Music has always inspired people to think for themselves and find meanings within deep and confusing lyrics, giving them new perspective. Back during the times when the fight for civil rights was in full swing, music played an even bigger role. Some musicians used personal experience as inspiration for their work; it made their songs more relatable to the listeners and added a bit of personality to the music. The songs they wrote stimulated people to gather together and demand change. The bravery of the artists who spoke out against the way the country was headed allowed them to create these songs and get people together.
One artist that was extremely influential in the time of crisis was Bob Dylan. He was born on May 24, 1941 as Robert Allen Zimmerman. When he began to perform in college, he adopted the stage name that he is known for today, Bob Dylan. He got his last name from the poet Dylan Thomas, who was one of his major motivations along with Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie. He wrote songs about real occurrences like his song, “Hurricane” which was about the renowned African American boxer Rubin Carter, who was wrongly accused of murder even though he was all the way across town at the time the murder took place. Throughout his musical career, he was awarded an abundance of awards for his lyrics and song writing that inspired and moved many struggling people all across the troubled country.
Another artist who was tremendously influential during this era was Joan Baez. She produced folk music which happened to be very popular during this time period. She is also famous for popularizing the work of Bob Dylan. She was born on January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York. She became interested in the folk genre of music two yea...
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... soul, emotion, and a yearning for change. Their words and ideas were spread across the U.S. on their concert tours which helped make the movement bigger than it ever could have been without these musicians. Musical artists used their creativity and life experience to weave songs that sewed the African Americans together into one marvelous cloth of equality.
Works Cited
Demuynck, Julie. "English 102." : Soul Music of the 1960s Influence on Civil Rights-Julie Demuynck. N.p., 17 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 May 2014.
"Joan Baez Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
"James Brown." James Brown. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
"Bob Dylan." Bob Dylan. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
Ward, Brian. ""People Get Ready": Music and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
The development of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the late 1940s and early 1950s by young African Americans coincided with a sensitive time in America. Civil rights movements were under way around the country as African Americans struggles to gain equal treatment and the same access to resources as their white neighbors. As courts began to vote in favor of integration, tensions between whites and blacks escalated. As the catchy rhythm of Rock ‘n’ Roll began to cross racial boundaries many whites began to feel threatened by the music, claiming its role in promoting integration. This became especially problematic as their youth became especially drawn to ...
...o grew up in the tight nit-pick culture of the 50s who were influenced by this new wave of music of rock ‘n’ roll. The gap between values of parents and their children grew. As teens became more rebellious, the civil rights movement came to play. It was the same teens and young adults that took this rebellion from rock and made it lead the civil rights movement into action, realizing that not all tradition is right.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Bob Dylan used his talent of music as his tool to help the movement sweep through the nation. Dylan had very big ambitions for not only his life alone, but for the world. Dylan had a massive influence on people’s minds, hearts, and souls. Dylan had a message to share. He was looking for a change, and it would come along if he had anything to do with it.
Rosenthal, David. Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music, 1955-1965. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Bob Dylan was considered one of the greatest influences on popular culture of all time, and though influential, Bob Dylan’s rise to idol status in popular culture was more brought about by historical factors, his life was affected by many historical events including, The Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination and the civil rights movement, to name a few. His songs became known as protest songs, despite Bob Dylan’s apparent lack of understanding for the meanings the public attached to his writing.
Protest songs during this time were more popular than in previous generations, and had a larger impact. Because protest music had messages that where drenched in political events like the Civil Rights movement they were so closely related that each had to a role in causing or propagating the other. Nonetheless, whether looking back at the 60’s, 90’s, or even now there is one thing for certain which is protest music can be a very effective tool for change. Protest songs that have such strong political message in which a massive amount of people can relate deeply too, caused huge bouts of protest such as the Vietnam War, racially segregation, police brutality, Ferguson, occupy wall street, and Black lives matter movement. As history as shown, human beings are greatly affected by messages they can relate to and experience daily, and therefore, when harnessed into a political song that reaches the masses great change is surly to come
The African-American civil rights movement was a cruel time for the African American race to endure due to the harsh discrimination and segregation that they faced. This movement fought for the rights and the equality of African Americans in the United States. With all that was going on, African Americans turned to music for motivation, courage, inspiration and strength to overcome the difficult obstacles that they would soon face. “Non-violence marchers faced beating, hosing, burning, shooting, or jail with no defense other than their courage and songs” (Hast 45). “It's been a long, a long time coming/ But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will” (Cooke, Sam. A Change Is Gonna Come). Music was their greatest hope for change in the near future and is the thing that kept them fighting for what they deserved. They came together with each other due to the lyrics of many different songs that kept the civil rights movement alive and known. Music painted a vision that they could picture and look forward to; it was a dream that they could fight for. “Music empowered African Americans to hold tight to their dream of racial equality” (Jeske). A genre of music that bought society together during this movement was folk.
Music has been an affective diversion for many years, an escape away from one’s everyday life. In the 1950’s, teenagers’ everyday lives were filled with an allowance of ‘fun’, given to them by their parents, who had grown up in a time of war, and wished to give their children the freedom that they didn’t receive. Rock and Roll music in this era represented a common ground for teenagers of all races, a sense of freedom, and an act of rebellion. This act of rebellion against the conventional lives their parents hoped for them to have created a feeling of indignation for the parents against their scapegoat for these actions: none other than rock and roll music.
Roy, W. (2010). Reds, whites, and blues social movements, folk music, and race in the United States. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
After many of World War II’s harmful effects, the 1950s served as a period of time of musical change that reflected the dynamic of society as well as the traditional norms and values. Many factors contributed to this transformation. For example, the civil rights movement heightened many racial tensions, and the music produced consequently manifested this tension in itself. Rock-n-roll and R&B music universalized music typically associated with African-Americans, and many African-American musicians gained fame; however, as with any relatively-widespread success, there were many musicians as well who missed their opportunities due to the same racial segregation. While “radical” genres such as R&B and rock-n-roll laid the foundation for music future forms of music, the standard pop, jazz, and country music adhered to traditional values, and thus continued to maintain popularity amidst phenomena such as the Elvis craze.
There is no American social movement of the 20th century more closely connected to music than the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. The movement was a national effort made by African Americans and their supporters to eliminate racial segregation and secure citizenship rights specified in the constitution. African Americans wanted and were fighting to have the same rights as white people. They wanted to be able to eat in the same places, use the same buses, use the same restrooms, use the same water fountains, and have the opportunity to vote without taxes and reading tests. Civil rights activists used nonviolent protests
As a very prestigious award, the Nobel Prize for Literature holds high expectations for their candidates. The candidacy of such a prize can only given “to those who… shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind” (Allén) and the winner must fit into the rule that “the person shall have produced… the most outstanding work” (Allén). Bob Dylan came from a very humble background, yet has managed to rise to the top with a “career that began in the early 1960s with songs that chronicled social issues like war and civil rights” (Biography.com). Bob Dylan received the Nobel Prize of Literature because his music peacefully protested against the violence of war with its lyrics that include poetic devices such as repetition, similes, paradox and
My artist from the 1960’s was Bobby Darin, his Simple Song of Freedom lyrics can relate to the 1980’s Public Enemy Fight the Power song. They both send the message to others about Civil Rights and the importance of equality among all regardless of race, gender etc. The 1960’s generation was fighting the Vietnam War which most of the United States popular was against. The 1980’s generation was also fighting a war but it was geared toward corrupt Government Officials but most importantly being able to speak up for what you believe
Powell, A. (2007). The Music of African Americans and its Impact on the American Culture in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Miller African Centered Academy, 1. Retrieved from http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2007/Powell.pdf