Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The history of rock and roll
The development of rock n roll
The development of rock n roll
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The birth of Rock and Roll Music was a mixture of popular music and African American country blues and hillbilly music. However, Rock and Roll music was influence since the 1950’s by two particular African American artists like Muddy Waters and Howlin` Wolf. Through their distinct voices, style, deliverance, and performances that helped the music in the 1950’s give rise to this new style of music genre Rock and Roll. During the World War II era, this style of music was looked at; as traditional music and, through the music people could tell their story, not just about their struggles but the real struggles going on around them, like, isolation between black and white people. Most artists were sharing their values and trying to associate through …show more content…
There was a lot of controversy of what Rock and Roll music would do to the younger white generation because at the time discrimination was still going on between the two races and parents feared their children were being controlled through the lyrics of “black” music known as race music. Parents tried to prevent and refrain their children from listening to Rock and Roll music. In the 1940’s and 1950’s Rock and Roll, music had a different style and lyrical deliverance that encompassed from all different varieties of genres. The range came from country folk music, blues, and Jazz. Most of the older generations were influenced by gospel songs, so that played a huge roll of how a song was structured because the deliverance of the music was formatted differently and the sound was not so …show more content…
Through his music lyrically he explained two things between dance and music he said: “Rock ‘n’ Roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can’t help but move to it.” (needs citation) Therefore, when he performed songs like “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)” he changed the rhythm and melody to an up tempo, the lyrics talk about him losing a woman and he then starts crying over her. Unlike “Tutti Frutti” which was originated by “Little Richard,” he is singing about two different women he is having a hard time figuring out why they drive him crazy the song can be taken as sexual or depending on the thoughts of the listener. So, when he performed this new sounds Country combined with the Rhythm and Blues that was exhilarating to his mixed audience. He was not only telling a story through his new founded discoveries of music he had a distinct voice, style, and deliverance like the African American artists in the 1940’s and 50’s Elvis helped the music in 1954 give rise to this new genre Rock and
The book depicts the story of culture conflicts of the music, which arose from the introduction of the foot-tapping, hip-swaying music now known as rock n' roll (Graarrq). The outcome of rock n’ roll coincided with tremendous uproar in the movement to grant civil rights to African American. Trapped in the racial politics of the 1950s, rock n’ roll was credited with and criticized for promoting integration and economic opportunity for blacks while bringing to “mainstream” cloture black styles and values (Altschuler). Black values were looked over and kind of not important to whites. Whites were very much so well treated then blacks were, however no one spoke out until the outcome of rock n’ roll.
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 ...
During the 1960s and the early 1970s, music reflected the political and social changes that America was undergoing at the time. Some of these major changes included the African-American civil rights movement and the conflict over America’s role in the Vietnam War. During these hard times, people turned to music for hope, peace, happiness and answers.
Although he later denied that he ever said it, Sam Phillips-the man who discovered Elvis Presley-is reputed to have said, “if I could find a white man who had the Negro sound the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars” (Decurtis 78). Certain radio stations would not play the work of black artists in the segregated America of the 1950s. But, nevertheless, rock ‘n’ roll was an art form created by African-Americans. Little Richard, whose songs “Tutti Fruitti” and “Long Tall Sally” became hits only after white-bread versions were made by Pat Boone, said, “It started out as rhythm and blues” (Decurtis 78).
The rise of rock and roll into the limelight is to a large extent attributed to the teenagers of the 1950’s. Early rock music listened to by teenagers during the 1950’s was formed by blending together Rhythm and blues with country music. This kind of ...
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 which led to the rebellion of the civil rights movement. Through these factors rock ‘n’ roll influenced a great deal over the civil rights movement.
Rock ‘n’ roll also tried to express the common things or feelings of the younger generations. The common shared subjects of lyrics of rock ‘n’ roll were about cars, stress from society, love, and rebellion. The important thing is that blues was also representative of rebellion of African-Americans, though blues was more unrevealed, which means an indirect reference. However, rock ‘n’ roll is more obvious and open. For example, Rock Around the Clock, the original soundtrack of Blackboard Jungle, was number one for eight weeks, and the movie was about the rebellion of teenagers and violence.
Many people and many styles of music influenced Rock and Roll. The styles included Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Bluegrass, Boogie-Woogie, and Rockabilly. Each was a major factor into the introduction of a new style of music called Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Rock and Roll was the start of a new revolution in America. It introduced the world to many of the famous artists that continue to be a part of our lives today. "Artists who became popular in the 1950s such as Elvis, began to pave the way for others such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly" (The History of Rock 'n' Roll until 1960). With the introduction of rock 'n' roll, there came many new changes to the lives of many Americans. Rock and Roll was a major contributor for the change in teens' behavior in the 1950s because it encouraged new freedoms for teenagers, encouraged new fads among teenagers, and caused a generation gap.
influential in the North as well. Blacks moved from the South to the North and
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.
Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.
From it’s slow suggestive tunes to it’s loud and wild beats this music allowed people to go wild with a new kind of swing.“Appalled by the new styles of dance the movement evoked, churches proclaimed it Satan 's music (America Rocks and Rolls) .” Expressing oneself was, and still is/is, the core of rock music and this thrilled the youths because they got to show themselves in a way no one else had before. From the music to the dance moves to the clothes, rock and roll was all about showing off oneself. It was a great breather from before when it was all about fitting in. During the rock and roll era the flamboyantse clothes were the tip top if fashion and was worn by celebrities and fans alike. Rock became itsflamboyant clothing and itsthe clothing became rock. ”It is apparent from Garofalo’s earlier quote that rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s is held to be a watershed moment in the rise to prominence of African American sounds in the pop mainstream. “ Opening up isn’t easy especially with all the segregation that was going on then. The earlier forms of music like jazz and the blues were bringing popularity to the African American community, but they were still considered lower than those with the lighter skinned people. They were fighting for equality and all those feelings transferred to their famous music too. When blues and jazz evolved to rock and roll, those feelings were still there and people of all colors were attracted to it. The more popularity rock gathered, the less, people could stay away and in the end, rock and roll spread like wildfire until it was nationwide. Opening up meant having people listen to and understanding the feelings of another, and those chaotic feelings became the music we know and love today called rock and roll. the melodies of rock created a perfect way to do
Have you ever wondered how rock and roll impacted the American society? Rock and roll originated in Africa by the way they used only vocals. Rock and roll used to be called the Tin Pan Alley because they said that it sounded like they were banging on pans. During the big band era, the singers began to rise to fame because they were going solo with their singing. Then, when the electric guitar emerged, rock and roll became more popular and well known. When the radio and the TV had become accessible to every household, rock started to emerge more because kids and teens could watch their favorite band perform on the most well-known show called American Bandstand. The parents didn't like the new style, called rock emerging because they thought it showed crude behavior and had a bad influence on their kids. Rock and roll had a positive impact on American society by changing the way of teenage lifestyle.
The radio disc jockey leads in with, “And now, here’s a number from the Rolling Stones!” The drums throb, the guitars wail, and Mick Jagger belts out, “It 's only Rock and Roll, but I like it!” America liked it, too. From its roots in black gospel to its modern version, rock music has evolved along with and because of American societal changes. By the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, Americans were enjoying a prosperity that had not been seen since before the Great Depression of the 1930’s. This prosperity, along with other changes, helped to bring about a new American music as well. Since its beginnings in the 1950 's, rock music has been a reflection of and a catalyst for American social change.