Music - Popular Music and Rock 'n' Roll

Rock and Roll mostly came to us as young teenagers through the radio.  Television had a weekly show called Your Hit Parade, where staff singers like Snookie Lanson and Giselle McKenzie sang covers of the previous week’s Top 10 pop songs.

With radio we could hear what we called “real” rock and roll.  Were were not content listening to Snookie Larson cover a pale, pop version of Elvis Presley’s “You Ain’t Nothin but a Hound Dog.”  It was only years later when we found out Elvis was covering an earlier rhythm and blues version by Big Mama Thornton.

By 1958 Your Hit Parade was off the air.  A few rock and roll acts made it to The Ed Sullivan Show, The Steve Allen and a few others.  In the fall of 1957 Dick Clark’s American Bandstand became the place to listen to rock music and catch up on all the hits white the performers lip-synced their songs.

I never really liked rock and roll very much.  I was more interested in folk music and the blues.

Two excellent books, which cover local rock history and the development of the garage band sound of the early 60s are both by Richard Parker, BA Class of 1966.

Stomp and Shout: The All-Too-Real Story of Kenny and the Kasuals and the Garage Band Revolution of the Sixties.  Kenny Daniel and Richard Parker.  Oomph Media, 2011.

The Twerp Generation - Growing Up in Dallas in 50s and the 60s.  Richard Parker.  Oomph Media 2012.

Bitter Tears – Johnny Cash.  The Ballad of Irn Hays, Custer, The Talking Leaves, Apache Tears.

Joan Baez – Fare Thee Well, All My Trials, Ten Thousand Miles.

The Return of Roger Miller – Do-Wacka-Do, King of the Road.

Johnny Cash – I Walk the Line, Understand Your Man, Folsom Prison Blues.

Peter, Paul and Mary in Concert – (2 record set) – Blowin’ in the Wind, If I Had a Hammer, Five Hundred Miles.

Another Side of Bob Dylan – Spanish Harlem, Incident, It Ain’t Me Babe.

Land of the Giants  – New Christie Minstrels, John Henry, Casey Jones, Paul Bunyan, El Camino Real.

New Christie Minstrels Today – Company of Cowards, Whistlin’ Dixie.

Brothers Four Sing of Our Times – Four Strong Winds, Take This Hammer, Beans Taste Fine.

RFD – Marty Robbins – Everybody’s Darlin’ Plus Mine, Making Excuses, Urgently Needed.

Pete Seeger – I Can See a New Day, This Land is Your Land, the Bells of Rhymney.

Trini Lopez Live at Basin Street East – Hello Dolly, La Bamba, Jezebel, If I Had a Hammer.

For Swingin’ Livers Only – Allan Sherman – Pop Hates the Beatles, Shine on Harvey Bloom.

Johnny Horton – I Can’t Forget You, Hot in the Sugar Cane Field, Out in New Mexico.

Roger Miller – Dan Me Chug-A-Lug, Lou’s Got the Flu.

Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin, North Country Blues, With God on Our Side.

Johnny Horton’s Greatest Hits – Battle of New Orleans, Sink the Bismarck, North to Alaska.

Trini Lopez – The Folk Album – Blowin’ in the Wind, Lemon Tree, Michael, Puff the Magic Dragon

Lefty Frizzell – Saginaw Michigan, James River, What Good Did You Get.

Smothers Brothers Tour de Farce – American History and Other Related Subjects – Fourteen Wonderfully Wacky Bits of Mirth and Melody.

The Tale of Patches – Dicky Lee -  Travelin’ Man, Devil Woman.

The Many Sides of the Serendipity Singers – Beans in My Ears, Soon It’s Gonna Rain.

In the Wind – Peter, Paul and Mary – Go Tell It on the Mountain, Don’t think Twice, All My Trials.

Jack Jones – Where Love has gone, Willow Weep for Me People, It Never Entered My Mind.

The Dixie Cups – Chapel of Love, People, Iko Iko.

Dusty – Dusty Springfield – I Wish I’d Never Loved You, Summer is Over.

Rag Doll – 4 Seasons – On Broadway Tonight, Ronnie, Funny Face.

Command Performance – Jan + Dean – The Little Old Lady from Pasadena, Surf City, Dead Man’s Curve.

Three Window Coupe – The Rip Chords – Bonneville Bonnie, Surf City, Hot Rod USA.

Go Little Honda – The Mondells – Hot Rod High, The Wild One, Ridin’ Trails.

Be My Love – Jerry Vale – Unchained Melody, Mona Lisa.

Jack Jones – Dear Heart, Something’s Got to Give, Emily.

Do-Re-Mi – Children’s Chorus Songs from Mary Poppins, etc.

Jazz Impressions of Japan – The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Zen is When, Rising Sun, Osaka Blues.

Ray Charles Greatest Hits – Hit the Road Jack, Georgia on My Mind, Sticks and Stones.

Bobby Vinton – There!  I’ve Said It Again, My Heart Belongs to You.

Andy Williams Sings Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes – Tonight, Lose Is a Many-Splendored Thing.

Hey Little Cobra and Other Hot Rod Hits – The Rip Chords – Drag City, The Queen, Little Deuce Coupe.

Rick Nelson – Million Sellers – Travelin’ Man, It’s Late, Hello Mary Lou.

Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um – The Best of Major Lance – Hey Little Girl, The Monkey Time.

The Greatest Live Show on Earth – Jerry Lee Lewis -  Long Tall Sally, Hound Dog, Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.

Gene Pitney – It Hurts to Be in Love, I’m Gonna Be Strong, Who Needs It.

More Trini Lopez at PJ’s – Oh Lonesome Me, Green Green, Kansas City, Walk Right In.

Girl Talk – Leslie Gore – Live and Learn, Maybe I Know, Hey Now.

Bobby’s Vinton’s Greatest Hits – Blue on Blue, Roses are Red, Tell Me Why, Blue Velvet, Mr. Lonely.

Drag City – Jan + Dean – Sting Ray, Little Deuce Coupe, I Gotta Drive, Drag Strip Girl.

Jan + Dean – Dead Man’s Curve, The New Girl in School, Three Window Coupe, Hey Little Freshman.

Jan + Dean – Little Old Lady from Pasadena, Summer Means Fun, Sidewalk Surfin’.