Wequest: American Music

Webquest

AMERICAN MUSIC

Part 1

Good luck !

The King and Memphis

Did you know ?

Read the questions on your paper. Listen to the document and answer the questions.

Elvis Presley's Biography

LISTEN

Watch the video and have a look at the lyrics.

Blue Suede Shoes

The Jackson Five and Motown

Did you know ?

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The Jackson 5

Watch the video.

I Want You Back

Nashville : capital of country music

THE KINGS Of COUNTRY

Next

Carrie Underwood opens up about Country Music

I think being able to write stories into songs and tell stories on stage is pretty unique to country music, whether it’s things that are very, very personal or that other people can really relate to. You’re basically singing a movie that really means something. It’s real life. That’s why people gravitate towards country music. Country music has some of the best storytellers like Dolly Parton or Willy Nelson who has written so many incredible songs not just for himself but for other artists as well.

Back

We have the best of the best! And I hope people will look back on my stuff and say “that was cool, she was a good storyteller”. Country music and gospel music have always run parallel. It is about truth and singing about what you know. I’ve learnt that I can’t please everybody all the time. I don’t want to make people upset or to shock them and I don’t want to be controversial because that’s just not in my nature. I would let my children listen to me. So, I really hope that by the time my kids are older, there will still be artists around that are like me that I won’t mind them listening to their music.

KEEP UP your good work !

Part 2

Good luck !

+INFO

1. Have a look at the 10 artists on the next two pages and Choose one of them.

3. Write down your biography.

2. Explore the web and find some information on your artist.

WRITE A BIOGRAPHY

CONSEILS

SOUL - R&B

Aretha Franklin

FILM

Dany Elfman

POP ROCK

Pink

SURF ROCK

The Beach Boys

GRUNGE

Nirvana

+ INFO

10

ROCK

Roy Orbison

FILM

James Horner

POP RnB

Beyonce

MOTOWN

The Four Tops

+ INFO

RAP

Eminem

The Memphis music scene began in the mid-19th century, as African- American musicians travelling up and down the Mississippi River stopped to perform. Today, Beale Street, and it's many music clubs, is a nationally recognized landmark, where many leading musicians first got their start, including Aretha Franklin, B.B. King and Roy Orbison. Sun Studio, where many musicians, including Elvis Presley, first recorded, is still open for tours. Rock'n'roll music grew out of this mix of musical styles.

Rock'n'Roll

Jazz

New Orleans has a rich history that is greatly influenced by the many cultures that have governed there for the past 300 years. Considered the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans was the only North American city to allow slaves to publicly gather and play their native music. Out of these gatherings grew a new indigenous music, a combination of African rhythms, slave folk songs, and European brass band music. Common to all forms of jazz is the idea of freedom.

French, French-Canadians, Spanish, Irish, American, African and Caribbean people have all left their mark on the city's food, architecture, traditions and music

Native American Music

With a focus on storytelling and ceremony through song and dance, indigenous music emphasizes drumming, singing and percussion. Tribes hold social gatherings, called pow wows, to share cultural stories and display their musical and dancing skills. Each year, Bismarck, North Dakota, holds one of the largest Pow Wows in North America, representing over 70 tribes, with thousands of dancers and musicians.

Los Angeles is home to numerous recording stars, composers, record companies, and film studios. All styles of music have flourished here, from the jazz of Charles Mingus, to the surf music of The Beach Boys, from the hard rock of Van Halen to the hugely influential rapping of N.W.A. Classical music can be heard at the iconic Disney Hall and at LA's many outdoor performing venues.

Pop, Rock, Surf & Film

Nashville was built on a foundation of music. Known as America's "Music City", Nashville is the country music capital of the U.S. and is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Gibson guitars, the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium and multiple Blues recording labels. Bluegrass musicians such as Bill Monroe and Lester Flatt moved to Nashville to perform and record in the 1940s and 50s; televised performances helped spread the popularity of bluegrass and country music.

Country

• Utilisez le present perfect et le prétérit pour décrire les événements de leur vie.
• Utilisez le présent simple pour décrire leur musique et expliquer pourquoi vous l'aimez.
• Utilisez un langage clair et simple.
• Vérifiez que votre travail ne contient pas de fautes d'orthographe ou de grammaire.

Home to four U.S. car makers, Detroit was nicknamed the "Motor City" and the sound of its music became known as Motown. In the 1960s, Barry Gordy, Jr. founded Motown Records, the first African-American-owned recording company to feature African-American musicians, such as Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, The Temptations and The Supremes. The Motown sound led to the crossover of African American soult and rhythm and blues music into popular culture.

Motown

The Blues

The Blues developed in the late 19th century as an expression of the African American experience and was influenced by work songs, spirituals, and rhymed ballads. During the First World War, rural African Americans in the South began moving North Looking for jobs and greater opportunities and they brought their music with them. This Great Migration brought many Blues musicians to Chicago, where they found encouragement and support for their music in nightclubs. They turned to electric guitars in order to be heard.

Latin Pop / Salsa

Miami is a city of immigrants, each bringing their own particular native rhythms and musical styles. From the Cuban conga to the Dominican merengue, from the Columbian cumbia to the Brazilian samba, traditional Latin rhythms flourish and merge in the music of Miami. In the 1930s and 40s big bands were heavily influenced by Cuban jazz, but Latin music truly crossed over into the popular culture in the 1980s, with the music of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine performing dance music and ballads in both Spanish and English.

Influenced by the raucous, political punk rock and heavy metal music of the 1970s, "grunge" refers to the loud, fuzzy distortion of the electric guitar sounds and the unkempt appearance of the performers, whose focus was more on a true expression of their lyrics than on a glamorous image. Seattle native, Jimi Hendrix, one of the 20th century's most creative and influential guitarists, inspired later musicians such as Kurt Cobain to incorporate the powerful sounds of electronic feedback and controlled distortion.

Grunge

Hip hop music originated in the south Bronx in the late 1970s. At large street parties, DJ's began musical competitions, "scratching" rhythms over soul and funk records while speaking in a provocative way through verse or rhymes. Organizers saw the music as a way to help break down the barriers between the various ethnic groups in the neighborhoods. Though using the language of "the street" rap is rich in imagery, creativity and metaphor, with themes of social justice.

Hip Hop / Rap

Rythm & Blues / Soul

With themes similar to blues songs, but influenced by Afro-Caribbean rhythms, rhythm and blues, or RnB was the music of the African American city-dweller. The expressive, yet cool singing style, combined with the more complex rhythms attracted white teenagers in the 50's. RnB spread in popularity, influencing musicians as far away as England.

Cowboy Songs

Austin's live music scene was born when the outlaw country music scene embraced the hippie lifestyle of the late 60's. Rebelling against polished, popular country music and rock and roll of the day, musicians like Willie Nelson or Janis Joplin helped solidify the city's "outsider" roots. Today, Austin continues to live and breathe live music, from its walkable entertainment districts and many live music venues to many festivals which inspire visits from music lovers from all around the globe.