How Did Jimi Hendrix Influence The American Folk Movement

American Folk Music
Folk music has been in the heart of the nation for generations. Early artists appeared around the time of the Great Depression as the voice of the nation and a shoulder to lean on. The 1960s was also an era of change and unrest, and like the artists that came before them, 60s folk artists represented the outrage and spirit of the American people.

Early Influences:
- Woody Guthrie o Early 30s o Most well known for the song, “This land is your land” which, recorded at the time of the Depression, was intended to lift the spirits of average Americans
- Pete Seeger

Figures of the Early 1960s:
- Bob Dylan o Considered to be the most influential figure of the 1960s Folk movement o Started his career playing in New York coffeehouses o Many of his songs were politically
motivated and reflected the cultural upheaval of the 1960s o Some of his most popular earlier works can be found on the album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” o In response to the new music of the British Invasion and the Blues movement that had been occurring for years, he began to change his sound to fit the mood of the mid 1960s o Initiated the Folk-Rock movement when he experimented with electric guitars and sound on his album, “Bringing It All Back Home” o Credited for his literary talent in his songwriting
- Joan Baez o Involved in civil rights and nonviolence o Played in coffeehouses in Boston o Gained considerable attention from the ’59 Newport Folk Festival o Had an off and on relationship with Bob Dylan while they toured together
- Tim Buckley
- Leonard Cohen
- Donovan

British Invasion
The British Invasion was not an attack on American soil as it sounds, but it was however a takeover by British musicians on American pop culture. The sounds of nation reverberated across the Atlantic and reshaped the quiet folksy-blues oriented music of America and turned it into the noisy, angry, electric superpower it would become.

First Wave:
- The Beatles o Members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (former members include Stuart Sutcliffe, Andy White, and Pete Best) o Born in Liverpool, England o Began their career in Hamburg Germany playing in underground clubs o In America
 Appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and hit it off with American viewers
• The Ed Sullivan show also hosted such names as The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones
 First American Tour was a huge success o In Britain
 Debut single “Love Me Do” made it onto the UK charts
 Appearance on the UK television show, “Thank Your Lucky Stars” was viewed by six million people o “The Beatles might have been more talented and better-advertised than any group that came before, but their music was solidly in the rock 'n' roll/show tune/R & B tradition that was already universally received at this point”

o Influence on Rock
 Created a completely unique sound
 Used new studio techniques and instruments
• Reverberation, echoes, and reverse tape effects
• Fair ground organ
 Often referenced drugs in their music
• The song, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” describes many LSD induced fantasy scenes
 Deals with the “rebellious youth” of the time period, often associating with the hippie movement
• Many young listeners could relate to the drug references

"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. ... I don't know what will go first-Rock and Roll or Christianity. We're more popular than Jesus now. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting

- The Rolling Stones o Consisted of members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones and Ian Stewart o Sounded much darker than the Beatles
 Riot erupted during the song “Sympathy for the Devil” at a 1969 concert
 Opposed the Vietnam War o Mick Jagger said his goal was to change peoples’ way of thinking
 "We're moving after the minds and so are most of the new groups"
 “He saw the Stones as the vanguard of a historical bloody period of change.”
 "Anarchy is the only slight glimmer of hope. Anybody should be able to go where he likes and do what he likes

- Van Morrison appeared onto the scene with Them
- The Kinks initially imitated the Beatle’s sound, but later ventured more artistic pursuits, never quite gaining the public recognition they desired or deserved

Second Wave
- The Who o Members included Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon o Initially played mostly R&B o Originators of instrumental destruction
 Pete Townshend was the first to smash his guitar in the Railway Tavern in 1964
 Keith Moon smashed his drum set at their next event o Heavily influenced by the early Kinks
 First hit, “I Can’t Explain” o Found great success in singles, however, Townshend wanted to created more unified albums with central themes

o Influence on Rock:
 Progressive writing style and energetic shows
 Introduction of Hard Rock style lead the way for bands such as Led Zepplin and the Clash
 Sold more than 100 million albums worldwide
 Mod style influenced more modern bands such as Blur, Oasis, Stereophonics and Ash
 Often called “The Godfathers of Punk” due to their aggression, violence, and attitude
• This lead to bands like The Stooges, The Ramones, and The Sex Pistols
 Credited with the creation of the “rock opera”
• Names like David Bowie, Genesis, and Pink Floyd all made albums with similar approaches

