Ringo Starr

BOB DYLAN One of the most legendary names in the American music industry is no one else but the singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The influence he made in popular music last for more than five decades and still echoed through generations till this very day. Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA. Dylan’s parents Abram Zimmerman and Beatrice “Beatty” Stone were part of a tight local Jewish community. As a…

Twenty-seven years ago today John Lennon's life was taken from him in front of his New York City apartment with his wife Yoko by his side. Like millions of others, I remember to this day exactly where I was when I heard the news (in my case, in the cold, dark parking lot of Mt. Hood Community College following a late night jazz rehearsal on campus). We were all shocked. Stunned. Deeply saddened. John Lennon was only 40. Today we are reminded what a great loss and a tragic waste his death was.…

Imagine all the world in peace, John Lennon did. John Lennon will always be remembered for being a member of one of the most influential bands of our time, the Beatles, but he should also be remembered for his messages of peace, love, unity, and hope; and his political activism. John Lennon's legacy is still relevant today 38 years after his violent death. John Lennon was born and raised in Liverpool, England, his father walked out when John was very young and his mother was killed by a drunk…

On the road to success, what takes the wheel: time or talent? In the “10,000-Hour Rule”, Malcolm Gladwell argues that innate talent is not the biggest factor in success, but rather the amount practiced and the opportunities given. To prove his point, he refers to the Beatles, a rock band that became famous in the 1960s, and how they went through other experiences and challenges within their career that developed them into what they were. These experiences forced them to go through extremely…

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a song originally written and recorded by the Grunge band Nirvana in 1991 on their “Nevermind” album and is considered to be one of the most influential songs the band had written during their time. One year later, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was covered by singer-songwriter Tori Amos for her “Crucify” EP. While the cover may be extremely different from the original, there are still some elements that are similar among both versions. In contrast, both Nirvana and Amos…

Ray Manzarek Introduction During the mid 1960’s through the 1970’s “the Doors” were one of the most popular rock bands in the world. Ray Manzarek played a crucial role in “the Doors” success along with the rest of the band members Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger and John Densmore. Manzarek was a musician, author and film maker. To truly understand the influence that Ray Manzarek has in the music community several points will be focused upon. The first section will include biography information of…

Biography James Taylor was born on March 12, 1948, to a musically inclined family in Boston, Massachusetts. He was at first a cellist until he was around twelve years old when he began playing the guitar. After performing a few local gigs, he found his life changing. In 1965, Taylor admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts. There he started fine-tuning his songwriting abilities. It wasn’t until five years later when his career soared with the success of his second album,…

Ever since we began thinking about potential History Day topics, we have been intrigued by the Beatles and their influence on pop music. Music has always been a large part of our lives, and that interest in music influenced our decision to pick this topic. We were very interested by the idea that one band could change the music industry so tremendously. We picked this topic because The Beatles changed how music is today. We started our research immediately, and we were able to find a…

“My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever changing view”- Carole King, born in New York on February 9 1942, started her career as a Brill Building songwriter. During her career at the Brill Building, King wrote most of her songs with her husband Gerry Goffin. The duo successfully wrote more than two dozen chart hits (Wikipedia), until 1968 when the couple separated. As a result of the split King chose to move across the country to Laurel Canyon, Los…

The Fortunate Son was released by the group Creedence Clearwater Revival in December of 1969. John Fogerty wrote the song for the band and was the lead singer. This song stayed on the billboard charts for 15 weeks and hit #3. Fortunate Son was on the “B” side of the record with “Down By The Corner” on the A side hitting the billboard charts as well. This was a rare occasion to have both songs on a record to hit the billboard charts. In 2014 it was added to the National Recording Registry.…