VOA慢速英语 THIS IS AMERICA - Nine New Members Enter Rock and Ro

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Today we tell about nine musicians who were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is part of the Rock and Roll Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. This museum opened in nineteen ninety-five and is extremely popular with visitors.

The idea for the museum came from leaders of the music industry. They formed a group called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in nineteen eighty-three. Since nineteen eighty-six, this group has been honoring performers who have been important in the development of rock and roll. The latest ceremony took place on April fourth at Public Auditorium¹ in Cleveland.

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VOICE ONE:
　
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio

The six hundred voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation chose this year's Hall of Fame inductees. Artists can become part of the Hall of Fame twenty-five years after the release of their first recording². But not all inductees are performers.

Reporters, songwriters, radio show hosts and music industry leaders who helped influence rock and roll can also be honored. So can artists whose music came before rock and roll, but influenced its development.

VOICE TWO:

In two thousand, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation also began to honor a new group called sidemen.

This category honors performers who played as backup musicians for major stars. The inductees from this group include two musicians, D.J. Fontana and Bill Black, who played with Elvis Presley in the nineteen fifties. The keyboard player and soul songwriter Spooner Oldham was also honored. He recorded with artists including Percy Sledge³, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan. Now we tell about the five main performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

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VOICE ONE:

Little Anthony and the Imperials are known for recording "doo-wop" songs that were popular in the nineteen fifties. The lead singer, Anthony Gourdine, got the nickname Little Anthony because his voice sounded very young. The group's song "Tears on My Pillow" was one of the big hits of nineteen fifty-eight.

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The group from Brooklyn, New York remained popular in the nineteen sixties and seventies performing soul songs. Other artists have created their own versions of hits by Little Anthony and the Imperials.

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VOICE TWO:
　
Jeff Beck

The British guitarist Jeff Beck began his career playing in the British band the Yardbirds. In fact, Jeff Beck became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because of his work with this band. But this year, he was honored for his work as a solo artist. During his career, he made several albums as the leader of the Jeff Beck Group. One of his most successful rock albums, "Blow by Blow," is heavily influenced by jazz.

(MUSIC: "You Know What I Mean")

One critic praised Jeff Beck's playing for his "fierce attack and fat tone" and his ability to use the electric guitar to create textures⁴ as well as notes.

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VOICE ONE:

The American heavy metal rock band Metallica formed in nineteen eighty-one in Los Angeles, California. Their first full-length album, "Kill 'Em All," brought new energy to the heavy metal scene when it was released in nineteen eighty-three. The group's other popular albums include "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets." The nineteen ninety-one album "Metallica" brought the band success from mainstream⁵ audiences. This album became a number one hit.

(MUSIC: "Enter Sandman")

Metallica has sold more than one hundred million albums over the years and remains⁶ one of the most influential⁷ heavy metal bands in history.

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VOICE TWO:
　
Run-D.M.C

The rap group Run-D.M.C. has had a big influence on rap and hip-hop music. This group's first albums, "Run-D.M.C." and "King of Rock," were some of the defining examples of rap music.

(MUSIC: "My Adidas")

They were also the first rappers to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and the first to win a Grammy award nomination⁸. Their albums "Raising Hell" and "Tougher than Leather" made them stars and changed the sound of rap music forever.

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VOICE ONE:

Bobby Womack began his career as the lead singer in his family's gospel band, the Womack Brothers. The soul singer Sam Cooke later asked the brothers to record music with his record company. The brothers recorded songs under the name the Valentinos. Bobby Womack also played the guitar in Sam Cooke's band. Womack later continued his musical career on his own. He wrote songs made famous by singers including George Benson, Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones. In the nineteen seventies and eighties, he released several popular soul albums.

(MUSIC: "Harry⁹ Hippie")

As a singer, songwriter and guitarist, Bobby Womack has had a big influence on soul and gospel music.

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VOICE TWO:
　
Wanda Jackson

Wanda Jackson was honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence on rock and roll. Known as the "Queen of Rockabilly," she began her career in the nineteen fifties singing country music. But she soon moved to rock and roll. Her strong voice and energetic performances made her very popular.

Although she returned to country music later in her career, Wanda Jackson left a special mark on the development of rock and roll. We leave you with her nineteen fifty-eight hit, "Let's Have a Party".

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Our programs are online with transcripts¹⁰ and MP3 files at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

2 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

3 sledge   

n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往

参考例句：

• The sledge gained momentum as it ran down the hill.雪橇从山上下冲时的动力越来越大。
• The sledge slid across the snow as lightly as a boat on the water.雪橇在雪原上轻巧地滑行，就象船在水上行驶一样。

4 textures   

n.手感( texture的名词复数 )；质感；口感；（音乐或文学的）谐和统一感

参考例句：

• I'm crazy about fabrics textures and colors and designs. 我喜欢各式各样的纺织物--对它的质地，色彩到花纹图案--简直是入了迷。 来自辞典例句
• Let me clear up the point about the textures. 让我明确了一点有关的纹理。 来自互联网

5 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

8 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

9 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

10 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句