(inaudible)

♪ ("Rock Around the Clock"
by Bill Haley) ♪

>>  Those instruments are so cool.
I tell you they're all vintage now.

Probably 150 dollars back then.

Something like that would be
five, ten thousand dollars.

Same with the one he's playing in the back.

That's a Epiphone, which
was made by Gibson.

So the beginning of rock'n'roll.
The very, very beginning.

♪ We're gonna rock around
the clock tonight ♪

♪ We're gonna rock, rock, rock,
'till broad daylight ♪

♪ We're gonna rock around
the clock tonight ♪

This is also a movie, "Rock
Around the Clock."

It was in "Blackboard Jungle" too,
which was a real cool movie,

for the times. "Blackboard Jungle,"
anybody ever seen that?

Ah, there you go!

That's the sound of rock'n'roll.

See he was a country band.
You can see he has the steel player

and he has an acordian player.

He picked up on the sound, and
a hundred million records.

♪ We're gonna rock around
the clock tonight ♪

That's unbelievable.

I will play all the little bits, some
more of Ed Sullivan show.

(video dialogue inaudible)

Now he's over in Europe. They had
their little riot at the concert.

Think of something new today.
That's Elvis, wow.

>>  What was on his guitar?

>>  What's on his guitar?, it's just
something that they designed for him

That's Elvis' manager, Colonel Parker.

So they got 50 thousand dollars for
the Ed Sullivan show (inaudible)

See when this hit the television this will
change the whole world.

Elvis, he did Sullivan show, it's
what made everyone from The Beatles

to the Rolling Stones and the
everyone, wanna play guitar.

There was nothing before this.

Country.

See they're only showing him from here,
they wouldn't show him because he was,

He would shake on stage and they didn't
want it, so they only showed him.

( Elvis talking )

>>  Ladies and gentlemen,
I'd like to do a song of my

(inaudible) record last year.

I mean it's no bigger than the
rest of them, but... (laughter)

Sold a few more and...

What we'd like to tell you as
all the people watching,

all the people here and the like,

that we really are thankful for
the success that you (inaudible)

This is my biggest record and it
goes something like this.

♪ ("Don't be Cruel" by Elvis Presley) ♪

>>  So this is '56 now, when he did that
song it was in '54, now he's in RCA.

Major league.

♪ (music) ♪

I wish you could hear it.

Can the volume be turned
up on the desktop itself?

>>  (inaudible)

>>  He was asking.

>>  The speaker... on the bottom.

Yeah. (inaudible)

♪ (music) ♪

(inaudible)

(inaudible video dialogue)

>>  This was really nice of Ed Sullivan.

(video dialogue)
>>  (inaudible)

This is a real decent, fine boy.
(cheering)

The guys will accompany you over
there and we wanna say we've never

had a (inaudible) experience on our show.

(inaudible) And now, let's have a
tremendous hand for (inaudible)...

(professor)
>>  (inaudible)

...He was in a lot of trouble back then.

Just because he would shake on stage
and nobody had ever seen that.

The parents didn't like it, and they
tried to stop him getting sponsors,

and stop him from doing that little
dance he did, I mean see how innocent.

You see how innocent it is today
compared to all the things in the last

20 years or something. I mean,
God knows you saw the Superbowl.

But you know, here comes Ed Sullivan,
this square dude, I mean square.

He gets up there and tells the world,
this kid is okay, that was really nice.

It might not seem like that much right
now, but back then that was a big deal.

Because Elvis was catching
hell for, what? I don't know.

Shaking his leg or something.

Anyhow, to me it was probably the most
important moment in the history of music.

When he got on this Ed Sullivan show.

He'd been on Steve Allen, Milton
Berle Show and Dorothy George.

But Ed Sullivan was a big thing.

Of course, you know, TV it wasn't a free
channel. There wasn't even like cable.

TV was like in its infancy, you know.

And there wasn't that much programming.

Like I said, everybody waited on
Sunday for Ed Sullivan Show

because they had so many different
varieties of entertainment on there.

It would be one after the next.

And I was six, when I saw Elvis on TV.

And it did something to me, that,
it still does it to this day.

It brought...

For the first time, Elvis had
Scotty Moore as a guitar player

like what they got for the
Blues players in the world,

when they brought it to TV
so that people could hear it.

Before that, it shows you on so many
of the rules where things were going on.

There'd never been anyone who
played like that, that we all got to see.

And so kids from five to 25, you know,
all wanted to play guitar and start

dressing like Elvis and do
their hair-dos like Elvis.

People were just, he would wear white
motorcycle jackets...

and with the collars up.
And that was just what was happening.

And the world changed at
that period of time.

And today everyone just takes
everything for granted that's

everyone's cool and everything
has always been cool but it wasn't.

And all these people we
show, the forged the trail.

