Rock N Roll's Influence On American Culture

On January 8th, 1935 one of the greatest influences to pop and country was born. Elvis Aaron Presley changed the way people heard and saw music through his songs and the way he performed them. Elvis’ music was stunning, he had eighteen American No. 1s and hundreds of gold records from around the world. He brought a way of performing that people had never experienced before, he was electrifying when he performed on stage. Elvis Presley was the first rock'n'roll star, he brought rebellion to the youth of that time and was able to grasp the listener and draw them into his songs which few artist have ever been able to accomplish.

The Harlem Renaissance was a burst on African American’s expression of culture, arts, and writings throughout the 1920’s. It was in Harlem, New York, the movement allowed many African American poets, painters, musicians, authors and philosophers to express the beliefs in their people's culture. They wanted to be equal to white people so they showed that through their talents. Louis Armstrong was a key asset to the Harlem Renaissance due to his inspiring music and playing his instruments for African Americans people during this period.

James Brown is another person in my era who was very popular and well known for his influence on music as well the introducing of a drug into the lime light PCP. Brown was born extreme poverty but worked his way to be one of the greatest of the funk and R&B music making people give him the nick name "The Godfather of Soul." His musical style influenced many artists to come. Brown was also known for his crazy personal life, as well as role in activism for the black community in combination in his songwriting and advocating for the benefits of education to the

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

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 faced many obstacles during his 24 years as the “King” he faced racial controversy, musical barriers, and bad press in order to help create Rock and Roll music. Long before Rock n Roll was created or even thought of, the musical world was divided over petty differences. One of the many reasons why music was divided was the heavy racism that plagued the United States since the end of slavery. Another reason why music was divided was the fact of a huge generation gap, or difference between parent and child. These are some of the challenges that Elvis faced.

had the unique skill to merge genre’s together and form something that was entirely different and new for the generation, and which led to other generations to merge other genres. Presley’s inspiration of genres was greatly impacted by the African American culture; however, brought his country-side to his music, which is what gave his music his own creative sound. He was the first artist to basically merge black and white music together, and widening his fan base.

These men have indirectly instilled a cultural pride, confidence to African Americans globally. Their actions inspired a revolution to make changes towards how people of various walks of life view each other. Martin Luther King, Jr. did numerous things to bring greater equality to America and to ensure civil rights for all people regardless of ethnicity . The major contributions that Martin Luther King did were to bring publicity to major civil rights activities and efforts. He both stressed and demonstrated the importance of non-violent protest and resistance.

In a time of economic prosperity, a rise in the standard of living and rock and roll, also known as the “happy days”, the 1950s were a time looked back on with nostalgia. On the other hand, the 1950s were also met with many problems involving civil rights, the Cold War and McCarthyism. After the end of World War II, Americans came home to jobs available and a period of consensus. Consensus meaning there wasn’t much debate in politics. However tensions quickly rose throughout the nation when Joseph McCarthy made serious accusations about the State Department. He said that at least 205 members of the State Department were members of the communist party. This was after it was released to the public that a couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were secretly communist spies who were staying in the U.S., stealing nuclear weapon secrets. With McCarthy’s remarks such as “They [a communist spy] could even be your neighbor!’ scarring the American public’s mind, many were on edge.

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,

Although Michael Jackson was a controversial figure; he will ultimately be remembered for his fantastic singing ability and incredible dancing style. Michael Jackson was an incredible singer and a generous volunteer. Not only did he change the music world he also had an effect on society. He captivated the world with his dancing and fashion. He inspired many people in the singing industry right now. Those are only a few of the things he did.

As reviewed in class, many adult Americans used to think that Rock and Roll and it’s exponents were a “bad influence” to teenagers back on the days. It is important to point out that many social changes on that time were a result of sociocultural modifications around authority figures like the government, parents, school authorities, etc. With the influence of Rock and Roll, people started to question topics like: religion, politics, social structures and sexual statements and teens showed attitudes against any form of authority that tried to control them.

We all know that the power of the Black community in America came from deep in their soul. Their strength and will to fight segregation , and their love can be felt in the civil rights movement. Their ability to express their minds in a non- violent way connects to the soul music that James Brown created. James Brown’s music was a mixture of R&B and gospel. Which in a way connects to what Dr. Martin Luther King was trying to do during the civil rights movement.