Music of Rhode Island

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Rhode Island is a state of the United States, located in the New England region. The first organ said to be designed for church use was installed in Newport, Rhode Island in 1733.

Contents

[edit] Popular Music

[edit] Providence

Providence, the state's capital, has a very strong local independent music scene, know especially for its contributions to the noise rock genre, especially the noise rock duo Lightning Bolt and Arab on Radar. The city has also spawned the groups Les Savy Fav and Talking Heads, both of which have gained national prominence. Dicky Barrett, vocalist for ska group Mighty Mighty Bosstones, was born in Providence.

[edit] College Hill

Rhode Island School of Design has been the alma mater of many popular musicians, such as Talking Heads and Les Savy Fav, both of which left the town for New York City. Lightning Bolt, however, stayed in the city.

Notable musicians who graduated Providence's Brown University include Lisa Loeb, OK Go singer Damian Kulash, Will Oldham and Duncan Sheik.

[edit] Newport

Newport has a much smaller scene, with Throwing Muses being its first notable addition to the alternative rock scene. The group formed in 1981 and recorded and toured until their hiatus in 1997. The band's lead guitarist and secondary songwriter, Tanya Donnelly also formed Belly, best known for their hit "Feed The Tree", which went to #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart in 1994. Donnelly was also briefly guitarist for The Breeders. Other bands to come out of the city include the legendary punk act Big World, which formed in the early 1980s. In the late 90's, Newport's ska scene emerged, with notable groups being the popular Sublime cover band Badfish and Your Mom and the Kerplunx, who were active from 2002 to 2004, with a brief reformation in 2007. Other bands include Due To Prevail, a local hardcore band formed in 2006. The best known act to come from Newport are The Cowsills, best known for a string of Top 40 hits from 1967 to 1969

[edit] Rest of the State

Other musicians such as Arab On Radar, John Cafferty, As the Sun Sets, Blu Cantrell, Combustible Edison, Sage Francis, and Made in Mexico have all also come out of the state.

[edit] Other Music

[edit] Cape Verdean Music

Of especial importance is the music of the large Cape Verdean population. Though Cape Verdean music is largely unknown outside of the expatriate community, Rhode Island is the acknowledged center for Cape Verdean morna and other styles in the United States.[1]

[edit] State Song

In 1996, the state song of Rhode Island became "Rhode Island's It for Me", which replaced "Rhode Island". "Rhode Island" became the official march of the state.

[edit] Rhode Island Philharmonic

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the most influential music institutions in the state.

[edit] Country Music

In rural Rhode Island there is a country/folk music tradition among the Swamp Yankees. Billy Gilman is a recent country musician from Rhode Island.

[edit] Music Festivals

[edit] Newport Jazz Festival

The Jazz Festival began in 1954 by George Wein and has been documented on recordings by Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. The 1958 festival was documented in the 1960 film Jazz on a Summer's Day. The festival moved to New York City in 1971. In 1985, the festival was revived in Newport as a JVC Jazz Festival.

[edit] Newport Folk Festival

The Folk Festival began in 1959, co-founded by Jazz Festival founder George Wein. The festival is best known for the July 25, 1965 performance of Bob Dylan, where he performed for the first time with electric instruments. Like the Jazz Festival, the folk festival moved to New York City in 1971, but returned in 1986. Notable performers at the festivals included: Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Buffalo Springfield, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Ry Cooder, Little Feat, Janis Ian, Suzanne Vega, Violent Femmes, String Cheese Incident, Indigo Girls and The Pixies

[edit] Sunset Music Festival

The Sunset Music Festival began in 1997 in Newport and has included performances by acts as varied as Saves the Day, Jason Mraz, Paula Cole, moe., Little Feat, Jack's Mannequin, Peter Frampton, Bo Bice, Bruce Hornsby, Guster, Something Corporate, Ben Folds (who has played at several festival), Better Than Ezra, Cheap Trick, Gin Blossoms and Anna Nalick and also local artists like Becky Chace, Zox and Monty Are I.

