Militant Blues on Campus History of Rock & Roll Chpt. 12
The Vietnam War
Vietnam Protest
The Psychedelic Blues The music of the oppressed race Made popular by College kids
Jimi Hendrix Part Cherokee From a broken home in Seattle Hendrix and the Experience – Flower Children Freely experimented with drugs “Stone Free”
Jimi and the Blues Rock’s greatest virtuoso Grew up listening – Muddy Waters – Howlin’ Wolf Honorable discharge as paratrooper Played with: – Little Richard, James Brown & B.B. King
Psychedelic Jimi Delivered loud, angry electric blues that captured the violence of the era. Electronic devices – Wah-wah pedal – Fuzz box – Feedback
Machine Gun Trying to express that at every moment there are terrible things going on all over the world – war, destruction, and terror…he wanted to open people’s eyes “to all the soldiers who are fighting in Chicago and Milwaukee and new York, oh yes, and to all the soldiers who are fighting in Vietnam.” “That’s all I’m singing about. It’s today’s blues”
Wild Thing
Janice Joplin Hitchhiked from Port Arthur Texas to San Francisco Influenced greatly by Blues artist Bessie Smith Razor sharp cries of anguish Sang with several different groups: – Big Brother and the Holding company – Kosmic Blues Band – Full Tilt Boogie Band
Janice Joplin
Heavy Metal Thunder Militant mood of the times Delivering loud, explosive blues Unfettered by psychedelia Initially defined by Steppenwolf
Led Zeppelin Reworked version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years” called “How Many More Times” Lead guitarist Jimmy Page became one of heavy metal’s main stars
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath Perfected the loud, aggressive blues that characterized heavy metal Originally called themselves Earth When they were “Earth” they did more blues from Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters & John Lee Hooker. They began doing heavier stuff and in 1969 changed their name.
Black Sabbath
Led Zeppelin vs Black Sabbath
Ozzy Osbourne Lead vocalist of Black Sabbath John “Ozzy” Osbourne “Now you consider everyone’s all jolly and tip- toein’ around, stoned on acid, havin’ Woodstock and all love, peace, sex, drugs and rock-’n’-roll, and all that’s great…but for us guys that were livin’ in this hole in the world, it wasn’t that way.”
Ozzy Osbourne
Woodstock
Jimi at Woodstock