History of Rock and Roll - Spring 2017

  1. Home
  2. History of Rock and Roll Syllabus & Listening Chart
  3. Study Guide - All Quiz/Tests
  4. Introduction to the History of Rock and Roll
  5. 1 - Blues: The Sound of Rural Poverty
  6. 2 - The Blues and the Great Migration
  7. Artist Profile - Muddy Waters
  8. 3 - The Birth of the Electric Guitar
  9. 4 - Jazz, Swing, and Big Band Music
  10. 5 - WWII and the Shrinking of the Ensemble
  11. Artist Profile - Louis Armstrong
  12. 6 - The Influence of Rhythm and Blues
  13. 7 - Alan Freed and the Birth of Rock and Roll
  14. Rock & Roller Research Project
  15. Artist Profile - Chuck Berry
  16. 8 - Elvis and Race in 1950's America
  17. 9 - Rock & Roll and the American Dream
  18. Artist Profile - Elvis Presley
  19. 10 - The Musical Roots of the 1960's Surf Sound
  20. 11 - Sixties Soul and Civil Rights
  21. 11.5 - The Music of the Civil Rights Movement
  22. Artist Profile - The Beatles
  23. 12 - British Invasion I: Beatlemania
  24. Artist Profile - The Rolling Stones
  25. 13 - British Invasion II: The Rolling Stones and the Blues
  26. 14 - British Invasion III: The Who's Generation
  27. Artist Profile - The Who
  28. 15 - The Emergence of Folk Rock
  29. 16 - Bob Dylan: Bringing a Rock & Roll Attitude to Folk
  30. 17 - The Musical Roots of Doo-Wop
  31. 18 - A'Cappella
  32. 19 - The Rise of 1960's Antiwar Music
  33. 20 - Progressive Rock
  34. Artist Profile - Rush
  35. 21 - Symphonic Rock
  36. 22 - Hard Rock
  37. Artist Profile - Led Zeppelin
  38. Artist Profile - AC/DC
  39. 23 - Soft Rock
  40. 24 - Psychedelic Rock
  41. Artist Profile - Pink Floyd
  42. 25 - Punk Rock
  43. Artist Profile - The Ramones
  44. 26 - The Roots of Heavy Metal
  45. Artist Profile - Black Sabbath
  46. 27 - The Rise of Disco
  47. 28 - Funk Asserts Itself
  48. 29 - Introducing New Wave
  49. 30 - Bo Diddley & the Anticipation of Hip Hop
  50. 31 - The Historical Roots of Hip Hop
  51. 32 - Conscious Hip Hop vs. Gangsta Rap
  52. 33 - Ska
  53. 34 - Techno/Dubstep
  54. 35 - Alternative Rock
  55. Artist Profile - Backstreet Boys
  56. 36 - Girl & Boy Band Pop
  57. 37 - Contemporary R&B
  58. Event Profile - September 11th, 2001
  59. 38 - Current Pop
  60. Artist Profile - The Ramones
Home > 2 - The Blues and the Great Migration

2 - The Blues and the Great Migration

Essential Question:

  • How did the Great Migration spread Southern culture, helping to give the Blues a central place in American popular music?
Web Links:
  1. Essential Question #2: Blues and the Great... Essential Question #2: Blues and the Great...

Chapter 2 Overview Review Questions:

  • Who was McKinley Morganfield? 
  • Where did he grow up? 
  • To where did he relocate? 
  • Why did he relocate? 
  • What were most of his songs about? 

What was the Great Migration?

If you don't know... LOOK IT UP!

Map of the Great Migration

Great-Migration Map.jpg

Why?

  • What were some of the reasons that people moved in the Great Migration? 
  • What were they looking or hoping for? 

J.Lawrence Great Migration Paintings #3 & #1

Jacob_Lawrence_Great_Migration_Paintings_3 and 1.jpg

Discussion Questions: 

  • What does it mean to be "displaced"? 
  • How does the Great Migration, as depicted in these paintings, continue the story of African-American displacement throughout history? 
  • How might the reasons people moved during the Migration era compare to the reasons people move today? 

The Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR)

Map_of_ICRR.jpg
  • Find Clarksdale and Chicago on this map. 
  • Why would the ICRR be essential for African Americans during the Great Migration?

Article: "Got A Right to Sing the Blues" - Muddy Waters

In your textbook, read the article and answer the questions on the following page. 

  • Where did Muddy Waters grow up? 
  • What was his name before he became known as Muddy Waters? 
  • Muddy Waters writes: "Somebody once asked me what my blues meant. I answered him in one word -- 'trouble.'" Describe what you think he means.
  • What are some reasons why people move today?

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightnin'

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightnin'

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightnin'

Background info on "Smokestack Lightnin'":

  • "We used to sit out in the country and see the trains go by, watch the sparks come out of the smokestack. That was smokestack lightning." -Howlin' Wolf

 

Discussion Questions:

  • Why might someone living "out in the country" be captivated by the image of a train?
  • Why do you think a train is such a potent symbol in Blues music? 
  • Why do you think "Smokestack Lightnin'" encapsulated feelings relating to the Great Migration so effectively? 
  • How does the song connect to the idea of "displacement"? 
  • How might you connect the lyrics of "Burr Clover Farm Blues" to "Smokestack Lightnin'"? What story might these two songs tell us when looked at together? 

Smokestack Lightning Images

Smokestack Lightning Images

HOMEWORK

  • Complete Essential Question #2: Blues and the Great Migration (Link found at the top of this page.)
  • Read Overview for Chapter 3: The Birth of the Electric Guitar
  • Watch the video below: "Difference between Acoustic and Electric Guitars"
  • (NO Listening Chart today!)

Video: Difference Between Acoustic and Electric Guitars

Video: Difference Between Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Author: Jake Robinson
Last modified: 4/23/2017 9:50 AM (EST)