Evolution Of Rock And Roll

Rock and Roll has the most incredible history. Before there was rock and roll, there was blues. Most people think rock music started with Elvis Presley, but he didn’t record his first single until 1953. The first recorded song described as “Genuine Rock-and-Roll” was “Rocket ’88” by pianist Ike Turner and singer Jackie Brenston in 1951. Rock-and-Roll music in the 1950s was described as a mixture of jazz, blues, country, and has a stronger guitar, bass, and drums.  Over time what was first described as “Rock and Roll” has changed drastically, and will continue to change over time.

Even though some people feel Pop has the best history, Rock and Roll really do. It has actually impacted more people’s lives than any other genre, it unites people from all over the world in a positive way, and influenced media culture by breaking down walls no one else had. In the year 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, Sam Phillips opened Sun Recording Company. Their slogan was “We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime.

They were the first recording studio to record African American musicians. African American musicians played black jazz and blues that inspired Ike Turner to write and record “Rocket ’88.”  Now everybody knows Elvis Presley as the King of Rock-and-Roll. In 1953 Elvis Presley walked into Sun Recording Company and recorded ‘My Happiness’ and ‘That’s When Your Heartaches Begin’ on a two-sided record. But, Elvis went unnoticed until 1954 when he recorded “That’s alright (Mama)” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky.”  Elvis forever changed the way Rock-and-Roll sounded with his unique sound that has never been replicated.

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No one had ever seen anything like Elvis before. All the girls wanted him, and the guys wanted to be him. His first time ever on television they only would record Elvis from the waist up. The older generation thought it was indecent and outrageous that such a thing could be viewed freely. Elvis broke down many walls between music and television. Then in 1954 Johnny Cash and his wife at the time Vivian moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He worked up the courage one day and went to Sun Records studio wanting to get a record deal. For his audition, he sang a gospel song, but Phillips told him that no longer produced gospel music. A year later Cash was back at Sun auditioning again but this time he won Phillips over. He recorded and released his first singles were ‘Hey Porter’ and ‘Cry! Cry! Cry!’, both ended up being a big success.

He later divorced and married June Carter Cash. She herself was a famous singer and won five Grammy Awards. Next came the “British Invasion”, as some call it. The legendary Beatles, The Who, along The Rolling Stones revolutionized the Rock-and-Roll industry in the 1960s. With their long hair, unique sound and lyrics, and overall appearance; they opened the door for modern-day rock and gave some of the biggest names of Classic Rock their inspiration to start. This was a big deal, it was the first time there was music cross-over from the UK to the US. The Beatles are ranked as the greatest band of all time for the magazine Rolling Stone. The Rolling stones started touring in 1964, tickets were $5.50.

You can go see the Rolling Stones still today, with ticket prices up to $600.  Woodstock in 1969 was the largest outdoor rock festival. It took place in Bethel, New York at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm. A ticket to attend one day of Woodstock cost $6.00, it was a three-day event. Days before the show people were already showing up. Thousands of people walked through where there was no gate up yet and started camping out in front of stages. Eventually, there were about 50,000 people two days before the show even began. They were forced to make it a free show. The estimated number of people that attended Woodstock also known as An Aquarian Exposition was about 500,000. Jimi Hendrix was the world’s highest-paid performer, and he headlined Woodstock. Bands such as AC/DC, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, KISS, and U2 came around in the 1970s.

They were described to have an even heavier sound than the bands considered Rock and Roll before. KISS as an example stood out above most. They were unlike any other band before. They wore heavy face makeup, outrageous costumes, and incredible stage effects that put them as another large name in the history of rock. KISS will also be added to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2014. On August 1, 1981, in New York City, NY MTV was founded. MTV changed music as much if not more than any other artist. Before the show aired the only way you would ever see a band of that time play would be in concert. Music videos changed the way any normal song was looked at. The first song ever played was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ By Buggles’. Now we have shows like American Idol, The Voice, and Warped Roadies to find new talent, and see behind the scenes.

