Revivalist artist
Encyclopedia
A revivalist artist or revivalist band is a musical group, singer, or musician dedicated to reviving interest in a musical genre from an earlier era.
Such performers are usually dedicated enthusiasts of a particular musical genre - often a style that is no longer in vogue - and act as evangelists to spread awareness and appreciation of that music to new audiences. Most such acts do this by live performances at a variety of venues.
Unlike tribute acts who are usually dedicated to recreating material associated with just one primary artist (such as Elvis Presley
or The Beatles
) as a nostalgic entertainment, revivalist artists tend to draw on material from a wide range of artists and writers from the chosen musical genre.
Unlike cover band
s who are primarily populist entertainers playing cover versions of popular hit songs to satisfy audience enjoyment of familiar music, revivalist artists usually see themselves as performers with a musical mission to revive a cherished genre. They often draw from a much broader repertoire of music than just the obvious hit songs of an era. Sometimes the mission includes drawing the audience's attention to forgotten or overlooked songs from the genre as well as the better-known hits.
Most revivalist artists focus on performing material only from the original era that they are reviving. They replenish their repertoire by digging deeper in the catalogue of music from their chosen genre. Some artists eventually aspire to write new material in a similar style and become known for their own compositions.
Such performers are usually dedicated enthusiasts of a particular musical genre - often a style that is no longer in vogue - and act as evangelists to spread awareness and appreciation of that music to new audiences. Most such acts do this by live performances at a variety of venues.
Unlike tribute acts who are usually dedicated to recreating material associated with just one primary artist (such as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
or The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
) as a nostalgic entertainment, revivalist artists tend to draw on material from a wide range of artists and writers from the chosen musical genre.
Unlike cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
s who are primarily populist entertainers playing cover versions of popular hit songs to satisfy audience enjoyment of familiar music, revivalist artists usually see themselves as performers with a musical mission to revive a cherished genre. They often draw from a much broader repertoire of music than just the obvious hit songs of an era. Sometimes the mission includes drawing the audience's attention to forgotten or overlooked songs from the genre as well as the better-known hits.
Most revivalist artists focus on performing material only from the original era that they are reviving. They replenish their repertoire by digging deeper in the catalogue of music from their chosen genre. Some artists eventually aspire to write new material in a similar style and become known for their own compositions.
List of notable revivalist artists
- Tiny TimTiny Tim (musician)Tiny Tim , , born in Manhattan, was an American singer and ukulele player. He was most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sung in a distinctive high falsetto/vibrato voice.-Rise to fame:Born to Lebanese parents in 1932, Khaury displayed musical talent at a very young age...
- performed historic and regional American music in his natural baritone, in addition to novelty songs sung falsetto - The Beau HunksThe Beau HunksThe Beau Hunks are a Dutch revivalist music ensemble who have performed and recorded the vintage works of composers Leroy Shield, Raymond Scott, Edward McDowell, Ferde Grofé, and others. They have been referred to as a "documentary orchestra," because they perform note-perfect renditions of music...
- Dutch orchestra who have recorded overlooked works by American composers Raymond ScottRaymond ScottRaymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
, Leroy ShieldLeroy ShieldLeroy Shield was an American film score and radio composer.-Career:A native of Waseca, Minnesota, Shield was an employee of RCA Victor's National Broadcasting Company, for which he composed and conducted on-air musical pieces...
, Ferde GrofeFerde GroféFerde Grofé was a prominent American composer, arranger and pianist. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.-Early life:...
, Edward McDowell, and others, as well as reconstructing and recording themes from Hal RoachHal RoachHarold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
1930s film comedies. - Sha Na NaSha Na NaSha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
- started in 1969 as revivalists of 1950s doo-wopDoo-wopThe name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
music - The Blues BrothersThe Blues BrothersThe Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live...
- started in 1978 as revivalists of 1950s and 1960s bluesBluesBlues 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...
, soulSoul musicSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and R&B music - The JamThe JamThe Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
- started in 1972 and evolved into the leading band of the late-1970s mod revivalMod RevivalThe mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries . The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades... - Joshua RifkinJoshua RifkinJoshua Rifkin is an American conductor, keyboard player, and musicologist. He is best known by the general public for having played a central role in the ragtime revival in the 1970s with the three albums he recorded of Scott Joplin's works for Nonesuch Records, and to classical musicians for his...
- played a central role in the ragtimeRagtimeRagtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
revival in the 1970s by treating the works of Scott JoplinScott JoplinScott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
as serious classical music rather than as nostalgia or novelty - Michael FeinsteinMichael FeinsteinMichael Jay Feinstein is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs...
- began his performing career in 1986 as a revivalist of the genre of American songs written between 1920-1960 (known colloquially as the Great American SongbookGreat American SongbookThe Great American Songbook is a hypothetical construct that seeks to represent the best American songs of the 20th century principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musicals, from the 1920s to 1960, including dozens of songs of enduring popularity...
) - The Black CrowesThe Black CrowesThe Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
- started in 1984 as revivalists of 1970s blues-rock - eventually became writers of their own material - The Stray Cats- a major player in the rockabillyRockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
revival of the early 1980s - Big Bad Voodoo DaddyBig Bad Voodoo DaddyBig Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight ", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII half-time show in 1999.The band was originally formed in Ventura,...
- one of the major swing revival bands