Overview

The 1960s were a time of tumult and tragedy but also an era of positive change. In popular music culture, there was a mixing of styles and races and ideas that resulted in extraordinary bills in the concert halls and extraordinary range in the record collections of individual listeners. Even the Billboard charts reflected the more inclusive spirit of the time. Perhaps Soul music is the best example of a form that brought into the same room groups that were otherwise living at a distance from one another. As Andrew Young suggests in an interview included here, the music carried the messages of the Civil Rights movement in a way that even the movement’s leaders could not.

But more change was coming. The 1970s marked not only the inward turn of the Singer-Songwriter movement, it marked a time in which the “mixing” of the 1960s gave way to new divisions. Some audiences began identifying themselves with one kind of music rather than a range, as was the case with the Heavy Metal audience. Others made a great case for what they would never listen to, as was the case with the backlash against Disco. The inclusive spirit of the 1960s this was not. A number of movements burst out as reactions to other movements. If the Singer-Songwriter scene was strong on songs but weak on theater, fashion, and performance, Glam came along to address that, with sequins on and, often, amplifiers turned back up.

At radio and on the charts, much of the black music of the era reversed the path taken by popular Soul and established its own territory, a shift that wouldn’t have been possible if the black and white audiences weren’t somehow complicit in allowing it. Funk, for instance, was a black music that played largely to a black audience.

But if unity was replaced with new divisions, there were nonetheless positive developments spurred on by these changes. In their own niche areas, artists dug deep into their “thing.” In this chapter, Reggae, Disco, Funk, a new class of Singer-Songwriter/bandleaders that included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and a handful of other developments will be the subject of lessons that capture the 1970s as a decade of many directions.

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Lessons

lesson:
Funk Asserts Itself

Grades: High
Subjects: Social Studies/History

How did 1970s Funk respond to African-American life in the decade following the Civil Rights movement?

lesson:
The Rise of Disco

Grades: High
Subjects: Art/Design, General Music, Social Studies/History

How did Disco relate to the sentiments and social movements of the 1970s?

lesson:
Mi Gente: Fania Records & New York Salsa Music

Grades: High
Subjects: General Music, Geography, Social Studies/History

What is Fania Records, and how does it reflect the history of Spanish-speaking Caribbean communities in New York City?

Featured Resources

Video

video:
The Punk Movement

The 1960s were a time of tumult and tragedy but also an era of positive change. In popular music culture, there was a mixing of styles and races and ideas that resulted in extraordinary bills in the concert halls and extraordinary range in the record collections of individual listeners. Even the <em>Billboard</em> charts reflected the more inclusive spirit of the time. Perhaps Soul music is the best example of a form that brought into the same room groups that were otherwise living at a distance from one another. As Andrew Young suggests in an interview included here, the music carried the messages of the Civil Rights movement in a way that even the movement's leaders could not. But more change was coming. The 1970s marked not only the inward turn of the Singer-Songwriter movement, it marked a time in which the "mixing" of the 1960s gave way to new divisions. Some audiences began identifying themselves with one kind of music rather than a range, as was the case with the Heavy Metal audience. Others made a great case for what they would never listen to, as was the case with the backlash against Disco. The inclusive spirit of the 1960s this was not. A number of movements burst out as reactions to other movements. If the Singer-Songwriter scene was strong on songs but weak on theater, fashion, and performance, Glam came along to address that, with sequins on and, often, amplifiers turned back up. At radio and on the charts, much of the black music of the era reversed the path taken by popular Soul and established its own territory, a shift that wouldn't have been possible if the black and white audiences weren't somehow complicit in allowing it. Funk, for instance, was a black music that played largely to a black audience. But if unity was replaced with new divisions, there were nonetheless positive developments spurred on by these changes. In their own niche areas, artists dug deep into their "thing." In this chapter, Reggae, Disco, Funk, a new class of Singer-Songwriter/bandleaders that included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and a handful of other developments will be the subject of lessons that capture the 1970s as a decade of many directions.

