Last time, we saw that from the creation of rock’n’roll there were 4 different genres.

We already discussed the characteristics of mainstream rock n’roll and rockabilly in the article right here. Today it’s the turn of the last two genres: soft rock and doo-wop!

So let’s dive in!

Soft rock music

If rockabilly has caused controversy over its authenticity, soft rock represents the UNACCEPTABLE at the time.

That rock music – which is rebellion music – could be soft is simply unthinkable and impossible. Many consider it either as not composable, or as a sham, or both at the same time.

Soft rock music characteristics

Characteristics are :

• Use of slow tempos, even boring,
• The absence of marked backbeats,
• An almost exclusive focus on the search for «beautiful» melodies,
• Frequent recourse to ternary rhythms (pulsation probed in 3 notes of equal duration)
  E.g : I Want You, I Need You, I Love You – Elvis Presley
         Love Letter In The Sand – Pat Boone

• Use of 4 successive chords in a loop.

However, some can have the features of rock music like:

• Some have a faster tempo.
  In example, Wonderful Time Up There of Pat Boone. This song has a tempo of 185 beats per minute with a very slight accent on the backbeats.
• Many «beautiful» melodies have blue notes in them,
• They also contain ways of singing directly from rhythm and blues (falsettos, onomatopoeias, etc.). As well as a timbre that anchors even more firmly soft rock in rock n’roll music.

Other characteristics, this time concerning the production of soft rock music, are present as:

• An Italian-American influence in certain aspects of music (even if we can say that all Euro-American influences are at equal levels). Besides, many figures in soft rock are Italian-American.
  Example : Frankie Avalon (Francis Avalon), Bobby Darin (Walden Robert Cassotto) or Connie Francis (Concetta Franconero). All have Americanized their names by retaining some of their cultural references.
• Its geographical anchorage: a large part of the artists of this kind come from the northeast of the USA. And especially in Philadelphia where there are 3 independent firms named Chancellor Records, Cameo and Swan.

Soft rock complementary to mainstream rock n’roll?

Yes! Soft rock music is a natural and necessary complement to the existence of rock n’roll mainstream music.

First, you have to know that the different genres of rock are also styles of dance! For some teenagers of the time, it was one of its main attractions. And whether it was at any party, it seemed essential to balance the “hard and fast” music with the slower and softer ones. And this is for two reasons:

1. For a physical reason: dancing on a tempo of 180 (and more) for hours requires good physical ability. (Personally, I love to dance, but in these conditions, I pass my turn, thanks!)
2. For more sentimental reasons: teenagers love slows. It allows them to approach the “target” they squint at – more or less discreetly – for a few minutes (or hours) and to try to kiss her (or him).

Soft rock was such a necessity that many rockers got into it. We can give, as example, Love Me Tender from Elvis.

However, while some occasionally recorded soft rock titles, others specialized in the field, including Paul Anka and Pat Boone.

Pat Boone has, moreover, had successes by covering rock n’roll mainstream hits and making them discovered to his audience. He served as a bridge between mainstream rock music (a musical genre that was forbidden to listen to by parents) and the teenagers and young adults of the time.

Doo-Wop music

The latter is a derivative of rhythm and blues and rock n’roll.

It’s the soft rock of African-Americans if I can call it that way, except it’s been around for a longer period of time.

This genre has existed since the late 1940s, but it will only be named many years later (like 40 years later, which is rare!). And again, it’s a term that was used earlier to define white rock’n’roll bands from the late 1960s.
When the term Doo-Wop is fixed in the 80s, it designates a vocal repertoire produced in the 40s-50s by predominantly black groups and almost always composed of men. (I will avoid making a comment on this last point)

Moreover, doo-wop refers to onomatopoeias sung by the choirs. The « shabada bada », « sha-na-na-na-na » or else « doo-be-doo-be-doo” or « doo-wop ». We could say that they really sprang to find the name of the genre…

Its roots come from the so-called barbershop harmonies (a practice dating back to the second half of the 19th century). Barber shops were the overall rallying point for a capella using harmonies in quinte, quarte and third.

Two bands were successful in the 1930s and 1940s with this kind of music: The Mills Brothers and The Ink Spots. They will influence doo-wop groups and surf groups that will then appear, especially with their use of close harmony.

