Clockwise, from prime left: Dolly Parton, The Shirelles, Patti Smith (courtesy of Steve Harlow/Flickr) and Mahalia Jackson (courtesy of Nationaal Archief)
Picture illustration by Miguel Perez/WXPN
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Picture illustration by Miguel Perez/WXPN
To commemorate Girls’s Historical past Month, World Cafe is wanting again on a century’s price of music historical past. Each week in March, we’re pinpointing distinct moments of yearly from the previous 100 years, 1 / 4 century at a time.
Final week, we explored 1925 to 1949. At this time, we’re digging into moments from 1950 to 1974: The golden age of rock and roll, the civil rights motion of the ’60s and the start of digital music.
Whereas the earlier 25 years exploring the early twentieth century included names that will not be instantly recognizable at this time, this chunk of historical past is brimming with ladies whose work continues to function an instantaneous blueprint for musicians.
It is a era’s price of star-making debuts, unforgettable voices and record-setting moments, a few of which proceed to carry up at this time.
1950: Influenced by the racism she skilled touring within the South, Clara Ward composes the gospel hymn “How I Acquired Over.” It’s going to develop into one of many best-selling gospel songs of all time, and in 13 years, Mahalia Jackson‘s rendition — carried out in the course of the March on Washington — will assist provoke the civil rights motion.
1951: Esther Phillips, as Little Esther, information a string of songs, together with “The Deacon Strikes In” with the Dominoes. In 2023, she will likely be inducted into the Blues Corridor of Fame.
1952: Nashville native Kitty Wells releases “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” The tune tops Billboard’s nation chart, making Wells the primary solo girl artist to attain the feat. Wells’ retribution of untrue males, an unusual lyrical theme throughout this period, will develop into a traditional trope in nation music.
Massive Mama Thornton
Courtesy of Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame
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Courtesy of Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame
1953: Massive Mama Thornton releases her hit file, “Hound Canine.” The blues tune, rife with tongue-in-cheek sexuality, will promote over half 1,000,000 copies. Two years later, a model with sanitized lyrics is launched by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Quickly after, Elvis Presley will rework the Bell cowl, and his model will in the end promote over 10 million copies.
1954: Peruvian vocalist Yma Sumac, a pioneer of world music, releases “Malambo No. 1,” showcasing her unimaginable five-octave vary.
1955: Etta James releases her debut single, referred to as “The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry).” The Los Angeles-born contralto will assist create a bridge between traditional R&B and rock and roll.
1956: French singer and actress Dalida releases her debut single, “Bambino.” The tune will develop into the longest-running No. 1 tune in world historical past, spending 45 weeks on prime of the French tune charts.
1957: Patsy Cline performs “Walkin’ After Midnight” on Arthur Godfrey’s Expertise Scouts. It’s going to develop into Cline’s first hit, and she is going to ultimately be the primary girl inducted into the Nation Music Corridor of Fame.
1958: The Shirelles & the start of the “lady group”
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On Feb. 7, 1958, a quartet of schoolgirls from Passaic, N.J. — named Shirley Owens, Addie Harris, Beverly Lee and Doris Coley — stepped right into a recording studio to chop a doo-wop-inspired tune referred to as “I Met Him on a Sunday” they’d initially written for a college expertise present.
A reasonable success, the tune piqued the curiosity of file labels, however The Shirelles would battle to achieve momentum after releasing a string of middling singles. For a time, the ladies carried out on the Chitlin’ Circuit alongside Etta James and Ruth Brown.
Then, in 1960, the quartet would reluctantly file a tune penned by a younger songwriting duo named Gerry Goffin and Carole King. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” would ultimately prime the charts, making The Shirelles the primary African American lady group to attain the feat.
Their configuration as a quartet of 4 younger ladies would develop into a blueprint that has been imitated with out finish since The Shirelles debuted. Their tight harmonies and easy lyrics would additionally inform The Beatles‘ early work, notably their debut album, Please Please Me.
1959: On the inaugural Newport Folks Competition, musician Bob Gibson brings out a shock visitor throughout his set: 18-year-old Joan Baez lends her voice to a spirited efficiency of “We Are Crossing Jordan River.” She is going to launch her self-titled debut album the subsequent yr.
1960: Mississippi-born Leontyne Value turns into the primary African American performer to sing a lead function at La Scala, a historic opera home in Milan. A yr later, Value will debut on the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Judy Garland acting at Carnegie Corridor in 1961.
Courtesy of Carnegie Corridor
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Courtesy of Carnegie Corridor
1961: Following medical remedy for extreme well being points, Judy Garland returns to the stage in a tour showcasing her vocal prowess sans vaudeville acts. Her live performance at Carnegie Corridor on July 10, 1961, is recorded reside, and the following reside album will earn Garland the Grammy Award for album of the yr — the primary girl to obtain the popularity.
