1950s Rhythm & Blues Music Presentation with John Clark *

This story began in the late 1940s when black music was first identified as “Rhythm & Blues.” Then the early- and mid-1950s saw many R&B songs (like Shake, Rattle & Roll) released more successfully by white artists. After the strongly black-influenced Rock & Roll of Elvis broke through in 1956, artists like Little Richard (Long Tall Sally) and the Coasters (Yakety Yak) scored several Pop hits as did the Platters (Great Pretender) and Brook Benton (It’s Just a Matter of Time) who capitalized on a smooth crooning style from an earlier era. By the end of the decade, gospel-based black artists like Ray Charles (What’d I Say), Sam Cooke (You Send Me), Jackie Wilson (Lonely Teardrops), and the Drifters (There Goes My Baby) had achieved mainstream success on the Pop charts. James Brown was a huge 50s R&B star but would have to wait until the 1960s to cross over to the broader white audience. Join John Clarke as he tells the story through lecture, videos and recordings of this exciting transitional period for R&B music!

Prior to a career as a high school and adult education teacher, John Clark worked in music publishing in Nashville. He enjoys sharing his passion for music with senior centers and senior residences.

Thursday, March 28th, 1:00-2:00pm Open to out-of-town seniors for $5