video:
Give Up the Funk

The 1960s were a time of tumult and tragedy but also an era of positive change. In popular music culture, there was a mixing of styles and races and ideas that resulted in extraordinary bills in the concert halls and extraordinary range in the record collections of individual listeners. Even the <em>Billboard</em> charts reflected the more inclusive spirit of the time. Perhaps Soul music is the best example of a form that brought into the same room groups that were otherwise living at a distance from one another. As Andrew Young suggests in an interview included here, the music carried the messages of the Civil Rights movement in a way that even the movement's leaders could not. But more change was coming. The 1970s marked not only the inward turn of the Singer-Songwriter movement, it marked a time in which the "mixing" of the 1960s gave way to new divisions. Some audiences began identifying themselves with one kind of music rather than a range, as was the case with the Heavy Metal audience. Others made a great case for what they would never listen to, as was the case with the backlash against Disco. The inclusive spirit of the 1960s this was not. A number of movements burst out as reactions to other movements. If the Singer-Songwriter scene was strong on songs but weak on theater, fashion, and performance, Glam came along to address that, with sequins on and, often, amplifiers turned back up. At radio and on the charts, much of the black music of the era reversed the path taken by popular Soul and established its own territory, a shift that wouldn't have been possible if the black and white audiences weren't somehow complicit in allowing it. Funk, for instance, was a black music that played largely to a black audience. But if unity was replaced with new divisions, there were nonetheless positive developments spurred on by these changes. In their own niche areas, artists dug deep into their "thing." In this chapter, Reggae, Disco, Funk, a new class of Singer-Songwriter/bandleaders that included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and a handful of other developments will be the subject of lessons that capture the 1970s as a decade of many directions.

video:
Love to Love You Baby

The 1960s were a time of tumult and tragedy but also an era of positive change. In popular music culture, there was a mixing of styles and races and ideas that resulted in extraordinary bills in the concert halls and extraordinary range in the record collections of individual listeners. Even the <em>Billboard</em> charts reflected the more inclusive spirit of the time. Perhaps Soul music is the best example of a form that brought into the same room groups that were otherwise living at a distance from one another. As Andrew Young suggests in an interview included here, the music carried the messages of the Civil Rights movement in a way that even the movement's leaders could not. But more change was coming. The 1970s marked not only the inward turn of the Singer-Songwriter movement, it marked a time in which the "mixing" of the 1960s gave way to new divisions. Some audiences began identifying themselves with one kind of music rather than a range, as was the case with the Heavy Metal audience. Others made a great case for what they would never listen to, as was the case with the backlash against Disco. The inclusive spirit of the 1960s this was not. A number of movements burst out as reactions to other movements. If the Singer-Songwriter scene was strong on songs but weak on theater, fashion, and performance, Glam came along to address that, with sequins on and, often, amplifiers turned back up. At radio and on the charts, much of the black music of the era reversed the path taken by popular Soul and established its own territory, a shift that wouldn't have been possible if the black and white audiences weren't somehow complicit in allowing it. Funk, for instance, was a black music that played largely to a black audience. But if unity was replaced with new divisions, there were nonetheless positive developments spurred on by these changes. In their own niche areas, artists dug deep into their "thing." In this chapter, Reggae, Disco, Funk, a new class of Singer-Songwriter/bandleaders that included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and a handful of other developments will be the subject of lessons that capture the 1970s as a decade of many directions.

video:
Last Dance

The 1960s were a time of tumult and tragedy but also an era of positive change. In popular music culture, there was a mixing of styles and races and ideas that resulted in extraordinary bills in the concert halls and extraordinary range in the record collections of individual listeners. Even the <em>Billboard</em> charts reflected the more inclusive spirit of the time. Perhaps Soul music is the best example of a form that brought into the same room groups that were otherwise living at a distance from one another. As Andrew Young suggests in an interview included here, the music carried the messages of the Civil Rights movement in a way that even the movement's leaders could not. But more change was coming. The 1970s marked not only the inward turn of the Singer-Songwriter movement, it marked a time in which the "mixing" of the 1960s gave way to new divisions. Some audiences began identifying themselves with one kind of music rather than a range, as was the case with the Heavy Metal audience. Others made a great case for what they would never listen to, as was the case with the backlash against Disco. The inclusive spirit of the 1960s this was not. A number of movements burst out as reactions to other movements. If the Singer-Songwriter scene was strong on songs but weak on theater, fashion, and performance, Glam came along to address that, with sequins on and, often, amplifiers turned back up. At radio and on the charts, much of the black music of the era reversed the path taken by popular Soul and established its own territory, a shift that wouldn't have been possible if the black and white audiences weren't somehow complicit in allowing it. Funk, for instance, was a black music that played largely to a black audience. But if unity was replaced with new divisions, there were nonetheless positive developments spurred on by these changes. In their own niche areas, artists dug deep into their "thing." In this chapter, Reggae, Disco, Funk, a new class of Singer-Songwriter/bandleaders that included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and a handful of other developments will be the subject of lessons that capture the 1970s as a decade of many directions.

