Rock And Roll

“America. betaking herself to formative action(as it is about time for more solid achievement, and less windy promise), must , for her purpose, cease to recognize a theory of character grown of feudal aristocracies, or form’d by merely literary standards, or from any ultramarine, full-dress formulas of culture. polish, caste, &c., enough, and must sternly promulgate her new standard, yet old enough, and accepting the old, the perennial elements, and combining them into groups, unities, appropriate to the modern, the democratic, the west, and to the practical occasions and needs of our own cities, and of the agricultural regions.”1 Walt Whitman wrote this poem back in 1855. A hundred years before rock and roll was invented, people like Walt Whitman could sense that a change needed to happen in America. In the 1880’s, the Robber Barons had a dramatic impact on America. Some of them, such as Andrew Carnegie showed that people could rise from rags to riches. The 1920’s were called the Roaring 20’s, partly because people were carefree and willing to have fun. Jazz became the dominant form of music. Finally along comes the 1950’s. America has gotten out of WW2 and is now ready for a new evolution. People are feeling how they did back in the 20’s; carefree and willing to do anything for fun. On March 5, 1951, a rhythm-and-blues band, Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, recorded “Rocket 88”, a frenetic, toe-tapping tribute to a customized car.2 This was the birth of Rock and Roll. The music didn’t catch on until 1955 though, when Bill Haley produced “Rock Around the Clock”. The song soared up the pop charts, and became the first rock and roll song to ever-hit number 1. From the music of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, to Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, no other style of music has so greatly impacted the lifestyle of the American people.

Elvis Presley was the most recognized and the most influential rock and roll artist that ever lived. In 1956, Elvis made his way into the national spotlight with his single “Heartbreak Hotel”. He set in stone the image and sound of rock and roll that would endure as long as the music lived.3 With the swivel of his hips, the slur of his voice, and the curl of his lip, he evoked the force and feeling of youth and sex and the rebellion that would become the image of rock and roll. He also stamped ...

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...sten to rap, sca, hip hop, etc., but our parents hate it. They are doing the same thing to us that their parents did to them in the 50’s. Even today, we are advancing. Dress styles that were banned 20 years ago are standard today. Music has influenced our lives from the very start. It is who we are. Rock and roll is a symbol of America. It is a national pastime. If it were not for Elvis Presely or Buddy Holly or Jerry Lee Lewis or any of the rock and roll artists of the 50’s, our grandparents and parents may not have realized the need for change and we would probably still be listening to jazz and opera all the time. A quote by Gilbert Ostrander tells how the younger generation of America always finds something new to latch onto. When they get bored with that, they move on to something else. “The younger generation is at all times simultaneously appearing on the field and moving off the field and trying to stay on the field while turning into something else. No sooner have the rules of the game been officially explained by the younger generation, than another game is discovered to be in progress on the same field under different rules by a somewhat different younger generation.”19