Len Chandler's great ambition had seemed to him a reasonable enough goal. His plans were to teach a class that explored the influence of black musicians on American music.
After all, Chandler's whole life had been immersed in it. His father was a jazz musician, and Chandler had established a career as a folk singer by the 1960s, recording a pair of solo albums for Columbia Records with producer John Hammond.
So when UCLA Extension accepted his course idea into its 1992 curriculum, Chandler didn't expect his research to require much time. "But after three or four weeks of reading, I hadn't even gotten to 1900 yet," he said.
"I found so many levels; I unraveled so many stories and little intrigues that I was totally unaware of."
Chandler, 56, quickly understood that a nine-week course could never include a detailed study of the influence of black musicians on jazz, gospel, folk, blues and rock. The class, now titled "Rhythm & Blues: The Impact of Black Music Today," was finally refocused to include only pop music since the 1950s.
It's an era Chandler knows well because he grew up in Akron, Ohio, listening to deejay Alan Freed spin records by such rock pioneers as Bo Diddley and Little Richard. "Frankly, even by focusing on that, I'll only be concentrating on the people who made the greatest contribution," he said.
Fittingly, both Diddley and Richard are among a series of guest speakers scheduled to appear at Chandler's Wednesday night classes, which begin Jan. 29. Tuition is $255.
"There's nothing like talking to the real people and the real creators," Chandler said.
Discussions will center on "what their lives were like, what their contributions were and what their struggles were," said Chandler, who with songwriter John Braheny created the long-running Tuesday night Los Angeles Songwriter Showcases, sponsored by BMI.
Other likely guest speakers, he said, include musicians Willie Dixon, Hank Ballard and Johnny Otis, and music journalist Nelson George, author of the books "The Death of Rhythm & Blues" and "Where Did Our Love Go?"
Chandler said his course will look beyond the creative process and study how a variety of business interests affected the careers of many black artists from the earliest days of rock and rhythm and blues. Very often, he said, these interests helped guide the creative process "in order to maximize the financial impact, and forever altered the direction of the music."
