Fifty Years Of Rock

FIFTY YEARS OF ROCK ‘n’ ROLL This year rock ‘n’ roll officially celebrates its 50th anniversary. On July 5, 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first hit song, “That’s All Right”, at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Many historians believe this marks the official arrival of rock ‘n’ roll. To commemorate the event we have compiled a list of some of the biggest names in rock and pop music. How many of the names do you recognise? Do you know how these groups and artists chose the names that made them famous? Read each of the stories and see if you can match each one with the correct name.

THE BANDS …..1.ABBA

…..6.ELVIS

.....11.ELTOH JOHN

.....16.QUEEN

…..2.AEROSMITH …..3.THE BEATLES

COSTELLO .....7.DIRE STRAITS* .....8.THE DOORS

.....12.IRON MAIDEN .....13.NIRVANA

.....17.R.E.M. .....18.ROLLING

…..4.BLACK

.....9.BOB DYLAN

.....14.OASIS

STONES .....19.U2

SABBATH …..5.DAVID BOWIE

.....10.EAGLES

.....15.PET SHOP

.....20.THE WHO

BOYS

THE STORIES A) In Buddhism this means the state of perfect blessedness* attained* through the annihilation* of the self*. B) It stands for rapid eye movement, which is the movement of your eyes that occurs when you sleep while you’re dreaming. C) It’s an acronym* for the first names of the band members: Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Anderson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad. D) This is a type of spy plane used by the United States. The name grew out of thoughts of interactivity with the audience* as in “you too”.

E) According to the legend, it was a word that Joey Kramer wrote all over his notebooks in high school. Some think they were inspired by the book Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis. F) Buddy Holly had a group called the Crickets, so the band called themselves the Silver Beetles. John Lennon is generally credited with combining the words beetles and beat to come up with the final spelling. G) Freddie Mercury liked the name because of its royal image and the fact that the word was also used in the gay community. H) He combined the names of Elvis Presley and Lou Costello. I) He thought his real name, Robert Zimmerman, was too long and he was a big fan of Dylan Thomas. J) He took his last name from a type of knife that he liked when he was young. He didn’t use his real name, David Jones, because he didn’t want to be confused with David Jones of the Monkees. K) His real name is Reginald Dwight. He took his stage name from two other British musicians, Elton Dean and John Baldry. L) Named after a 1963 horror film starring Boris Karloff. They released* an album as Earth before changing their name. M) Named after a medieval torture device*. N) The band members were tired of looking for a name. When someone made another suggestion the said “The who?” Finally, someone suggested keeping it as their name. O) The name describes the financial situation they were in when forming the band. P) The name was inspired by some friends who worked in a pet shop. Q) The name was inspired by the Byrds, who were a big influence. Their first name was Teen King and the Emergences.

R) The name was suggested by Brian Jones and comes from the Muddy Waters song “Rolling Stones”. S) This comes from a William Blake quote: “If the doors of perception were to be cleansed* everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” T) This was the name of a sports centre in the English town of Swindon.

Glossary -

dire straits (exp): serious money problems

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blessedness (n): supreme happiness

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attain (v): get, achieve

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annihilation (n): total destruction

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self (n): individual identity

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acronym (n): word formed from the first letters of the words of a phrase

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audience (n): people who go to see a concert

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release (v): make available in shops

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device (n): machine

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cleanse (v): clean

GROUP MEMBERS Here are the leaders of some very famous rock and pop groups. Can you name the groups? 1. John Lennon and Paul McCartney 2. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards 3. Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry 4. Jim Morrison 5. Freddy Mercury 6. Michael Stipe

7. Sting 8. Bono 9. Kurt Cobain 10. Mark Knopfler 11. Ozzy Osbourne 12. Brian Wilson