Music From Its Lyrics, Beats, And The Artist

Black and white teenagers listen alike to rock music on the radio and attended clubs to hear it, together. Rock ‘n’ Roll’s roots helped accustom white teens to black music through the lenses of white, male vocalists—a normalcy to ground these drastic changes in race relations. The stars, like Elvis Presley—know for his sexual and riveting performances—began to blur the line between different forms of music and more importantly, black and white music.3 Rock ‘n’ Roll music was a blend of these two different cultures, demonstrating the enormous consumer power of this emerging youth culture and giving it the power to unite an entire

Blues, along with the artists that produced it, was noteworthy in the motivation of the Beatles. The Beatles had a great deal of respect for Chuck Berry and what he did for music. The Beatles credited Berry for being an important piece for creating rock and roll. Chuck Berry also prejudiced the Beatles with the lyrical content within his songs. It is easy to see that blues had an impact on rock and roll because a rock and roll band considered one of the best that ever lived, integrated it into their

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

African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases, this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn’t be silenced by their oppressors.

Berry Gordy Jr. started Motown Records in January of 1959 with only an $800 loan from his family and a passion for music. Within a few years of opening Motown Records, what started as a small Detroit record studio, they were selling more singles and releasing more hits than any other recording company. Motown became a cultural icon changing the way music was. Berry Gordy Jr. was known as the most successful African-American owned and operated record company which gave African-American artists a chance to record and sell their music. The embrace of Motown’s artists and recordings by the entire listening audience helped control racial barriers that had plagued the country since its establishment. In its classic era, the eventful music scene of the 1960s, Motown’s artists were among the most popular, establishing a standard of excellence and sophistication that has never been exceeded.

B.B. King or ‘The King of Blues’ was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. His young parents unfortunately divorced, and his mother passed away when he was 9 years old which left him to be raised by his grandmother. King attended school until the 10th grade when he dropped out of school and started to work at a cotton gin near his hometown. Despite dropping out of school he continued to teach himself math and different languages well into his later life. He worked at the cotton gin earning a penny a pound and singing gospel music on street corners. His musical career started when he was studying under his cousin Bukka White. King met a woman and was married at 17 years old. “I guess I was looking for love, because I never had anybody I believed truly loved me” (B.B. King). The marriage quickly came to end when they got a divorce months later. “Since my early childhood, I had a problem trying to open up. Please open me up. Look inside!

They both had that special mix of country and R&B that excited the nation, and they had the sex appeal that drove the teenage population wild. However, Presley was seen more as the heartthrob of the America while Berry was arrested multiple times before and during his career. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry’s influence on rock and roll in the 1940’s and 50’s was more dependent on their skin color than on the level of their talents. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry had many similarities and differences during their careers. They were both fresh, young men who had something new and special to offer the music industry.

In 1951, Alan Freed, a European American disc jockey for a Cleveland radio station, first coined the term rock’n roll. Fifty years later, if you were to poll the general public on which race would dominate that genre of music, the response would be overwhelmingly whites. But rock’n roll is not a white mans music. African American’s were and still are an essential cornerstone of the genre known as rock’n roll. But rock’n roll simply would not exist if it weren't for African Americans. Their presence is felt in almost every genre of music known to the United States. Early twentieth century black musicians helped shape, influence and create my favorite genre of music today.

Shortly after all that Chuck Berry was very quick to follow with a bundle of other unique singles that seemed to continue to mold out what appeared to be the new genre of rock 'n ' roll. These single included "Roll Over, Beethoven," "Too Much Monkey Business" and "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," these are just a few songs among many others. Chuck Berry had managed to “achieve crossover appeal with white youths without alienating his black fans by mixing blues and R&B sounds with storytelling that spoke to the universal themes of youth” (Encyclopedia of World Biography). In the late 1950s, songs like "Johnny B. Goode," "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Carol" had all made the Top 10 chart of pop music by accomplishing the equal popularity with youths on both sides of the racial divide (Biography.com. A&E Networks Television). "I made records for people who would buy them," Berry said. "No color, no ethnic, no political I don 't want that, never did. ' ' (Rolling Stone)

Chuck Berry’s big break came when he went to Chicago in May of 1955 and met up with Muddy Waters who suggested he contact Chess Records. As a result he recorded “Maybellene” which went on to sell over a million copies and rose up to number one on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart. Berry was a success and popular by the end of the 50s. He opened up his own nightclub in St. Louis, Missouri Berry’s Club Bandstand.

In the 1960's, America was ready for a change. Black rhythm and blues known as Motown became popular. Bob

separation. Rock and roll music was formerly made up of only whites, but gradually African-Americans moved into that genre of music. This is a good thing for racial equality, except for when you look at the other types of dominant music today, rap and rhythm and blues. There is almost no white singers in these entire styles of music. On MTV, there has been only two white rap singers in the history of the channel, and one of them, Enimem,

In High School Berry was arrested for armed robbery with his group of friends in 1944 where he was sent to the Intermediate Reformatory for Young Men at Algoa. During his time there he joined a singing quartet that eventually became good enough to perform outside the prison until he was released in 1947. Afterward, Berry played in a trio with "Johnnie Johnson", where they mainly played blues and ballads. In 1955 Johnson and Berry hit it big with the release of "Maybellene" (an interpretation of a popular country song called "Ida Red" by Bob Will) that sold over 1 million copies. Berry continued to perform and create songs afterward such as "Rock and Roll Music" and "Roll Over Beethoven". His performance of "Sweet Little Sixteen" at the New

This became to be known as the famous R&B. It is said that R&B “mixed the rural sound of the blues with the electrified edge and raucous rhythms of the city streets” (Yudkin 262). Key singers and musicians of this type of music were Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard. Their singing and playing were characterized by speedy songs with an insatiable beat, and screaming lyrics. The other early influence on rock and roll was country music, in which R&B was mixed with western/country vibes. Famous country music singers/musicians of that time were Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, and the early sound of Elvis

Rhythm and blues, also known today as “R & B”, has been one of the most influential genres of music within the African American Culture, and has evolved over many decades in style and sound. Emerging in the late 1940's rhythm and blues, sometimes called jump blues, became dominant black popular music during and after WWII. Rhythm and blues artists often sung about love, relationships, life troubles, and sometimes focused on segregation and race struggles. Rhythm and blues helped embody what was unique about black American culture and validate it as something distinctive and valuable.