Elvis' icon status in America made it like nobody else counted. My heroes came from someone else. My heroes came before him. My heroes were probably his heroes. | | | | Big Mama Thornton adopted a certain hound dog before Elvis Presley did.
(Frank Lennon/Toronto Star/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “Elvis' icon status in America made it like nobody else counted. My heroes came from someone else. My heroes came before him. My heroes were probably his heroes.”
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| | rantnrave:// As a masterful singer and interpreter of midcentury-modern American popular song, as a singularly charismatic force of rock and roll nature, and as the human broadband connection through which the world downloaded a massive youth-culture update, ELVIS PRESLEY left the world a different and better place in a way that few musicians of any era can claim. He was a king whose reign mattered. We mark the 40th anniversary of his death at a moment in time when it seems especially important to also note that he ascended to his throne by climbing, so to speak, over the backs of such forebears as WYNONIE HARRIS, BIG JOE TURNER and BIG MAMA THORNTON and contemporaries like CHUCK BERRY and LITTLE RICHARD. He came to power at a time when there was still a national "Race Records" chart in the US, when segregation was an overt presence in many American cities. He was the owner of an extraordinary voice, an uncommon drive, a deep love of black music and a healthy dose of white privilege. He deserves most everything he got. Every other name in capital letters above deserves a little, or a lot, more than they got, as do many others who labored in juke joints or in big, fancy theaters on circuits that the promoters, enablers and chroniclers of mainstream pop culture didn't routinely visit. Had they invited themselves to RICHARD NIXON's WHITE HOUSE in 1970, they probably wouldn't have made it past the gate. On this day, in this year, we honor and celebrate Elvis—who continued to embrace black music throughout his career—by listening to him, but also by listening to his predecessors, his peers and his incredibly varied descendants... The average tempo of the most-streamed tracks on SPOTIFY dropped by 23 bpm (!!!) between 2012 and 2017. ROLLING STONE's ELIAS LEIGHT explores how we got from upbeat EDM to DRAKE and DADDY YANKEE. One possible culprit: the morose national mood... Congratulations to my friends BILL WERDE—the new director of SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY's BANDIER PROGRAM for Music Business and the Entertainment Industries—and ROBBIE WOLLIVER—who has helped bring GERDE'S FOLK CITY back to life... Byline correction: EZRA MARCUS wrote yesterdays insightful rantnrave about critical reviews, ROYALTY EXCHANGE and other subjects. My own byline was inadvertently attached. Sorry, Ezra!... RIP DAISY SWEENEY. | | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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 | Pitchfork |
| The politics of sign language in rap, according to the interpreters on Chance the Rapper’s tour. | | |
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 | Variety |
| For three days, the abrupt and tragically premature exit of Memphis’ best-known native son dominated the media and roiled emotions among the singer’s legion of hometown fans in the Tennessee city of roughly 624,000. Many of them continue to pay homage to this day. | | |
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 | Rolling Stone |
| Downtempo tracks like "Despacito" and "I'm the One" are dominating the charts. Top producers and songwriters discuss what's behind pop's big tempo dip. | | |
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 | The New York Times |
| The pop superstar gave blunt testimony in her case against a radio host in Denver, and provided a voice for others in similar situations. | | |
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 | Complex |
| Joie Manda talks about his come-up behind-the-scenes in the music industry and where he's going next. | | |
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 | The New Yorker |
| With “A Deeper Understanding,” Adam Granduciel’s band suggests a way forward for the genre. | | |
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 | Forbes |
| Did you use any of these streaming services while they were still operating? | | |
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 | Diffuser.fm |
| When Jello Biafra saw the extreme right-wing creeping into the punk scene, he let them know they were not welcome at Dead Kennedys shows. | | |
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 | Village Voice |
| Can we all just agree to take her seriously now? | | |
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 | Mixmag |
| Take a musical tour of the White Isle that spans four decades. | | |
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| Rolling Stone |
| With more than 60 million subscribers, the streaming service can make or break a song. Here's how the industry is adjusting. | | |
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 | BBC News |
| High-resolution sites are proving music to the ears of fans who want the best possible sound. | | |
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 | Alternative Press |
| Last night on Twitter, Trevor Wentworth of Our Last Night posed a question on Twitter: “When covering a Kendrick Lamar song am I allowed to sing EVERY word?" | | |
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| Forbes |
| Whether it's taken seriously or not, the power of young fans is formidable -- even more so now, as social and streaming data start to play a larger role in A&R and streaming stands on top as the go-to way to consume music. | | |
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 | Billboard |
| When I first set foot in Webster Hall, it was called The Ritz. It was kinda busted and rickety-still is, of course-and that’s always been part of its charm. | | |
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 | Stereogum |
| "So how the fuck did all of you get tickets?" says Paul Lee, the singer of '90s East Bay punk band Monsula. There's an air of genuine disbelief underneath the frontman's excitement for what's about to take place at the Rickshaw Stop, like he can't believe he's there, too. | | |
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 | Soundfly |
| You remember your music theory classes, but most of the songs on the pop charts have completely abandoned functional harmony. Here's a small sampling. | | |
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 | Toronto Star |
| Local station New Classical FM sees results as more symphonic sounds strike a chord with new audience. | | |
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 | Song Exploder |
| In 2017, St Vincent released “New York,” partly inspired by the city and neighborhood she calls home, although nowadays, Annie splits her time between coasts, with a studio in Los Angeles. She collaborated on this song with Grammy-winning producer Jack Antonoff. | | |
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 | The Commercial Appeal |
| This month, ardent fans, curiosity seekers, tourists scratching essential Americana off their bucket lists, and others by the thousands will descend on Elvis Presley Boulevard to visit a kingdom now four decades without a king. They all will be received at Graceland. | | |
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 | YouTube |
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