The Amazing History of Rock-And-Roll

Introduction

By 1965, rock and roll was criticized as being "white bread music" - tasteless, a little bland and mostly for white audiences.

'White bread music'?

If you want to stick with the analogy, this story will prove that our music was more like whole wheat - more substance, better ingredients (a mix of brown and white ones) and also more filling. It also stayed fresh longer!

No one can dispute that the evolution of rock and roll caused a complete change in the way we look at music. But it did more – much more – than that. In fact, it was the music's fan base that contributed to lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 and breaking down racial barriers. It was even partly responsible for the end of a devastating war in Southeast Asia.

But the whole shebang started over seventy years before The Beatles first set foot on American soil!

And that’s where the story begins:

The term, “Rock and Roll”, didn't start with the 1950s – or even with the 20th Century!

Actually, it was a lot earlier than that. You see, rock's first seeds were planted about sixty years earlier, in the turbulent waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Navy ships would rock and sway during fierce storms, and sailors would have to combat panic as they secured their cargo. As you can imagine, this made for a hot topic whenever they’d write home.

Now, among the sailors were African-American recruits who would tell their families about it in a particularly creative way. The words they most often used were that the ships were "rocking and rolling"!

When their tours of duty were over, they would go back home to their Spirit-filled churches, where congregations would sway and move to the music of the choirs. This surprised the sailors, who saw the resemblance to their ships' turbulence: they were “rocking and rolling”! Before long, it became a catchphrase to describe the music of spiritual and Pentecostal services.

So the basics that have followed the growth of the rock beat for over a century were established in those little churches of 120+ years ago: Movement, inspired by the lively vocal and instrumental music, made the congregations do just as it did future audiences: rock and roll!

The first vocal recording was made before the Civil War!

Surprisingly, the first recording of a human voice occurred in France on April 9, 1860. A few words from the folk song “Au Clair de la Lune" were sung into what was called a “phonautograph". It engraved sound waves onto a sheet of paper that was blackened by the smoke of an oil lamp. Seventeen years later, inventor Thomas Edison created the phonograph cylinder, a tube-like recording that could be played on a “graphophone”.

Inspired by that invention, Emile Berliner created the first marketable record player – the gramophone – in 1887. This machine made it possible for different acts to record their music on flat discs. Now anyone who purchased a gramophone could listen to their favorite artists whenever they wanted. While the actual invention itself sold for $200, the records were relatively cheap: just one to four dollars, depending on the artist. Of course, today’s music is recorded and transferred by newer, more portable methods, so the old 78 RPM gramophone records have become collectors’ items. Some, from recording artists like The Hillbilly Cat, (an early Elvis Presley), are said to be worth thousands of dollars!

The first electric musical instrument weighed up to 200 tons!

In 1907, Thaddeus Cahill, an inventor from Ohio, created a contraption called the telharmonium. Without question, this was the first true electronic instrument and could mimic and amplify different orchestral sounds. Though it was big and bulky (7 to 200 tons, depending on the version), it was seen by many as the wave of the future. Of course, something like this couldn’t go unnoticed, and soon musical bands of all sizes wanted their guitars or pianos amplified like Cahill’s invention. But, due to its size and heavy power consumption, interest in the huge instrument itself had all but died out by 1912.

By the late Twenties, both country and Hawaiian music had become popular, but bands noticed their acoustic centerpieces – the steel guitars – couldn’t be heard over the other instruments. So, in 1932, inventors George Beauchamp and Paul Barth tinkered with putting electronic "horseshoe pickups" on an a portable model of the instrument. The result was the “frying pan” lap steel guitar – so-called due to the round shape of its aluminum body. Then, with the help of their partner, Adolph Rickenbacker, they began commercially producing the first electronic model. Soon, these guitars began to carry their company’s new name – Rickenbacker – as their brand.

As the “frying pan” became more popular, they began adapting the pickups to arch-top Spanish guitars to accommodate jazz bands. By 1945, though the new arch-topped Rickenbackers gained in popularity, musician Les Paul noted a flew glitches: There was a lot of feedback coming through the amps because the acoustic's body resonated with the amplification. And the strings weren't projecting the sounds as well as they should. So after working with a few designs of his own and finally created several versions of the famous “Log” guitar, which was a length of 4 x 4 lumber with a bridge, guitar neck, strings and pickup attached. Because he wanted it to carry the look of a guitar, he attached the body of an Epiphone, sawed lengthwise with the Log in the middle.

But the inventor/musician went further and created the echo delay, multi-tracking and an amazingly-versatile guitar model of his own. Within months, blues singers like Little Walter, Joe Turner and even pop singers like Frank Sinatra began using Les' studio ideas. For the smaller bands, they provided a big boost to their new guitar-based sound.