And you see Bruce Springsteen and
U2 going on them, talk about it.

How it affected them.

Bruce Springsteen talked about
sitting on his mother's floor

watching Elvis on Ed Sullivan.

So, what I'm trying to do is
show you how it happened.

And who it affected and
how it affected them.

So we got this to see and it's real
cool that you get a chance to see this.

Two of these youngsters have mentioned
that they want to see The Jackson 5.

I wasn't planning on showing
it, but they want to see it.

What do you think?

>>  Sure.

>>  It's one of the first ones too.

I think this one might be ready to go.
Hopefully.

It's going to start with Solomon Burke.

We talked about Solomon Burke
a little, but Jerry Wexler,

this is one of his favorites.

He, 60 Minutes just did a short
this year on Solomon Burke too.

But this was, some people say, the
favorite soul singer was Solomon Burke.

Did anybody see him on 60 minutes
this year? You did? Alright.

I like it when it's at least one person
so you don't think I'm making it up.

Someone saw it.

It was quite a story, wasn't it?

But he's still alive, Solomon Burke,
and he's still performing.

Solomon Burke walked into
Jerry Wexler's office in 1960.

Luckily I got to talk to Jerry Wexler
today, I did tell him about this class.

He's 87 now, but he's totally together.

Jerry Wexler, we know Atlantic Records

with Herb Abramson and Jerry Wexler
are the two founders.

And of course Jerry produced
everyone but his main, well two

of the most famous of course were
Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin.

But he did hundreds of sessions and
now he's 87 and he's still active.

It's unbelievable. I got to talk to
him today and he's going to

send us some film of Atlantic
and Stacks record stuff.

I just don't know how to explain
a guy like Jerry Wexler and how

important he was to music, but
he did as much as any person

ever for music to bring it to us.

Especially to take a girl, a
young lady like Aretha

who'd make six record and no hits for
Columbia and take her and make a hit.

And then all the ones that followed.

That's just one of his many,
many, many achievements.

But I've been lucky enough
to get to know this person

in my life and it's just such an honor.

I talked to him today and I asked if
he'd write a letter to the class

because I tell him that
I'm teaching about him.

And he's going to send a couple of
videos and maybe he'll write us a letter.

Anyhow, Jerry Wexler,
you've seen his picture.

Solomon Burke walked
into his office in 1960.

He was a singer that Jerry
knew about his reputation,

Solomon Burke was from Philadelphia.

He had a reputation but
he hadn't had any hits.

He'd made records in the 50s for
the Paul record label in New York.

Jerry Wexler's friend Paul Ackerman
of Billboard, that's where Jerry had

worked and Jerry was a writer, Jerry
Wexler was a writer at Billboard and

he changed the label of race records,

what we've heard called race
records to rhythm and blues.

The same guy I'm talking about Jerry
Wexler, coined the phrase when

he was at billboard, rhythm and blues.

So that's a pretty big deal, like, several
people are credited with rock'n'roll.

Alan Freed, one of them,
creating the word rock'n'roll.

But all these words, categories,
have to be created.

The music was there but there
was no way to define it.

And then there's soul music.

And soul music is different from
the blues or the rhythm and blues.

And it's like when we heard James
and Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett.

Those kinds of people.

That's soul music. So you've
got blues, you got rhythm and blues

and then you've got soul music.

Yes, sir?

>>  Was it Paul Ackerman or
Jerry Wexler that (inaudible)

>>  No, it was Jerry Wexler.

That's a good question though, I
might not have been too clear.

Paul Ackerman was his boss at
Billboard way back in the days.

Jerry's friend Paul Ackerman at Billboard
who Jerry had worked for, told Jerry

to get a hold of Solomon Burke.

They also gave Jerry a country song,
called "Just Out of Reach."

So Jerry recorded Solomon
Burke in December of 1960.

Solomon cited Ivory Joe Hunter
as his key influencer.

We saw Ivory Joe Hunter, we heard him
play "Since I Met You Baby."

We heard that Tuesday.

Ivory Joe Hunter, I'll tell you,
he's from Texas. Ivory Joe.

So, Solomon Burke had been listening to
these great Atlantic records and he said

his key influencer was Ivory Joe Hunter.

The song...

(video plays)

Okay.

The song "Just Out of Reach" became a hit,
now they recorded it in December 1960.

Solomon Burke, it reached number seven
on the charts but more importantly it

reestablished Atlantic's direction in its
leadership in the new world of soul music.

Three months later Ray
Charles was on ABC Records.

That's in 1960, so now Ray Charles

had left Atlantic, and now
he was on ABC Records.

He cut a big hit called
"Unchain My Heart."

For about two years Solomon Burke
was Atlantic's premiere artist between

'62 and '67, Atlantic records
increased its sales by 500%.

That's between '62 and '67.

