Rock N Roll On American Culture

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Rock N’ Roll made a steady influential climb into the blossoming generations’ norm. Elvis Presley, The King of Rock, debuted his first number one hit song “Heartbreak Hotel” and it climbed steadily to the top of the charts as the number one song in February of 1956. When Elvis’ popularity first grew, it sparked outrage through the previous generations in fears that his music would intertwine cultures. In the 1950s and 1960s, Rock N’ Roll was classified as “African American” music and those listeners who do not fit that class, would be frowned upon. Mr. Presley was a Nashville native, who sang hard driving rockabilly, Rock N’ Roll dance songs and ballads, and laid a foundation for other rock musicians to follow.

Music has meant many things throughout history. For many, music can be used as a form of religion, worship, or as way to pass the time while working in the fields (Music 2001). In the case of Motown, it was able to change the way that the black society was viewed. Before Motown, African Americans did not have very many rights and were seen as unequal to the white society. All of this change was achieved with the help of a man named Berry Gordy. Gordy was able to take the struggles from the lives of past African Americans, change the music world with some key players, and change the way that society viewed the African American race.

America’s attitude regarding race alone created the culture of rebellion that we now associate with Rock n Roll. Following the abolition of slavery, America

The rise and popularity of rock and roll music reflected the divide between teens and adults during the 1950’s and the 1960’s because the lyrics caused the teens to rebel. The word Teenager was created in the 1950’s due to the tremendous population of those in this age category and because teenagers started gaining more independence and freedoms. Teenagers were able to buy more things like food, clothes and music because of an increase in spending money. Teenagers were also becoming more independent in the type of music they preferred to listen to, no more listening to what their parents liked, teens flocked to the new music of the decade, which was rock and roll. Growing up as a teenager prior to World War II, teenagers were

“Unfortunately, the history of black music has been a continuous one of whites’ lucrative expropriation of black cultural forms” (Kelley). “Black music has become a part of a structure of stealing” (Kelley) on the part of a white-dominated music industry. This structure began primarily during the jazz era of the 1920’s. Black jazz artists were exploited for their talent, without being given the full credit or compensation for their work that they deserved. Furthermore, their music and style was copied and credited to white artists, and the few black artists who were able to succeed in the industry were submitted to a form of musical segregation via race records.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, a number of demographic, political, and economic changes greatly impacted American culture and society. (Patterson Carney, 2003.) White and black people in America were still segregated and African Americans were treated as inferior (“BBC - Higher Bitesize History - Race relations between the wars,” n.d.), though they began to fight against discrimination in this period. (“Jazz Exacerbates Racial Tension,” n.d.) Music both reflected and played a role in the changing attitudes towards race in the US at this time. From the early 1920s until the early 1950s, major and independent record labels labeled records recorded by African American artists as “Race Records”. (“‘Race Records’-Definition,” n.d.) The term

Rock N Roll exists today because of the endless feelings that is generated by us human beings and also because the image of all the artists throughout its history has left an impact on the memories of generations. From the wailing and screaming Chuck Berry who invoked his amped up electric guitar to the handsome southern boy Elvis Presley who gave Rock N Roll its boy image for many young teenagers looking for an idol outside of their home. Americas youth finally had an outlet to finally describe what they really felt when it came to love, having parties, terrible breakups, misunderstood thoughts, or strife’s at work and

A time of disruption in: society, fashion, mindsets and music epitomised the United States in the 1960s. Before the mid 1960s, music still mirrored the sound, stylistic traits and views of the prior decade. Many of the popular records were by artists who had found mainstream success in the 1950s, such as Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & his Comets. From the mid 1960s onwards, a number of social influences changed what popular music was and introduced us to the miscellany that even today we experience with music. The assassination of President Kennedy (1963), the intensification of the Vietnam War (1965 - 1973) and the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement (1963) all had a significant impact on the disposition of American culture and the music began to reflect that.

Almost all aspects of American culture were changing and music was at the heart of it all. Ranging from the folk movement led by Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and Dave Van Ronk to the release of "Revolution 1" on the Beatles' White Album. Music gave the generation of the social change new inspiration and an outlet to express their dissatisfaction with the established morals of society. Rock n’ roll became popular, lyrics were becoming more sexual, and everyone wanted a piece of the rebellion. Artists like Bob Dylan and Elvis were a huge influence on the music scene of the 60s and bands such as The Beatle, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors were out to change the world. The Rolling Stones were not afraid to express their sexual desires through their music.

Rock ‘n’ roll has made an extreme impact on the American culture for individuals and their growth in society. Plato, a famous philosopher, says, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything” (“A Quote”). Rock 'n' roll is a form of music that has made many opportunities possible for the American people. This category of music has also opened doors for future generations and America's evolution. Rock ‘n’ roll in American culture has been beneficial in the progression of life styles because it has advanced the relationship between music and technology, created distinct social changes in cultures and adolescents, and formed new inspirational music genres.

The evolution of musicals has grown and changed tremendously throughout history. They have developed into something that no one ever dreamed they would be while leaving a gigantic mark on society. Rock and roll was one of the biggest changes that happened to the musical theatre industry. Not only was this cultural change a huge impact for society but also in musicals resulting in a huge change of what the content of musicals were and will be in the future. Rock and roll began in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s and this is when it first left a lasting impression on the public and changed the musical style that was a part of the time era. Because of the rising of this popular new art form, the musical theatre industry was grabbing onto this

A few researchers portray the advancement of blues music in the early 1900s as a move from group performance to individualized performance. They contend that the advancement of the blues is related with the relatively recently gained freedom of the oppressed African Americans. Blues has developed from the unaccompanied vocal music and oral customs of slaves imported from West Africa and rural blacks into a wide range of styles. As one can see, blues was a product of both the African American culture combined with the newfound freedom that blacks found in America. Here, culture influenced music first. But, blues did have an impact on culture as we will examine.

Rock n Roll didn’t just come about in the 1950’s but was centuries in the makings. In the mid to late 1600’s many white settlers began to trade and force slaves from Africa to do rigorous labor, despite harsh lives they kept their culture alive. They keep their music alive by singing folk tales while working on the fields. Many of the song lyrics were made up on the spot and “talked about ‘going home’…they [the slaves] were singing about going north to Canada and freedom” (Patrickson, Will). The civil war freed blacks, and although their lives were still difficult, there was a sense of peace and freedom achieved. Former slaves still continued to sing and create music and educated blacks introduced “English hymns”3 to their music. No longer being enslaved blacks had access to stringed instruments that were previously played strictly by whites. This access to white instruments was the first time that the soul of black-slavery music

One of these genres is rock. Characterized by guitar-led melodies and synchronizing drum patterns, rock music has been a staple for international music since the early 1900’s. However, despite its’ popularity throughout the decades, rock has undergone changes just as we recognize that society has. Initially a predominantly male-centered genre, rock music has evolved into an arena available to anyone and everyone who presents their abilities to move people through the music they produce.

Visualize in your head a rock band, and a rapper. What kind of clothes are they wearing. What lyric styles are they singing in? And what color are they? Ongoing stereotypes suggest that the rock band is a group of white musicians and the rapper would be black. However, examples from the past and present shows that these stereotypes are untrue. Music is defined as “The art of organizing tones to produce a coherent sequence of sounds to elicit an aesthetic response in a listener” (Morris, 864). This country’s youth is unlike any others, we have much control over what we do, and music is something that evolves around all of us. In this essay, I will discuss the evolution of youth music ranging from early rock, to today’s hip hop stars, from