While these were the instruments of choice for many performers, they really didn’t suit the smaller bands that sprouted up after World War II. They needed guitars that were more durable, louder and less expensive. So inventor Leo Fender joined up with “Doc” Kauffman – a former employee of Rickenbacker’s company – to build and mass-produce the world's first solid-body electric guitar. (Incidentally, while the “Fender” brand is one of the most popular in the world, Fender himself never knew how to play a guitar!)

How Rock Music Was Formed From “Jump Blues”

With the joy and relief that came with the end of World War II, many Americans began turning to a lively, rocking sound called “Jump Blues”. Rhythmic and more adrenalin-based, it introduced a new breed of singers called “blues shouters” who would shout and growl song lyrics rather than use a microphone. In 1947, singer/shouter Roy Brown was the first recording artist to give his songs a gospel-tinged delivery. He was also one of the first to pack several different notes into a single syllable (a method that was called “pleading”). Today, this is commonplace in every form of popular vocal music.

As Brown was performing and recording in a more plaintive style, another singer, Wynonie Harris, added a twist to the music. A popular shouter, he introduced a style called “dirty blues”. These were rowdier songs that often mixed sexual innuendo with humor (“I Like My Baby’s Pudding”, “Keep On Churning”). This sound not only was said to have introduced the actual “rhythm-and-blues” era, but influenced future rockers like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.

But, if Brown and Harris created the rock fuse-box, “T-Bone” Walker provided the first electricity for it. A professional performer from the age of 15, he came up with an act that mixed lively, pleading blues with wild guitar antics (including outrageous splits and playing the guitar behind his back). In the 1960s, famed guitarists like Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix admitted they were heavily influenced by him, and blues legend B. B. King said that Walker was the performer who inspired him to take up the guitar. In fact, “T-Bone” has often been credited with being the first actual “rock star.”

Rock's “Formal” Introduction to Society

In 1949, RCA introduced a new line of 45 rpm records that made these “jump” artists’ music affordable to fans and more easily accessible to DJs. Two years later, Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed started the Moondog Rock’n Roll Party and, by using these smaller, more portable records, showcased these acts to a predominantly white teen audience.

And, considering the name that he gave his new radio show, he ultimately introduced the phrase to mainstream radio listeners.

In 1951, a record that most critics consider to be the first actual “rock and roll” song was released. “Rocket 88” praised the new Oldsmobile model of the same name and was performed by Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm (though the record label gave credits as “Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats”. He was actually Turner’s sax player). But the new sound didn’t really make a mark on the charts until two years later, when country music singer Bill Haley crossed over to rock and recorded a tune called “Crazy, Man, Crazy” (the title was borrowed from popular teen slang of the time).

Still, much of adult America remained in the dark about rock and roll until 1955, when an important media event introduced it to them. On March 25 of that year, the movie Blackboard Jungle premiered across the country and became a hit with parents and teens alike. As it addressed the issue of juvenile delinquency in a violent inner-city school and starred one of their favorite actors (Glenn Ford), the movie attracted adults.

But the kids could relate to the rebellious nature of the students – and were so excited by the theme music (Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock”) that many found themselves dancing in the theaters' aisles as it played during the opening credits..

It was the nation’s formal introduction to rock-and-roll!

Five Acts That Put Rock Music Solidly on the Map:

Because Haley and His Comets were so successful, other acts began to appear on the scene that were inspired by the “jump” beat. They were smaller in size, relied more on guitar and piano, and their vocals were largely in the style of the movers and shouters of the late Forties.

Two "breakthrough" acts eventually became role models of Sixties rock:

(1) Little Richard. Already popular with black audiences, his wild, shouting vocal style, flamboyant stage presence and banging piano began revving up the rock engine across-the-board.

(2) Chuck Berry. This singer and guitarist from St. Louis threaded a 4/4 rhythm pattern and patented duck-walk into songs about everyday life. For decades, his music was synonymous with rock-and-roll.

Still, due to their race, both performers were frowned upon by white parents who didn’t want their kids listening to “black music”.

(3) That was all changed when Elvis Presley appeared on the charts. A humble, God-fearing young man in private life, his songs mixed rockabilly and “jump blues” with a gospel fervor. Then, as he hit the stage with his one-two punch of hungry vocals and hip gyrations, he quickly bridged the gap between black and white audiences. As radio airplay and magazine coverage of Elvis increased, youngsters across America began to copy anything and everything about him.

(4) Shortly after Presley made his debut on the charts, a young country singer named Buddy Holly crossed over to give the young rock world a new, rhythm-based sound. His music was lively and one of the first to include titles repeated throughout the songs, thus making them easier to remember. He performed in his natural voice and, backed with the guitars and drums of his three-piece band (The Crickets), actually inspired the layout of future rock acts.

(5) By mid-1957, as Elvis and Buddy were busy competing for the top spot on radio playlists, two brothers from Kentucky appeared on the charts with a tight, catchy harmony that thrilled millions of teens nationwide. Their early hits like “Bye, Bye Love”, “Wake Up, Little Susie” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, coupled with boyish good looks and strong, acoustic rhythm on twin guitars quickly made The Everly Brothers one of the most popular rock acts in America.

Tragically, on February 3, 1959, in a field near Mason City, Iowa, Buddy was killed in a deadly plane crash along with J. P. Richardson (aka the "Big Bopper"), Richie Valens and the plane's pilot. After his death, his sound was duplicated by a few (Tommy Roe, whose “Sheila” hit in 1962 was inspired by Holly’s “Peggy Sue”), but no American sound-alike act would reach the same pinnacle of success that Buddy did.

By summer of '59, due to many easy-listening singers being promoted in the wake of Presley’s induction into the Army, rock music was beginning to be seen as a passing fad. This prompted Billboard Magazine to publish Rock and Roll Ain’t Ready For The Ol’ Rockin’ Chair Yet. It admitted that the genre was dying until Elvis, The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly began appearing in the Top 40 to save it.

The British Took Our Rock – and Improved it!

With the music of those acts throwing kids into a frenzy across America, it wasn’t long before young people in Great Britain began to catch the new rock fever. And the effects would be nothing less than phenomenal!!

After World War II, rhythm-and-blues records were being brought into the country by sailors coming from America. The raw, gutsy sounds appealed to thousands of youngsters, especially in the coastal port towns. But, since postwar families couldn't afford the luxuries that produced these sounds, the kids turned to an old, easy-to-play jug band music called "skiffle". The instruments were simple – all they needed were a couple of acoustic guitars, a washboard and build a stand-up bass from a tea chest and they could play wherever they wanted. The music quickly caught on with young people, since they could jam with their friends and create their own styles of music. And it was also a great way to pick up “birds” (girls)! Soon, skiffle groups began popping up everywhere, including on street corners and at small social events.

Skifflers to Rockers

When they finally picked up on Elvis, Buddy and The Everly Brothers,, the skifflers began to make their own move to electric guitars and full drum kits. It wasn't an easy one, though. Here's what Ron Ryan (who wrote some of the Dave Clark Five's first hits) had to say:

“First gear, the Yanks were spoilt! They could walk into any music shop and buy a Fender or a Gibson guitar right off the wall. In the late 50s (when most of the Bands who made up the Invasion started) to the early Sixties, we could not get them here.

You would not believe the crappy guitars we had to learn on! The string were so far away from the fret-board our fingers used to bleed after every practice session. Also, the strings we could get were so heavy! You put them on a crappy guitar and you had to work so hard to play it! We developed playing styles akin to the old black blues artists, where they played cheap guitars and heavy strings.”

As they turned electric, some of the acts began changing their names to become more marketable: "The Drifters", a skiffle band that backed singer Cliff Richard, knew that America had a popular act by the same name. So, since they were in Richard's "shadow", the band changed its name to The Shadows. And, since they were fans of Buddy Holly and The Crickets, “The Quarrymen” re-emerged as "The Beatles" in homage to them (lead singer John Lennon is credited with changing the insect's name to reflect the new rock beat).

Inspired by the popularity of Elvis, producers Jack Good and Larry Parnes formed a stable of male solo artists with names like Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle and Billy Fury – stage names that supposedlly reflected their sexual prowess. Nonetheless, these singers were highly popular in England and, though Fury died in 1983, the others continue to make sporadic appearances as of this writing (Wilde is also the father of pop singers Ricky, Kim and Roxanne Wilde).

Over the next two years, as many of the new rock bands were starting to pick up their first bookings, the London area became home to blues artists. By 1963, the scene had attracted new blues-rock acts like The Rolling Stones, The Animals and Manfred Mann (The Animals had started out as a jazz band, with Eric Burdon on trombone! He wasn’t very good, so he switched to vocals and changed the band to blues-rock).

Meanwhile, new rock bands were forming throughout England – in fact, Liverpool itself had over 1,200 young people in them! Sometimes, their shows caught the eye of talent scouts, who would arrange publicity and more venues for the acts. These often led to managers and possibly even recording contracts.

Ron Ryan: “Most of the 'Invasion' bands were 'blues bands' before they turned to rock. So we listened to the blues, and that could play rock in that style. That meant with plenty of attack, and 'get in quick and grab the crowds attention' from the first few notes of a song.”

Soon, the best of these acts were playing shows throughout Britain - including the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool and, in Germany, the Star Club and Kaiserkeller. But, whether rock or blues acts, they all shared a common dream as they fine-tuned their shows. Playing gigs in their home country or even western Europe was fine, but they wanted to make an impact in the country that built rock and roll from the ground floor: America!

The Day the Foreigners Invaded America

While plans were being discussed overseas to bring The Beatles to the states, our country suffered a tremendous blow to its morale. On November 22, 1963, television and radio shows were interrupted by the tragic news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot to death in Dallas, Texas. Word of his assassination spread like wildfire and everything came to an abrupt halt. Sadness and confusion had its grip on both adults and young people as they all crowded around their televisions and radios to follow the news surrounding the death of their young and vibrant leader.

