Early Reactions to Rock and Roll - Term Paper Example

Early Reaction to Rock and Roll Introduction Rock and Roll is popular music genre that originated back in the late 40s and early 50s in the US, fundamentally as a fusion of race African American musical genres, country music, and Western swing. While, the genre only acquired its name in 50s, various elements that characterized it could be heard in blues and country music in the 20s and 30s respectively and would later evolve into the international musical style encompassing rock music (Woog 37). Through the early stages of its growth, the lead instruments in the music mainly involved the saxophone or piano, which were supplemented by the guitar beginning in the mid-50s. Essentially, rock and roll encompasses blues rhythm and a snare drum to provide an accentuated backbeat. In its evolved form, rock and roll encompassed the use of electric guitars, string bass, a drum kit, and an electric bass guitar (Bill & Stookey, 32). Apart from being a music style, it also dominated TV and influenced language, attitudes, fashion, and lifestyles. Early reaction to this influence by parents, public officials, music critics, and the even the medical community was generally very negative, in contrast to teenagers and critics who reacted with great enthusiasm and approval. Origins of Rock and Roll Rock and roll’s immediate roots can be traced to rhythm and blues and country music in the 40s and 50s, of which folk, country, gospel, blues, and jazz music were especially significant. According to Stuessy (p. 42), the genre of music most responsible for rock and roll is still an issue open to much debate, as is the point to which rock and roll was a re-branding of race music for white Americans. Jazz and Western swing were especially influential as the first music genres to represent the African American sound to white audiences in America. The increasing use of horns and saxophones in the 40s, as well as jazz music based on boogie-woogie beats and shouted lyrics became increasingly characteristic of African music in this period. The size of African American bands were affected by WWII, especially due to limited personnel and audiences and fuel limitations, meaning the jazz bands had to be replaced by smaller groups using only drums, bass, and guitars (Campbell & Brody 42). The development in the Midwest and Western form of jump blues that used prominent beats, guitar riffs, and shouted lyrics led to further configuration of the African American bands. Chuck Berry, especially, developed a brand of music rhythm and blues that used an electric guitar, while electric blues and country boogie also supplied crucial elements to rock and roll (McKeen 22). In the 1940s and 1950s, there was a significant growth in the popularity of rhythm and blues, which made its way into Chicago and New York from the rural south. This particular genre included aspects of gospel music and doo-wop, which eventually grew into Chicago electric blues. Despite its popularity in the bars and nightclubs, the race of most rhythm and blues artists, as well as their suggestive sexual lyrics, meant that it failed to gain national audience approval like other genres of the era (Dettmar & Richey 51). The most influential artists of this closest relative to rock and roll are Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Big Joe Turner, and Ruth Brown. However, as white artists began to do cover versions of rhythm and blues, in which they also toned down sexually suggestive lyrics, it began to gain acceptance by a general audience. Rock and Roll in the 1950s This introduction of rhythm and blues to a mainstream audience in 1955 can be defined as the beginning of rock and roll as a genre. The very first wave of rock and roll performers were both white and black, including Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and Bill Haley. The 50s are widely recognized as rock and roll’s golden age, in which the genre gained a distinctive sound different to rhythm and blues, western blues, and country music (Rubin 34). Bill Haley, originally a country swing DJ and the first successful rhythm and blues white artist, recorded Rocket 88, which failed. However, “Crazy Man Crazy” in 1953 and “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” in 1954 managed success in the rhythm and blues charts. It was their 1955 single “Rock around the Clock” that pushed rhythm and blues to the top of the charts, holding the top position for a then record 8 weeks, while other singles like “See you Later, Alligator” and “Burn that Candle” also charted successfully. “Rock around the Clock” has been singled out as the demarcation between rhythm and blues and rock and roll (Carlin 29). This ended the era of jazz and pop artists like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, ushering in the rock and roll era. However, this new genre was received with consternation by the older generation as a plot to corrupt young Americans by anti-American forces. In fact, the FBI at the time attempted to dig up material that would incriminate Bill Haley, resulting in much publicized reports of his alcoholism. In spite of this resistance, MacQueen & Donovan (p. 88) argues that rock and roll became the first genre to define a generation, giving young people a sense of belonging, especially teenagers. In fact, rock and roll identifies teen culture emergence for the first generation of baby boomers, which, given their greater levels of leisure and affluence, adopted the genre as representative of a growing sub-culture. Instead of only involving music from TV programs, jukeboxes, records, and radio, this new sub-culture extended to slang, automobiles, hair styles, clothes, and films. This was a sharp contrast to the older generation for whom rock and roll was totally different to the pop music of the 30s and 40s, exemplified by the suave Frank Sinatra (Beston 24). Teenagers began to idolize the “fast life” image, which was mistaken for social rebellion and juvenile delinquency. It was also during this period that mixed-race clubs began to spring up, especially since the origins of rock and roll were grounded in race music, while its popularization was mainly targeted at white people. The late 1950s and Early 1960s Rock and Roll The first superstar of this music revolution towards rock and roll was Elvis Presley, who was especially attractive to the new teenage fan base for the genre. Whereas Bill Haley had mainly popularized rhythm and blues