1962: Little Eva information “The Loco-Movement,” additionally written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Grand Funk Railroad and Kylie Minogue will even file profitable variations of the tune.
1963: Mahalia Jackson takes to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to carry out her rendition of Clara Ward’s “How I Acquired Over” in entrance of a whole lot of 1000’s of demonstrators in the course of the March on Washington.
1964: Barbra Streisand makes her return to Broadway within the musical Humorous Lady. 4 years later, she’ll reprise her function as Fanny Brice within the movie adaptation and win her first Academy Award. She is going to ultimately obtain EGOT standing.
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1965: The Supremes launch “Again in My Arms Once more.” The tune will develop into their fifth consecutive No. 1 hit. Their unprecedented success, spearheaded by entrance girl Diana Ross, will pave the best way for future generations of R&B, pop and soul acts.
1966: Moved to tears by a efficiency of “lo che non vivo (senza te)” on the Sanremo Competition in Italy, Dusty Springfield information an English-language model of the tune. “You Do not Should Say You Love Me” will develop into the English singer’s largest hit.
1967: Aretha Franklin information her association of Otis Redding‘s “Respect” on Valentine’s Day. The tune turns into an anthem for the civil rights motion, and it’ll assist rework Franklin into a world star. Greater than 50 years later, Rolling Stone will title it the “best tune of all time.”
1968: Wendy Carlos opens the door to digital music
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In October of 1968, a musician from Rhode Island named Wendy Carlos releases her debut album, Switched-On Bach, which she information utilizing a novel digital instrument referred to as a Moog synthesizer.
A number of years prior, Carlos had met engineer Robert Moog at an audio convention, and the 2 struck up a partnership. Carlos, a educated musician who had studied digital music at Columbia College, gave Moog crucial enter as he perfected what would develop into the primary business digital keyboard.
On the behest of her collaborator and producer, Rachel Elkind, Carlos opted to file well-liked compositions by Bach for her debut album, reasonably than her personal items. Columbia Data didn’t anticipate a lot out of the album, but it surely was an enormous hit. Switched-On Bach ultimately sells over 1,000,000 copies, and it earns Carlos three Grammy Awards. Regardless of the album’s success, Carlos pulls away from the highlight, fearing for her well-being as she navigates her gender-affirming course of. Carlos will come out as transgender greater than a decade after the discharge of Switched-On Bach.
Later, Carlos will rating two Stanley Kubrick movies: A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. Her use of the synthesizer will even encourage an Italian producer named Giorgio Moroder to include it into his music.
On prime of her pioneering work on her debut album, Carlos will even mix the Moog synth with discipline recordings to create minimal, atmospheric soundscapes on her 1972 album, Sonic Seasonings. Six years later, Brian Eno will launch an album of minimal, atmospheric soundscapes, and he’ll coin the time period “ambient music.” Critics will deem Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports the “best ambient album of all time.”
1969: Nina Simone debuts “To Be Younger, Gifted and Black” on the Harlem Cultural Competition. It’ll develop into one of many musician’s most enduring songs.
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1970: Zoologist and bio-acoustician Katherine Payne, alongside her husband Roger Payne, will launch an album of humpback whale sounds recorded off the coast of Bermuda. Songs of the Humpback Whale will develop into the best-selling nature recording in historical past. It is success will assist spark the “Save The Whales” motion that was popularized within the ’70s.
1971: Janis Joplin‘s closing solo album is launched, simply three months after the Texas singer-songwriter’s premature demise on the age of 27. Pearl will ultimately be licensed quadruple platinum.
1972: Carole King wins 4 Grammy Awards for her second solo album, Tapestry, together with album of the yr, tune of the yr and file of the yr. The New York songwriter’s album will develop into one of many best-selling information of all time.
1973: Dolly Parton strikes out on her personal
On June 12, 1973, a 27-year-old singer-songwriter from Tennessee named Dolly Parton will file a brand new tune after deciding to separate from her longtime collaborator and mentor, Porter Wagoner.
“I Will All the time Love You” will attain the highest of Billboard’s nation chart the subsequent yr, when Parton rerecords it for her album, Jolene. Noting the only’s success, Elvis Presley expresses curiosity in recording the tune. After cautious consideration, Parton hesitantly declines Presley’s request as a result of his crew asks for Parton to signal over half of the tune’s publishing rights.
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Eighteen years later, Whitney Houston will file a brand new association of Parton’s tune; it’ll develop into the best-selling single by a girl artist of all time. Parton will ultimately earn upwards of $10 million in songwriting royalties.
1974: The Patti Smith Group information their first single, “Hey Joe.” The 28-year-old Chicagoan will incorporate a spoken phrase piece about Patty Hearst, remodeling the rock commonplace right into a proto-punk monitor. A yr later, Smith will launch her debut album, Horses.
