Early Rock

Putting the final touches on my lecture tomorrow on early Rock. I'm startled by two things:

Firstly the song to preceed the 1955 Rock Around the Clock as #1 on the charts was Perez Prado's Cherry Pink, a song daily butchered by trumpeters all over the world.

Secondly, that the song to succeed it, after eight weeks was Yellow Rose of Texas by the Mitch Miller Singers. That's a song from the mid-19th Century!

And I was annoyed at the 3rd years today, none of whom had the good sense to show up to their
Vocal workshop. But enough on that.

Still, it's good learning stuff from different people - the main reason I'm a teacher. Today I got a simile from Clare MacLeod, the senior vocal tutor. She said being a successful musician is about three gates.

The first gate is labeled "Are you good enough?", and it's a big one. A lot of people aren't. The talent is a big thing. A lot of people don't make it through that first gate. They have the passion, but not the talent.

The second is labeled "Are you tough enough?" That's a big question too. It's a damned tough industry this one of ours. Are you tough enough to get back up when you've fallen down, to pick up the phone after the millionth rejection, to call the venue back? To give sass back to a drunken punter?

The third is labeled "Do you want it enough?" And a lot of people falter here as well. You've got to want it more than anything.

And I'm not talking about the arenas here. I'm talking about the people doing the small gigs as well as the big.

It made me think.