The Changing Of A Nation Through Rock And Roll
Music played a major role in the influence of the American people and its society during the 1950s through the 1970s. These events had a tremendous effect on America and help shape the society of today. This epidemic sparked a series rebellion such as, political unrest, the civil rights uprising, the new trend of music called Rock and Roll and social change that was about to occur, which created upheaval and the never-ending social injustice to the minority groups which was unethical.
The influence of Rock & Roll on American society is boundless beyond measure. Rock & Roll made its appearance during the 1950s and became a uniting and dividing force. This upset parents, the media and the government all went against teenagers. During that time teenagers help erode some of the prejudices felt towards African Americans. Many parents disliked the influence and the message which was conveyed through the music. They disliked the fact that the music came directly from African Americans regardless of if it was a white performer who recorded the songs, they disliked the sexuality of the lyrics. Also, they disliked the rebellious nature that seems inspiring. This act of rebellion was a changing of attitude towards African Americans amongst teenagers which was obvious and occurred on a subconscious level. White teenagers listened to music which was inspired by African Americans. However, by this act, they embraced a part of the culture that seemed forbidden in many white households. They attended concerts where part of the audience and performers were black and watched movies such as Blackboard Jungle (1955) which showcased the integration in school and inspired the youths to question the authority. During that era, Rock & Roll was able to accomplish what jazz couldn’t manifest a common culture amongst blacks and whites teenagers. Moreover, this was made possible by the emergence of the radio, television, the availability of records, the population movement and societal changes of the 1950s. The long-standing prejudices felt towards African Americans was eroded with the help of the common culture of Rock & Roll. Teenagers of the fifties had much leisure time due to the fact that most American had moved to the suburbs. This resulted in the increased spending power of the American teenagers and the market for teenage products grew exponentially. During the 1950s, families were more likely to be financially stable and as a result, no longer needed to supplement their income with the labor of their children. Teens were generally allowed to spend their money on the things they wanted whenever they had a job. A new leisure-oriented teen culture emerges that is still present today.
The music that would become Rock and Roll had many influences from other genres. However, most of the music was predominantly influenced and created by African Americans. In the 1940s most white Americans were listening to the soft songs of the pop singers such as Frank Sinatra. While at the same time African Americans were listening to a style of music that was much different and more upbeat. This genre was called rhythm and blues, which pulled on influences from race music or music recorded by black musicians that was not gospel. These genres included swing, boogie-woogie, jazz, and blues. Rock & Roll of the 1950s had its creation from Blues, the music which was lamented by slaves who combined their familiar rhythm with the European musical style. Call and response exemplify this style, where one leader would sing or call a line and the others would repeat or elaborate the leader's phrase. Members of the Bantu tribe were known for whooping or jumping octaves in their response. This influence was heard in the improvisational pattern of soul music. West Africans were used to moving and singing to the beat of the drums and it followed that the music of black slaves would naturally combine these elements as they communicated their sorrow through this medium. The melancholy communication in the spiritual, gospel and in rhythm and blues displayed strong emotions. The European influence in music was just the opposite. Emotions did not play a strong part in religious or secular music. Unaccustomed to displaying emotions in music, white southerners in the 1940s and 1950s would object Rhythm and Blues (R&B) and later Rock’n’Roll (R&R) was seen as the music of savages. Rock& Roll pioneers such as Little Richard and Chuck Berry did not get the recognition they truly deserved. Only when artiste like Elvis Presley came on the scene that mainstream Rock & Roll was fully recognized. They claim that white people dancing and enjoying Rock & Roll was works of the devil. To many conservatives, the music of this nature was blasphemous engendering thoughts of sinful end to the values a segregated white society represented. Essentially, black society was viewed as savages and evil while white society was civilized. The only way to maintain this purity was to segregate the races and protect their youth from integration.