Other links are to be added to complete the doo-wop:

• Gospel: for the dramatic aspect of interpretations
• Rhythm and blues: for rhythm and instruments.
• Soft rock: for soft tones, moderate or slow times and the same time cutting.

The idea of Doo-Wop is to strengthen the solo vocals with vocal harmonies and syncopated choruses.

Those groups are often nicknamed « bird groups », « car groups » or « V groups ». These groups often baptize them with birds names, car names, and it can also be seen that many groups have a name starting with a V.

We can mention : The Crows, The Ravens, The Penguins, The Falcons, The Wrens, The Cadillacs, The Lincolns, The Imperials, The Impalas, The Valentines, The Veltones, The Velons or The Velvetones.

Features of the doo-wop

Features are :

• The multitude of records without geographical anchorage,
• The presence of onomatopoeia (but I think you already suspected it),
• Romantic and cheesy lyrics,
• Beautiful harmonies,

Another characteristic of the genre is the choreography. The singers in suits/ties line up and dance in coordination with small leg movements, arm movements, head movements, and even a little hip swing.

Even if we don’t usually remember their names, two bands are emblematic of the doo-wop genre and have most of the above-mentioned characteristics: The Coasters and The Platters (and there’s a girl in this last band!).

The group The Drifters can also be named as an example of which Clyde McPhatter (founder) and Ben E King were singers.

You now know the first 4 genres of rock n’roll present since the 50s. These genres will evolve and continue to make other genres to create the sounds we hear today.

Now you have all the cards in your hands. Tell me if you are more of a rock n’roll mainstream, rockabilly, soft rock or doo-wop?

We are coming to the end of this post. You can find the playlist dedicated to this one right here! Also, feel free to share if you liked it or if you think it could interest someone you know.

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

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Sources :

La noire, la blanche et la ronde – Les figures musicales – Apprends les rythmes – Cours de musique : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxU1g4w7Jvshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxU1g4w7Jvs

Une histoire musicale du Rock – Christophe Pirenne

Wikipedia

Bookwiki – encyclopédie libre : https://boowiki.info/art/doo-wop-2/doo-wop-4.html

Claire Abe

The post The early genres of rock: part 2 appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.

However, this diversity of genres goes back to the creation of rock n’ roll. We’ll see about that right away.

First, rock n’ roll appeared in the 1950s. If you haven’t read the post about rock music’s creation and its creators, I put the link here. But as soon as it appears, we can see that there are 4 different kinds of rock!

Let’s see the characteristics of each of them in 2 posts (I take care of our brains ;))

Mainstream Rock n’Roll

Mainstream rock n’roll refers to the rock n’roll we hear on the radio. Its characteristics are:

The dominant influence of Black music.

Almost everything in this style brings us back to Rhythm and Blues. The most direct link is formal and harmonic.

–What’d I Say : Ray Charles

– Whole Lotta Shaking Going On: Jerry Lee Lewis

– Ain’t That A Shame: Fats Domino

– Rock Around The Clock et Shake, Rattle and Roll: Bill Haley

– Johnny B. Goode: Chuck Berry

– Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock et I Got Stung: Elvis Presley

– Tutti Frutti, Lucille et Good Golly Miss Molly: Little Richard

It is a non-exhaustive list of examples of blues whose initial form was not always respected. Whether it’s the measurements or the construction of the songs.

The accompaniment is often played on the double bass

This is one of the most emblematic elements. Its main characteristic is to be more melodic and to play a more active role in rock n’roll and blues than in variety and country and western.

A fast tempo

Even very fast. It’s possible that a song has a black pulse far greater than 180.

For those whose musical notions are very distant, if not zero, a black equals a time.

Treatment of accentuation is different

In popular music, on 4 bars, the 1st and 3rd beats are generally more pronounced than the 2nd and 4th. In many rock songs, the usual approach is reversed. This would be one of the reasons for the attraction for rock music.

Vocal performances inspired by Rhythm and Blues as well

Part of the rock reputation comes from the name given to singers: shouters. The latter are more used to spit their words than to singing. This practice will become established in rock. A typical example is Little Richard.

Others simply change their tone of voice to make it harder and/or rougher. However, the majority of rock singers sing like those of variety.

Also, sometimes in songs, when the singer doesn’t sing/shout:

• Either a soloist takes over with his instrument,
• Either the choirs sing/shout in response to the latter.

This practice refers us, once again, to the African-American practices of work songs, blues, and jazz.