and catalyzed its final evolution to rock and roll, Elvis sang blues tinged with gospel and country music (Kallen 52). Elvis managed to combine black and white music, performing with the agility of black artists through hip-swivels, whose sexual nuances made him instantly popular with teenagers. Elvis’ music acted as the final push for rock and roll to predominance of rock and roll in the late 50s and late 60s, signalling a change in both music and social culture. Egendorf (p. 60) puts Elvis’ success down to the marketing acumen of RCA records, showing the commercial viability of rock and roll and signifying the genre’s entry into the pop-music mainstream. Elvis was essentially a cover artist, interpreting African-American race music, especially rhythm and blues and gospel in engaging and compelling ways. In this sense, he continued the tradition of earlier pop artists like Tony Bennet, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby (Egendorf 61). However, Elvis was drafted into the army in 1958, which had a profound effect on his image and musical style. During his absence, there were significant changes in the rock and roll music scene. This resulted in a change of style after returning from military, in which he begun to perform more pop-style, softer songs and, by the early 60s, he, like many other rock and roll artists, was a pop-stylist (Goodes et al 31). Despite his continued success as a stage performer in the mid 60s, which was intended to re-establish his rock and roll roots, rock and roll had increasingly become pop-music. The most imperative part of his career and impact on rock and roll was in the 1950s, in which he was acknowledged as the first rockabilly artist. It was his earlier work with RCA that established the pre-eminence of rock and roll in the mainstream and completed the evolution of rock and roll and its embrace by teenagers (Goodes et al 31). Reaction to Rock and Roll The impact of Elvis Presley and rock and roll in general fermented a youth culture revolution, not limited to the US, but also across the developed world. According to Friedlander (p.77), teenagers began to act differently with parents expressing concern in radio shows and newspaper commentaries about their appreciation of the black culture and its criminal-outlaw posturing. This was in contrast to the then, “liberal” approach towards a more homogenized America as white teenagers begun to dress like African Americans and to speak their slang. Parents became increasingly concerned about their children’s behaviour as rock and roll became a symbol of individuality and identity, completely different from their parents. In deed, even church ministers lamented the rough and loud nature of rock and roll. However, despising the genre only made it more attractive to teenagers, as it became music for the rebels. Gillett (p. 33) contends that parents were afraid that the over-sexed and vulgar nature of rock and roll artists like Little Richard and Elvis would harm teenage values. However, since it game them a separate identity from their parents, teenagers were excited about the music. The vulgarism and sexual connotations in rock and roll music had a special attraction for teenagers, which met with adult disapproval. It was mainly feared that teenagers would begin to act like the artists and proponents of the genre, resulting in attempts to ban it from radio stations. In addition, the legal problems faced by some artists, such as Little Richard, convinced most parents that the genre was meant to promote a rebellion against American values (DeCurtis 42). In fact, an article in the New York Times in 1958 contended that “rock-roll hops” were occasionally causing riots and that a teenager had been stabbed in Somerville with an ice pick, while a girl was stabbed in Massachusetts and another boy suffered a broken spine after being attacked with a golf club. A Catholic priest in LA also deplored the emotional impact the genre was having on teenagers, claiming that teenagers were influenced to use narcotics and perform illicit sexual activities. However, the most biting criticism for rock and roll came from Frank Sinatra, who had seen standardized pop give way to rock and roll. He claimed that the genre was false and phony, being used as the martial music for all delinquents on earth with its imbecilic reiteration and dirty lyrics (DeCurtis 51). Being a representative of the parent’s generation of popular music, Sinatra’s assessment of the genre represented the thoughts of millions of parents in the United States. Works Cited Beston, Peter. "Between a Rock and Sinatra: Catching on to the Chairman of the Boards Greatness after a Lifetime of Rock and Roll." The American Spectator. 41.8 (2008): 22-27. Print. Bill, James. & Stookey, Paul. Rock and Roll. Old Tappan, N.J: F.H. Revell Co, 2012. Print. Campbell, Michael. & Brody, James. Rock and Roll: An Introduction. New York: Schirmer Books, 2009. Print. Carlin, Richard. Rock and Roll, 1955-1970. New York, N.Y: Facts on File, 2011. Print. DeCurtis, Anthony. Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture. Durham, N.C: Duke University Press, 2009. Print. Dettmar, Kevin & Richey, William. Reading Rock and Roll: Authenticity, Appropriation, and Aesthetics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013. Print. Egendorf, Laura. Rock and Roll. San Diego, Calif: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Print. Friedlander, Paul. Rock and Roll: A Social History. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press, 2010. Print. Gillett, Charlie. The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll. New York: Outerbridge & Dienstfrey, 2010. Print. Goodes, Charles; Halsall, Collins; Harding, Daniel & Wellwood, George. "Rock and Roll." Chemical Engineer. (2008): 30-33. Print. Kallen, Stuart. The History of Rock and Roll. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2013. Print. MacQueen, Saul. & Donovan, George. "Rock and Roll." Brw Melbourne. 32.33 (2010): 88. Print. McKeen, William. Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay: An Anthology. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print. Rubin, David. Its Only Rock and Roll: Rock and Roll Currents in Contemporary Art. Munich: Prestel, 2009. Print. Stuessy, Joe. Rock and Roll: Its History and Stylistic Development. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. Woog, Adam. The History of Rock and Roll. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 2009. Print. Read More