5 ms·

> The distorted sound of rock ’n’ roll guitar aggression was born in Nashville, in 1960. That's not the way I heard it. Snoddy might have introduced the Fuzz-T

by drcube 13y ago

> The distorted sound of rock ’n’ roll guitar aggression was born in Nashville, in 1960. That's not the way I heard it. Snoddy might have introduced the Fuzz-Tone in the 60s, but the distorted guitar sound began with Link Wray poking holes in his amplifier's speaker on "Rumble", in 1958. Not to minimize the Fuzz-Tone's impact, by any means. Just setting the record straight. ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(instrumental) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(instrumental)

duggieawesome 13y ago
Agreed, I've read that as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTg6rZJCu4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTg6rZJCu4
Nav_Panel 13y ago
Although all of the comments here have been valid and interesting, I'm gonna poke this reply thread with a Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAqTrbuxCRI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAqTrbuxCRI James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues, on Sun Records. Recorded 1954, with a guitar solo harder/heavier than most records up until the late 60s (with a few exceptions like Dick Dale). And it features distorted power chords. Pretty much the first really heavy track out there, I figure. It's my go-to point to show people the origins of heavy, distorted guitar music. I also like to show them some Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, as he had a lot of electrified instruments (electric guitar, electric mandolin, pedal steel) and was a big influence on Chuck Berry and Elvis. Plus I love Bob Wills. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_rock_and_roll http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_rock_and_roll does a pretty good job of covering the important records that led up to the explosion of rock music in the 60s. Not sure about how it is beyond that. Pretty glad a musical topic came up here on HN, though. I'm more passionate about music history than I am about computer science (though there are no career prospects there, so CS it is).
- DavidBradbury 13y ago
  I love learning new pieces of music history, and I'd swear that track was made by a time traveler. I've taken a number of music history classes (I originally wanted to major in music education) in jazz history, classical history, world history, and American history, and have never heard that track. Really appreciate it.
  - Nav_Panel 13y ago
    You're welcome :) Glad to share it. I'd love to take more classes in music history! I already took one (called "Roots of Rock & Roll", covered the mid-1800s minstrel show through the 1960s) that I absolutely adored, but unfortunately there aren't any other jazz, world or American music history courses offered (I wouldn't be that interested in classical history, I'm not quite ready for it yet, but we'll see where my growing musicianship leads me over the rest of my years). If you have recommendations for good books that deal with music history, especially American musical history from the past 200 years or so, I'd be interested. I also would be interested in discussing this stuff in general; it seems like a lot of people, especially within the tech community, don't delve that deeply into the history and context of music (or really of art in general), so it's great to meet individuals that do.
- GoodIntentions 13y ago
  OT, but that Cotton Crop Blues link is at 6575 views as of now. (19:25 6Aug2013 ) Very curious to see what an HN link does to it.
  - Zecc 13y ago
    It's at 6605, after nine hours (according to the time indicator between your username and "| link | parent | flag"; you forgot to say in what timezone you're in). One of them is mine, and I only went there because of your comment to be honest. Edit: you said "19:25" and "nine hours ago" was 2013-08-07 09:03:45 UTC, so you're at EDT? (incidently, everytimezone.com is pretty cool)
    - GoodIntentions 13y ago
      haha, yeah. Edit the comment to tag the time, forget the the timezone... EDT ( views are 6785 as of 21:42 7Aug2013, fwiw )