- The Yardbirds o Most famous as the starting band for Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton of Cream, and Jeff Beck of the Jeff Beck Group
- The Kinks

American Folk-Rock
Folk Rock was the American response to the British Invasion and the success it had brought British Artists. The goal was to mix Bob Dylan’s lyrical style with the pop sound that the Beatles had capitalized on. Although they attempted to stay true to their American roots, the new genre lead to a completely new mix of sounds and styles for both countries.

- The Byrds o Dylan/Beatles sound o Began to experiment in ways that would later be classified as psychedelic and country rock o David Crosby was an original member
- Buffalo Springfield o Included members Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, Jim Messina, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer o “Mixed folk, country, and ‘British Invasion’ influences” o Was the beginnings for Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Richie Furay o Only hit was “For What It’s Worth”
 One of the most recognizable protest songs of the era
 Anthem of West coast student protests o The band was made up of three songwriting lead guitarists and was constantly faced with turmoil because of it o Overall, the band is said to be said somewhat of a disappointment
 They had the talent to rival any top band of the time period, but feuding distracted and ultimately split them up o After they split:
 Furay formed the band Poco, which would include Randy Meisener who would become part of the eagles
 Messina and Furay would later be a part of Loggins and Messina
 Feilder joined Blood Sweat and Tears
 Hastings Joined Rhinoceros
- Jefferson Airplane o Combined Folk and Psychedelic Rock o Most successful band from San Francisco in the later ‘60s o Made up of members Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen, Grace Slick, Jack Cassidy, and Spencer Dryden
 Grace Slick, vocals, was previously known from the band the Great Society. She brought along with her the songs “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love” o Played at the Monterey Pop Festival 1967 and gained attention o Slick and Kantner pushed their political views into their album “Volunteers” o After “Volunteers” the band began to split up o Post Sixties
 Kantner releases “Blows Against the Empire” as Paul Kantner and the Jefferson Starship
• Jefferson Starship had several Jefferson Airplane members in addition to Jerry Garcia, David Crosby, and Graham Nash

British Blues-Rock/Folk/R&B
The Blues-Rock sound was strongly influenced by genres like jazz and blues-folk. The peak of the British movement was during the 1960s and had profound effects on genres worldwide. Clapton took his sound from John Mayall and the Blues Breakers and took it to his later projects like Cream and Blind Faith. Bands like Fleetwood Mac were took note of this blues style but would amplify it.

- Peter Green Fleetwood Mac 1967 o Guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassists Bob Brunning (temporarily) and John McVie, slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer, guitarist Danny Kirwan o “Made a name for itself as a psychedelic-drenched hard blues band inspired by Cream and Jimi Hendrix” o Were successful on the UK charts in 1968 o Traveled to Chicago to record Fleetwood Mac In Chicago in 1969
 Collaborated with “blues legends” Otis Spann and David Edwards o Album Then Play On backed away from their original blues-rock sound and focused on rock, folk and pop sounds*
*Ultimately, the British Blues-Rock movement was a response to the American Folk-Rock Movement (which just happened to be the response to the British Invasion) o Post Sixties:
 Peter Green suffered from mental illness and subsequently left the band in 1970
 Jeremy Spencer joined a cult
 Stevie Nicks joined in 1975
• This, as well as several other additions completed the band which went on to be one of the most successful in history
• Was no longer associated with Blues-Rock
- John Mayall (and the Blues Breakers) 1962 o Heavily influenced by Leadbelly, Pinetop Smith, Eddie Lang, and Albert Ammons o Formed John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers in 1962 in London
 Eric Clapton joined in 1965 (recorded one album) o Peter Green and Mick Taylor were both part of the band at one point
- Jimi Hendrix, (see under Experimental blues) who was part of a number of R&B and soul groups during the ‘60s, also had a lasting influence even though he was American

Experimental

Experimental Blues
Jimi Hendrix, a member of several R&B groups, incorporated the American blues style into his music.
When he mixed these influences with hard drugs and rock and roll, it sent shocks down the spine of the music industry. Hendrix, along with Janis Joplin, created an edgy, soulful sound that would create a phenomenon.

