Comparing The Social Realities Of Rock Roll's Birth And The Teenager

Research Proposal: The Social Realities of Rock ‘n' Roll's Birth and the Teenager

The story of the birth of rock ‘n' roll has a mythical quality to it. It speaks of racial barriers bridged through the fusion of Afro-American musical styles with white popular music in 1950s America. Not only did white record producers and radio disc jockeys market Afro-American artists, but white artists began to cover their songs, as well as incorporate Afro-American style into their own song writing. The musical style was so powerful that the white audience was infected by it, despite the social stigma that listening to "race music" possessed. The common view of teenagers' participation in the creation of rock ‘n' roll as an act of rebellion runs parallel with the music's legendary origins. Through rock ‘n' roll, the teenagers of the United States created a generational gap that angered their parents' generation. Teenagers rejected kitchy Tin Pan Alley, "Sing Along with Mitch," and the sleepy crooning of Perry Como in favour of sexually charged race music. Historians have taken different approaches to the question of teen rebellion. While some consider their love of rock ‘n' roll revolutionary, others argue that the music cemented teenagers within the
He states "adherence to rock & roll music signifies their acceptance, not rejection, of society and culture during the 1950s and early 1960s. The music may have sounded strange to some adult ears, but its message should have sounded quite familiar."[13] Rock ‘n' roll's themes reflected traditional American values like marriage, family values, religion, car obsessions and patriotic sentiments. It also echoed sexual standards and stereotypes.[14] While Aquila makes no reference to racial matters, it is clear that, through his interpretation, the racial element of rock ‘n' roll is replaced by white middle-class