The Influence Of Rock And Roll On African American Culture

The decade of the 1960s can be said to be a subversion of the United States. From the civil rights movements, anti-Vietnam war demonstration, Kennedy’s presidency, to the assassination of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, the impact of the surging social movements and political turmoils to the American society is extremely far-reaching. There has been a lot of researches on the various social movements in this period. However, people 's attention seems to be limited to another important cultural phenomenon of this period, that is the prosperity of rock & roll. This paper is intended to analyze the

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.

Rock and roll was built on the foundation of jazz, blues, country, and folk music. The Les Paul electric guitar was also a big contributor in music not just rock. One of the

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

“The rise of rock ‘n’ roll and the reception of it, in fact, can tell us a lot about the culture and values of the United States in the 1950s. According to historians James Gilbert, there was a struggle throughout the decade ‘over the uses of popular culture to determine who would speak to what audience, and for what purpose”. At the center of that struggle, rock ‘n’ roll unsettled a nation had been “living in an ‘age of anxiety’” since 1945” (p.15). Altschuler talks about how music and race interlock with one another. Rock had become a “highly visible and contested arena for struggles over racial identity and cultural and economic empowerment in the United States” (p.35). Other chapters within the book state the battles involving sexuality, generational conflicts, as well as other social issues. The author states ideas that are somewhat problematic. For example, he states that there is a myth that rock ‘n’ roll went into a “lull” following the payola hearings (the practice of record promoters paying DJs or radio programmers to play their labels ' songs) of 1959 and did not come about again until the arrival of the Beatles in 1964.

“Rock music is important to people, because it allows them to escape this crazy world. It allows them not to run away from the problems that are there, but to face up to them, but at the same time sort of DANCE ALL OVER THEM. That 's what rock and roll is about” (Pete Townshend). The concept of rock and roll music had eased into the music industry in a time after a crippling war and a great depression. The mid to late 20th century was home to innovation, rebellious teens, and a devastating war..The introduction of rock music has influenced our country and molded it in many ways as the genre progressed and has found a place in our culture.

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

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

Music has been a major part of the American life in the United States since its victory for independence against the British in the later part of the 18th century. As time, has passed in the United States different verities of music appeared and with each new verity came a changed that ushered in a new style of music. The 1940’s to the 1960’s was a time when the genre of music called Rock ‘n’ Roll appeared and along with its appearance came conflicts and arguments. Glen Altschuler in his book, All Shook Up: How Rock ‘N’ Roll Changed America, does a tremendous job at providing an analytic and well formatted narrative to discusses all the conflicts and arguments that came with the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll and how this music either supported

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

The music was opening eyes of the youth and showing them the cruelties of America. Elvis Presley began to rise on the music scene, his music was showing “rebellion as an eye-opening style”(Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and The Rock of the Sixties). It wasn’t until 1962 that the generation had found a music to truly fit their desire for music. Originating in Liverpool, England, The Beatles, a band that captured the essence of being a cultural outsider. The Beatles gave a sense of hope, “young people were free to redefine themselves in completely new terms”(Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and The Rock of the Sixties).

There are many key contributing factors to the Civil Rights Movement which have been thoroughly covered however, the influence of music seems to be an aspect that is far less developed. In order to assess just how significant music really was it is crucial to analyse its widespread significance, the nature of its appeal and key role models that contributed to its involvement within the Civil Rights Movement during the period 1962-1969, in order to detect just how influential it really was. Music is an expression of emotion so it is fair to say that music may have made a contribution to the Civil Rights Movement notably in the duration of 1962-1968 as the Civil Rights Movement proved to be at its highest peak especially following the March on Washington 1963[1]. A time when emotions were running high and the African American people needed an outlet for their emotion, music was there to meet their needs. It inspired the people to have the courage to make a stand against the discrimination placed upon them from a society dictated by whites.

Throughout the history of time, music has impacted cultures in numerous ways. Music cultivates our mind to understand historical events, to express ourselves to others, to deliver messages, and to just celebrate and have a good time. While acknowledging the importance of music, we must also acknowledge our own individual culture and how they have contributed to the impact of the music industry. African Americans have paved the way for the music industry for centuries. They have granted people of different cultures the opportunity to understand their harsh past, how they have overcame, and where they are going. While African Americans provide other races and ethnicities with music that has derived from ancestral past, many argue that people of different ethnicities can not partake in performing or

Black musicians gained respect and a consistent audience. Names such as B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Little Richard, among others, would not be recognized if it weren’t for John Hammond. The fact that black musicians were accepted and even respected, translated to a beginning of the civil rights movement.3 This attitude slowly carried over from music to the world as a whole with the help of civil rights leaders.

In the 1950’s Rock and Roll emerged as a type of music that influenced America even to this day. After World War II, the population found money more readily available and it was only logical for record labels and radio stations to play a mixture of jazz, R&B, and pop. Rock and Roll developed from the merging of black music with white urban listeners. Teens used this type of music as a source of individual expression, since it was against the approval of their parents (Noyer 11). The success of Rock and Roll was mostly due to radio. Concerts and American Idol did not exist in the 50’s and those who wanted to hear Rock and Roll had to turn on their trusty radios. Although Rock and Roll flourished in this decade, many parents and religious groups were opposed. They claimed sexual references were hidden amongst the lyrics and many radio stations started banning this music genre (Kallen 79, 84). In the 1950’s, teenagers were given a reason