Rock On!
Music historian visits
Wake Forest
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Rock music blasted
through the darkness at
Wake Forest University's
Pugh Auditorium.
The students chattered
among themselves as they
waited for the program to
begin.
Moments later, when
Music Historian Barry Drake
jOgged onto the stage, their
crash course in 1960's rock
n' roll began in earnest.
Drake's presentation,
titled "60s Rock: When the
Music Mattered," chronicles
what he characterizes as
"one of the most exciting,
turbulent, confusing and still
misunderstood decades in
rock n' roll."
Formerly a recording
artist himself, Drake signed
with Colombia Records in
1970. But his love affair
with rock music began long
before then. Drake, who has
been hailed as a "walking
rock n' roll encyclopedia"
bought his first rock album
at age 10 and hasn't stopped
since. He has amassed more
than 20,000 albums to date.
Seemingly, Drake has
committed every one to
memory, as he made his 75
minute multimedia presenta
tion without the aid of notes,
citing hundreds of names,
dates and events from mem
ory without so much as a
pause.
His musical prowess has
not gone unnoticed. Drake
has has been voted "Campus
Lecturer of the Year" five
times by the National
Association for Campus
Activities; and "Campus
Lecturer of the Year" three
times by Campus Activities
Magazine.
His talk centered around
the music of the day and how
it related to the events that
were occurring alongside it.
In times when many young
people felt they had no voic
es, rock n' roll spoke for
them, he said.
Though much of the rock
n' roll movement of the
1960s was populated by
Caucasians from America
and Great Britain, African
Americans played an impor
tant role as well, Drake said.
He credits early black artists
with building the foundation
for the genre .
"Leading the way were
many of the great black
artists who created the rock
n' roll movement in the
1950's," he said. "And there
wasn't anyone around doing
it better than The Drifters."
With the help of photo
montages, personal stories
and, of course, music, Drake
carried the audience through
the many transitions of the
rock n' roll movement of the
1960's, stopping along the
way to pay homage to house
hold names like Jimi
Hendrix, Janis Joplin and
The Rolling Stones.
He spoke at length about
The Beatles' meteoric rise to
unimaginable fame in the
United States, where they
held five Top Five singles
simultaneously on the charts
in 1964. The popularity of
the group opened the door
for many other British acts
that quickly followed suit,.
Drake says, creating what he
calls the "British Invasion."
"The British Invasion
had a devastating impact on
the American music scene,"
he reported. "...The only
genre of American rock
music that was not affected
by the British invasion was
soul music. No matter how
good the British guys were,
they couldn't compete with
soul."
Singing sensations like
The Supremes and Aretha
Franklin also topped Drake's
list of great 1960's music.
The era crash landed with
two events, one musical, and
one not, Drake says.
"If ever there was a sign
that the 1960's was almost
over, it was the breakup of
The Beatles," he declared.
"The final blow to 60s ideal
ism was the election of
(Richard) 'Tricky Dick'
Nixon."
Nevertheless, the 1960s
made its indelible mark on
American history, Drake
says, and gave way to some
of the most important strides
in American history.
"Musically and socially,
this was one of the most
open times we've ever had in
America," he said.
LWS
from page A5
Church; Chad D. Hansen,
Kilpatrick Stockton LLP;
Penelope S. Hazen, Hazen
Life Coaching; Catherine L.
Heitz New, The Arts Council
of Winston-Salem & Forsyth
County; Kenneth R. Home,
Forsyth Medical Center;
Bowen C. Houff, Blanco
Dr. Kent L. Reichert, Speas
Elementary School; Tanner
G. Robinson, Merrill Lynch;
Galyn W. Shivers, Goodwill
Industries of Northwest NC;
lien J. Smart, Kate B.
Reynolds Charitable Trust;
Donna M. Smart, Wachovia
Wealth Management; Lisa
M. Snowden, Leadership &
Management Strategies,
Inc.; Erwin R. Stainback,
Tack abery ;
Michael Y. Hsu,
EnfoSolutions;
Deborah L. Isley,
Womble Carlyle
Sandridge & Rice;
Yolanda M. Lane,
WFU Baptist
Medical Center;
Barbara R. Lentz,
WFU Law School;
Jeanette C.
Matthews, First
Tackabtry
WFU Baptist
Medical Center;
Loyd W. Stokes,
Wake Forest
University;
Pamela A. Saber,
Big Brothers Big
Sisters; Mamie
M. Sutphin,
United Way of
Forsyth County;
Jill A. Tackabery,
WS/FC School
Board; Terry G:
Community BariK; susan j.
McBurney, WFU Baptist
Medical Center; Kathy E.
McKenzie-Mitiku, City of
Winston-Salem; Eddie J.
McNeal, City of Winston
Salem; Dr. Randy W. Mills,
Winston-Salem State
University; Sharon E.
Nelson, Associated Artists of
Winston-Salem; Sonya R.
Oglesby, Communities in
Schools of Forsyth County,
Inc.; David E. Ratcliffe,
UBS Financial Services,
Inc.; Marisa E. Ray, The
Winston-Salem Foundation;
Taylor, Datamax
Corporation; Brian K.
Vannoy, Southern
Community Bank & Trust;
Deborah L. Washington
McNeill, Blue Cross Blue
Shield of North Carolina;
Tammy A. Watson, ERA
Piedmont Realty; J. Dudley
Watts, Forsyth County
Government; Ira Williams,
Allegacy Federal Credit
Union; Bill Womble, Jr.,
Womble Carlyle Sandridge
& Rice; and Bob R. Young,
Jr., ComputerTree.
Selma's East Coast
(0 ANTIQUE SHOW
rOct. 24-26 ? 9am-5pm
Dealers from near & far will join Selma's own
?- antique shops and malls to offer you a fun
"shop-til-you-<lrop" experience. Come join us.
i*Ca
ILociled 25 mile* Bait of Rateifh
Call Rose Wagaman 919-965-9659
or Donna Reid 919-965-7299
Jimi Hendrix
Photo by Lay la Fanner
Barry Drake talks to students Tuesday evening.
p
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