S.I. Session 09/24/20

S.I. Session 09/24/20

Cover Records

• Recordings of white artists performing versions of songs by originally written and performed by Black artists

• The white artists were typically from major record labels

• The Black artists typically recorded with independent labels

• Because of the racist radio DJs and the power/money possessed by the major record labels, the cover version usually generated more money than the original.

Multiple Choice

What record label was founded by Randy Wood and famous for releasing Pat Boone's Cover Records

• Atlantic Records

• Dot Records

• Chess Records

• Decca Records

Multiple Select

Choose the two artists involved in the 1948 infringement lawsuit that decided musical arrangements could not be copyrighted.

• Evelyn Knight

• Little Richard

• Herb Abramson

• Paula Watson

Infringement suit

• 1948

• Paula Watson’s label sued Evelyn Knight's label (Decca Records)

• Watson claimed that Evelyn's version of "A Little Bird Told Me" copied her own.

• The court decided that musical arrangements were not copyrightable.

• This opened the door for record labels to make more cover records that would often make more money than the original

Multiple Select

What two songs did Dot Records artist, Pat Boone, cover?

• Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame"

• Nat King Cole's "Lush Life"

• Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti"

• Hank Williams' "Love Sick Blues"

• Les Paul's "Lover"

Atlantic Records

• Founded by Herb Abramson and Ahmet Ertugen

• Jerry Wexler replaced Herb after he was drafted to the army

• It was sometimes called, "The House that Ruth Built" because Ruth Brown was one of their most popular artists

• They focussed on making R&B music

• Unfortunately, Atlantic (and many other labels) was famous for not paying their artists fairly (Ruth Brown, Charles Brown, etc.)

Multiple Select

Which songs were performed by Nat King Cole

• Sentimental Reasons

• Nature Boy

• Mr. Cole Won’t Rock-n-Roll

• Tutti Frutti

• Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean

Nat King Cole Discography

• “(I Love You For) Sentimental Reasons” - Cole’s first number 1 hit (1946)

• “Nature Boy” - sold a million in 6 weeks (1948)

• "Mr. Cole Won't Rock-n-Roll" - this song reflects how his American audience grew smaller during the Rock-N-Roll explosion (this caused him to focus on his international fans)

• Re-generations - an album released by Capitol Records in 2009 that featured famous modern R&B artists covering Cole's popular hits.

Multiple Select

Nat King Cole was famous for breaking down barriers. Which of the following is he credited with?

• first Black artist to sing at the white house

• first Black artist to have crossover success

• The first Black musician to host his own weekly radio series

• The first Black musician to sign a recording contract

• The first Black musician to have a network television show

Multiple Choice

True or False: Dr Alleyne is very fond of the album art that accompanied most albums in the 50s and early 60s

• True

• False