Rock & Roll:

ISSUE 1 | 2018

Through The Ages

ROBERT SCHAAKE 

In this issue:
ARTISTS: FROM THE 50'S
CHUCK BERRY
One of the most influential
guitarists in history.
PEOPLE: FROM THE 80'S
TOM CRUISE
One of the most important actors
of the 20th century who is still
kicking it today.

THE FACTS ABOUT:

THE KOREAN WAR Keep reading
From start to finish, the Korean
War, was one of the most for the band
important events in world history. that would
revolutionize
the world of
music forever. 
ROCK & ROLL: THROUGH THE AGES

Contents

2 Criteria 13 Pictures Editor's Note

Letters
   Featured Stories
3 50's 14 70's
4- Important Events 15- Important Events
5- Popular People 16-Popular People
6- Artists 17- Artists 
7- Artists 18- Artists  ON THE COVER

8 60's 19 80's Many guitars that might

have been used by
famous people, but most
9- Important Events 20-Important Events likely not.
10-Popular People 21- Popular People
11- Artists 22- Artists 
12- Artists  23- Artists

Rock & Roll: Through the

Ages

“Quit putting yourself in a little box by trying to live consistently with Robert Schaake
52840@psdschools.org
your past and explaining every little action you take. BE YOU. Fully. In
this moment. Independent of what others may or may not 'expect' from
you.”
             -Brian Johnson
 ROCK & ROLL: THROUGH THE AGES

Criteria
Vocals
-Vocals are one of the most important aspects of music across all genres.
The lyrics are somewhat important, that for it to be good, it would have to
convey a meaning and a message across. Yet, vocals, in my opinion are much
more important. Singers not only have to have good tone and pitch, but they
also must have very unique voices. Some of the most successful singers have
one of a kind voices. Both of the singers for AC/DC, Bon Scott and Brian
Johnson, have amazing unique voices, and that is a major reason to why
their band was so successful. Another thing I like to see in singers, is that
they have good vocal range. One of the best singers to do this is Rob Halford,
of Judas Priest. It just adds another level to the song, that a person with a
very static voice just can’t do.

Blend
-For me, songs have to have a good blend. It doesn’t necessarily matter
whether the tempo is fast or slow, but as long as the beat works, I like it. For
me, parts to the song need to fit together, like guitar, vocals, drums, and
other things. Some songs of today, have a decent tempo and rhythm, but the
parts don’t fit together well. That is what I like so much about older music
back in the 20th century, it has a better blends of instruments. Even if the
drums and the singer are off the slightest bit, it gets on my nerves and it
makes me upset.

Feeling
-Feeling is, in my opinion, what makes or breaks a song. I am usually in one
of two moods, either pretty excited and upbeat, or kinda tired, so I just chill
out then. A song has to have a undescribable thing to it, kinda like
driveability. The main rock music I listen to is more hard classic rock, “dad
rock” type stuff. It just speaks to me in way that makes me feel good about
myself, and empowers me to the point where I feel invincible. The other
times I like to listen to kinda chill R&B. This is usually when I am tired, or just
wanna hang out and listen to lyrics.

"Never lose perspective on where you

are and what you've got. And how you
got it"
         -Rob Halford  

CRITERIA | 2
 FEATURED STORY

HISTORY OF THE
1950'S
Artists like Elvis Presley, pictured above, have
revolutionized the music industry with their many
talents.
 Korean War: A military convoy
passes across the 38th parallel,
the border between North and
South Korea.  

EVENTS 1953: First Corvette

1950: Korean War
-The war started on June 25, 1950 when around 75,000 soldiers from the
northern part of Korea passed the 38th parallel (the boundary now
between North and South Korea). What was also known as the first military
invasion of The Cold War. Eventually the U.S. got involved on South Korea’s
behalf. Meanwhile U.S. officials tried to make an armistice with North
Korea to try to avoid going to war with the Russia and China, and
potentially starting WWIII. The war did finally end in July of 1953, with a
total of around 5 million casualties.
-On June 30, 1953 the first generation Chevrolet Corvette
was built by General Motors in Michigan. A man by the
name of Harley J. Earl came up the design of his “Dream
Car” in January of 1953. This car was especially unique
because it was the first American sports car to be
completely made out of fiberglass. Only 300 models were
built that year, and they were all white convertibles with a
red interior, but they were an instant hit. Over the years
General Motors has perfected this machine, and today this
car competes with the world's most elite automobiles.

1957: Space Race

-After WWII ended, a new war started between the U.S. and
the Soviet Union, and this is known as the Cold War. Both
countries were trying to best each other in many aspects,
and one of those was space exploration. The Soviet Union
was the first to strike, on October 4, 1957. They launched
Sputnik, the world's first man made artificial satellite to be
put into Earth’s orbit. Everyone including the United States
were very surprised by this, so the U.S. started working on a
satellite of their own. And in 1958, they finally released
“Explorer 1” into orbit. This would last throughout the 60’s
and it all ended when the U.S. landed a man on the moon in
1969. 

4 | IMPORTANT EVENTS
 Dwight D. Eisenhower was one
of the most successful
presidents in U.S. history. 

