Maybe you rock around the clock with Elvis Presley or find satisfaction with the Rolling Stones. Or maybe Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” starts your morning off right.
You can learn more about your favorite music when Knoxville music educator and musician Sean McCullough presents The History of Rock ’N’ Roll at Lawson McGhee Library. The program starts at 6:30 pm Thursday, April 14, and continues at the same time for the next three Thursdays. You can register to attend the free program here.
McCullough knows whereof he speaks. He’s been teaching a semester-long class on the same subject at UT for 25 years, educating and entertaining about 1600 students per year. What he’ll present at the library is a condensed version of that class, focusing on the roots of rock ’n’ roll through the music of the 70s.
“We’ll talk about how rock musical styles developed and who the important players were,” he says. “And the role that tock has played in our history and culture throughout the decades.”
But don’t expect a dry lecture format. McCullough incorporates performance, demonstrations on various instruments, audio and video clips into his presentations. “It’s an opportunity for people who may have lived through some of this history to reflect on it in new and exciting ways,” he says. “People may enjoy and know a lot about a handful of bands but never thought about how the style developed or its influence on society.”
The program will be held on the second floor mezzanine at the library. Registration is required.