Rock: A brief history Pt.1

Rock and roll has a fairly short history compared to the centuries old traditions of classical music. Finding its roots just over half a century ago, rock and roll music has now become household, with groups springing up all over the world. Over the next couple of articles, I will explore a brief history of rock and roll beginning in the 1950's until now.

The year was 1955, and Chuck Berry was a black man playing black music. As Bob Dylan put it, times were changing, and white kids were beginning to pick up listening to rhythm and blues, and white bands everywhere were mixing their country music with this new form of playing. This new form of music was what the kids of the day were looking for, and these artists epitomized the youth's dream of anticonformity. The music industry soon picked up on this trend and realized that there was a white market for black music, and racial barriers and racism could not stand in the way of progress. Rock and roll became an overnight success story. Soon, recoding studios began to promote white celebrity artists such as Elvis Presley. But as talented as Elvis might have been, it was the real heroes like Chuck Berry we have to thank for the birth of rock and roll. It was these black artists that best represnted the connection between the audience and the performer. Unfortunately, these black artists' careers were often short lived as white artists began recording, often covering songs first written by obscure black artists.

Soon rock music began to lose it's fire and passion, becoming what some might call a little soft toward the end of the 1950's. Artists such as The Everly Brothers, Duan Eddy, and Buddy Holly began mixing in country music side by side with rock. Soon, however, the youth identified with a new style of music, music that dealt with the problems of the system, such as the Vietnam War and civil rights. Arguably one of the most influential artists of the era, Bob Dylan led the charge against "The Man" with simple songs a poetic lyrics. An entire generation followed him as he sang about the changing times.

During the same time in California, a group known as The Beach Boys led commercial rock music onto a new path, and soon surf music was invented. This was still rock and roll, however, surf music incorporated something previously not done before, sophisticated vocal harmonies. California and The Beach Boys had their own idea for rock, and established the music for having fun and parties. Briding the gap between Doo-Wop and rock, this form of rock and roll turned out to be a great way to bring the melodic aspect of music into rock and roll.