Do you know of essays or books that trace the roots of pop music singing styles?

September 5, 2007 1:08 PM

Jack Endino famously traced back the roots of yarling in the manner of Creed's Scott Stapp. Have the origins of other popular music singing styles been established? Two examples of distinctive styles are the floaty west coast folk style of the 60's (e.g.) and the back-of-the-throat 80's singing sweeping the internets in the form of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up (other non-rickroll examples). I'm looking for the history of other pop music singing styles, not just the above-mentioned two, but these were the ones that got me thinking. Ideal would be essays on the subject.

I'm looking for the history of other pop music singing styles, not just the above-mentioned two, but these were the ones that got me thinking. Ideal would be essays on the subject.

posted by Kattullus to media & arts (4 comments total)

There's the Whistle register, which didn't originate in contemporary music but is familiar to anyone who has heard a Mariah Carey or a DLR vintage Van Halen song. Its origins lay in opera*.

*Not the first time registre de flageolet was used, but one of the more well known examples.
posted by jamaro at 2:48 PM on September 5, 2007

There was a post on a similar subject just a few days ago.
posted by rhizome at 3:11 PM on September 5, 2007

Tangents, probably, but here goes:

--There's a whole generation of bands lumped under "Raw '66 Garage Punk Rawk," etc. (exhaustively catalogued and rereleased by Crypt records and others), EVERY ONE of which has a singer trying his best to sound exactly like Mick Jagger. This phenomenon transcends region, language, and quality of music. The various bands aren't all trying to be the Rolling Stones, either. It's weird.

--For a really convoluted but kinda interesting take on the provenance of rock vocal styles, see R. Meltzer's Aesthetics of Rock, esp. the part about "tongue."
posted by mundy at 6:12 PM on September 5, 2007

Thanks mundy! My local library has a copy of Meltzer's Aesthetics. I'll be sure to pick it up.
posted by Kattullus at 6:34 PM on September 5, 2007