After the President’s funeral, TV and radio began slowly returning to normal broadcasting. A month later, the clouds of teen gloom started lifting as The Beatles were introduced to America via radio station WGH in Virginia. They began a huge marketing campaign that included playing The Fab Four's music constantly and giving away free “Beatles” tee shirts. By the end of the month, radio stations in New York City were duplicating WGH's effort and, soon, the demand for The Beatles could be felt nationally. Due to the band's popularity, Capitol Records rush-released their jumpy hit, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” to satisfy the hordes of excited fans.

That excitement reached fever pitch when it was learned that the band was coming to America for a live TV appearance in February!

The day they landed at JFK International Airport signaled what many call the exact birthdate of modern rock: Friday, February 7, 1964, 1 PM. When John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr exited Pan American Flight 101, they brought the revitalization that American teens – and their music – needed!

Prior to “The Fab Four’s” first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th, producers received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio. During the program, the band played three of their biggest hits live to TV cameras and a packed audience of screaming teenagers. While the show was on (from 7 to 8 PM EST), it was reported that not even one major teenage crime was reported anywhere in this country!

It was, without a doubt, the decisive “turning point” in the history of rock music.

Following the Beatles' wildly successful appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, the first wave of Invasion groups courageously crossed the Atlantic and began to make their mark on America. Bands like The Dave Clark Five, The Searchers, Gerry and The Pacemakers and the duo of Peter and Gordon appeared to screaming, adoring fans wherever they played.

Sometimes, the bands could throw us a curve with their music. While The Dave Clark Five recorded some tremendous hits, no one knew that Dave himself (drummer for the band) didn't actually play the drums on many of the released singles! That honor went to popular London session drummer, Bobby Graham. Incidentally, Graham had been asked by John, Paul and George to replace Pete Best as drummer for The Beatles. But, because he thought the band wasn't going to be successful in the long run, Graham declined the offer.

Clark and Mike Smith (organist) were considered fine songwriters, but some of their biggest early hits ("Bits and Pieces," "Anyway You Want It" and their most popular one, "Because") was actually ghost-written by singer/songwriter Ron Ryan. He had allegedly given the songs to Clark with the promise that he (Ryan) would be given writing credit. However, Clark reneged on the promise and listed himself and Smith as the writers.

Americans Start Playing “Under the Influence”

Within weeks, thousands of young people in America began forming bands of their own. Some, like The Beau Brummels, took British-sounding names with the idea that, since the British rockers were selling records like crazy, they could do the same by sounding like them. Besides, millions of girls seemed to be turned on by any young male with a British accent.

Stateside bands that were already regionally popular before The Beatles suddenly saw their popularity surge nationwide. On the West Coast, the tight harmonies and strong guitars of The Beach Boys had been turning kids on to surfing, drag racing and wholesome teenage love since 1962. Its multi-part harmony, coupled with clean-cut looks and upbeat songs that even parents could enjoy, inspired a number of groups far beyond California. The Beatles, themselves, credited The Beach Boys as one of their early influences.

From the Midwest came “garage rock” bands (the name comes from their rehearsing in family garages). Most notable of these were Paul Revere and the Raiders, a group that began in 1960 as a standard act but later, influenced by The Beatles, combined solid, upbeat rock with hilarious onstage antics. That mix, along with their trademark Revolutionary War outfits, made them one of the most popular acts in American rock. Of course, it didn't hurt to have a leader with a built-in gimmick (Paul Revere was his given name). Among their many hits was “Kicks" - a rhythmic rocker that warned listeners about the dangers of drugs (referred to in the song as a “magic carpet ride"). Over the years, it's influenced thousands of young people to turn away from taking or experimenting with street drugs like cocaine, heroin and others.

Another influential garage band was a unique foursome called The Barbarians. Led by “Moulty" Moulton, they often appeared onstage in quasi-pirate gear. The reason for this was that, shortly before the band was formed, drummer Moulton had a pipe-bomb explode in his left hand - a move that destroyed his arm to mid-wrist. Rather than give up, however, he decided to fit his arm with a “pirate's hook", and notched his drumsticks so they wouldn’t fall from the hook’s grasp.

In 1965, Moulton recorded an autobiographical song, called “Moulty!", that told of his accident and the effects of it. The theme of the song was to “never give up." Although he recorded the hit with the help of a band known as “The Hawks”, his regular group backed Moulty when the song was performed. After the shows, he says, kids would come up - sometimes with tears in their eyes - and thank him giving them hope through his song!

Incidentally, “The Hawks” later changed their name and became better known as “The Band", backing Bob Dylan and releasing hits like “The Weight" and “Up On Cripple Creek."

Obviously, stateside bands were drowning out the solo artists, but youngsters like Billy Joel and Tom Petty had become influenced to take up the music themselves. Within a little more than a decade, they would be platinum stars of rock.