PEOPLE
Dwight Eisenhower
-Dwight David Eisenhower, a former supreme
commander, who fought during WWII, and also led the
invasion known as D-Day, was also the 34th President of
the United States. He was first went into office on January
20, 1953, and was reelected for a second term, then
eventually left office on January 20, 1961. In this time he
would go on to found NASA which would go one to
compete in the space race. He also formed the Interstate
Highway System in 1956. Alaska and Hawaii also became
the 49th and 50th states of the U.S. during his presidency.
James Dean
-James Dean was also one of the most popular 50's actors. He was
and still is a cultural icon of teenagers. He started from smaller
films like his first in 1951, “Fixed Bayonets!”, to starring in larger
titles like East of Eden (1955) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
He also appeared in many television series across his very short
5 year career. James died on September 30, 1955 at the age of 24
due to a car crash.

Marilyn Monroe
-Norma Jeane Mortenson, or also known as Marilyn
Monroe, was an actress, model, singer, and one of the
most popular sex symbols of the 50's. Over her 17 year
career she has amassed around $200 million, and by 1953
she was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars. In
1955 she made her biggest and most successful film, The
Seven Year Itch. Over her entire career she has made an
appearance or starred in around 30 movies. She was very
successful for many years until her unfortunate death in
1962 when she overdosed on sleeping pills.

5 | POPULAR PEOPLE
ROCK & ROLL: THROUGH THE AGES

ARTISTS
Chuck Berry
-Chuck Berry was one of the most influential people to
start the rock and roll era. He was one of the first to
develop and refine rhythm and blues and made them more
distinctive to rock and roll. His music takes a more wild
turn to other songs during this time period, but he is able
to maintain a good blend of all of the instruments. Berry
was heavily influenced by T-Bone Walker, and his famous
guitar riffs and showmanship techniques. He got his big
break when he met Muddy Waters in 1955 who suggested
for him to go to Chess records. With Chess he recorded
one of his hits “Maybelline”. He would continue to come
out with many hit songs such as “Roll over
Beethoven”(1956), “Rock and Roll Music” (1957), and
“Johnny B. Goode” (1958). By the time the 50s ended Chuck
had made a name for himself, and ended up being one of
the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 1986.
Top 2 songs: Johnny B. Goode, No Particular Place To Go

Elvis Presley
-Elvis was not just one of the most important and
influential artists in the 50’s but in the entire 20th
Century. Elvis was the first person to really hit it big. He
was so successful that some consider him the “King of
Rock and Roll” or even just “The King”. He is also
considered the best selling solo artist of all time. Yet, it
all started when Elvis signed with Sun Records in 1954,
and he would have many successful songs that came out
of that. Elvis was one of the most successful people to do
rockabilly, and take country, rhythm and blues, and turn
it into an uptempo song with lots of style. Style was one
of the things that made Elvis famous, along with his
voice. His vocals are probably the most distinguishable
thing about him. His voice was like no other, it had a
nice country accent with it, but it was deep enough and
smooth enough to fit with other genres of music as well.
He did have a break when he was drafted into the
military in 1958, but he came back bigger and better than
ever, and the rest is history.
Top 2 songs: Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel

"I grew up thinking art was pictures

until I got into music and found I was
an artist and didn't paint."
          - Chuck Berry
 ARTISTS | 6
 ROCK & ROLL: THROUGH THE AGES

ARTISTS
Johnny Cash
J.R. Cash, also known as Johnny Cash, was one of the most
popular and influential artists in history, with selling more
than 90 million albums. He is mainly viewed as a country icon,
but his songs had some influence from rock and roll,
rockabilly, blues, folk and gospel music. Some of his most
famous songs are “I walk the line”, “Ring of Fire”, and “Get
Rhythm”.  Cash is most known for his deep, somber and
calming voice. Which in my opinion is one of the most
important reasons to his success. His vocals create a feeling of
sorrow, but also redemption. And he is also known for writing
songs that are essentially stories. He would also obtain the
name “The Man in Black” through playing in black clothing,
and also by playing free shows in prisons.
Top 2 songs: Folsom Prison Blues, A Boy Named Sue

Sam Cooke
 Sam Cooke was born in 1931, and quickly became interested in
music, when he started singing as a child. He also joined the
group “Highway QC’s” as the lead singer at the age of 14 before
he moved on to start doing his own music. Overtime he
developed his vocals to the point where they were very
distinguishable, and that led to him being known as “The King
of Soul”, and in the 50’s his popularity really took off. Between
1957 and 1964 he had 30 top 40 hits in the U.S., some of which
being “You Send Me”, “A Change is Gonna Come”, and “Cupid”.
Another aspect of Cooke’s career was the business portion. He
was one of the first black performers to take part in business
side of music, setting up his own record label and publishing
company. His career was cut short when he was shot and killed
in 1964.
Top 2 songs: Wonderful World, Chain Gang

B.B. King
 B.B. King was a very successful blues singer, guitarist, and
songwriter in the 50s, earning himself the name of “The King of
Blues”. King is most known for his guitar solos that have
revolutionized the R&B culture. He created and introduced the
sophisticated guitar solo that was mainly based on fluid sounds
that fit together, and would later inspire many other electric
blues guitarists. His solos create that feeling that makes you
want to keep listening, and half the time it creates a somewhat
chill vibe, and the other half it creates a feeling that makes you
want to groove to it. B.B. was also one of the hardest working
musicians of the time period, performing at over 340 concerts
in 1956 alone. He would sign with many record labels in his
career and come out with many popular hit songs, like “Woke
up this Morning” and “Whole lotta love”. His very impressive
7 | ARTISTS R&B career got him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Top 2 songs: The Thrill is gone, Hummingbird