Essay On Rock And Roll Culture

“Music has always been both a barometer measuring and responding to society's problems and possibilities, and the twentieth century was a period that witnessed the emergence of a diverse range of musical styles and genres, each seemingly in reaction to the dominant sociopolitical concerns of the day” (Morgan). Presley, Dylan, and Joplin had the greatest influence on American culture in the 1960’s.

Did you know that in the 1950´s the music industry had ¨Race Records¨ which sold music by black artists to blacks only (Handyside 11)? Music has been around for centuries, including genres such as Classical and Gospel songs. Music has been used for dancing, meditation, and for just plain out relaxation. The historical, political, and social events leading to the influence of new music during the 1950’s are what has shaped music today.

Rock and Roll has revolutionized the way we behave, dress, and much more. To this day rock and roll continues to make its statement in society. It had become a popular music genre that dominated the 1950’s and currently today 's music culture. The music genre originated in the 1950’s. It is a combination of Jazz, Blues, and Gospel. This music style had shaped the future of those in the 1950’s setting a platform of the music to come. Rock and Roll couldn’t have taken flight without the popular artist of the time including the widely known “King of Rock” Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and many more bands from England and America.

Jimi Hendrix formerly stated, “Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” A generation which was earnestly devoted to peace, protest, and revolution, the counterculture amongst the 1960’s yearned for change. Rock and roll was far beyond just a genre of music; it influenced lifestyles, protests, and attitudes, thus, kindling an awakening in the youth of American culture. The distinction between parental and youth culture was a persistent root of concern, considering that teens throughout the world found a sense of belonging in this style of music. Differing racial and social groups brewed, worrying the older generations of social

Since the founding of the United States of America, culture, religion, and race have always been interlaced. If one of these changed, the others struggled to adapt. There was never a time in America’s short history that these three matters collided more brutally or ferociously than during the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll. It is quite obvious that not one single event, action, or phenomenon caused the turmoil during this era, but rather a perfect storm of cultural and racial revolutions that collided head on with tremendous religious backlash.

The Ed Sullivan Show, in particular, hosted popular bands who played their protest songs for millions of viewers. For example, the first appearance of The Beatles garnered over 70 million viewers. There were opportunities for African-American

All Shook Up: How Rock N’ Roll Changed America, by Glenn C. Altschuler, does a great job in discussing all of the conflicts of the time and how rock n’ roll helped or discouraged the conflicts throughout the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Altschuler used essential sources such as newspapers and magazines, as well as other books on the issue to argue main points about the conflicts and affects that rock n’ roll had during this time period. By using and analyzing the primary sources through a social history and in a narrative format, he makes a solid reason and argument for how rock n’ roll really affected and changed America. Throughout history, music has played a huge role in changing the lives of people. However, as the time has passed music, itself,

The music industry has played a large role in shaping the society in which people live in today. Music has the ability to not only impact an individual’s life but society as a whole. One genre/subgenre in particular that was able to cause dramatic change within the US itself was punk rock. Punk rock, which could be consider a subgenre of rock n roll or a genre of its own, came into the popular music scene in the 1960s and 70s and played a huge role in shaping the lives of many Americans especially those whose voices were not heard in the mainstream. Throughout history and still in today’s society many groups of people go unheard and are not respected as they should be under the constitution. The genre/subgenre of punk rock has brought

In the 1920’s jazz greatly rose in popularity, due to the process of recordings. Jazz’s popularity directly correlates to how it personifies African-American culture. Many black musicians felt as though they weren’t getting the recognition they deserved. These musicians were upset about being ripped off by recording labels, and rightfully so. Apart from being upset about how they were being treated by record labels, white America did not feel comfortable with the music being solely from African-Americans. Jazz ended up becoming more of a commodity, and the most well-known artists were white. African-Americans were facing racism and random acts of violence against them, they took solace in their music as it was an essential part of their culture.

When you hear Rock and Roll, you hear the catchy words, the upbeat music, and energy that comes from that form of music. That is what made it popular, and that popularity allowed that form of music to gradually change a nation. Rock and Roll was able to change society by slowly changing how people acted towards blacks. Society affected rock and roll as well because without the challenges segregation made, rock and roll would have not been developed.

“Politics can be strengthened by music, but music also has a potency that defies politics.” This quote by Nelson Mandela summarizes the relationship between music and politics, and how important and unique their connection is. “This relationship is important because music has the power to enforce and the power to challenge politics”. Music has this power because it contains the potential to influence individuals, which can result in political movements, and even cause cultural change. The influence of music genre, Rock ‘n’ Roll, has heavily impacted the culture and society of America in several different ways. One of the most influential effects Rock ‘n’ Roll music has on America is its power to unite and divide individuals during troublesome periods. The unison and division of American citizens has been displayed several times throughout history, but perhaps the most important is shown in the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War.

Rock music in the 1960s was egalitarian, eclectic, and real based on a number of reasons. To explain the 'real' piece of rock music in the 1960s, one would have to know that there was war going on overseas that didn't make sense to Americans as to why it was going on (the Vietnam war). There was also still severe inequality between blacks and whites causing protests to occur via the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There was inequality between women and mens rights. These issues caused dissatisfaction to occur in the American people. What better way to vent dissatisfaction than through music! Also in addition to the frustrations described above, teen rebellion from the parental obligations was also in full swing. The result of this was 'free love' and experimenting with drugs. This led to creative, and mind you interesting, rock that Americans loved like "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles. Aside from the above,

The 1980s was a decade where many things changed drastically. The music industry in the 1980s experienced major changes, mostly due to the political and economic changes, and new trends and inventions.

To start the switch in styles of Rock and Roll, the Alabama White Citizens Council came

The decade of 1960s has a great impact on people of all backgrounds because of the ‘affluent society’ (Hecl 6). The 1960s was the time when people started to settle with the war in the economic sense. This result of the post-war socio-economic shifts after the second world war has led to the increasing affluence and new technological inventions in mass production which help cheapen the price of goods thus lower the costs of living (Bennett 9). This has allowed the working-class and the young to participate in the ‘consumer culture’ as well (Hecl 6). At this period, the working-class were able to attain more free time as all vital things they needed become secured which