In 1965, TV producers Bob Rafaelson and Bert Schneider, recruited four young men to play in a comedy about a fictional rock group called The Monkees. With a format inspired by The Beatles' hilarious first movie, A Hard Day's Night, the show was a smash hit with teen audiences, and quickly produced top-selling albums by the “group”. For the first two releases, the actors (Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork) did the vocals on each track but they weren’t allowed to play any instruments. By their third LP, they were contributing guitar or piano and, on subsequent albums, they were playing almost all the instruments.

While many saw the band as a musical/comedy act via their TV series, few realized the impact that The Monkees would have on rock music:

1) They introduced the Moog Synthesizer – a direct forerunner of today’s synthesizer – to rock music.

2) They helped subsidize a band that was to become in-demand during the early to mid Seventies: a trio called “Three Dog Night”.

3) An artist they introduced on an early tour was actually booed off the stage because his music was considered too “heavy” for the teen audience. Yet, he became one of America’s best loved guitar icons. His name: Jimi Hendrix.

4) Guitarist Mike Nesmith invested part of an inheritance from his mother (who had invented “Liquid Paper”) and, along with another rocker named Todd Rundgren, created Pacific Arts Video. That venture was inspired heavily by the musical video vignettes shown of TheMonkees TV show - and soon became one of the models for “Music Television” (better known as “MTV”).

Hendrix was quite possibly the first “heavy metal" guitarist as he introduced a mix of loudness, feedback, solo/rhythm mix and histrionics (such as playing guitar with his teeth or behind his back, both inspired by the great “T-Bone" Walker). Since his untimely death in September of 1970, he has been touted as the greatest rock guitarist of all time.

While the rock engine was building momentum around most of young America, the folk movement continued "blowin' in the wind” in Los Angeles as well as New York. Fueled by Civil Rights protests, it had been popular during the late 1950s and early '60s and the music was largely acoustic. But a Los Angeles band, “The Byrds”, successfully mixed the folk style with electric guitars and drums, producing versions of protest classics that reached a new generation. Later, they ventured into psychedelic music and finally settled into a country-rock routine. Meanwhile, New York’s Simon and Garfunkel retained the acoustic feel and were considered by many to be folk music's answer to The Everly Brothers . Their harmony was easy-on-the-brain, but their lyrics could either cut you like a knife or warm you like a crackling fireplace on a winter's day. Either way, though, they could make you think.

One of the true legends of the genre was a troubadour named Bob Dylan. A follower of the late Woody Guthrie, he moved to New York and wrote iconic protest songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'". These would soon became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements in America.

Many people mocked Dylan's breathy, mumbling manner of singing. He had tried to honor Guthrie by copying his voice. But, when he first visited his idol's home (Guthrie was in the hospital at the tme) and jammed with his son, Arlo, Mrs. Guthrie accused him of mocking her famed husband! You see, Woody suffered from Huntington's chorea, which can cause difficulty with the physical production of speech. But Dylan didn't know that and was humbled and embarrassed. Nonetheless, he kept the trademark vocal style for years after Guthrie died.

In 1965, Dylan traded his acoustic guitar for an electric one and tried his hand at folk-rock. The end result was a song considered the “Best Rock Song Of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine: “Like A Rolling Stone”. During the ensuing years, he continued writing and performing hit songs, but also tried his hand at acting, painting and journalism. On October 13, 2016, he won the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Integrated Soul of American Youth

With the new musical explosion tearing down the walls between blacks and whites, soul music began showing up on more radio playlists and request lines than ever. By the end of 1964, acts like The Four Tops, Temptations, Supremes and Martha and The Vandellas had enjoyed multiple hits on the Billboard charts. Their lively, intimate vocals, tight harmonies and strong rhythm made them some of the most requested American acts on radio!

But, if there was ever an individual act that brought blacks and whites together, it was “the hardest working man in show business”: James Brown. Though he had taken the shouting, moving style of the earlier blues artists to a new level, his act was still rather new to many white audiences. However, when he appeared on the wildly popular teen concert film, The T. A. M. I. Show (an acronym for "Teen Age Music International") in late 1964, he quickly became a superstar favorite to young people of both races . The only male soul performer to give Brown any serious competition on the charts was a shouter named Wilson Pickett. He covered the Billboard Top 10 with a number of hits and was, to some, more versatile. He merged rock, soul and funk (“Land of A 1,000 Dances”, “Funky Broadway”, “Mustang Sally”) and, once, even Italian romantic (“Deborah”).

Other highly popular male solo acts of that time included “King” Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, Arthur Conley, “Little” Stevie Wonder and Otis Redding. Of course, female singers made a tremendous impact on soul at the time. Dominating the charts was one who became known as the “Queen of Soul”, Aretha Franklin. Others included Gladys Knight (with The Pips), Patti Labelle (with the Bluebells) and Martha Reeves ( with The Vandellas). The dynamically-emerging soul sound of the mid-Sixties also influenced white groups like The Young Rascals and Soul Survivors to try and mimic the sound.

