Ben E. King vs. Sonny & Cher in the 60s During the 1960s, America was muddled. Between the war in Vietnam, the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, and to add to it the Civil Rights Movement. There is no surprise the people of the world turned to music to escape, express political views, and to be heard. Three artists in particular changed the world by their music, Sonny & Cher, and Ben. E King. However, these three singers belonged to two different genres of music, the music of Ben E. King was rhythm and blues with hints of pop, where as Sonny & Cher were pop and pop rock music. Another difference is between the three is the audience they pertained to. Ben E.King became popular among African Americans during the hardships …show more content…
King was born on September 28, 1938 in North Carolina. Soon his family would later move to Harlem, New York. In 1958, King joined The Drifters, King gained success as one of the lead singers and a co-songwriter. However, King went solo after a few years. Ben E. King released the popular song “Stand by Me” in 1961. This song dominated the charts, “The No. 1 R&B track, again co-written by King, relied on a pointed bass line and ethereal, tender vocals, reaching the Top 5 on the pop charts as well.”(Clarence 5). With King’s vocals and lyrics, this song appealed to both genres and brought together two different music …show more content…
King and Sonny & Cher become so popular because the people wanted to be heard and they were, through music. Sonny & Cher arose from Los Angeles, California. They were soon married and the music they recorded was rock and pop tunes. “Sonny & Cher proved one of the magical musical combinations of the mid-'60s and one of the better rock-influenced MOR acts.” (Eder 1). Eder saying that the duo’s music was cheery and put the people of the U.S. in a joyful mood and sort of had a magical esense. There being another difference between Ben E. King and Sonny & Cher, one was a solo and the other was a pop duo. Not to mention, all three originated in different parts of the United State. Ben E. King in North Carolina and Sonny & Cher in
B.B King Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1945 on a plantation in Itta Benna, Mississippi. More well known as B.B King, he was an American blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. As a child, he was raised by his grandmother when his mother left him for another man. His music career began during his childhood when he would sing in his church choir. When B.B was 12 years old he bought his first guitar.
Many people think of Prince and Michael Jackson as two of the world’s greatest music entertainers. They were both African American singers, songwriters and philanthropists. Everyone considered them musical icons. They have entertained music fans all around the world. Their musical styles has influenced other famous entertainers and artist such as Beyoncé, Usher, Chris Brown and others.
B.B. King’s career began in 1948. When he was 23 years old, King was given the opportunity to perform on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio show on KWEM located in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Beastie Boys. Need I say more? When most think of the rambunctious rap group from that came straight out of the 1980’s, they think about girls, partying, crude humor and maybe some music in between. Although The Beastie Boys as a group did a few things that had never been done before in music history. Thats pretty incredible considering nobody expected something so revolutionary to come from three middle class white jewish kids from New York.
However, in “Sonny’s Blues” the two brothers have a larger age gap of seven years, and instead of an aggressive relationship, their relationship is more based around the older brother being a guide of sorts to his younger brother, Sonny. Of course, that doesn’t always mean that Sonny listens to him, much to the narrator’s lament. The story begins with the narrator, Sonny’s brother, teaching at the school where he works in Harlem. As he is walking home, he finds out from one of Sonny’s old friends that Sonny is in jail for drug abuse.
BB King was a legend as an adult, but he started as a child where he was influenced to start music. When BB king was younger he was influenced to do music when he sang in local churches and school spiritual quartet. As a kid BB king played music in the streets of his home town then he moved to perform professionally. His cousin even gave him his first guitar. After he was influenced he got his big big break BB king moved to memphis where he started to work as a radio DJ and got his stage name.
Civil Rights Compare and Contrast In the early 1960’s Martin Luther King Jr. and George Wallace both gave speeches on segregation both on different sides of the spectrum. Martin Luther King wanted segregation to end.
Some of the early Rock ‘n’ Roll pioneers include; Muddy Waters who had a great voice and influenced other musicians. “Big” Joe Turner introduced Rock n’ Roll to Atlantic Records and helped in its spread. Ray Charles led to the spread of Black popular music by blending gospel, jazz, and blues. Louis Jordan, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry are also known as the early pioneers of Rock n’ Roll and credited with the development of the style and its spread among different communities during its inception. Rock ‘n’ Roll was important because it redefined the role of African-Americans in music and established their influence in the music industry.
Elvis Presley is known as the “King” of rock ‘n roll and this is for many great reasons. Elvis was the first artist of his time to test the cultural boundaries surrounding him and become a truly unique and original artist. If not for Elvis, rock ‘n roll may not have become the great genre of music that it
Elvis Presley and Little Richard were two singers that rose to fame in the 1950’s. They both had a major impact on society during the time because Rock and roll was new and many people didn’t know what to think. Both singers were in their 20’s when they started really becoming popular releasing hits throughout America. Both of the singers first major hits were only one year apart.
The relationship between brothers can vary from them hating each other to having an inseparable bond. There’s a common saying that no matter what happens, one is always responsible for the members in their family. The two stories “Sonny’s Blues”, by James Baldwin, and “The Rich Brother”, by Tobias Wolff include the lives of two adult brothers, and incorporate this idea in some way. A suggestion of how siblings are supposed to act is that they should support each other, but also get into occasional bickers, eventually growing out of them once they reach adulthood. Grudges that siblings can hold as children are little things such as which child is liked more by their parents, who is better at video games, and other things that shouldn’t matter once they reach adulthood.
One way Elvis Presley propelled himself into superstardom was his mix of blues, R&B, country, and rockabilly. Although some adults of the generation found this music to be too dangerous for the mainstream, many teenages of the day found this new music to be very exciting and electrifying. In a way this made Elvis even more popular in the eyes of his now large and constantly growing
Sonny's Blues was written in 1957, 37 years after the roaring twenties had come to an end. Long after the great Migration, where millions of blacks moved to northern cities to escape Jim Crow, and embrace the new found possibilities offered. During this period African-Americans in New York, collectively gathered in Harlem mainly, it was usually alluded to as the black capital. There blacks shared culturally and also, influenced music greatly. This is also where the "new negro" persona was crafted, blacks were no longer going to be referred to as someone's mammies or boy.
Rock and roll, a type of popular dance music originating in the 1950s, characterized by a heavy beat and simple melodies. Rock and roll was an amalgam of black rhythm and blues and white country music, usually based on a twelve-bar structure and an instrumentation of guitar, bass, and drums. (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/rock-and-roll).Colonel Tom Parker, He was man who encouraged him with his music and wanted him to make more money and gain fame. And also, Gladys Presley, His mother who told he is not less than anyone else in this world. Elvis Presley built a new type of music that had a huge impact on America because the kind of service he did for America.
“Sonny’s Blues” is not just about Sonny's decisions and struggles but also about how they affect the narrator. This story is as much about family and brotherhood and the relationship between these two men as it is about the character of