Research Proposal: The Social Realities of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Birth and the Teenager The story of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll has a mythical quality to it. It speaks of racial barriers bridged through the fusion of Afro-American musical styles with white popular music in 1950s America. Not only did white record producers and radio disc jockeys market Afro-American artists, but white artists began to cover their songs, as well as incorporate Afro-American style into their own song writing. The musical style was so powerful that the white audience was infected by it, despite the social stigma that listening to “race music” possessed. The common view of teenagers’ participation in the creation of rock ‘n’ roll as an act of rebellion runs parallel with the music’s legendary origins. Through rock ‘n’ roll, the teenagers of the United States created a generational gap that angered their parents’ generation. Teenagers rejected kitchy Tin Pan Alley, “Sing Along with Mitch,” and the sleepy crooning of Perry Como in favour of sexually charged race music. Historians have taken different approaches to the question of teen rebellion. While some consider their love of rock ‘n’ roll revolutionary, others argue that the music cemented teenagers within the conformity and materialism of the 1950s; what cars were to adults, rock ‘n’ roll was to teens.[1] In dealing with these issues, historians have neglected to examine the social implication of “race music” on a white audience, specifically teenagers. Historians most often explain the origins of the music as something of a legend; Afro-American music and culture is praised, and white American society is indebted to the cultural enrichment it has received from it. Afro-American music saved white society from being boring.[2] The social realities of the United States during that decade make this birth story seem hypocritical and condescending. The 1950s did not produce harmony between the black and white populations of the United States; racial tensions were enormous. In light of this, the racial aspect of rock ‘n’ roll and its implications on its white middle-class teen audience needs to be examined. Were teenagers consciously rebelling by listening to the music with Afro-American origins or did their social attitudes remain unaffected? Was Afro-American music merely a tool in marketing, in the commercial capitalization of th... ... middle of paper ... ...k: Da Capo Press, 1974) 45-46. [4] Carl Belz, The Story of Rock (New York: Oxford University Press, 1969) 31. [5] Charlie Gillett, The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll (New York: Da Capo Press, 1970) 13. [6] Ibid. 11-12. [7] Nik Cohn, Rock from the Beginning (New York: Stein and Day, 1969) 15. [8] Donald Clarke, The Rise and Fall of Popular Music (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995) 414-415. [9] Cohn 55. [10] Clarke 415. [11] Paul Friedlander, Rock and Roll: A Social History (Boulder: Westview Press, Inc., 1996) 21. [12] Ibid. [13] Aquila 21. [14] Ibid. 22-31. [15] Douglas T. Miller and Marion Nowak, The Fifties: The Way We Really Were (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1977) 280. [16] Ibid. 279. [17] Ibid. 304. [18] Gillett 10. [19] Miller and Nowak 295. [20] Cohn 40. [21] Friedlander 40. [22] Miller and Nowak 297. [23] Ibid. 300-306. [24] Pattison v. [25] Ibid. 33. [26] Ibid. 36. [27] Ibid. 49. [28] Ibid. 64. [29] Aquila 119-120. [30] Miller and Nowak 298. [31] Belz x-xi. [32] Billboard Top 1000 Singles, 1955 to 1992 (Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corp., 1993) 6. [33] Miller and Nowak 188-193. [34] Quoted in Miller and Nowak 272.
Rap started as a social movement during the mid-1970’s, once the 80’s arrived it started expanding dramatically, and became popular among white suburban youth. During the late 1980s and early 1990s rap became overtly political with its messages, which expanded its popularity further. Unfortunately, political rap lost its popularity in the mid-1990s; regardless of this artists and their voices have been marginalized because of corporate control. Although there does not seem to be a direct connection between rap music and its whitening, the author claims that it is not coincidental. Despite the political messages within the genre, rap has been viewed through a racist
Goldman, Albert. “The Emergence of Rock.” The Sixties. Ed. Gerald Howard. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984. 343-64.
While the 1950s and 60s were a time of segregation in America. Most Americans, especially older individuals and groups found the beat and lyrics to Rock ‘n’ Roll sickening. It reminded them of a kind of African American type music. They didn’t like the fact that their children were listening to it because “Rock ‘n’ Roll was credited with and criticized for promoting integration and economic opportunity for blacks while bringing to ‘mainstream’ culture black styles and values.” While Americans began to feel that they were beginning to grow closer and closer to the ways of Afr...
