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Rock and roll in the 1950s
1950s economy compared to today's
Rock and roll in the 1950s
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The 1950’s were years of growth and conflict in the U.S. Economy was in full swing and growing immensely. Post WWII families were having babies left and right, commonly known as the “baby boom”. The creation of new cars, suburbs, and new consumer goods sparked hope in many Americans. The U.S was the world’s strongest military power. There was also the underlying fear of communism that frequently caused tension between people. But the most intriguing part of the era was the ever changing pop culture. From dances to fashion, to food and toys, the 1950’s were a whirlwind for the new and improved. Pop culture in the 1950’s were the bee’s knees, they were the ages of amazing music, fun fashion, and nifty toys. New toys were a big thing in the …show more content…
February 3rd, 1959, also known as “the day the music died”, was a day that would forever be remembered in the history of music. Holly and his band members were killed when their plane crashed in Iowa on the way to Moorehead, Minnesota. Though the iconic stars passed, their music lived on. The group wrote all of their own songs. From the year 1957 to 1958, Holly and his group had seven top 40 singles, including the iconic “That’ll be the Day”. Other hits of theirs included “OH, Boy!”, “Maybe Baby”, and “Rave On”. The Crickets will forever be remembered for their amazing music. The most iconic music star of the 1950’s though, was the amazing Elvis Presley. The legend was born on January 8th, 1935. In 1955 he had a record label with RCA Victor. In 1956, Elvis became a world sensation. Having a unique sound and style, he started a new generation of American music. He became known as “The King of Rock n’ Roll”. Some of his iconic songs include “Hound Dog”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, and “Any Way You Want Me”. His song “Heartbreak Hotel” became his very first popular hit. Elvis Presley is still honored today and even has an exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of
The history of the twentieth century would not be complete without mentioning the impeccable influence of one of the best and biggest singers of all time. But before he started making his indelible mark in the sands of time, he started out from very humble beginnings, under the care of his loving, working class parents. Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Although, Presley was supposed to be a twin, his supposed twin brother, Jesse Garon, sometimes spelled Jessie was stillborn. Elvis Aaron Presley was an incredible American Singer, Musician and Actor with inspirational quotes such as this “Fingerprints are like values; you leave them all over everything you do.”
...sley performed his music in all types of genres. Presley allowed musicians to step out of the box and be their selves. He had hit songs in gospel, rock, pop, and country. Although he lived a short life, he is still famous in some people’s eyes. I met a woman who had attended one of Elvis’s performances and she said it was the best concert she had ever been to. During the concert she said Elvis was dancing and all the girls were going crazy as always. He removed his scarf and threw it into the crowd she was the lucky one who caught it. She still has his scarf in her house, and will never forget the memories of that night. Elvis passed away on August 16, 1977 in his home from heart failure. The King still lives on in many people’s lives and his music career helped many people. Elvis Presley led the way for many musicians, and has impacted the lives of many people.
"If you're out there, people never forget you. That is one of the things I believe in today, never being forgotten. I would like to be remembered as a person that loved people and wanted to be loved by them''. King has wrought a unique style of blues often imitated, but never duplicated.
During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.
Elvis Presley is also known as the “King of Rock and Roll” is the most influential Rock and Roll artist of all time. “Elvis Presley life story began when Elvis Aaron Presley was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. He and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953.” (Elvis Presley Biography)
There are many Elvis Tribute Artists throughout the United States. A tribute artist is one of a group of unique people who have dedicated their lives to keeping Elvis’ memory alive. How it all got started, a boy went into Sun Records at the age of 19, to record a special song for his mother’s birthday present; the song was titled My Happiness. One year would pass by, before the owner of the studio would call him back. In 1954, music producer, Sam Phillips discovered the very young and energetic boy that we know as Elvis. Sam Phillips was looking for a sound that was very different and unique. Elvis, Scotty Moore, and Dj Fontana had been working hard all day, and close to the end of the afternoon when they were about ready to give up, while taking a break, Elvis picked up the guitar and started to play around. Sam stuck his head out of the control booth, and asks, “What are you doing and can you do it again?” Elvis answered, “I don’t know and yes”. The rockabilly sound was born. A deejay by the name of, Dewey Phillips at WHBQ Radio in Memphis, Tennessee interviewed Elvis and played his first record “That’s all right mamma. The world was introduced to Elvis Presley and the rockabilly sound. Elvis was the greatest music entertainer of his time, until his death on August 16, 1977, at the age of forty-two years. His sudden death left this world very tearful, he was known as the King-of -Rocking- N-Roll throughout his life and still today, thirty-two years after he died.
