Maurie Orodenker
Encyclopedia
Maurie H. Orodenker was an American
journalist, music critic and advertising agency executive. In the 1940s, when working as a record
reviewer on Billboard
magazine, he was one of the first to use the term "rock and roll
" to describe upbeat blues
and swing music of the type which soon afterwards became known as "rhythm and blues
".
plays as an alternative to sheet music
sales. In 1942, in one of his regular record review columns, he described Sister Rosetta Tharpe
's vocals on "Rock Me" as "rock-and-roll spiritual singing", one of the first recorded uses of the phrase to describe a style of music, and he continued to use the term regularly in reviews over the next few years, several years before its popularisation by Alan Freed
and others. In 1945, for instance, he described Erskine Hawkins
' version of "Caldonia
" as "right rhythmic rock and roll music", a phrase precisely repeated in his 1946 review of "Sugar Lump" by Joe Liggins
.
He established his own advertising agency in 1952, and also continued to contribute regularly to Billboard well into the 1980s. In later life he became noted as a collector of haggadot, books containing Passover
stories read during the Seder
meal, many of which he obtained from old bookstores and synagogue
s while traveling in Europe.
His surname derived from the Ukrainian
city of Horodenka
. He died at the age of 84 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist, music critic and advertising agency executive. In the 1940s, when working as a record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
reviewer on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine, he was one of the first to use the term "rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
" to describe upbeat blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and swing music of the type which soon afterwards became known as "rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
".
Life and career
Based in Philadelphia, he was working for Billboard by the late 1930s, a period when he was credited with being, with Joe Csida, the first to seek to measure the popularity of songs on the basis of jukeboxJukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
plays as an alternative to sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
sales. In 1942, in one of his regular record review columns, he described Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an Amercian pioneering gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment...
's vocals on "Rock Me" as "rock-and-roll spiritual singing", one of the first recorded uses of the phrase to describe a style of music, and he continued to use the term regularly in reviews over the next few years, several years before its popularisation by Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
and others. In 1945, for instance, he described Erskine Hawkins
Erskine Hawkins
Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was an American trumpet player and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is most remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" with saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson...
' version of "Caldonia
Caldonia
"Caldonia" is a jump blues song, first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. A version by Erskine Hawkins, also in 1945, was described by Billboard magazine as "rock and roll", the first time that phrase was used in print to describe any style of music.-Louis Jordan recording:In...
" as "right rhythmic rock and roll music", a phrase precisely repeated in his 1946 review of "Sugar Lump" by Joe Liggins
Joe Liggins
Joe Liggins was an American R&B, jazz and blues pianist, who was the frontman in the 1940s and 1950s with the band, Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers....
.
He established his own advertising agency in 1952, and also continued to contribute regularly to Billboard well into the 1980s. In later life he became noted as a collector of haggadot, books containing Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
stories read during the Seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
meal, many of which he obtained from old bookstores and synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s while traveling in Europe.
His surname derived from the Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
city of Horodenka
Horodenka
Horodenka is a city located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Horodenka Raion .The current estimated population is around 9,800 .-History:...
. He died at the age of 84 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.