- tehwalrus 13y ago
  that is wicked - and it's actually a good song too (the one in the article is a horrid crooner one, far too smooth.)
donretag 13y ago
A torn speaker was responsible for the rocking sound in Rocket 88, recorded in 1951. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88
- ricardobeat 13y ago
  Yes, when the 60s came around, guitar distortion was already a pretty common sound. Just think Beatles, Kinks, Rolling Stones, and of course Chuck Berry before them. What the fuzz changed is that it was the first distortion pedal, a smart alternative to destroying your amp speakers. Link to Rocket 88 (1951): http://grooveshark.com/s/Rocket+88/24PPYE?src=5 http://grooveshark.com/s/Rocket+88/24PPYE?src=5 Rock a While (1949), featuring the trademark rockabilly riff: http://grooveshark.com/s/Rock+A+While/3pQhHy?src=5 http://grooveshark.com/s/Rock+A+While/3pQhHy?src=5
  - Nav_Panel 13y ago
    Oh, oh, let's play the "find similar but older music" game! I'll go next! You were on the right track with blues from Texas, but it goes way before 1949. Try to find the Chuck Berry riffs... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odwaE1hlwgc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odwaE1hlwgc T-Bone Walker - I Got A Break Baby (1942) (B-side of Mean Old World, Capitol 10033) (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Old_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Old_World) Here's an article about him that I grabbed off Wikipedia's sources: http://www.there1.com/browse_articles.php?action=view_record&idnum=115 http://www.there1.com/browse_articles.php?action=view_record... > "[This single was] the first important blues [recording] on the electric guitar" Some other cool stuff in the article too, like how he worked with Blind Lemon Jefferson (Robert Johnson also worked with him) and with Charlie Christian, who brought the electric guitar to jazz. I'll go again just because it's fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWmAgp2R30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWmAgp2R30 - Ernest Tubb - Walking The Floor Over You (1941) (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_the_Floor_Over_You http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_the_Floor_Over_You) A country single that sold over a million copies, and it used that nice prominent electric guitar, beating Walker by a year. Reading further on Wikipedia to try and find earlier recordings, I'm pointed to an artist I've been exploring only this past week: Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies, one of the "big 3" Western Swing artists (along with Spade Cooley and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys). Ugh, this stuff's hard to find on Youtube... Found something: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnjE5aB-cWQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnjE5aB-cWQ - Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies - Right Or Wrong (1936, date source: http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/200653 http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/200653) Note the electrified pedal steel solo midway through. That's some innovative stuff, though I like Merle Haggard's version better (on his Bob Wills tribute album, "A Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World" from 1970. Wills' version is also pretty good, but not all that much better than Brown's. As you can see, I think Western Swing is great stuff (my last.fm is utterly full of it), and my secret theory is that there were only 3 big Western Swing bands because there were only 3 pedal steel players talented enough in the 30s and 40s to do the style justice. Before it came along, there wasn't all that much popular music that really used the electric guitar. Anyway, I digressed pretty hard, but I think I've made my point somewhere in there...
devb 13y ago
This article covers a number of accidental "discoveries" of distortion: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_history_of/accidents_and_screwdrivers_the_origin_of_distortion.html http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_history_of/accide...

