Summer is drawing to a close. As we near the end of summer vacation, the kids are thinking about back to school. My little brother, Quigley, is getting excited to see his friends again. But before he heads back to class, he's asked our parents if he could have an end-of-summer party. They've agreed. Quigley has decided he wants to through a 1950-style Sock Hop and he's asked me to be the DJ. Honestly, I'm a little shocked. I didn't have any idea that my little brother knew anything about the 1950's other than it's ancient history...to him, anyway. But, before I will say "yes" to being his DJ, I explained to him that he'll need to know a little something about the music from back then; vinyl records! He, of course, hadn't a clue what I was talking about. As it turns out, his timing is perfect...for today is Vinyl Record Day.
Gramophone records, aka vinyl records, have been around since the 1920's and were popular until the later part of the 20th century. From the 1880's to the 1920's the phonographic disc record was the primary medium used for music reproduction. In 1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph; it was capable of both recording and reproducing sound. His early attempts at recording included a "wax-impregnated paper tape, with idea of creating a 'telephone repeater' similar to the telegegraph."
The lateral cut disc record was created in the United States by Emile Berliner. He named his sytem the gramophone. Berliner's earliest discs, first marketed in 1889, were sold only in Europe. And only as toys, or as curiosities. The records were small, only 5 inches in diameter. In 1894, Berliner started making records that were of a somewhat higher quality and his associate, Eldridge Johnson improved the sound-quality. In 1901, Johnson and Berliner started a new company known as the Victor Talking Machine Company. It dominated the market for many years and RCA Victor name still exists today.
A vinyl record was an analogue sound storage medium in the form of a flat polyvinyl choride (formally shellac) disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The grove started at the outer end of the disc and ended near the center. The discs were generally descibed by their diameter size: 12 inches, 10 inches, 7 inches and by their rotation speed (rpm) that they played (16 2/3, 33 1/3, 45, and 78)
As we all know, in the late 20th century, LP (long-playing) records died out in popularity and were replaced with 8-track tapes, cassette, tapes, CDs and, now, instant downloads.
Harkening back to the days of yesteryear, I was lucky enough to find some vinyl recordings by Elvis Presely, The Everley Brothers, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and a few more of the early greats that created what we today call modern, or pop, music. Mom is making hamburgers, french flies, and ice cream sodas. I sure hope young Quigley knows what he's getting himself into!
It'll be a fun party and one that both the kids and adults will enjoy. We've polished up the lily pad so those socks with glide nicely. I'm looking forward to this last blast of summer fun with the family. So get chrome-plated, take some bread, burn rubber, bug out, and cast cast an eyeball. Little Quigley's party will be where it's at his weekend. It's happ'nin, baby...all the beats will be there and definitely no Clydes! "Big Daddy" will, of course, chaperone. It's like crazy, man, crazy.
Whatever your weekend plans, enjoy a little music. Music makes everything seem more like a party. See ya on Monday!
Now to go spin some tunes....
Gramophone records, aka vinyl records, have been around since the 1920's and were popular until the later part of the 20th century. From the 1880's to the 1920's the phonographic disc record was the primary medium used for music reproduction. In 1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph; it was capable of both recording and reproducing sound. His early attempts at recording included a "wax-impregnated paper tape, with idea of creating a 'telephone repeater' similar to the telegegraph."
The lateral cut disc record was created in the United States by Emile Berliner. He named his sytem the gramophone. Berliner's earliest discs, first marketed in 1889, were sold only in Europe. And only as toys, or as curiosities. The records were small, only 5 inches in diameter. In 1894, Berliner started making records that were of a somewhat higher quality and his associate, Eldridge Johnson improved the sound-quality. In 1901, Johnson and Berliner started a new company known as the Victor Talking Machine Company. It dominated the market for many years and RCA Victor name still exists today.
A vinyl record was an analogue sound storage medium in the form of a flat polyvinyl choride (formally shellac) disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The grove started at the outer end of the disc and ended near the center. The discs were generally descibed by their diameter size: 12 inches, 10 inches, 7 inches and by their rotation speed (rpm) that they played (16 2/3, 33 1/3, 45, and 78)
As we all know, in the late 20th century, LP (long-playing) records died out in popularity and were replaced with 8-track tapes, cassette, tapes, CDs and, now, instant downloads.
Harkening back to the days of yesteryear, I was lucky enough to find some vinyl recordings by Elvis Presely, The Everley Brothers, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and a few more of the early greats that created what we today call modern, or pop, music. Mom is making hamburgers, french flies, and ice cream sodas. I sure hope young Quigley knows what he's getting himself into!
It'll be a fun party and one that both the kids and adults will enjoy. We've polished up the lily pad so those socks with glide nicely. I'm looking forward to this last blast of summer fun with the family. So get chrome-plated, take some bread, burn rubber, bug out, and cast cast an eyeball. Little Quigley's party will be where it's at his weekend. It's happ'nin, baby...all the beats will be there and definitely no Clydes! "Big Daddy" will, of course, chaperone. It's like crazy, man, crazy.
Whatever your weekend plans, enjoy a little music. Music makes everything seem more like a party. See ya on Monday!
Now to go spin some tunes....
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