(By the way, two of the dancers on The T.A.M.I. Show were future rock/soul artist Toni Basil and actress Teri Garr!)

How Rock Music Helped End a War

By June 1965, President Lyndon Johnson had sent 82,000 U.S. combat forces into battle in the country of Vietnam. In slightly over a year, that number had tripled. Whether they volunteered or were drafted, one out of ten soldiers were either killed or injured. As casualty reports came in, young people were shocked by the number of fatalities, especially of innocent civilians (which accounted for up to half the war's casualties!). They were also afraid that, because the North Vietnamese had Russia and China on their side, the war could result in a nuclear holocaust. So, from powerful college campuses to small-town America, thousands of young people began to openly protest the conflict via sit-ins, peaceful marches and rallies (including one in Washington, D.C., where 250,000 Americans gathered, urging withdrawal of our troops from Vietnam!) . While some members of the “peace movement” were aggressive in their condemnation of the war, others opted for a “passive” approach: a resistance nicknamed “Flower Power”. Unlike their peers, they opted to carry flowers and give them to soldiers, congressmen and other officials in the hopes that they'd see peaceful coexistence and love as an answer to the hostilities. They began to dress in more colorful clothes and even join together in communes (thus the beginning of the modern “hippie” movement).

But the protests grew stronger with every bombing or battle. Even performers began to advocate an end to the war. Songs like The Beatles' “All You Need Is Love,” Country Joe and the Fish's "Fixin' to Die Rag" and Phil Ochs' “I Ain't Marchin' Anymore” became thematic for the protesters. Finally, in January 1973, President Nixon ended our involvement in the war and brought our troops home. While a peace agreement had been hammered out, the President's decision was influenced, in part, by the mounting protests that were being fueled by the peace movement's music.

Meanwhile, the rock music itself, broadcast via the Armed Forces Vietnam Network, boosted the morale of our troops. As one combat veteran put it, “Rock ‘n Roll ... (got) some adrenaline running through the body like a runaway train.” (Michael W. Rodriguez).

Some of the songs held special significance to the troops. “Fortunate Son”, by Creedence Clearwater Revival, implied that they were sent into combat because they were from working-class families and not offspring of the rich. Meanwhile, “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, by The Animals, echoed the sentiment of every soldier in both its title and chorus. It claimed “a better life” if they did get out in one piece. Others, like “It’s Alright” by Adam Faith and the Roulettes, provided a needed, upbeat enthusiasm.

All told, the rock music that emanated from the AFVN was a pleasant reminder of home - and the loved ones who were waiting for them when they returned.

Turning on and Dropping Out

When “flower children” and the antiwar movement are brought up, some people invariably associate it with use of the hallucinogenic drug “LSD”. But it had actually been around since 1949; by the time of the Vietnam War, it was already being hailed for its mind-expanding capabilities. Despite being potentially lethal or brain-damaging, it became the drug-of-choice to bands who saw it as a way to become more creative. From the mid-to-late 1960s, it gained in popularity with the “flower children” who saw it as a way to tune in to their inner consciousness. They were also intrigued by its “psychedelic” side effect – a kaleidoscopic imagery that the drug was said to trigger. By the 1970s, though, when news of tainted or “laced” LSD began appearing alongside horror stories of its effects, they began to see the drug in a different light and its popularity weakened substantially.

But due to the effects of LSD, psychedelic rock (and its “tune in, turn on and drop out” life style) had already developed in San Francisco and was still strongly promoted by bands like The Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish, and Jefferson Airplane. New groups like Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge and Iron Butterfly began to appear on the scene, with music tempos altered to convey the feeling a person had while on LSD (called a “head trip”).

Another form of the psychedelic music was “acid rock” - said to be the forerunners of “heavy metal”. The music allegedly showed the darker side of the LSD experience. The music was formed often by improvised “jam” sessions, guitars were louder and more distorted, drums became more prominent, and vocals were sung with a screaming passion.

The Sixties closed with what was to become the most legendary of rock festivals. On August 15, 1969, on a farm owned by Max Yasgur near Woodstock, New York, over 400,000 young people gathered to hear some of the best performers in rock and folk music. The “Woodstock” festival was billed as “Three Days of Peace & Music” and was a defining moment in the history of rock. It proved to the older generations that it was, in fact, a music that could bring people together in peace and harmony. It was also said to signal the end of the psychedelic era of rock.

