History of R&R Lesson 3/24 "The Roots of Country Rock"

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How did Country Music influence Rock and Roll and the musicians who made it?

OVERVIEW

Long before there was a thing called Country Rock, Rock and Roll was deeply entwined with Country music. One could go so far as to say that without Country, there would be no Rock and Roll, Soul Music would be different in character, and the Rolling Stones would be a another band altogether. So, in some respects, the merger of Country and Rock shouldn't have surprised anyone when, in the late 60s and 70s, Bob Dylan released Nashville Skyline, the Byrds released Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the Flying Burrito Brothers formed, bands such as the Eagles came together, and the term "Country Rock" was put into circulation. When it comes to Rock, Country had, simply put, been there all the while. However, what the above acts did, in this particular historical passage, was to give Country a new emphasis.

This micro lesson looks to some of the early cross-pollination between Country and Rock and Roll. Taking Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" as an example drawn from early Rock and Roll, students will have the chance to see and hear Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys perform "Ida Red," the song Berry said provided source material for "Maybellene." In addition, students will watch two clips of Johnny Cash performing, engaging in a discussion of why it was that Bob Dylan might have felt a kinship with Cash, enough so that he asked Cash to record a duet of "Girl from the North Country," the track that would open Dylan's Nashville Skyline.

Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis: all grew up with Country. Jerry Lee Lewis, when citing his three greatest influences, put Jimmie Rodgers, the so-called "Father of Country Music" at the top of the list. In the years following his Rock and Roll career, Lewis would even change his direction and pursue what became a wildly successful Country career. Bob Dylan, years after Nashville Skyline, would bring together a group of artists for a Jimmie Rodgers tribute album. And Hank Williams is regularly cited as one of Rock and Roll's founding fathers, by the likes of Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen. Among African-American artists, the influence of Country was also strong. Taking Ray Charles' album Modern Sounds in Country Music as a kind of case study, students will consider just what an artist associated with R&B did with a song that came straight out of Country. And, finally, students will have a chance to write their own responses to this question: why did early Country matter to musicians in both the black and white communities?

Part I: 

1. Play the clip of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys performing "Ida Red." 

2. Read the excerpted lyrics for both "Ida Red" and "Maybellene." 

3. In your opiniont, what was it that Chuck Berry took from "Ida Red" when writing "Maybellene," lyrically, musically, and otherwise? 

Part II:
Based on the previous exercise, answer the following reflection questions: 

• What is at the heart of the narrative in "Ida Red" and, similarly, what is at the heart of the story in "Maybellene"? What elements do they share as stories?
• Why might the story within "Maybellene" have had an appeal in mid-century America? What do you think cars meant to the people in the listening audience?
• Do the songs have similar human themes? Is there romance involved?
• What musical sections of "Ida Red" are reminiscent of what you hear in "Maybellene"? Do the verses seem at all alike?
• Is the instrumentation of the two different? If so, in what ways?
• How do the performance style, the tempo, and the vocal presentation compare?