Rock And Roll In The 1950's
In the 1950’s, Rock and Roll took over the airwaves for a multitude of reasons. The youth of the generation was one of the largest groups of youth due to the Baby Boom after World War I, they were avid listeners to the radio, and could afford to purchase music due to the prosperity of the period. The sounds of Rock and Roll were a culmination of black rhythm and blues joined with white popular music, country and western, as well as, jazz (Dominick, 2013). One of the most famous singers of the time was Elvis Presley, who went on to sell over 1 billion records globally (Elvis Biography). As Rock and Roll became more popular, musicians of color also experienced fame and fortune because the youth did not discriminate in their appeal to
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For instance, Little Richard took a hiatus from 1957 to 1962, after a near-death experience when his flight almost failed to make it to Australia due to engine trouble. He later proclaimed that he witnessed Angels keeping his flight aloft and upon landing declared that he was giving his life to God. When he returned to the U.S., he entered a seminary in order to become a Seventh Day Adventist Preacher and turned to creating Gospel music. When he finally returned to Rock and Roll, he was accompanied on tour by a band that would later become legendary, the Beatles (Anderson, 2011). “The Day the Music Died” is remembered as the day in 1959 when 3 of rock’s pioneers, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were tragically killed in a plane crash while touring (Mead, 2017). Others vanished due to newfound paths in life including, jail time, military service, and family life. In the 1960’s, rock tried to cleanup by presenting more wholesome images through performers, such as, Frankie Avalon. He dominated the music charts while also transitioning to television and film. By the mid 1960’s, the British invasion had proven successful and the Beatles were a household name. Their harmonic blend of different styles and creativity were influential in the cultural transition of rock and roll. They were
For instance, Little Richard took a hiatus from 1957 to 1962, after a near-death experience when his flight almost failed to make it to Australia due to engine trouble. He later proclaimed that he witnessed Angels keeping his flight aloft and upon landing declared that he was giving his life to God. When he returned to the U.S., he entered a seminary in order to become a Seventh Day Adventist Preacher and turned to creating Gospel music. When he finally returned to Rock and Roll, he was accompanied on tour by a band that would later become legendary, the Beatles (Anderson, 2011). “The Day the Music Died” is remembered as the day in 1959 when 3 of rock’s pioneers, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were tragically killed in a plane crash while touring (Mead, 2017). Others vanished due to newfound paths in life including, jail time, military service, and family life. In the 1960’s, rock tried to cleanup by presenting more wholesome images through performers, such as, Frankie Avalon. He dominated the music charts while also transitioning to television and film. By the mid 1960’s, the British invasion had proven successful and the Beatles were a household name. Their harmonic blend of different styles and creativity were influential in the cultural transition of rock and roll. They were