video:
Get Up, Stand Up

The 1960s were a time of tumult and tragedy but also an era of positive change. In popular music culture, there was a mixing of styles and races and ideas that resulted in extraordinary bills in the concert halls and extraordinary range in the record collections of individual listeners. Even the <em>Billboard</em> charts reflected the more inclusive spirit of the time. Perhaps Soul music is the best example of a form that brought into the same room groups that were otherwise living at a distance from one another. As Andrew Young suggests in an interview included here, the music carried the messages of the Civil Rights movement in a way that even the movement's leaders could not. But more change was coming. The 1970s marked not only the inward turn of the Singer-Songwriter movement, it marked a time in which the "mixing" of the 1960s gave way to new divisions. Some audiences began identifying themselves with one kind of music rather than a range, as was the case with the Heavy Metal audience. Others made a great case for what they would never listen to, as was the case with the backlash against Disco. The inclusive spirit of the 1960s this was not. A number of movements burst out as reactions to other movements. If the Singer-Songwriter scene was strong on songs but weak on theater, fashion, and performance, Glam came along to address that, with sequins on and, often, amplifiers turned back up. At radio and on the charts, much of the black music of the era reversed the path taken by popular Soul and established its own territory, a shift that wouldn't have been possible if the black and white audiences weren't somehow complicit in allowing it. Funk, for instance, was a black music that played largely to a black audience. But if unity was replaced with new divisions, there were nonetheless positive developments spurred on by these changes. In their own niche areas, artists dug deep into their "thing." In this chapter, Reggae, Disco, Funk, a new class of Singer-Songwriter/bandleaders that included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and a handful of other developments will be the subject of lessons that capture the 1970s as a decade of many directions.

video:
Stayin’ Alive

The 1960s were a time of tumult and tragedy but also an era of positive change. In popular music culture, there was a mixing of styles and races and ideas that resulted in extraordinary bills in the concert halls and extraordinary range in the record collections of individual listeners. Even the <em>Billboard</em> charts reflected the more inclusive spirit of the time. Perhaps Soul music is the best example of a form that brought into the same room groups that were otherwise living at a distance from one another. As Andrew Young suggests in an interview included here, the music carried the messages of the Civil Rights movement in a way that even the movement's leaders could not. But more change was coming. The 1970s marked not only the inward turn of the Singer-Songwriter movement, it marked a time in which the "mixing" of the 1960s gave way to new divisions. Some audiences began identifying themselves with one kind of music rather than a range, as was the case with the Heavy Metal audience. Others made a great case for what they would never listen to, as was the case with the backlash against Disco. The inclusive spirit of the 1960s this was not. A number of movements burst out as reactions to other movements. If the Singer-Songwriter scene was strong on songs but weak on theater, fashion, and performance, Glam came along to address that, with sequins on and, often, amplifiers turned back up. At radio and on the charts, much of the black music of the era reversed the path taken by popular Soul and established its own territory, a shift that wouldn't have been possible if the black and white audiences weren't somehow complicit in allowing it. Funk, for instance, was a black music that played largely to a black audience. But if unity was replaced with new divisions, there were nonetheless positive developments spurred on by these changes. In their own niche areas, artists dug deep into their "thing." In this chapter, Reggae, Disco, Funk, a new class of Singer-Songwriter/bandleaders that included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and a handful of other developments will be the subject of lessons that capture the 1970s as a decade of many directions.

Print Journalism

article:
Bob Marley: In The Studio With The Wailers

THE ROLLING STONES are upstairs in Studio 1, where they've been for the past five weeks. Jagger strolls around the foyer, looking for something to do, all neat in white blouson jacket and fawn velvet jeans. But that, you may be surprised to hear, is not where the real action is at this night in Island Studios, Notting Hill. Not, at any rate, if you're a Wailers fan. On this occasion, even the Stones' long-delayed newie comes second to Bob Marley and his brothers from the shanty-towns of Kingston, Jamaica. The Wailers have been in Britain for some weeks now, playing various kinds...

article:
The Kids Are Not Necessarily Alright

Or how the '70s has seen a limp-wristed sell-out of the ideals of the 60s. MICK FARREN discusses the way the Uncle Toms of Teendom have taken Rock off the streets and into the penthouse. WHEN YOU spend a great deal of your waking time hard up against the outpourings of the rock and roll industry, it gets difficult to believe that the music we've all grown up with is actually drifting away from the mainstream of everyday life. Unfortunately, if you do step far enough back to get modern rock trends into perspective with the general movements in society at...

article:
The Bees Gees: From Down Under To Disco

SINCE ENTERING POP MUSIC in the Fifties, the Bees Gees have had three careers on three continents, each more successful than its predecessor. The first was in Australia as child prodigies. In 1967, they came to Britain as suitable opposition to the Beatles. Finally in the mid-Seventies they found themselves setting the pace for the disco boom and emerging as songwriters of note on the adult-oriented rock scene. The career of the three Gibb brothers began inauspiciously enough in December 1956 at the Gaumont cinema in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, where they volunteered for the regular mime spot preceding the Saturday morning...