At this point in history, most young people were over the peace-loving Beatle phase. They were angry and wanted to rebel. They wanted to wear and listen to the new punk scene that was happening in the UK. Once again music was changing, but the older generation wanted nothing to do with it. Along with this came the “Sex, Drugs, Rock ‘n Roll” attitude. This brought leather pants and jackets, studded and safety pined vests. Motley Crue, Poison, Guns ‘n Roses, Twisted Sister, and Def Leppard can be described as “Hairbands”, or “Glam bands”. They wore all the leather, studs, and smoked and drank as much as they possibly could. Some band members got swept up in fame, stress, or even themselves. Some turned to a different woman a night, drugs or alcohol; others put themselves back into the music.

On the flip side of the ’80s, there was Bon Jovi and Journey. They were more of a country, calmer rock. Nevertheless, they made a huge impact on music. Journey and Bon Jovi both took a different path. They almost were a mix of new rock and old blues. That’s what won people over. You also had the best women of the time, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. These women broke the trend for mostly four to five male bands. Hot Topic was founded in 1989. After seeing a huge success that MTV had, founder Orv Madden realized there was a large market for alternative clothing. Starting out with Band T’s, posters, and accessories he opened a store in California. It was a hit! Hot Topic has grown so large that there is one in almost every mall across the US.

Bands often do concerts, and signings inside lager sized stores. In 1995 Vans Warped Tour was invented. It was created by the shoe brand Vans. Warped tour is a concert that goes all over the United States. Recently they added Canada, parts of the UK, and Australia. It’s as close to a modern Woodstock as you’re going to get. They range from Punk Rock to Alternative Rock, to many more. It brings together many different genres, but deep down it all came from the same roots. Vans Warped Tour made small-town bands able to tour easier. Bands like Green Day, Blink-182, Bullet for My Valentine, and Fall Out Boy grew to be huge names in the music industry. Then you have Pop bands that you would never expect to go on Warped, The Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Ice-T, and Katy Perry. When you really think about it Pop music did come from Rock. Back in the 60’s at shows people mostly cared about music, sex, and getting stoned.

That is a big change from today’s shows. Shows like Warped Tour and Lollapalooza have a much more positive message. At the door, they had you a bag full of suntan lotion, lip gloss, and other things to keep you safe from the extreme weather. They also have vegetarian promoters telling you how to eat healthily. Even the environment of how to act has changed along with the music. Everything evolves and changes with time. The music industry is the same way. We started out with the Blues then we evolved to Rock-and-Roll and now we have genres such as Screamo, Post Hardcore, Death Metal, and Punk. As time goes on, we will see evolution in the rock music industry again and again. No other genre has changed so drastically as Rock and Roll. Its past is like no other, and will never be forgotten. Works Cited Kallen, Stuart. The History of Rock and Roll.

References

1. Lucent Books, 2003 Miles, Barry. The British Invasion. New York: Sterling Publish Co./Essential Works Limited, 2009.
2. Shirley, David. The History of Rock and Roll. Canada, 1997. Viegas, Jennifer.
3. World’s First Rock-and-Roll Song Identified. 19 Nov. 2010. Discovery News. 5 Dec. 2013. http://news.discovery.com/human/worlds-first-rock-and-roll-song-identified.htm Wenner,
4. Jann. Jann S. Wenner (Creator of Rolling Stones Magazine) Biography.
5. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 5 Dec. 2013. http://rockhall.com/inductees/jann-s-wenner/bio/ Woog, Adam.
6. The History of Rock and Roll. California: Lucent Books, 1999.
7. Editors of Life-Time Books. Rock & Roll Generation. Virginia: Life-Time Books, 1998.
8. A NewsStand: CNN & Entertainment Weekly report. MTV changed the music industry on August 1, 1981. 31 July 1998. CNN. 9 Dec. 2013 http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9807/31/encore.mtv/ Memphis Vic (Originally A&E Biography Channel UK Documentary).
9. “SAM PHILLIPS The Man who Invented Rock & Roll (PART 1)”. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 1 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013