Rock 'N' Roll In America By Glenn C. Altschuler

In this week’s discussion we were ask to discuss racial politics and its effect on rock and roll. In order to understand this we first must understand what racial politics is. According to the English dictionary racial politics is, “the practice of political actors exploiting the issue of race to forward an agenda”. Then we must ask ourselves how does racial politics relate to rock and roll?

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.

The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1920s through the 1930s, and is noted as the first point in American history when African-American achievements in art, music, and literature flourished and were widely accepted. In the early part of the 1900s, the American public was shifting its interests from the “minstrel show” format to that of vaudeville. This created a wave of changes in theater in egeneral, and one of the most interesting was the appearance of African American actors and purely African American “themes”. For example, the 1917 play “Three Plays for a Negro Theater” was a first of its kind and eliminated the stereotypical portrayal of “blackface” in favor of African American actors insteadMany view this as the birth of the

The 21century radio is a melting pot of different creeds and nationalities; however, the social norms that we are accustomed to have not always been widely accepted. The African-American community has been suppressed and barely heard throughout the radio airways in America. As early as the 1920s, African-Americans have been behind the scenes in popular music on radio. For many, the idea of change introduced into society gave way to inevitable backlash from others who didn’t agree with African-Americans having a voice on the radio. This continued into the late 70s, according to the (National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters [NABOB]); there were “30 African-American owned broadcast facilities in the United States. Today there

In 1956, Elvis spoke about the way he moved on stage: "Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess." (1). The media of that time was extremely critical of his style and movements. Rock and roll was increasingly attacked and there was growing opposition to its supposedly negative influence on America’s youth. The more the establishment pushed back, the more Elvis’s support grew from millions of teenagers. In 1956, the monumental night of The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis entered living rooms across the country and created a cultural revolution that changed musical preferences and entertainment forever. From the initial strum of his guitar to the moment

The culture and society of America were influenced by rock n’ roll extensively. In the 1950s rock n’ roll had its first impression to the people. Rock n’ roll scarred parents, mass media, and the government against teenagers. During this time rock n' roll became a dividing and uniting force. In the same period rock n’ roll helped abrade some of the bias towards African Americans. Parents disliked the influence and message behind rock n' roll. The sexuality of the lyrics and of the performers caused the parents to disapprove of the music. They disapproved the rebellious nature and sexuality because the music was accused of inspiring. Despite if a white performer recorded the song they still disliked the fact that the music came directly from

Country artist Tim McGraw once said, “Music has the power to change people.” There is no better example of this than the roles that both Mardi Gras Indian music and Rhythm and Blues have had in fighting for the oppression against African Americans. Through the assessment of the musical and cultural impacts of both styles, it is possible to determine the roles each has played in fighting racism towards African Americans and, in the case of Mardi Gras Indian music, Native Americans as well. Mardi Gras Indian Music and Rhythm & Blues share many similarities and differences in the musical influences that lead to their foundations, their musical elements and the results that came from their formation.

For one, this book offers many, rather critical commentaries on American popular culture, primarily via Egan's exploration of the music industry; she expresses the way in which trends come and go as well as the effects of these cultural shifts, which often leave once famous individuals, such as Bosco, in the dust. What is popular in one moment (in this case, punk rock) can easily and quickly be replaced by another trend (overproduced pop music and music aimed primarily at preverbal toddlers). This struggle rings especially true for two characters, Bennie and

Michigan, the heart of urban industrialization, undertook a blend of progressing experimental music with the persistent oppression of African Americans socially and culturally. Because Michigan was at its height of economic profits from technologically advanced products, such as car motors, positions for blacks were difficult to achieve. As for entertainment in the music industry, the “history of black owned record labels had been marked by frustration, cynicism, and unfulfilled potential” (George 52). Berry Gordy, inspired by these influences, decided to introduce a new perspective on African American’s capabilities of creating music that would connect with troubling conflicts, locally and globally. Additionally, the existence of civil right movements influenced blacks to further strive for justice. Establishing Motown Records as an independent black label challenged the doubt existing throughout the community, yet appealed to audiences of different backgrounds, thus uniting Michigan into a society more inclined to give underrepresented groups a change to express their beliefs. (Ca. 1960-1970) By living in a dominantly white, conservative environment, Motown Records initiated a foundation for socio-cultural acceptance in the Michigan music industry which clashed with ongoing racial divisions within and outside of the company, yet followed

Despite Jazz being formed out of two cultures, the issues of social stratification and racial identity never had to be addressed in early jazz history. But as Jazz grew in popularity in a prewar 1930s America, the issue of racism started to form. As Jazz prospered within the economy and as a musical style, it’s roots revealed it’s racial identity. Jazz emerged from the music used formerly to entertain slaves and was a tool of rebellion against the white man, Jazz’z roots were very much embedded in slave culture. As free slaves moved north, they brought their Jazz influence to parts of the country such as Chicago and New York. Musical influence constantly branched out from the roots of Jazz within these cities, spanning across cultures and specifically

African American centric music such as jazz, blues, funk, and rap is rich with resistance and perseverance against societal and political inequality. Self-proclaimed bluesman and American intellect. Cornel West defines blues as about “overcoming...prevailing...but it's tragic-comic, there’s no triumph...The Blues is about catastrophe.” Compared to Georgia State University Political Science professor Lakeyta M. Bonnette’s definition of political rap, blues seems to lack the proposition of a solution to catastrophe that is incorporated into her definition. Political rap is a cultural site that we can use to survey the attitudes of African Americans. In the light of recent public discourse of police brutality against black bodies and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, many hip hop artists use their music platform to bring awareness to these issues. In this paper, I will examine Black Nationalism in relation to the catastrophe that is police brutality in America addressed

In the twentieth century novel, Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music, Robert Walser begins by explaining the different definitions of heavy metal, from that have been used over time by chemists, to military generals, and to music fanatics. Walser explains that today, heavy metal is not only a music genre but now “denotes a variety of musical discourses, social practices, and cultural meanings.” Walser’s central thesis in this chapter revolves around how heavy metal is construed by a variety of different people. He explains that heavy metal originated in the late 1960s as a “heavier sort of hard rock” and was not readily accepted by the media until the 1980s when it exploded in popularity. Today heavy metal has expanded to become many different subgenres and

This article is another one that discusses the negative effect or perceptions of rock music. This article can be used in the way that of Eckersley’s theories are based on his perception and not having any actual evidence. His thoughts on rock music, youth and western culture can be evident in others who agree that rock has negative effects. Eckersley is the ideal person to argue with and further justify my claim. However, he does provide evidence of suicide rate increasing but it is bias this information, because in the study in does not directly link it to rock music. In further analysis, brushing over the fact of censorship, which could have done him some good to go over. He reveals the history of people and how older rock n’ roll was perceived

alive today. “I’m just a link in a long chain,” John tells his audience, with both humility and pride. It is his life’s work and goal