And that's when they started
bringing in the soul music.

Increased the sales by 500%,
primarily on the basis of its

ever increasing share of the "soul market"

By June of '67, 18 of the top 100
soul songs were on the Atlantic label.

That's incredible.

Most labels would just
like to have one or two.

18 of the top, by June of '67. 18 of the top
100 soul songs were on Atlantic label.

Like Sun records with "Rockabilly",
or Chess records, which we're

going to study later,
which will be a lot of fun.

Or Chess records with its
post-war down home blues.

Atlantic truly dominated
the world of soul.

Jerry Wexler was perceived
as the person that did it.

We're gonna do a little bit of Atlantic stuff.

Some of it you've seen a little
bit of it before.

This is Solomon Burke talking.

(video plays)

That's Jerry.

That's Jerry talking.

>>  Jerry Wexler has always been
a huge supporter of black music.

>>  Somebody wanted Ray Charles

>>  And Atlantic began its career
in black music.

♪ (music) ♪

>>  Soul music.

♪ ("What I'd Say" by Ray Charles) ♪

Who asked for Ray Charles?
Someone said it.

>>  Ray Charles was the
Michael Jordan of music.

(inaudible)

>>  He was walking up the stairway and
up to the exit, and I just happened to

be there. And I touched his shoulder
and you know it was like, you know

I thought I'd touched the lord.

♪ (music) ♪

>>  I have a very personal reason for
loving Ray like I do. Not only for the

fact that his talent, because he is one
of the most talented people ever.

But the very first professional gig that I
ever played in my life was we played

the Ray Charles show at the
Apollo theater in New York.

We'd never played a show like that
before, so we didn't realize we

need professional band arrangements.

We didn't have them, we had
what you'd call (inaudible).

He sat there and did an
arrangement to both of

our songs that we sang on that show.
Just like that. I love Ray Charles.

>>  He's like that vintage bottle of wine.
You know, he's an antique.

He is just too good to be true.

♪ (music) ♪

>>  Soul music to me is something
that portrays what you are.

>>  That's Bobby Womack.

>>  And it can go as deep as
you allow it go.

You know and then it releases you.
You feel great. It's good for the soul.

>>  Alright, we'll do this one.

Okay, we saw that in the mid 50s and
what I say. Now the 60s we're going to

do another version all with the
Ed Sullivan show. It's really cool.

We just got this DVD this week.

It astounds me to see this stuff.

(video starts)

God.

Anybody remember what their name
was before they were the Raelettes?

>>  (inaudible)
>>  Cookies, alright.

That was the Cookies,
now they're Raelettes.

Ray Charles and the Raelettes.

"What I say?" This song we just
heard of it ten years later.

♪ ("What I'd Say" by Ray Charles) ♪

It's cool seeing it in color, huh?

Really can't hear that drummer
can you?

The drum was so incredible
on the recording.

♪ (music) ♪

Is it this way on purpose?
(inaudible)

How are you doing?

Notice he as an organ player too.

He plays piano but he always
carried an organ player.

The guy was playing with him
for 12 years. He lives here.

He teaches at Texas State.

Named James Cole. Maybe we can
get him in here one day.

He played organ with Ray for 12 years.
He lives here in Austin. James Cole.

He plays at Sullivan's on Wednesdays.

I think he's the best
musician in the city.

James Cole. We'll try to get him in
here and play some of this stuff.

But it's cool how he has an organ.

He plays piano but he has
an organ right behind him.

See how big that horn section is?

♪ (music) ♪

Look at how big of a band. Four
trumpets, four trombones, and sax.

Speaking of saxophone players, Ray Charles
had many great, great players

come through his band.

Of course and really all the great stars,
James Brown, Ray Charles, Bobby Blue Bland

all these people, and they were so great.

But they would've never made it
without these bands they had.

They had great geniuses on
their own playing in their bands

and that really did help them.

Ray was hanging out in New Orleans and he
wound up producing some cuts for

Guitar Slim who was so important and
we're going to talk about him when we

do the New Orleans part. Guitar Slim.

Ray produced some of his songs and did the
horn arrangements. He could also play the

saxophone himself. Ray could get up their
with the saxs and play saxophone.

He was really something.

But he came through Texas and in the
Dallas-Fort Worth area there was a

great blues player named Zoo Zoobola.

In the late 80s, early 90s we had him
living here in town with us for a while.

He was really something, but he had a band
and in the 50s Ray came through and liked

his band and wound up taking it.

There's a gentleman named David, nickname
"Fat Head" Newman, David Newman who is

one of the four or five greatest saxophone
players that ever lived and he was in it.

And also Hank Crawford, they both
make their own jazz records now.

They're both just absolutely great, they
were from right here in Texas.

So Ray wound up with them and that's
just how it goes sometimes.