Rock And Roll, Segregation, And The British Invasion Of 1964

Rock and Roll was the start of a new revolution in America. It introduced the world to many of the famous artists that continue to be a part of our lives today. "Artists who became popular in the 1950s such as Elvis, began to pave the way for others such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly" (The History of Rock 'n' Roll until 1960). With the introduction of rock 'n' roll, there came many new changes to the lives of many Americans. Rock and Roll was a major contributor for the change in teens' behavior in the 1950s because it encouraged new freedoms for teenagers, encouraged new fads among teenagers, and caused a generation gap.

During the Civil Rights era, African Americans changed the way people looked at music by ending the segregation in the music world and by making a well-known “soundtrack” and influence during the Civil Rights Movement.

Elvis Presley was one of the most influential rock and roll singers in the American history. Presley’s work revolutionized the music and brought about significant changes in the entertainment industry. He grew up in an environment where racial segregation between the whites and African Americans was highly pronounced. In fact, Presley schooled in Memphis where he graduated from a whites-only high school. However, he upheld the Black’s music and made it possible for their music to be accessed by the White American youths. Presley’s tracks broke past the racial barrier as many teenagers loved his amazing voice. Through his music, he confronted racism and challenged both social and moral values. Elvis Presley changed the manner in which the Black minority were treated in the U.S. through his music, and this initiated the fights against racial discrimination leading to the civil rights movement.

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

Motown helped break down some racial barriers during this era. America during this era was one of gross racial stereotypes. Motown forced America to confront its own feelings about race, community, intolerance, justice and reality. Motown coincided with the emergence of the civil rights movement and both were inextricably linked. Motown was a type of prelude for Dr. Martin Luther King; it helped set the stage for the major changes that were underway. Motown broke many of the traditional stereotypes of African Americans. This music was the backbone for conversation, particularly the young, and initiated an intense re-examination of some prevalent stereotypes. It was long overdue don’t you think? My grandmother told me that when she was growing up during the sixties she can remember her mother yelling at her to “turn off that nigger trash!”, but my grandmother could’ve cared less, she had friends who were African American and there was nothing wrongful with listening to the music, but things were different in New York, not much different but forgiving enough to let children form their own opinions on the music and the artists behind it.

Rock ‘N’ Roll was the opportunity for African-Americans to get rid of segregation. It was also their opportunity to make black culture mainstream. But since white dictates, they fear blacks as part of their culture. They would shun and exploit performers, bleached their music and promote white Rock ‘N’ Roll instead. Whites believed that black Rock ‘N’ Roll promoted delinquency and sexuality to the children thus wanting it ban. When Nat King Cole was being assaulted and boycotted by the white community, the African-American have lost hope of being free. But it was when “Fats” Domino appeared. He becomes the first black Rock ‘N’ Roll millionaire. Many blacks were proud of him as he was the representative of influencing American Society.

Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll or rock 'n ' roll) is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States. The music we know as rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the mid 1950s, even though a form of it had been on the horizon for at least a decade or so. A quarter of the American population moved during World War II, and that is what brought southern, rural, sacred and secular traditions into contact with urban-based music and its audiences. Rock and roll drew on many different styles. It derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which it developed from earlier blues, boogie-woogie, jazz and swing music. It was also influenced by gospel, country, western, and traditional folk music. With the combinations of all of these genres of music, that help to create this new style of music excited a worldwide generation of young listeners. Even though it had the attention of young listeners it started to upset the already established social, cultural and musical authorities. With this new music style coming into full affect along with new dances and people having voicing out their own opinion caused a lot of turmoil. Many people began to question this new genre of music and labeled it as the devil music while other loved it and couldn’t help but dance

Rock 'n' roll reflects the values of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and helps the movement convey its message. The Civil Right Movement addressed three areas of discrimination: education, social segregation, and voting rights.

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

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.

It was no coincidence that rock ‘n’ roll and the civil rights movement started at the same time. The genre originated from African American music and was greatly discriminated against. Traditional white Americans would target anything bad about it. But as the teenager demographic of the 1950s started increasing the sales of the music, the genre started gaining more popularity. It was the style of Elvis Presley and his new voice that made girls weak in the knees and boys want to be him. Artists such as Presley had enough influence to change the view of their devoted fans on civil rights issues. Soon as protest songs and rock ‘n’ roll became more popular and influential, it began a gap between the young adult generation and their parents

The day was July 5th 1954, a young truck driver from Tupelo Mississippi was sitting in a recording studio in Memphis Tennessee, to his left a man wielding a guitar named Scotty Moore and to his right the bassist, Bill Black (Littleton, 2014). The studio they were sitting in was owed by a hugely successful producer named Sam Phillips. Phillips was trying to get a new label called “Sun Records” off the ground, and he had great insight that it would be with this unknown kid. The three men were recording a single that would later be named “That’s All Right”, but trying to get something new out of it, a new type of sound, something the world hadn’t heard before and something the world probably wouldn’t be ready for. They worked in the studio for hours trying to figure out a new sound that would be popular and change the face of music. Phillips had almost given up that night, he called for a break of the session (Littleton, 2014). During that break the three men in the studio started goofing around with their music, luckily Phillips was listening, and he found that sound that would make this unknown truck driver from Mississippi arguably one of the most popular artist of all time. The combination of Moore on the guitar and Black on the bass was new, fast paced, but the real change from the voice, raspy, agile and smooth all at once. It was music altering. Rock N’ Roll was born on this night, and this man was dubbed the “creator” of it, that man’s name was, Elvis Presley.

influential in the North as well. Blacks moved from the South to the North and

Alan Freed had been playing rock and roll types of music on his radio program but it was Leo Mintz that changed history. During this current time period the new music was called race records and Leo was having trouble getting white customers to buy them. So Leo, being a sponsor of Alan’s show, encouraged him to use the term rock and roll to describe this type of music. Once the brand of rock and roll caught on, the records shot to popularity within all ethnicities.

Rock music has come a long way since its development in the early 20th century. The genre, defined “as a merger between rhythm&blues and country” (Scaruffi, The History of Rock Music:1955-1966), started out more as an underground market, but ended up becoming a significant aspect of American popular music history. Rock-n-Roll music produce many legendary artists who will for ever be known as innovators of the genre. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry were some of the many artists in Rock-n-Roll who will always live on in their music.Many teenagers were also to identify it due to its rebellious nature their disapproval of the cold war. Towards the end of the 1950s, Rock-n-Roll was ending on a particularly bad note, with a brief decline: