Deep Voiced Men & 1950's Songs....

[3113]

Cultural phenomenon question:

So, I was having lunch at a local burger place which, back in the 70's, ran with the Happy Days' 50's theme and never came back from it. They have old Coca-Cola ads from the 50's on the walls and play only music from that era (burger and hotdogs are very good!). One of the tunes played featured a deep bass singing this slow song.

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I could be totally wrong), but I seem to recall that this was a fad in the 50's. I'm not saying that there weren't songs out before then featuring deep, operatic, male voices. However, crooners at mid-range were more popular (yes?) in the 30's and 40's--and yes, in the 50's given Sinatra--but in the 50's there seemed to be a strange "slew" of "pop" songs done by men with the deepest vocal register. More than there had been before or since for that matter.

Am I correct that this phenomena peaked there in the 50's? And if I'm not totally wrong about this...any thoughts as to what was behind it? Was it due primarily to Broadway musicals (many popular plays in the 50's feature show-stopping songs with a man singing bass)? If so, why did Broadway go that way?

 

[oggbashan]

There were some significant basses around in the 1930s e.g. Feodor Chaliapin; Paul Robeson and William Warfield and Warfield.

Music was written for them that became popular, so more music was written...

 

[sr71plt]

Gospels/Country. Tennessee Ernie Ford ("Sixteen Tons"). And there was a deep bass on the Lawrence Welk show too (Larry Hooper). This was the kind of musical program that was popular on the TV in the 50s.

 

[R. Richard]

Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers.

 

[desertslave]

I disagree that it's a "fad of the 50's." Baritone/bass voices have had a niche in almost every decade of popular music spanning back to classic opera, when bari's were almost always the bad guys. Give me Barry White over Frankie Valli any day!

A few days ago I had the radio on in the car (instead of my usual MP3 player), and I was really struck by how many high tenors there are in pop music right now. I'm fond of Maroon 5, but I wish Adam Levine could bring it down a third. Some of his notes make me wince. I'm not a particular country fan, but I do love the tones of Toby Keith and Trace Atkins.

Then there was that guy from Crash Test Dummies, back in the 90s. Oh yeah, deep & rich!

 

[voluptuary_manque]

With the advent of rock and roll, men's voices became passe' leaving the field to boys who either can't sing (Bob Dylan) or who preferred to scream in a microphone. I'm hoping that some day the trend will reverse itself but so long as the major buyers of popular music are teenaged girls, I'm doubtful. Consider Justin Bieber . . .

 

[Weird Harold]

Consider Justin Bieber . . .

I'd rather not.

One reason for the popularity of "Bassmen" in the 50s is that was a transition period from barbershop quartet and other a capela or acoustic accompaniment performances to amplified performances; lower frequencies travel further than high frequencies, so "Bassmen" were more audible to large audiences.

Bassmen were also a mainstay of the "do wop" style -- despite falsetto lead singers like Franky Valle.

Inexpensive, high-fidelity amplification killed most of the acoustic/a capela groups and "hard rock" started taking over the pop charts -- who cared if it was good as long as it was loud and/or took advantage of the ability to manipulate as well as amplify. (Wow, Echo, Reverb, Sustain, etc.)

 

[3113]

There were some significant basses around....

I disagree that it's a "fad of the 50's."

Again, I didn't say that there were no such singers before the '50's. Please don't take my question to mean that I'm thinking they didn't exist before that era--or that you need to prove to me that they did. I only said that it seems to me that such men singing popular tunes (as compared to opera) were more numerous in the '50's.

When I think back to popular songs of the 30's and 40's, I can't think of a single one featuring a bass singing--but I admit to limited knowledge on that subject. I think Andrew Sisters and Bing Cosby and such. Also I think of 30's and 40's movie musicals--few of which featured a bass

Yet whenever I go to that burger place, sure enough, one deep vocal comes around signing some pop song from the 50's; and when I think of musicals from the 50's, I can come up with several that feature men singing songs in that register.

 

[TE999]

As Weird Harold said, bass singers were integral parts of the Doo-Wop groups in the 50's. I'm thinkin' of the likes of Fred Johnson who sang bass with the Marcels ('Blue Moon', Heartaches'), Paul Robi with The Platters, David Lerchey with the Del-Vikings ('Come Go With Me, Whispering Bells') and Gerald Gregory of The Spaniels ('Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight').

When Doo-Wop went out of popular fashion bass singers, except on broadway and in grand opera, went with it.

 

[emap]

They were popular at the time because of the limits with the technology. It was also new so everybody wanted to work with it. Just like now musicians and technicians tried everything they could think of to make their own sound different.

Varying degrees of success and the trying is what led to the improvements that made Jimmi Hendrix work. Well not made him work but let him do way more with his speakers than anyone had before. Course what killed do wop is a simple little thing, called rock and roll. Chuck Berry if you prefer being specific.

Think about it, all these people trying to do new things and yet doing the same notes, then comes this black guy doing Johnny Be Good. New and completely different so everybody went holy shit and tried to do that.

 

[slyc_willie]

With the advent of rock and roll, men's voices became passe' leaving the field to boys who either can't sing (Bob Dylan) or who preferred to scream in a microphone. I'm hoping that some day the trend will reverse itself but so long as the major buyers of popular music are teenaged girls, I'm doubtful. Consider Justin Bieber . . .

