.
it's really thought of more as, Texas in this country, or, or, or the southwest if
you're going to think about a region. but some of the, probably the most
important group to come out of Texas is ZZ Top during this period.
Texas based blues rock and probably the two most representative tunes for them
might be La Grange from 1973, and Tush from 19 75.
if, if Texas is not the south, well then probably Mexico is not going to be
considered kind of south in terms of southern rock either.
But the Mexican influence is very much heard in the music of guitarist Carlos
Santana. Even though his group comes out of the
San Fracis, the same Sa, San Francisco psychedelic scene that, that developed
artists like the Grateful Dead, and the Jefferson Airplane.
Again, he combines together jazz, blues, improvisation, but adds the Latin rhythm
kind of thing. The first big hit the group had was a
tune called Black Magic Woman in 1970. Which is a very close cover of a track
that had been recorded by Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green on the guitar in 1968.
Of course, most Americans didn't know that version, they knew the Santana
version that's the one that still gets played on FM radio.
the most in this country classic rock radio the most in this country.
And that is Black Magic Woman, the Santana version from 1970.
But if you really want to hear the, the Latin rhythms, probably the most
representative song is Evil Ways from 1970.
so the question this is, is Texas or, or, or Mexico southern rock probably not even
though geographically, its southern. And those of you who sort of taking the
course from outside of the United States, it may be difficult to understand why
American's see a big distinction there when geographically.
They should be grouped together. But again, it has to do with sort of
cultural identifications of different regions and lifestyles.
And Texas lifestyle and North Carolina lifestyle are not seen as really being
the same thing, even though geographically they're south of the more
industrial north. other American blues rock that's worthy
of note, and I'll, I'll go through these very quickly.
Because we haven't got a lot of time to to, to spend on each of these groups.
Steppenwolf, led by John Kay, coming out of Los Angeles with their 1968 hit, Born
to Be Wild. One of the lyrics in that heavy metal
thunder is often thought to be first, you know, mention of heavy metal.
So, for those of you who are sort of following the beginnings of heavy metal,
that's an important track. It was featured In the 1969 film Easy
Rider, which starred Peter Fonda and had a lot to do with motorcycles.
we should mention Three Dog Night coming out of Los Angeles.
A vocal group of three singers that were initially pruched, produced by Beach Boy
Brian Wilson but didn't really have success until they left Brian Wilson.
a good a good example of their sound, sort of blue eyed soul sort of harmony
vocal sound is from 1970, Mama Told Me Not To Come.
Coming out of Flint, Michigan, Grand Funk Railroad led by guitarist, songwriter and
singer Mark Farner were deeply rooted in 1960s soul and blues.
Probably the most representative early example of their style is a track called
I'm Your Captain, Closer to Home, 1970. Which has not only the blues elements of
what they do, but also a kind of a more ambitious, orchestral elements that that,
that happens in that tune. A little bit later they have their first
number one hit of We're an American Band in 1973.
So, an important sort of blues based, or at least black pop oriented kind of group
in the first half of the 1970s. Often now, I'd give them their due, but a
group that sold a lot of records and got a lot of people to show up at their
concerts. Another group, as we move deeper into the
decade, Aerosmith. Coming out of Boston initially arising in
the eyes of some people as a kind of American version of the Rolling Stones.
because Joe Perry and Steven Tyler together cut an image very much like Mick
Jagger and Keith Richards. A representative song from Aersomith
might be Walk this Way from 1975, which is especially interesting because it was
later released as an important rap rock cross over record in 1986.
When they did, when Aerosmith did the song, at least, Steven Tyler and Joe
Perry did the song together with Run DMC. If you've never seen the video, when we
talk about the rise of rap, we'll talk about that video.
It's a very important kind of juxtaposition of rock culture in the
eighties based on what were talking about here in the 70s and the rise of rap
culture. And, of course, got played on MTV and
awful lot and is represented of the tension between those two.
Well, this concludes our discussion of blues rock on the American side of
things. Let's next turn to Progressive Rock.