- Jimi Hendrix 1967 o “Expanded the vocabulary of the electric guitar more than anyone else before or since.”
 Innovative, Experimental o Had played in several R&B groups (none of which favored his “showmanship”
 Little Richard
 The Isley Brothers
 King Curtis o Chas Chandler of the Animals discovered him in a New York Club
 Became his manager and encouraged him to move to London where he made it as a solo artist
 Created the backup band for Hendrix that would be known as the Jimmy Hendrix Experience o “Hey Joe”(their first single), “Purple Haze,” and “The Wind Cries Mary” hit the UK charts in early 1967 o Album, Are You Experienced? was extremely successful in the US upon their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival that June o Guitar style included:
 Wah-wah pedals
 Feedback
solos
 Distorted riffs
 Runs up and down the scales o Was also noted for his songwriting
 Before becoming a part of the Experience, Hendrix had never sung or written his own material o “Are You Experienced? was psychedelia at its most eclectic, synthesizing mod pop, soul, R&B, Dylan, and the electric guitar innovations of British pioneers like Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, and Eric Clapton” (Jimmy Hendrix Biography) o In the studio, he manipulated instruments electronically “to plot uncharted sonic territory” o The Experience parted in 1969
 Billy Cox and Buddy Miles formed Band of Gypsies o Is still famous for his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock in ‘69 o Post sixties:
 The experience got back together for a short time
 Some speculate that he was planning to pursue a career in jazz and the blues
 Hendrix died in London in September of 1970 from “drug-related complications”
- Janis Joplin 1966 o Infamous for “her incendiary stage performances, her masochistic tango with the bottle, her tumultuous love life, and her fatal dalliance with drugs” o Arrived in San Francisco in 1966
 Music was a reaction to the Beatles and the Hippy movement
 San Francisco drew people from all over and was a center for music and culture o Became the lead singer of the band Big Brother and the Holding Company o Performed at the Monterey Pop Festival o Left BBHC in ’68 to from the Kozmic Blues Band which would serve as her back up o Before she could complete the album Pearl, she died of a heroin overdose
 Pearl included “Mercedes Benz” and “Me and Bobby McGee” o She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995

“On the surface, she seemed the perfect icon for stardom in the late Sixties: She fit no standard of beauty yet exuded a raw sensuality that mirrored a movement which rejected societal standards by creating its own.”

Frank Zappa
It is almost impossible to categorize Frank Zappa. He has found his way into so many genres, his music sounds like nothing else before or still. Zappa has a love hate relationship with critics but there is no denying that he is the ultimate non-conformist.

o “My job is extrapolating everything to its most absurd extreme.” o Non-Conformist
 Experimental
 Satirical o Created the band Mothers (on Mother’s Day) of Invention o First album was Freak Out
 The song “Return of the Son of the Monster Magnet” paid respect to Edgar Varese, his inspiration o Next album was Absolutely Free
 “Plastic People” was soon “an anthem of the Czech underground”
 “We’re Only in It for the Money” stabbed at their audience (hippy/alternative)
 “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It” attacked “Middle America” o Partly comedy, part music o Post Sixties:
 Left the Mothers of Invention in 1970 and attempted a career as a solo artist
 His songs began to be dismissed as absurd
 His label “provided a home to such acts as” Alice and Cooper, Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet who happened to be a school friend of Zappa’s), GTOs, Tim Buckley, the Persuasions, and Lord Buckley

Psychedelic Rock
Like many genres, Psychedelic Rock was born from the experimentation of the Beatles and the lyricism of the Folk Movement. However, when LSD and the two were combined, an unprecedented form of rock was born.

Both the Doors and Pink Floyd, two of history’s most influential bands, found their roots in the ‘60s. While the Doors were short-lived due to Morrison’s death, Pink Floyd went on to be one of the most successful and creative bands of all time. Floyd found moderate success in the psychedelic mood of the era, but later found their calling in Progressive rock during the 1970s.