As the era of War and Depression was coming to a close, a new America was on the rise. Women began taking their place within the role of housewife while teenagers were careless with their actions. Since the Great Depression was over, the economy was booming and all the worries about money were gone. Race and segregation was still a problem and becoming more and more controversial. African Americans were fighting for desegregation, especially in schools such as in the Board v Brown case. While the new era brought on some social changes, many known changes came from one man known as “The King of Rock and Roll”: Elvis Presley. With Market potential on his mind, Sam Phillips of Sun Records was looking for an artist who appealed to both whites and blacks, found just what he was looking for in Elvis, a man with a white face and a black sound. Phillips managed to find an artist who appealed to the largest consumer base; white society. Presley’s music would go on to revolutionize future genres along with the people themselves. Elvis Presley did not only impact fashion, attitude, music and views on race during the 1950s, but also had a profound influence regarding these aspects that can still be seen in today’s society.
Rock and roll is a style of music that has roots traced all the way back to the 1800s. It is made up of jazz, blues, folk, country, and rhythm and blues. The rhythm and blues contribution to rock originated from the African American culture (??). Performers like Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, and Little Richard aided in the formation of rock and roll music. The generation that was highly impacted by this new sound was the baby booming population that arose after World War II ended. Black and white teenagers loved every aspect of rock and roll and listened to the music together at the staged concerts Alan Freed created. These young adolescents played a major role in the desegregation movements of the 1960’s and learned a great deal of information from their folk icons Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. This new form of music gave them new freedom, thoughts, and expression. Middle aged and older adults would say that the creation and evolution of rock and roll corrupted their children or the youth they saw on the streets. Many believed that rock and roll did not corrupt the young it revolutionized them. Rock and roll desegregated young African Americans and whites, it gave a new way for adolescents to express themselves, and it created a new way for the youth to be involved in social or political causes.
Rock and roll’s sheer existence has seemly coexisted with multitudes of generations’ hormone infested teenagers for decades. Since its appearance and establishment within the mid 1950’s, rock and roll has undoubtedly managed to capture the hearts of millions and presently still continues to. Ideally, when addressing the genre of rock and roll, artists such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard may occasionally come to mind. However, it seems so that it’s impossible to envision rock and roll without its king, Elvis Presley. Many individuals may be familiar with Elvis Presley as one of America’s most musically influential figures of all times. Infamously recognized as the “King of Rock n’ Roll”, Elvis Presley has forever been engraved within the
Rock n’ roll led America into becoming a society that is more accepting of different races and cultures, it also inspired rebellion against the social norms of the time. One example of a change that rock n’ roll brought onto society was the acceptance of races, especially African Americans. In the beginning of the rock n’ roll movement, many white adults were against the genre of music, largely because it was performed by African Americans or had African American influences, but teenagers loved it. Because of this, white teens were going to concerts performed by African Americans and watched them in unsegregated crowds. These experiences gave white, impressionable teens
McLeese, Don. “The Spirit of a Rocker.” New York Times. 18 October 1987. Web. 11
Music, for generations, has been used to display the continuous atrocities occurring within our world; whether the musical composition be “We Are the World” or “Imagine” by the infamous John Lennon. These influential songs helped identify the sociological struggles the world was facing during those times of turmoil and strife. Currently the American society is dealing with various forms of racial tension amongst the communities of our diverse country. Society’s perception of race and the values we have tied to individual ethnic groups for a long time have been misconstrued in such a way that they have led to institutional racism and privilege. Discussing race and its role in society often times is a taboo subject for many individuals, but in
4 Mack, Stacey "ROCKED AND ROLLIN" TIME to Rock round the Clock Nash Publishing, 1994.
Weissman, Dick. (2010). Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution: Music and Social Change in America. Blackbeat Books: New York
Oliver Strunk and Leo Treitler, eds., Source Readings in Music History, rev. ed. (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998), 897.
When Rock arrived on the music charts in the 1950's, a merging of African-American and White music, it made a huge impact on society. As a general rule I am not heavily into music, but I was drawn to Rock for some inexplicable reason. It is just the music I like. This genre will be difficult to write about because the origin of Rock is unclear; there are traces of Rock's style back into the 19th Century. It is also a very broad subject and I will have to compress a lot of information into as few pages as possible. Be that as it may, Rock is, in my opinion the best music genre on the charts.
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
The music we know as rock and roll emerged in the mid-1950s, although its advent had been on the horizon for at least a decade. A quarter of the American population moved during World War II, and that brought southern, rural, sacred and secular traditions into new contact with urban based music and audiences. The product of many regional musical scenes and independent record labels, rock and roll emerged in Memphis, Los Angeles, Shreveport, New York, Detroit, Baltimore, and dozens of other cities. It was, in historian Charlie Gillett’s words, the Sound of the City.