As the social movement through music evolved it inspired both a negative and a positive emotion during the Civil Right Movement which was identified as the social anxieties of that period. To analyze the genre of Rock & Roll it may lead to a better understanding of the social, political and financial pressures of that time. To understand the purpose of Rock & Roll one must analyze the music, its social context and actual lyrics where the music is enjoyed. Rock & Roll during the 1950s represented different things to different groups. To the terrorist group the white Ku Klux Klan member in the south seeking to maintain segregation and own his place in the political hierarchy, Rock & Roll represented the destruction of his way of life. To the average teenager, Rock & Roll represented a welcome change. During the 1950s Rock & Roll was an expression of social anxiety among blacks and whites as they sought to negotiate new status and relationship brought about through the Civil Right Movement. The evolution of Rock & Roll is a logical consequence of societal changes which was happening in the Civil Rights Movement. There is a connection between Rock & Roll and the Civil Rights Movement. Ennis divided America Music into streams or types of music. A musical stream has its foundation in the 'defense or enhancement of a specific race, class, age group, gender and of a geographical-cultural entity'. A musical stream is a palpable part of social reality, which consists of several elements which are an artistic system, an economic framework, and social movement. However, each specific stream has its own cultural preference, symbols, and behaviors. The hairstyle, clothing, language patterns, gestures and posture as well as ceremonies and the consecrated, embody the values and the belief of its people. Moreover, these unique cultural preferences were intimately tied to the social behavior and language patterns of African Americans, which resulted in a constituted threat to segregation as the music crossed the color line. Additionally, Rock &Roll was responsible for motivating the national consciousness to act in support of the Civil Rights. There is a direct link between actions occurring in the Civil Rights Movement and the inclusion of specific musical influence within Rock & Roll. One of the obvious links was when religious groups began supporting the Civil Rights Movement, the element of gospel music simultaneously appeared in the music of Rock & Roll.
The Civil Rights Movement was advancing through the combined efforts of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. With the advent of the religious community taking a leadership role in Civil Rights, the inclusion of gospel influence was a progression for R&R. Much like the music industry developed a strategy to market R&R to the masses, the Civil Rights Movement moved through the well-coordinated effort of its leaders. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr a well-respected Christian family-man embodied the values necessary to sway a conservative nation in support of Civil Rights. Moreover, spirituals were used as Freedom songs and gospel music supported the civil rights movement. Chuck Berry once said 'we might be doing as much with our music as our leaders are in Washington to break down the barriers. The revolution in music that we know as Rock & Roll evolved alongside and as part of the Civil Right Movement. The polarization that marked the 1960s had its origins in the Black Nationalism and the black power movement. Objectively, Rock & Roll was much safer than institutionalized racism. As the nation proudly proclaimed that it believed in liberty and justice for all to the world. It was not ready to confront the gross injustices of the South’s Jim Crow Laws. Ignoring the civil rights violations in the southern states was easier before the advances in technology, which let images of Bull Connor aiming fire hoses at children and law enforcement beating nonviolent protestor’s.It was easier to pretend that African Americans weren't like white Americans before Rock & Roll and the entertainment industry brought black performers into our cars and homes. Rock and Roll broke down barriers, rapped away window shades and forced society to confront prejudices and injustices institutionalized into the fabric of our society. This revolution swept through the teenage generation and in the process, carried everyone else along. The Civil Rights Movement propelled the evolution of Rock & Roll. They were intimately interwoven and although Rock and Roll was not the freedom songs sung by protestors of the movement, its message supported integration as well as cooperation and collaboration between the races. Rock & Roll intruded into the consciousness of America just as images of civil injustice confronted in newspapers, television, and political arenas. Both revolutions changed America in positive ways.
In conclusion, I truly believed Rock and Roll have changed the politicized landscape of America's history through the event that occurred from the 1950s through this present era. Rock & Roll is the derivative of musical forms that originated in the African American culture and struggle for equality. African American music through the years reflects the institutionalized racial slavery, segregation and discrimination and the struggle for equality. The Civil Rights Movement gained strength as coalitions were formed between black churches and secular organization. I certainly believe that America is portraying what they are not even in this present era. One can imagine the level of physical, mental, emotional and psychological torture these victims when through to fight their rights. It was unethical, unconstitutional for the superpower at the time, who claimed to have liberty for all and equality to be treating its own citizens like animals during that period.