Soon, “acid rock's” louder, more aggressive sound was repackaged by bands that had enough of the psychedelia and wanted to get back to the basics of the music itself. While groups like Black Sabbath and Steppenwolf (who first coined the phrase, “heavy metal”) popularized the tough new sound, its greatest success came in the form of an explosive band called Led Zeppelin. Created by guitar virtuoso Jimmy Page (a member of the former “Yardbirds”), the band wrote its own material and was known for leader Robert Plant’s powerful vocals and Page's creative guitar licks (even using a cello bow to play it on certain songs). Rolling Stone magazine described the foursome as "the heaviest band of all time" and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history" In 1980, following the death of their drummer, John Bonham, Led Zeppelin formally disbanded – although they reunited periodically for “one-off” (single, special-event) performances with Bonham's son, Jason, on drums.

Rock Hits the Assembly-Line

By the end of the decade, while the progressive “heavy” rock was competing with the remaining psychedelic music, a lighter version of rock-n-roll began appearing on radio. It was simple, upbeat and specifically aimed at a 13 - 15 year old audience. Called "bubblegum music", the songs were produced in an almost "assembly-line" manner. They were quickly written and manufactured in the studio using session musicians and singers. As the records were released as being by bands with names like "1910 Fruitgum Co." and "Music Explosion", producers scrambled to find unknown regional acts to tour as these bands.

Nonetheless, the catchy, repetitive choruses of “bubblegum” songs were said to appeal to the younger generation - although some in their late teens to early twenties enjoyed the bounciness of the tunes (one of them being “Sugar, Sugar” by the fictional group, The Archies). The music wasn't just released by bands, though: Tommy Roe, who had a hit with “Sheila” in 1962, became the most successful of the performers. The "bubblegum" sound was a hit with young teens, and lasted until 1977.

The South Rises Again

While youngsters across the nation were enjoying their “bubblegum”, another form of music was gaining popularity in the South. Southern rock basically focused on electric guitars and vocals - though performers had the standard drums, bass and piano. The Allman Brothers, long considered the founders of the genre, mixed soul, Delta blues and country with guitar-driven rock. They created a style that many other bands from the deep South emulated. .

But arguably the most popular of all Southern rockers was a band called Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their first major hit, 1974s “Sweet Home Alabama” - a direct response to singer Neil Young’s comments about the state in two separate songs - soon became the anthem for every Southern rock and country fan. The band, itself, has suffered many casualties over the years, starting with a tragic plane crash in 1977 that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant and seriously injured other band members. However, in the true tradition that “The South’s Gonna Do It Again," the band has continued performing over the years and seems to increase its fan base with every venue.

Disco Fever Gets Hairy

In the mid-1970s, a new and dance-able form of music was being introduced to young America. A mix of African-American funk, soul and Latin salsa, the new disco music was played in dance halls around the country.

The concept began around 1962 when British teens, unable to afford live dance bands, would bring records of their favorite artists to what they called "disc sessions." They would have one person (later called a "DJ") to play them while the kids would dance. By the mid-Sixties, the idea caught on in America and our "discotheques" were born.

On the disco floor, flashy fashion was the order of the day. The music itself, which leaned heavily on horns, strong bass and repetitive downbeats, was considered sexually seductive. The dance floors were often illuminated by suspended or floor-level blue neon lights, and mirrored disco balls often hung from the ceiling. The smoother, the better as young people could show off their dancing skills as well as potentially find romance. But, in 1977, with the release of the movie, Saturday Night Fever, more young men began dressing in the slightly-more-subtle attire of the film's lead characters. The rock trio of The Bee Gees - three English brothers who had their first hit at the last of the British Invasion - composed songs that became anthems of the disco movement: "Staying Alive", "You Should Be Dancing," “Jive Talkin’” and "Night Fever".

While the disco fever itself cooled off considerably during the early Eighties, you can still find dance floors in many of the larger cities in America.

As the disco craze began to win over flashy party-goers in larger cities, a modified form of the Sixties rock bands, called “hair” or “glam” groups, appeared on radio and in concerts around the country. They acquired their name because the members’ hair was usually grown long and teased at the top. While they had adopted the four-piece setup of early rock acts (lead and rhythm guitars, bass guitar and drums), their outfits were partly inspired from the flash of the disco era, and their music was a version of the heavy metal of two decades earlier. Though very popular among the twenty-something set, they only flourished for about a decade.

From Funk to Punk: Techno Prisoners

By the early '90s, a fresh, guitar-based sound emerged that seemed to reflect or trigger the angst of average, working-class youth. “Punk Rock” borrowed heavily from the Sixties’ “garage” bands and was known by its short or fast-paced songs, with aggressive singing styles and basic instruments. The songs themselves were often controversial, tackling issues from sex to politics and everything in-between. Bands like Blink-182, Good Charlotte and especially Green Day gained a tremendous following by young people dissatisfied with corporate America. Unlike their predecessors, quite often bands were crude and rowdy, both on and off stage.

The end of the century brought a renewed interest in the rhythm-and-blues that started it all - but with a catch: Newer performers began preferring an engineered sound rather than live backing musicians on recordings or in performance. “Techno” music could be created cheaply and quickly because it relied on computer-generated music, drum loops, and synthesized vocals. It didn’t matter if performers could actually sing or play an instrument - this computerized format, along with a contraption called the “auto-tune”, could make them sound perfect (though sometimes a little choppy). Since many of the songs were dance mixes, the techno style became a favorite of party-goers nationwide.

