Music's Influence Of Voice Since The 1950's Essay

Fawn Katich-Shockey
Professor Dennis Pearson
English 102
24 February, 2011
Music’s Influence of Voice Since The 1950’s
The 1950’s was an era that changed the world. It was a time of social change, especially in the American youth. Over the past sixty years, music has been one of the biggest influential factors in our society. The birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll, a new kind of music, was responsible for this change. Rock ‘n’ Roll gave the American youth a freedom to develop and express independent ideas in society.
During the fifties, Rock ‘n’ Roll was music that parents of American teenagers didn’t understand or like. Listening to rock was a way to rebel against their parents and the current society. They were bored from the typical mainstream music that was being played at that particular time, such as “How Much is That Doggy in The Window.” Until Rock ‘n ’Roll, white teenagers were getting bored with the music they were listening to, and switched to black rhythm and blues (Rock ‘n’ Roll). Rhythm and blues was popular among the African American population, but until the early fifties, the white audience had little interest in this type of music. African American singers were the first to play Rock’ n’ Roll. Production studios became interested in this style of music and introduced it to America. For teenagers, listening to Rock ‘n’ Roll became a way of being a part of something exciting, as well as a way to rebel against the standards of society. Rock ‘n’ Roll became more popular among the younger audience. Allen Freed, a disc jockey in Cleveland, Ohio, introduced traditional African American music to the white population. Freed wanted to expand the audience range with this type of music. When the music aired, teens regardless of their race or color, requested the rhythm and blues music written and sung by black artists. Once the white teenagers discovered this “new” style of music they could dance to, the record industry started to introduce this new style as,...