How Did Elvis Influence American Culture

Rock N’ Roll was a new music genre accepted and loved by many teenagers of the time. While their parents felt that Elvis Presley ruined music, the teens disagreed, and with so many teenagers at the time, there were many to keep the genre alive. Teens wanted to release the tensions that bubbled beneath the smooth surface of postwar America. In a biography about Presley, a.k.a. the king of Rock N’ Roll, it writes a historical moment, when Presley was filmed from only the waist-up.

With an estimated one billion units sold and counting, Elvis Presley is thought to be the most commercially successful solo musical artist of all time (Meacham 1) Born in Tupelo Mississippi and later relocating to Memphis Tennessee, Elvis was a natural star. Elvis won a high school talent show by singing and playing his guitar, earning the most applause out of any of the contestants. He would soon after that become a trucker, but his dreams of becoming a star were not crushed yet. Elvis gyrated his hips into America's heart as the most influential figure in American history.

Elvis Presley Elvis Presley once said, “I never expected to be anybody important.” Elvis was a famous actor and singer who became one of the biggest names of Rock ‘n’ Roll. He filmed and sang many movies and songs that were popular among the two conflicting races. Presley gained popularity especially with the teenage generation. From being nothing to being a huge impact on culture across the world, reaching out to both African American and American lives and changing the music industry forever, Elvis Presley is truly a great american.

Elvis Presley has had more impact on American society and culture than any other person in history for the three following reasons; his large contribution to the start of the generation gap in the 1950’s, his huge impact on rock ‘n’ roll music, and finally, his music opened a door for some integration between races.

Elvis Presley, also known as “The King of Rock N’ Roll”, was one of the best-selling artists and on the Greatest of All Time Hot

The one and only, Elvis Presley. All of you probably already know who the king of rock and roll is right? The man who impacted music forever, one of the most musicians ever to have lived… Elvis Presley. Elvis was born on January 08, 1935 in Tupelo Mississippi. Elvis had a twin brother who died shortly after birth.

One way Elvis Presley propelled himself into superstardom was his mix of blues, R&B, country, and rockabilly. Although some adults of the generation found this music to be too dangerous for the mainstream, many teenages of the day found this new music to be very exciting and electrifying. In a way this made Elvis even more popular in the eyes of his now large and constantly growing

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. In the early 1950’s, the full influential force of Rock ‘n’ Roll music started to effect American politics by acting as

The progress of music from earlier years to the mid 1950’s was great. Not long after, Little Richard, in 1956, Elvis Presley, made his debut and in 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis. Music attached to those particular names gave people a way to express themselves, the music gave people an idol that “understood” them. Rock and Roll also gave people back in the 1950’s freedom to be who they wanted to

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,

Music was a way most teenagers found an outlet. Rock n’ roll first arrived on the music scene as race music and it wasn’t until teenagers started requesting radio stations to play it that it started to become more widely popular. By accepting this music, Americans were opening themselves to a whole new culture of things that would soon come to influence the nation. Elvis got the ball rolling by allowing America a slow transition into being more accepting.

Cultural Impact of Rock and Roll Amidst the 1960’s 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.

Elvis was repressed from doing what he wanted to do, express himself. Teenagers who listened to this music were seen as juvenile delinquents and it was not socially acceptable from an mature adults point of view. The 1950s were definitely a time of conformity and social repression. The housing in the suburban area was all exactly the same.

The British Invasion in American music would not have been as prominent without The Beatles, who paved the way for other British groups to come to America and be successful. The 1950’s rock and roll artist like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and others, influenced many British groups during the early 1960’s, but in America in the early 1960’s folk music was the popular choice of music. The popularity of folk music was due in large part to what was going on in American society with the civil rights movement, JFK assassination and the Vietnam War and folk music spoke to what was going on in America. The British Invasion ended the popularity of folk music in 1964 with The Beatles and other British groups.

Shaking the Foundations 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. All Shook Up: How Rock ‘N’ Roll Changed America showcased how one aspect of the Cultural Revolution during the 1950s and 1960s supplemented the perfect storm of social reforms.