In the 1950's there were many problems. The Korean war and the civil rights struggle.
Back then the music was all rhythm and blues (r &b). It was record mostly by black
artists and for black audience but the white teenagers became interested.
The music scene in the early 50's
Before 1954 there were 3 distinct music areas. R & B,country and pop. Music stations
usually played one type of music so listeners could easily find what type they wanted.
Pop had 4 major recording companies. RCA,Columbia,becca and Mercury. These companies
had very good connection and could make a small band very big! Pop music had a subdued
beat and smooth singing. R & B had black artists for black audiences. Country Western
had the least affect by Rock and Roll. People who recorded at small independent music
business and put out a record, they were called Indies.
The first Rock and Roll hit
The term Rock and Roll was usually used for describing physical sex. Allen Freed was
credited with inventing Rock and Roll but that wouldn't be to good for him later in
life.
The father of Rock and Roll
Alan freed was the first white disc jockey to play Rock and Roll. Alan show in
Cleveland was very popular with teenagers. In 1954, Alan's show moved to WINS. His nick
name "moondog" had to be dropped. He adopted the new title "the king of rock and roll".
Newspapers ran articles saying Alan was the main wrongdoer in creating Rock and Roll. A
riot broke out at one of Alan Freed's concert. The police turned up the house lights to
see what the teenagers were doing and Alan said something and the teens went on a
rampage. Alan was to blame. He was charged but when the manager at WINS didn't stand
behind him, Alan left and went to WABC. The charges were later dropped. Because of all
of the court appearances, Alan filed for bankruptcy in 1959. In 1960, Alan was fired
from WABC for not signing a statement that he took favors to play certain records. It
was all down hill from there. In 1965 Alan died. His friends said that he had a
drinking problem and it got worse when he was fired.
Adult response to Rock and Roll
Most adults did not like Rock and Roll. They thought it was vulgar and rude. Although
there was never a link from violence to teens. Many incidences proved that wrong when
Nat King Cole was performing and 5 teens jumped on stage and started to beat up him. He
was not hurt. Teenagers were the main buyers of records and they were performed by black
artists. Many R & B artists modified there songs to suit Rock and Roll. Then Elvis came
along! That changed a lot.
Elvis Presley
First Rock and Roll artist to sell 1 million copies and to establish a movie career.
His music appealed to kids,teens and adults. First release was Heartbreak Hotel. It was
a smash.
The late fifties (1957-1959)
Radio stations were looking for songs and entertainers that wouldn't offend adults.
Rock and Roll started to lose some of it's popularity cause of a lot of incidences that
happened. Buddy holly, Big Bopper and Richie valens all died in a plane crash. During
the downtime of Rock and Roll, black music became more popular.
The early sixties
A national dance crazy swept the nation. Songs that were being released, had a familiar
beat. Chubby Checkers was a main producer of these songs. Allot were slow and had a
gentle mood. Important innovations came along in the early 60's. Producers became more
skillful and mix and dub better. Temptations,Stevie Wonder and the 4 tops were the most
popular in this decade. Females who were usually backgrounds were now lead vocalists.
In the 60's, femine groups were very popular. The first girl group was the Shirelles and
the most popular group was the Supreames but they emerged in 1964. The best girl group
producer was Phil Spector. His technique added drama to the performance.
The new rock scene
White song writers started to emerge like The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Most of them were
folk and folk blues but The Beatles and The Rolling Stones played traditional Rock and
Roll. Teens in the sixties were involved with anti-war and civil rights and some were
involved with drugs and eastern religions. At the end of the 60's decade, trends
occurred like art rock, protest music and psychedelic music. By the seventies Rock and
Roll was established, Jazz merged with R & B and resulted it disco. Kiss and Alice
Copper dressed up on stage to get there music across.
The 50's had a clash of black and white music/traditions. 50's/60's Rock and Roll was
born. Withen a few years, Rock and Roll was all over the world and in all different
languages. Allot of the beginning Rock and Roll was allot better that now because he
have branched out and created grunge, heavy metal, soft rock.
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