[edit] List of Popular Musicians/Bands from Rhode Island

[edit] Alternative/Rock

[edit] Metal

[edit] Jam Bands

[edit] Noise Rock

[edit] Reggae

  • Formal Action
  • Oversized Sweater

[edit] Ska

[edit] Hip Hop

[edit] Folk, Jazz and Blues

[edit] Other

[edit] Songs by Rhode Island based acts that have Charted

1967: The Cowsills

  • "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" (#2 US)

1968: The Cowsills

  • "Indian Lake" (#10 US)

1969: The Cowsills

  • "Hair" (#2 US)

1975: Tavares

  • "Remember What I Told You to Forget" (#25 US)
  • "It Only Takes A Minute" (#10 US)

1976: Bill Conti

Tavares

  • "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" (#15 US, #4 UK)

1977: Tavares

  • "More Than a Woman" (#34 US, #7 UK)

Talking Heads

1978: Talking Heads

  • "Take Me To the River" (#28 US)

1979: Talking Heads

  • "Life During Wartime" (#80 US)

1980: Talking Heads

  • "Once in a Lifetime" (#14 UK)

1982: Jeffrey Osborne

  • "I Really Don't Need No Light" (#39 US)
  • "On the Wings of Love" (#25 US)

1983: John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

  • "On The Dark Side" (#7 US)

Talking Heads

  • "Burning Down the House" (#9 US)

Jeffrey Osborne

  • "Don't You Get So Mad" (#25 US)
  • "Stay With Me Tonight" (#30 US)

1985: Talking Heads

  • "And She Was" (#54 US)

Jeffrey Osborne

  • "The Borderlines" (#38 US)

1986: John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

  • "Heart's On Fire" (#76 US)

Jeffrey Osborne

  • "You Should Be Mine" (#13 US)

Talking Heads

  • "Wild Wild Life" (#25 US)

1987: Jeffrey Osborne

  • "Love Power" (with Dionne Warwick) (#12 US, #1 US AC)

1989: Throwing Muses

  • "Dizzy" (#8 US Modern Rock)

1991: Throwing Muses

  • "Counting Backwards" (#11 US Modern Rock)

1993: Belly

  • "Slow Dog" (#17 US Modern Rock)
  • "Gepetto" (#8 US Modern Rock)
  • "Feed the Tree" (#1 US Modern Rock, #95 US)

1995: Belly

  • "Super-Connected" (#35 US Modern Rock)
  • "Now They'll Sleep" (#17 US Modern Rock)

Throwing Muses

  • "Bright Yellow Gun" (#20 US Modern Rock)

Jon B.

  • "Someone to Love" (#7 US)
  • "Pretty Girl" (#21 US)

1997: Mighty Mighty Bosstones (lead singer, Dicky Barrett, born in Providence)

  • "The Impression That I Get" (#1 US Modern Rock)

Jon B.

  • "Don't Say" (#34 US)

1998: Jon B.

  • "They Don't Know" (#2 US, #32 UK)
  • "Are U Still Down" (#9 US)
  • "I Do (Whatcha Say Boo)" (#18 US)

2000: Billy Gilman

  • "One Voice" (#38 US, #20 US Country, #29 US AC)

2001: Billy Gilman

  • "Oklaholma" (#33 US Country)
  • "She's My Girl" (#55 US Country)

Blu Cantrell

  • "Oops! (Hit 'Em Up Style)" (#2 US, #12 UK, #6 US R&B)

[edit] References

  • Byron, Janet (1996). Country Music Lover's Guide to the U.S.A., 1st ed., New York: St. Martin's Press, 178. ISBN 0-312-14300-1. 
  • Máximo, Susana and David Peterson (2000). "Music of Sweet Sorrow", in Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.): World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East. London: Rough Guides, 448-457. ISBN 1-85828-636-0. 

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Máximo and Peterson, pgs. 448-457

[edit] External links