Most actual musicians resented the new sound. After all, they had rehearsed and perfected their craft, spent weeks looking for gigs and relied on the live music of their band mates to create great shows.

Many fans felt the same way. They preferred acts that played their own actual instruments and sing without the synthetic enhancements. They wanted to see the guitars being played, actual drummers providing backbeats - and singers who were using their natural voices to reach the fans!

Today, the “oldies” have made a remarkable comeback - along with the sale of LP (long-playing) records and the players that gave us such wonderful sounds whenever the stylus hit the grooves! True, the songs and feelings they convey are evergreen. But what it has to offer has been seriously needed, especially in light of the sadness and mistrust felt after September 11, 2001 – and so many of the national and regional headaches that we've had since then.

So there you have it - the true story of how rock music was created, along with a summary of how it had a medical effect upon us. And, while some newer artists are doing verbatim cover versions of songs made popular in the Sixties, the original tunes, themselves, are out-selling the newer genres (including hip-hop and rap).

But no matter what musical format is most popular as you're reading this or that you, the reader, prefer, every musical performer in the free world knows that he or she owes a debt of gratitude to that which began forming over a century ago – a time that gave the world some amazing sound effects!

Epilogue

Reflections on The Sixties

“Ah, the Sixties! With the present world in turmoil over situations as diverse as terrorism here in America, outright wars in the Middle East and the latest movie star’s release from jail, we long for a return to those thrilling days of yesteryear. It was certainly a simpler, more relaxing era for most Americans… at least until mid-decade, when a remarkable group of youngsters that soon became known as “longhairs,” “hippies” and “peaceniks” began appearing in American society. Considered “freaks” by many in the older, often stodgy and hawkish generation, they believed in such absurd ideas like peace, love and equality. Sit-ins, peace rallies and even a Woodstock wouldn’t change the opinions of the “establishment”. But little did that generation know that the actions of these mid-1960s “freaks” would create a much better world for all of us here in the 21st Century..

To prove the point, we have to go back in time for a quick history lesson. Now, we know the Beatles, the Byrds, Sonny and Cher, Righteous Brothers, Woodstock, Jimi, and a zillion other musical talents marked the landscape of those years. But who'd ever forget the great #1-with-a-bullet (or more) hit called VIETNAM? While the fighting and subsequent death toll seemed to escalate, there was no real strategy for lasting peace from either Washington or Saigon. We were apprehensive about a foreign country having “the” bomb, and its apparent capacity to use it on us. Various parts of the country sweated through near-famine heat waves, and New York City went powerless at one point. Other areas were well-lit, but by fires started in the heat of racial violence and riots that seemed to be endless. Parents wrestled with their kids about the dangers of “experimenting” with various drugs, but it seemed as if they were turning a deaf ear. For many, the lure of the illegal street meds was just too strong.

But, just as it seemed that Washington had turned its back on the voice of mainstream America and we were heading for an enormous breakdown in society, the youth of America showed its collective power. From flower children to serious scholars, their voices helped to influence the end of the Vietnam War. As they gathered together for philosophical lectures and rock concerts, one could see the beginning of voluntary racial integration. Whether living in communes or small communities, they worked together to build houses, plant and harvest gardens and more. Their burgeoning interest in religion (Christian or not) influenced young and old alike to either look within or to the heavens for support and protection. Through it all, the older generation still thought it all repulsive; how dare these young upstarts, with their long hair and peace symbols, to challenge what was happening in “their” America?

Today, the “old fogies”, for the most part, have passed on. And these same “upstarts” – now part of an elite group known as “baby-boomers” – are working through the establishment they once spurned to bring an end to a not-so-different war. They work side-by-side – Americans of all colors and creeds – as friends, associates and peaceful neighbors. These same people act, often spontaneously, for the good of others, whether it’s helping to get someone’s car running or lending their hands to rebuild a city destroyed by a hurricane. Their faith has passed the test of time and has spawned a number of today’s most dynamic evangelists and preachers.

They use the experience of their own past to teach their children and grandchildren the dangers of substance abuse, the wholesomeness of nature and the warmth felt by having a true fellowship with mankind, no matter what color or creed is represented. They empathize, sympathize and counsel more readily and with more impact than their predecessors because that’s what they learned by true communion with each other.

Whether they’re in Congress, a seat of a local town council or just a voting citizen, they know that to listen to one’s conscience is the better way to handle things if that conscience is acted upon. Gone are the days of siding with someone simply due to party affiliation or favoritism. Thanks to them, this country has a fighting chance to shine, once again, on the world stage – and bring peace, once more, to its people. That’s pretty good for what was once considered a bunch of “long-haired” freaks, right?