- The Doors 1965 o Created by Jim Morrison(vocals) and Manzarek(keyboard) at UCLA in 1965
 Others include Robby Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums) o In 1967, their debut album The Doors topped the charts with “Light My Fire” o Strange Days, 1967 o Waiting for the Sun, 1968 o Soft Parade, 1969 o Manzarek was considered innovative on the keyboard o Morrison’s creativity was strong and controversial
 Songs mentioned murder and drug use
 “Exposed himself “at a concert in 1969 o After the Sixties:
 Came out with the albums Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman
• Some of most successful work
 Morrison dies of a drug overdose in 1971
- Pink Floyd 1967 o Formed from the breakup of The Abdabs
 Members Bob Klose, Roger Waters, and Nick Mason, and Rick Wright made up the new band temporarily named Tea Set
 Later Syd Barret joined the group (he would become the lead vocalist)
 Named themselves Pink Floyd(Sound) after Pink Anderson and Floyd Council (both were blues musicians) o Became popular for their early “psychedelic interpretations” o Klose left the band to become a photographer o Barret wrote songs that were influenced by surf music and British psychedelic o In 1967 their first album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was released
 “considered to be a prime example of English psychedelic music.” o David Gilmour replaced Syd Barret in 1968 due to Barret’s drug-induced mental complications o Their second album A Saucerful of Secrets was released in 1968
 Reached the top ten in UK charts o Ummagumma released in 1969
 Experimental sound o Post Sixties
 Atom Heart Mother
• Top of the UK charts
 Developed the azimuth co-coordinator
 Meddle, 1971
• Sounded more like later Pink Floyd
 Obscured By Clouds, 1972
 Dark Side of the Moon, 1973
• Most successful album o Remained on the Billboard top 200 for 741 weeks (unheard of) o Sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and still sells approximately 250,000 copies annually
• First concept album
 Wish You Were Here, 1975
 Animals, 1977
 The Wall, 1979

Hard Rock
Also influenced by Blues and is similar to the British Blues in that it uses modern instrumentation and techniques compared to that of which it came from. The Hard Rock movement was really initiated in the late 1960s, continued strong through the 1970s, and is still a major force in many rock genres today.
- Cream 1966 o Members Jack Bruce (vocals, bass), Ginger Baker (drums) and Eric Clapton (guitar)
 Baker and Bruce were in Graham Bond Organization
 Bruce was also in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers
 Clapton was from the Yardbirds o Tension between members before the birth of Cream
 Sabotage of equipment and fights on stage o One of the first “power rock bands”
 Only played guitar, bass, and drums o Traditional blues
 “Crossroads”
 “Spoonful” o Modern blues
 “Born Under a Bad Sign” o Experimental/”Eccentric”
 “Strange Brew”
 “Tales of Brave Ulysses”
 “Toad” o Biggest hits were “I Feel Free,””Sunshine of Your Love,” “White Room,” “Crossroads,” and “Badge” o Along with Jimi Hendrix, Cream lead the way for Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and the Jeff Beck Group o Influenced Rush (prog-rock), The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Phish, and Black Sabbath o Clapton
 Yardbirds and the Bluesbreakers
 Considered one of the best guitarists in England
- Led Zeppelin 1968 o Jimmy Page
 Previously of the Yardbirds
 Added John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, and John Bonham o 60s sound
 Blues with a classical influence
 Folk-rock
 Led Zeppelin (1969)
• Critically acclaimed
 First American tour was backing up Vanilla Fudge
• Overshadowed everyone
• Marked the beginning of their legacy o 1970s
 Lead the way for hard rock during the 1970s
 Performances increased in size
 Experimented with acoustic sound
 Reached their peak of success from ’73 to‘75
• Houses of the Holy (1973)
• Record-breaking US tour o More in attendance at an event than the Beatles in 1965
• Physical Graffiti (1974)
 Bonham (drums) dies in 1980
 Led Zeppelin Breaks up in December of 1980

Southern Rock
Southern rock was a mixture of blues, country, and rock and roll. It recognized the southern United States and shifted the focus of the rest of the world back to the Deep South, where rock and roll originated.

