How Did Rock N Roll Influence Pop Culture

Elvis is remembered for his music. He grew up listening to gospel music but when he moved to Memphis he got exposed to jazz and the blues. After he graduated high school in 1953 Presley visited Memphis Recording Service, also the home of Sun Records to record his voice (rockhall.com). He’s also remembered for his music because made the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll. He became a national star in 1956 (rollingstone.com). Elvis didn’t only make Rock ‘n’ Roll music he made some gospel, country, pop and the black R&B.

Elvis Presley is one of the biggest names in rock and roll. Singer, musician and actor he was an American icon. He is best known as the King of Rock and Roll. His musical influence included the country and pop music of the time, the gospel music he sang in church and the black R&B music he listened to as a teenager (Comprehensive History of Elvis Presley’s Dynamic Life). Elvis has influenced American culture not only while he was living but also in today’s 21st century. It wasn’t easy for him to be accepted; in fact many adults and the older generations of his time were appalled by his performances and his music. In time though, people were able to accept him and he became well-known all over the world. Even after his death Americans are

He was a poor man who became rich, a white boy who dressed and sang like he was black, and a mamma’s boy who was also a rebel. Elvis scared white children’s parents. They saw this child who could be their kid acting like a juvenile delinquent and they feared his music would ignite rebellion in their children. The teenage population was huge and the people were well enough off that the kids had money to spend and a desire to spend it. When Elvis started singing, suddenly they knew what they wanted to spend their money on. They wanted everything that Elvis had and they wanted to do everything that he did. He inspired a whole generation to be different. He showed them they could dance and they could be feminine and manly at the same time. Elvis showed the kids that they could have fun and they could have fun together regardless of race. Elvis inspired a graduation and he consequently became known as the King. He was the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the King of the baby boomers generation. Not only did Elvis encourage blacks and whites to get along together and have fun, inspire the fashion and musical tastes of a generation, and demonstrate that not all men must be manly, but he also started America on the path of children and their parents listening to different music. The teens of the 1950s loved rock music and that started the trend of each generation having their own music that they felt spoke to them. The 60s folk music, the 70s

Rock ‘n’ roll has played a major role in some known historical developments post World War 2. Music plays a significant part in America 's Cold War culture. Music gave us a sense of new technologies and helped the world to prosper. It also is linked with African Americans living in the South. Music was known for shaping the lives of the people during the 1950s and 1960s. Music was geared towards the youth, race, ethnicity, gender and class. “All Shook Up: How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America” by Altschuler, Glenn C, tells us the story of the birth of rock and roll during the concrete years of 1955 to 1965. Altschuler gives us a overview of how rock ‘n’ roll has an historical context. “ For two years the Times printed dozens of

Elvis created his own type of Rock n’ Roll known as rockabilly which is country music of the south, fused with rhythm and blues of African American's pop music. It was said that “He spread rock ’n’ roll music across the country, making it popular to a wide audience, especially teenagers. In that regard, he was a true innovator.(Elvis Presley’s Musical Influence On America)” Elvis had a great impact on the way a whole generation dressed, what they thought, and what they did.

Regardless, Elvis kept playing his music, and ultimately brought rock and roll music into the mainstream listener base (US History for Dummies). In doing so, Elvis altered the course of music, injecting his own rock and roll techniques into the common musician’s repertoire. Paving the way for future musicians, Armstrong, Presley, and many more changed music despite of

success as the King of Rock and Roll. While it is true that Elvis was not the inventor of rock and

Questioning the correlation of commercial success and true artistry began in the light of mainstream music. Mainstream music has been given a negative connotation due to the supposed lack of originality of the artists. Repetitive chord progressions and meaningless lyrics compose the majority of “mainstream music,” making each song sound like the next . Despite these patterns in music, artists still ventured outside of what was societally normal and created music that was unheard of. Despite the potential risks in being an individual in the music industry, several groups achieved high success and maintain the popularity in the present. Creativity and commercial success can definitely exist alongside one another, and this paper will prove that through the music of the Beatles, the performance styles of David Bowie, and the grunge movement in Seattle which was fueled by Nirvana.

The emergence of Rock and Roll was one of the most pivotal moments of our nation’s history. The impact that this genre of music made is still evident in our culture. However, before this genre was able to gain momentum, it faced many cultural conflicts. The book, All Shook Up: How Rock ‘N’ Roll Changed America by Glenn C. Altschuler analyzes the impact that rock and roll music has made on American culture. It explores how the Rock and Roll culture was able to roughly integrate and later conflict with preceding cultural values. This is especially apparent in chapters regarding race and sexuality. Overall, Rock and Roll was extremely controversial amongst parents and educators. This new music genre was condemned by the previous generation as

Rock ‘n’ roll music has widely influenced music and society and continues to do so today. Rock ‘n’ roll emerged in the 1950’s a time where whites and blacks were heavily segregated. Rock and roll music not only changed the nation’s current musical norms, but indicated the joy of the emerging youth culture of the generation. It influenced artists whether black or white to come into the mainstream music. Famous artists still remembered today also influenced rock and roll. Those pioneers helped change the musical norms and the overall history of music. White rock ‘n’ rollers helped build a ladder for black artists to come into the scene. It was certain that rock ‘n’ roll made it possible for greater acceptance, appreciation and a wider

When historians look at history and at reasons why society changed many focus on conflicts like wars, civil rights, and poverty. However, there is so much more that over time changed America. One of the most influential subjects that helped this change was Elvis Presley. Through his music, which was influenced by black artists, he allowed white Americans to view a new group of performers. He tested social boundaries that helped him change American culture. His appearance and singing would end up changing the teenage world by introducing new trends in fashion and music. Presley was the reason why we have Rock-N-Roll. As a business and a singer, he brought America together into a new type of society; therefore he is a

Each year, new books declare rock and roll to be an active force in the moral collapse of American culture. To many, rock and roll has come to be seen as a social menace (Pattison 175-77).

Many artists created a new form of music through the influence of the black artists. The first signs of this influence appeared in the music of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. It carried on to artists like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and various other musicians.4 A new form of music emerged, rock and roll. This new style of music was fueled by emotion. One of the first stages in the development of rock and roll was sacrificing musical complexity for the sake of capturing an audience. The jazz and blues songs that were popular before rock and roll emerged, consisted of several chords and elaborate rhythms, while rock and roll songs are comprised of only three or four chords and very simple rhythms.5 More direct expressions of emotions were used, and lyrics of personal and political significance were brought into the mix. The relationship between artists and their audiences changed. Fans related to the musicians’ opinions rather than simply the style of the music. As a result of the bold lyrics, a general respect for musicians

Rock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance craze in the 1950’s to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who don’t follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variation of three chords to a complex chromatic scale combination. It can convey emotions such as love, hate, fear, lust, sadness, joy, disillusion, or a strong sense of reality. Many things can be said about rock but the fact is that it is the most widely

Rock and Roll has has had an impact on several decades of generations of people. It has also sustained itself throughout this period without dropping in popularity. Rock and roll has had a huge impact on the society we live in today because it affects other music genres such as hip hop and neo-soul. It has not only affected other genres but also opened up a way for originality, self-expression, and free thought. It also influenced artists to give political opinions through their songs which also influences the government and how it governs specific laws including many that were apart of the civil rights act. It has been given credit for integrating teens and adults through 1950’s-1970’s. It has also helped with equality with races being able to perform and be successful without being treated unfairly about their quality of music because of their race.