In some very limited ways, that trend is at least being challenged in some rock genres. The most obvious examples that come to mind are Peter Steele of Type O Negative and Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch. The re-introduction of deep bass voices seems to be most popular among the "harsher" rock sounds. But quite a few of them are still screaming -- or, make that, roaring -- into the microphone.

 

[oggbashan]

... The re-introduction of deep bass voices seems to be most popular among the "harsher" rock sounds. But quite a few of them are still screaming -- or, make that, roaring -- into the microphone.

It should be 'thundering' and who needs microphones?

My wife gets embarrassed when I sign at weddings and funerals. Not only am I loud, I'm an octave below most men who describe themselves as 'Bass'.

But she knew that before we married. She was a teacher at an all-girls school and had to produce the students Carol Concert at short notice when the Music teacher was indisposed.

As her fiancé, I attended with the parents. During one Carol, the students and parents were supposed to sing alternate lines forte, and sing together in the chorus.

The first parents' line was pathetically weak. I had kept my mouth shut to avoid embarrassing her, but the parents were barely heard. I let my voice rip for the second parents' line. By the third line the parents sang they were attempting to drown me out - and failing. The chorus was supposed to be fortissimo.

I was fortissimo. The students were perhaps forte. The rest of the parents mf at best.

After the concert I joined my embarrassed fiancée and was introduced to the Head Teacher who asked "How did you learn to sing like that?". The implication was that she wished I hadn't.

My response that I had learned as a chorister in a Cathedral Choir shook her.

But I hadn't been a Basso Profundo then - I had been a Boy Treble.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Og, back in university we had a chap like you one year in the university chorus. He sang the baritone line an octave below! Unfortunately he only stayed on our campus one year. What a joy to be next to for those of us in the 'normal' bass-baritone range.

And I'm loud, too.

 

[oggbashan]

I wish I could sing as well as Vladimir Miller

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I was around back then and I cant name one bass soloist until the Righteous Brothers came along in 1965.

And NO Johnny Cash wasn't a bass.

 

[TxRad]

I was around back then and I cant name one bass soloist until the Righteous Brothers came along in 1965.

And NO Johnny Cash wasn't a bass.

If you had read all the posts, the name Tennessee Ernie Ford would have rang a bell. Not to mention Larry Hooper.

 

[sr71plt]

If you had read all the posts, the name Tennessee Ernie Ford would have rang a bell. Not to mention Larry Hooper.

Yes, and probably the fact that they had TV shows in the 1950s, when TV was establishing itself as THE popular communication medium. Rock and Rollers weren't put on the TV in the 1950s. TV content was heavily censored and solidly Middle America in that era.

 

[3113]

Yes, and probably the fact that they had TV shows in the 1950s, when TV was establishing itself as THE popular communication medium. Rock and Rollers weren't put on the TV in the 1950s. TV content was heavily censored and solidly Middle America in that era.

It did occur to me that the requirements of such songs for such voices might make them more "conservative" or mainstream and, thus, more middle America than the pop alternative of the time (Rock 'n Roll). Songs that were slower, more orchestrated etc. Throw in tv showing such and that would certainly account for more such singers and songs than before.

I've no idea if this theory holds water, of course, especially as I have yet to prove the premise (that there was a surge of more bass singers in the 50's).

I also thought Broadway musicals might have had something to do with it. Rogers & Hammerstein, with hit after hit, created quite a few songs for men in that register. If mainstream popular songs came from such musicals, then the bass singer would get more airplay.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

If you had read all the posts, the name Tennessee Ernie Ford would have rang a bell. Not to mention Larry Hooper.

Youre right, Ernie Ford dominated the Hit Parade and tv all by hisself with just 16 TONS. Who in hell was Larry Hooper? Mister Hooper of Sesame Street?

You and FAG HAG better give it up.

 

[sr71plt]

I also thought Broadway musicals might have had something to do with it. Rogers & Hammerstein, with hit after hit, created quite a few songs for men in that register. If mainstream popular songs came from such musicals, then the bass singer would get more airplay.

As in "Poor Jude Is Dead" from Oklahoma! and "Ole Man River" from Showboat. Both musicals predate the 50s but the movies of both (1955 for Oklahoma! and 1951 for Showboat) put their revivals in the 50s.

 

[3113]

As in "Poor Jude Is Dead" from Oklahoma! and "Ole Man River" from Showboat. Both musicals predate the 50s but the movies of both (1955 for Oklahoma! and 1951 for Showboat) put their revivals in the 50s.

That's part of what I was thinking. The way the studios flooded the market in the 50's with popular broadway plays made into movies.

Interesting how that has now turned into such a back-and-forth. A movie comes out ("Hairspray") gets made into a musical...and then back into a movie. Talk about recycled.

 

[sr71plt]

Who in hell was Larry Hooper? Mister Hooper of Sesame Street?

Google is your friend. (Someone needs to be.)

 

[TxRad]

Google is your friend. (Someone needs to be.)

I could have told him you posted the name of the show he was on but decided he needed to work for it.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I could have told him you posted the name of the show he was on but decided he needed to work for it.

Looks like you guys started happy hour already. Rodney likes to start HH just after breakfast, and end it just before breakfast. But for TEX HH is never done.

 

[sr71plt]

What'sa matter, JBJ? You're not getting enough traffic on your multiple "look at me" threads and need to push that on the threads of others?