Over 40,000,000 viewers tuned in to hear his R&B meets rock and roll song with his hip thrusts and pelvis shakes and the people lost it. You were either with him or against him, the teenage girls went wild over his moves while the church and elders thought he was everything they feared of the future, sexual, wild and rebellious. In the world facing such bigger issues with the cold war going on and the rise of communism it was easy to listen to Presley’s happy-go-lucky rock music and find an escape from the harsh realities of the world. It goes along with the normalcy bias that society ignores bigger issues in light that they rather not accept the fact that it is happening and deal with
The 1950’s have received a reputation as an age of political, social and cultural conformity. This reputation is rightfully given, as with almost every aspect of life people were encouraged to conform to society. Conforming is not necessarily a negative thing for society, and the aspects of which people were encouraged to conform in the 1950’s have both negative and positive connotations.
...And Roll Hall Of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame (About Johnny Cash). No other person has made such an impact of music and people as Johnny Cash has, he is still considered a musical genius. May the phrase, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” live on forever.
The 1950s seemed like a perfect decade. The rise of suburbs outside cities led to an expansion of the middle class, thus allowing more Americans to enjoy the luxuries of life. The rise of these suburbs also allowed the middle class to buy houses with land that used to only be owned by more wealthy inhabitants. Towns like Levittown-one of the first suburbs- were divided in such a way that every house looked the same (“Family Structures”). Any imperfections were looked upon as unfavorable to the community as a whole. Due to these values, people today think of the 1950s as a clean cut and model decade. This is a simplistic perception because underneath the surface, events that took place outside the United States actually had a direct effect on our own country’s history. The rise of Communism in Russia struck fear into the hearts of the American people because it seemed to challenge their supposedly superior way of life.
America in the 1950s is often characterized with many important social, political, cultural, and economic events. Many aspects of life changed in the 1950s with the ending of World War Two causing veterans to return home, but also the country continued some of its long time traditions. As veterans returned home, men returned to their job, the economy began to boom, and large families began to move to the suburbs. Socially, culturally, economically and politically America in the 1950s challenged, more than embraced the status quo.
One of the main waves of music of the time was a calmer more gentle rock. A major band called The Beatles were so popular during this time it was called Beatle Mania. The Beatles were one of the numerous bands coming to America either many more would coming getting the title of the British invasion. During the 1960s America’s economy was greatly increasing. This time period focused on the housing and computer industry which overpowered automobiles, chemicals, and electrically powered consumer durables, which were the leading sectors in the 1950s. Agriculture fell from 19.2 to 7.5 percent, minimum wage increased from $1.00 to $1.25, and the unemployment of was around 6 percent. Another economic point is the growing middleclass. Between 1945 and 1960, the median family income, adjusted for inflation, almost doubled. Rising income doubled the size of the middle class. Before the Great Depression of the 1930s only one-third of Americans qualified as middle class, but in postwar America two-thirds did. Many middle class families of postwar America became suburban families. Of the 13 million new homes built in the 1950s, 85 percent were in the suburbs. The GI bill helped this growth greatly. Soldiers coming home from the war would have a government loan for a home or going to college. Making college more of a social norm. Which still effects society today making more jobs having a college degree required. The political culture focused more on containing communism with the theory helping this being called the domino theory “Military Intervention in Korea and Vietnam finally, you have broader considerations that might follow what you would call the falling domino principle. You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration
The 1950s was a time when conformity held supreme in the culture at large. Issues such as women 's rights were thrown to the back as people tried to remain in the popular form of a family. These issues being put off only caused the prolonging of the tumultuous 1960s that would soon
Elvis also had a twin brother who was stillborn. Elvis is one of the most iconic figures in rock and roll history if you need proof look at honey people imitate his voice and dress up like him. Elvis Presley was a southern white man who sang a mixture of black and white music. So as you can guess he had a lot of people who disliked him for those two facts. Elvis Presley is without a doubt one of the most iconic figures to of ever lived.
Although some may disagree, popular culture in the 1950s experienced a pivotal change for the better. As aforementioned, 1950s’ popular culture changed a great deal. Americans had gained great deal of money. Unemployment and inflation rates were low. Economy was booming which meant that Americans had more money and