- Creedence Clearwater Revival 1967 o Debuted with Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967 o Led by John Fogerty
 Singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer o Sound came from their southern roots o Ten singles made the top ten between 68-71 o Bad experience at Woodstock
 Didn’t play until three in the morning because of The Grateful Dead’s extended performance o Expressed their anti-Vietnam sentiments
 “Fortunate Son”
 “Who’ll Stop the Rain”
1960s Southern Rock would lead to the creation of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd

Prog-Rock
The genre is hard to define, but contains elements of many different styles, including: Classical, Jazz and Folk. The goal was to be different, and up until the late 1960s when Prog-Rock took force, the Beatles were the only ones to do so. The movement was initiated by the British who took their influence from classical and jazz genres while the American music at the time was a result of R&B and country sounds.

- Traffic 1967 o Initially focused on psychedelic sound o The use of jazz techniques made them progressive o Steve Winwood (vocals and keyboard)
 Previously of the Spencer Davis Group o Released the single hits “Paper Sun” and “Hole in My Shoe” in ‘67 o First album, Mr. Fantasy was huge in the UK but not as popular in the US o Second album, Traffic, led to the 1968 US tour o Winwood, Wood, and mason collaborated with Jimi Hendrix in ’68 on his album Electric Ladyland o Followed by Last Exit in ‘69 o Winwood left and formed Blind Faith
 Also featured Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech
 Didn’t last more than a year o Reunited in ’69 to make their next album John Barleycorn Must Die o After the Sixties:
 Ric Grech, Jim Gordon, and Rebop Kwaku Baah joined in ‘71
 Released The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
 Made five more albums together within the next ten years
- Jethro Tull 1968 o In 1968 they were an extremely popular club act o Anderson
 Energetic and unusual performances
 Played the flute o Were folk, blues, and jazz oriented o Opening act for Pink Floyd in 1968 o Tony Iommi, who would later be the guitarist for Black Sabbath and Davy O’List, formerly of the Nice, only lasted a short while in the band o Played at the Newport Jazz Festival (among others) o Successful Singles
 “Living in the Past” was third on the UK charts (1969)
 “Bouree” reached #1 on the UK charts (1969)
 “Reasons for Waiting”(1969)
 “Sweat Dream”(1969)
 “The Witch’s Promise” (1970)
 “Nothing Is Easy” (1970)
 “Sossity, You’re A Woman” (1970)
- King Crimson 1969 o Created by Robert Fripp and Micheal Giles in ‘69 o Had many influences: jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic, new wave, hard rock, gamelan, and folk o Did not have much mainstream success, but had a strong cult following o In the Court of Crimson King (1969)
 Top three in the UK charts
 Pete Townshend of the Who regarded the album as “an uncanny masterpiece”
 Considered a benchmark for prog-rock o 1970s:
 Experimented with jazz and funk
 Influenced by hard rock
 Broke up in 1974
- Yes 1968 o Formed by Jon Anderson and Chris Squire in 1968 o Opened for Cream in November of ‘68 o Signed with Atlantic Records in 1969 o Influences: classical and folk
 Guitar sounded similar to folk and skiffle o Yes (1969) was their first album
 Foreshadowed their later “space rock” o 1970s:
 The Yes Album (1971)
 Eight members quit the band
 Opening act for Jethro Tull in their first US tour
 Fragile (1972)
 Close to the Edge (1972)
 The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973)
 Yessongs (1973)
 Tales from Topographic Oceans (1974)
 Released four more albums through 1980

- Genesis o Founded by Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Johnny Trapman, Chris Stewart, and Rivers Job in 1965 when they were 15-year old classmates in a London high school o December 1967 they recorded their first single “The Silent Sun” without success o New Member John Silver in ‘68 “added orchestral accompaniment to the band’s tracks” which made them sound very similar to the Moody Blues o Recorded their first album From Genesis to Revelation in 1969 and decided to pursue careers as a professional band o Post 60s:
 Phil Collins and Steve Hackett join the group in 1970 thus consummating the band
 Have sold over 150 million albums worldwide and are among the top 30 highest selling recording artists of all time