Nevertheless, mainstream rock n’ roll (and all forms of rock after it) is much more than music. They are also texts, attitudes, clothes, hair trends, and so on.

Lyrics

If you look at the lyrics of rock n’ roll, there is nothing revolutionary. Most of them talk about love. It’s the sonorities and the turn of the texts that mark.

Gender doesn’t get worked up, teach lessons or wish to deliver a coherent message. They claim that love, friendship, and other entertainment are the priority of teenagers.

This observation is surprising when we know that the majority of rockers come from difficult social backgrounds and that their biographies testify to the dysfunctions of the USA at the time (segregation, poor white trash).

They have no demanding messages, but a desire to touch the hearts and guts of young people.

Rockabilly

Rockabilly is a portmanteau word for rock and hillbilly. The latter designates traditional white music (or the stereotype of the uneducated peasant attached to his land, but we will stay on the first option).

Some set his “date of birth” at the time of Elvis’s release of that’s All Right Mama in 1954.

It is also, originally, the work of small independent labels such as Sun Records. But other labels will mark its existence like Meteor Records, King Records, CBS or Chess Records.

The big difference between mainstream rock n’roll and rockabilly is the dosage of country and western music in them.

Its characteristics are complicated to define like that. It’s by comparing it to mainstream rock n’roll that it is easier to spot its features.

More restraint

Rockabilly is more in restraint. There are fewer raw sounds, savagery, and abruptness.

Processing of backbeats

There is also less emphasis on the backbeats (2nd and 4th beats of a measure). This will be worth the first controversy in the field of rock between authenticity and trade.

We find, in rockabilly, a majority of white people from the south of the USA who work in the same studios and with the same musicians as the stars of rock n’roll mainstream. More than that, some will oscillate between the two genders. Examples include Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Bill Haley.

Other features of rockabilly are:

Lyrics

They refer to the recurring themes of the time, that is to say: cars and sentimental relationships.

The construction of melodies

Songs often follow patterns in 8 or 16 bars directly inheriting the country and western.

Here are examples:

• Peggy Sue, Not Fade Away and That’ll Be The Day: Buddy Holly
• Wake Up, Little Susie and Bye Bye Love: Everly Brothers
• Susie Q.: Dale Hawkins
• Great Balls On Fire: Jerry Lee Lewis

The occasional use of the blues form

We can sometimes see the presence of the blues form in the melodies. However, it does not give this style to the song.

For example :

• Oh boy !: Buddy Holly
• Bird Dog: Everly Brothers
• Be-Bop-a-Lula: Gene Vincent

The bass line

The latter is much more influenced by country and western than rhythm and blues.

Instrumentation very similar to Rhythm and Blues

However, with some changes:

• A saxophone that “screams less”
• More frequent use of acoustic guitar and double bass. The latter is played in a “slapped” way. (that is to say, pulling the rope to hit the key. This produces a more percussive sound.)
• Melodies are sung with a natural voice and in an understandable way.

Rockabilly became an acceptable alternative to the rock n’ roll mainstream.

Especially as the rockabilly singers often seem more reasonable than their “savages” colleague screaming their rock n’roll. Moreover, most have an ideal son-in-law look that works best with parents.

We just discovered what the rock n’roll mainstream and rockabilly genres were. Next time, we will see the 2 other genres that existed from the beginning of rock.

Now, if you had to choose, would you be more team rock n’roll mainstream or rockabilly?

That’s for now! You can listen to the artists and songs mentioned in the article in the playlist right here. And feel free to share if you liked it or if you think it could interest someone you know.

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

Uncategorized

Speed Metal : the beginning of speed

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey ! We meet today to talk about a genre that marked a turning point in the world of metal when it …

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What makes a good rock / metal song ?

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey ! Today, we meet to discuss a topic that I find very interesting: What makes a good rock/metal s…

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Blues rock : Back to the roots

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey there ! Today we meet for a recognizable and inevitable genre! I’ll get you in the mood. Imagine…

Sources :

Une histoire musicale du rock de Christophe Pirenne

Wikipédia

Musical Notation – Learning Music for Kids – The quarter note, the half note and the whole note – Smile and Learn : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y46FuaUMtBw

Artiste Audio :https://artisteaudio.fr/histoire-du-rockabilly/

Claire Abe

The post The first genres of rock music: part 1 appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.