Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 29, 2010
River City Roundabout
Musical Ode to Tennessee
Erica Tuggle
Wendel Werner brought his presentation of the History of Rock-N-Roll to a gathering of the UT Alumni Association held at Loose Cannon Studios. He sampled works from Bessie Smith, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and more in speaking about the importance of several well known artists from Chattanooga to the rock-n-roll scene.
- Erica Tuggle
The Hamilton County UT Alumni Chapter went back to class for one evening in October. Former students of the UT system, including those who attending the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin campuses, gathered to hear a presentation on the History of Rock-N-Roll by the former instructor of the class, Wendel Werner.
Held at the Loose Cannon Studios, this presentation highlighted many of the famous names in the business and their ties to Chattanooga. Thus, as Werner was oft to say during the presentation, “Rock-n-roll owes us.” The “us” being Chattanooga, of course.
Before the event, hors-d’oeuvres from Four Bridges Catering were provided. These included a spicy peppered hummus and pita bread; garlic seasoned chicken; tomato, mozzarella and basil kabobs; beef and chicken egg rolls; brownies; and cookies.
After this meal, UT Alumni President Mike Moss was introduced to update members about the state of the UT system. He announced that the selection of the president for the UT system is close at hand and has been narrowed down from 70 candidates to five candidates: Jerry Askew, Joe DiPletro, Craig Fitzhugh, Robert McGrath and Brian Noland.
As these candidates are interviewed in the upcoming weeks, Moss said the progress of the presidential search can be followed at http://president.tennessee.edu/search.
Werner then began his presentation on how rock-n-roll has come to be, and with a background as a professor of UT, director of the UT singers, a composer and proponent of jazz, he has a wide variety of knowledge on the topic at hand.
Werner began with a sample of Chattanooga born Bessie Smith, “The Queen of the Blues,” who was a woman to be greatly admired for her spirit, talent and accomplishment as the highest paid singer and top act in the business in the 1920s.
Keeping a sarcastically witty attitude throughout the presentation, Werner got the group to lighten up, move around, clap their hands and enjoy the music. He admitted that this version of the presentation was a PG version compared to his university class, which earned an “R” rating.
The story of Elvis Presley’s rise to fame from his very first performance was part of the presentation by Werner. Hailing from Memphis, Presley brought fame to the rock-n-roll industry and his state. And Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins all came to Sun Records because of Presley’s influence there.
“The Funky Chicken” even made it into the line-up of songs with a Chattanooga influence. Werner also proved that the Funky Chicken could be done in a suit and with style. The Funky Chicken, by Memphis born Rufus Thomas, was one of the first times “dance songs” came into popularity. Thomas was also responsible for firing a certain backup band member who constantly went into uncalled for guitar solos. This member was Jimi Hendrix, who later went on to become one of the most well known names in the business. Your welcome, rock-n-roll.
Moving on to how Tenn-essee was involved in Motown, Werner told how the band that was the backup for virtually all the singers of Motown, the Funk Brothers, had a member from Jackson, Tenn.
In one of the most enjoyable and interesting parts of the presentation, Werner played Booker T. and the M.G.s tunes (M.G. stands for Memphis Group). He also played “Soul Man” by Sam and Dave and popularized by “The Blues Brothers” movie.
At this point, the story
of when band member Dave
shot his wife in the face was
told, and became a point to
reference throughout the rest of the presentation.
Isaac Hayes from Covington, Tenn., and his contributions in song writing and singing in “Soul Man” and the “Shaft Theme Song,” to name a few, were recognized. His part in the “South Park” television show was also jokingly referenced for those of a younger generation.
Moving back to artists who have not treated their wives so well, the story of Ike and Tina Turner was told. During this, Werner gave the men of the audience a life lesson instruction to never head to the dance floor when “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” or any song by Aretha Franklin comes on. He says this is especially true at wedding receptions. The show had many more tunes from the talented artists who have been born, lived or contributed to the state of Tennessee’s music scene.
Besides all of this, the Loose Cannon is a great place to hold events. It is spacious and has mixed media art that merits a second, third and fourth glance. Great for parties, meetings, speeches and anything else you can think of, this place will provide the space and flair anyone, musically inclined or not, is looking for.
For more information on UT Alumni Events visit http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Alumni/.
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