by drcube 13y ago

duggieawesome 13y ago

Agreed, I've read that as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTg6rZJCu4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTg6rZJCu4

Nav_Panel 13y ago

Although all of the comments here have been valid and interesting, I'm gonna poke this reply thread with a Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAqTrbuxCRI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAqTrbuxCRI James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues, on Sun Records. Recorded 1954, with a guitar solo harder/heavier than most records up until the late 60s (with a few exceptions like Dick Dale). And it features distorted power chords. Pretty much the first really heavy track out there, I figure. It's my go-to point to show people the origins of heavy, distorted guitar music. I also like to show them some Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, as he had a lot of electrified instruments (electric guitar, electric mandolin, pedal steel) and was a big influence on Chuck Berry and Elvis. Plus I love Bob Wills. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_rock_and_roll http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_rock_and_roll does a pretty good job of covering the important records that led up to the explosion of rock music in the 60s. Not sure about how it is beyond that. Pretty glad a musical topic came up here on HN, though. I'm more passionate about music history than I am about computer science (though there are no career prospects there, so CS it is).

DavidBradbury 13y ago
I love learning new pieces of music history, and I'd swear that track was made by a time traveler. I've taken a number of music history classes (I originally wanted to major in music education) in jazz history, classical history, world history, and American history, and have never heard that track. Really appreciate it.
- Nav_Panel 13y ago
  You're welcome :) Glad to share it. I'd love to take more classes in music history! I already took one (called "Roots of Rock & Roll", covered the mid-1800s minstrel show through the 1960s) that I absolutely adored, but unfortunately there aren't any other jazz, world or American music history courses offered (I wouldn't be that interested in classical history, I'm not quite ready for it yet, but we'll see where my growing musicianship leads me over the rest of my years). If you have recommendations for good books that deal with music history, especially American musical history from the past 200 years or so, I'd be interested. I also would be interested in discussing this stuff in general; it seems like a lot of people, especially within the tech community, don't delve that deeply into the history and context of music (or really of art in general), so it's great to meet individuals that do.
GoodIntentions 13y ago
OT, but that Cotton Crop Blues link is at 6575 views as of now. (19:25 6Aug2013 ) Very curious to see what an HN link does to it.
- Zecc 13y ago
  It's at 6605, after nine hours (according to the time indicator between your username and "| link | parent | flag"; you forgot to say in what timezone you're in). One of them is mine, and I only went there because of your comment to be honest. Edit: you said "19:25" and "nine hours ago" was 2013-08-07 09:03:45 UTC, so you're at EDT? (incidently, everytimezone.com is pretty cool)
  - GoodIntentions 13y ago
    haha, yeah. Edit the comment to tag the time, forget the the timezone... EDT ( views are 6785 as of 21:42 7Aug2013, fwiw )
tehwalrus 13y ago
that is wicked - and it's actually a good song too (the one in the article is a horrid crooner one, far too smooth.)

donretag 13y ago

A torn speaker was responsible for the rocking sound in Rocket 88, recorded in 1951. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88

ricardobeat 13y ago
Yes, when the 60s came around, guitar distortion was already a pretty common sound. Just think Beatles, Kinks, Rolling Stones, and of course Chuck Berry before them. What the fuzz changed is that it was the first distortion pedal, a smart alternative to destroying your amp speakers. Link to Rocket 88 (1951): http://grooveshark.com/s/Rocket+88/24PPYE?src=5 http://grooveshark.com/s/Rocket+88/24PPYE?src=5 Rock a While (1949), featuring the trademark rockabilly riff: http://grooveshark.com/s/Rock+A+While/3pQhHy?src=5 http://grooveshark.com/s/Rock+A+While/3pQhHy?src=5
- Nav_Panel 13y ago
  Oh, oh, let's play the "find similar but older music" game! I'll go next! You were on the right track with blues from Texas, but it goes way before 1949. Try to find the Chuck Berry riffs... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odwaE1hlwgc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odwaE1hlwgc T-Bone Walker - I Got A Break Baby (1942) (B-side of Mean Old World, Capitol 10033) (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Old_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Old_World) Here's an article about him that I grabbed off Wikipedia's sources: http://www.there1.com/browse_articles.php?action=view_record&idnum=115 http://www.there1.com/browse_articles.php?action=view_record... > "[This single was] the first important blues [recording] on the electric guitar" Some other cool stuff in the article too, like how he worked with Blind Lemon Jefferson (Robert Johnson also worked with him) and with Charlie Christian, who brought the electric guitar to jazz. I'll go again just because it's fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWmAgp2R30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWmAgp2R30 - Ernest Tubb - Walking The Floor Over You (1941) (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_the_Floor_Over_You http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_the_Floor_Over_You) A country single that sold over a million copies, and it used that nice prominent electric guitar, beating Walker by a year. Reading further on Wikipedia to try and find earlier recordings, I'm pointed to an artist I've been exploring only this past week: Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies, one of the "big 3" Western Swing artists (along with Spade Cooley and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys). Ugh, this stuff's hard to find on Youtube... Found something: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnjE5aB-cWQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnjE5aB-cWQ - Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies - Right Or Wrong (1936, date source: http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/200653 http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/200653) Note the electrified pedal steel solo midway through. That's some innovative stuff, though I like Merle Haggard's version better (on his Bob Wills tribute album, "A Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World" from 1970. Wills' version is also pretty good, but not all that much better than Brown's. As you can see, I think Western Swing is great stuff (my last.fm is utterly full of it), and my secret theory is that there were only 3 big Western Swing bands because there were only 3 pedal steel players talented enough in the 30s and 40s to do the style justice. Before it came along, there wasn't all that much popular music that really used the electric guitar. Anyway, I digressed pretty hard, but I think I've made my point somewhere in there...

devb 13y ago

This article covers a number of accidental "discoveries" of distortion: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_history_of/accidents_and_screwdrivers_the_origin_of_distortion.html http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_history_of/accide...