Great Voices of Rock and R&B
$ $150 for 6 week series, $30/drop in
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
From Thursday, September 12, 2019 to Thursday, October 17, 2019

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A 6-week Musical Journey with Pete Elman

Throughout the rich, long arc of popular music, there has always existed the great singer, the individual who elevates the great song to another dimension, a place where, as listeners, we are thrilled and inspired for the rest of our lives when we hear their work.

Great Voices covers the lives and careers of six legendary rock and R&B singers from 1955 to the present. Although all of them are also known as songwriters and performers, they have made their marks as vocalists, who could rock our socks off one minute, while with the next breath cajole the sweetest melodies from the material they so passionately tackled.

In this class we will take a cultural and musical journey through the lives and careers of the following 6 “Great Voices”:

Week 1: The “Genius,” Ray Charles

Week 2: The “King of Soul,” Sam Cooke

Week 3: The “Queen of Rock n’ Roll,” Tina Turner

Week 4: The “Voice,” Roy Orbison

Week 5: The soulful and indefatigable Bonnie Raitt

Week 6: The “Queen of Country-Rock,” Linda Ronstadt

The course will feature several media formats including lectures, slideshows, photographs, recorded music, film clips and the use of live music. The instructor will play piano, guitar and sing, and will choose appropriate examples from each genre to perform in class.

Pete Elman has performed, composed, arranged, produced, and taught all genres of popular music since 1962. He is a freelance writer, taught school for 15 years, and published an acclaimed book of song-poems. He is currently teaching 12 classes on 20th-century popular American music at universities and other venues in Northern California.