Syllabus for RESPECT: Minority Voices in Early Soul, Reggae, Rock, and Folk

Syllabus for RESPECT: Minority Voices in Early Soul, Reggae, Rock, and Folk OLLI UC Berkeley Fall 2021 Mondays, 9:30am-11am Instructor: Richie Unterberger Week One: Social Commentary and Protest in Soul Music, Pt. 1 In Soul of the 1960s While occasional soul songs of the first half of the 1960s had observations about the world at large, for the most part they dealt with romantic love, as well as a good share of tunes about partying and dancing. Many of these songs were great and classic. But wasn’t until the late 1960s that compositions commenting about the American (and sometimes specifically African-American) experience became a significant part of soul music. Curtis Mayfield, principal singer-songwriter of the Impressions, was perhaps the first to regularly express such sentiments. By the late 1960s, other stars like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Nina Simone, and Sly & the Family Stone were also doing so occasionally. After some initial resistance on the part of its ownership and producers, Motown Records also made significant forays into this territory, most often with the Temptations, but also with the Supremes and other artists. Week Two: Social Commentary and Protest in Soul Music, Pt. 2 In Soul of the 1970s In the first half of the 1970s, socially conscious soul music sometimes gets tougher and more militant. At Motown, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder not only successfully fight for more artistic freedom to record more lyrically aware material, but also focus on long- playing albums as a medium of expression that are at least as important as hit singles. So- called “blaxpoloitation” movies leave room in their soundtracks for some hard-hitting commentary, especially in Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly. There’s still space for anthems urging positivity and unity, like the Pointer Sisters’ “Yes We Can Can.” The poetry set to minimal music of Gil Scott-Heron, the Last Poets, and the Watts Prophets helps set the stage for the rap music of the 1980s. Week Three: Social Commentary and Protest in Reggae Music, Part 1 Bob Marley & the Wailers Like most early reggae acts, Bob Marley & the Wailers start their career in the early-to- mid-1960s with Jamaican ska music that owes a heavy debt to American soul. Even on some of their early records, however, they reflect the hard and sometimes violent conditions of crime-ridden Kingston, where much of the black population lives in poverty. These concerns, along with increased calls for social justice, become more prevalent as ska turns into reggae and the 1960s turn into the 1970s. By the mid-1970s, Bob Marley & the Wailers become the first reggae stars to reach a large international audience, although original Wailers Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer leave to start solo careers. Songs like “I Shot the Sherriff” (in part because of its popularization through a hit single by Eric Clapton) and “Get Up, Stand Up” become global anthems. Like American soul stars, however, Marley never abandons more traditional and romantic topics, as heard in some of his most popular songs, like “Stir It Up.” Week Four: Social Commentary and Protest in Reggae Music, Part 2 Other Reggae Stars Other reggae stars make cries for social justice a bigger part of their repertoire starting in the late 1960s, when Desmond Dekker’s “The Israelites” becomes an unexpected worldwide hit. The 1972 film The Harder They Come, starring reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, becomes one of the most popular cult movies of all time, in part because of a soundtrack with memorable songs by Cliff, Toots & the Maytals complementing the story of hard realities in the Kingston slums. In the wake of Bob Marley’s success, some other reggae artists championing social justice and empowerment make a mark on the international music scene, including Burning Spear and British reggae poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. Marey himself gets more directly involved in social activism by bringing together the heads of two warring Jamaican political parties at a concert, and is victim of an attempted assassination attempt that may have had political motivations. He dies of illness at a young age in the early 1980s, but lives on as one of the most globally popular musicians, especially in developing nations. Week Five: Social Commentary and Protest by Native American Musicians, Part 1 Buffy Sainte-Marie The most noted Native American musician who’s used music as a vehicle for social commentary and justice, Buffy Sainte-Marie made her first mark as a folk musician near the end of the early-‘60s folk revival. On her first album alone in 1964, she sings and writes songs protesting oppression of Native Americans, as well as other issues ranging from drug abuse and anti-war protest to incest. She later moves into rock and electronic music, and has been active for decades on behalf of Native American causes. Although she’s never had big hit records, she was a major influence on famous performers like Joni Mitchell, and her first album was recently added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, which honors recordings of special distinction and merit. Week Six: Social Commentary and Protest by Native American Musicians, Part 2 Other Native Americans in Rock and Country music Although he was only partially Native American, Jimi Hendrix was proud of that heritage and wrote and performed a few songs referencing his ancestry, as well as some subtly protesting wars in which the US was involved. The first Native American rock performer to have a hit, Link Wray (with “Rumble” in 1958), is a leading early innovator of electric rock guitar, and caused controversy with “Rumble,” which has the distinction of being one of the few rock songs banned from radio that has no words. While Johnny Cash’s occasional claim to have some Cherokee ancestry has not been verified, he recorded a concept album with the intention of drawing attention to Native American causes, 1964’s Bitter Tears: Balads of the American Indian. Also worth noting in this class is the occupation of Alcatraz by Native Americans in 1969 and 1970, which attracted support from musicians, including Buffy Sainte-Marie (who did a benefit concert for the occupants in Berkeley), but also local stars Creedence Clearwater Revival, who donated money for a boat to ferry supplies to the island. Week Seven: Latinos in Rock, Vol. 1 The Birth of Latino Rock in the ‘50s and ‘60s While Latinos have only infrequently been explicitly sociopolitical in rock, the very entry and presence of Latinos on the rock scene did much to enhance their image both within their community and in larger society. Ritchie Valens was the first Latino rock star, hitting big with “La Bamba” and “Donna” while still a teenager, though he died in 1959 in the same plane crash that took Buddy Holly’s life. In the 1960s, Latinos like Sam the Sham, ? & the Mysterians, and Chris Montez scored hits. In East Los Angeles, a thriving “brown-eyed soul” scene emerged with groups that combined soul and British Invasion- influenced rock, like Cannibal & the Headhunters and Thee Midniters. While their popularity was primarily regional, it gave Latinos the first rock style they could proudly call their own. Week Eight: Latinos in Rock, Vol. 2 Latino Rock in the ‘70s and ‘80s At the end of the ‘60s, Carlos Santana becomes the first Latino rock superstar as head of the group Santana. They not only combine psychedelic rock and blues with Latin music, but also make a multicultural statement with the inclusion of Latinos, African-Americans, and whites in the same band. A few expressions of the Chicano Power movement find their way into the songs of groups like El Chicano and Thee Midniters, and (primarily in California) Latinos are a major presence in some early punk and new wave groups like the Zeros and the Plugz. Los Lobos combine Latino music and rock to become stars in the 1980s, becoming the first rock group to have a #1 song in the US sung in Spanish when their revival of “La Bamba” tops the charts. .

Load more