Bob Dylan's Influence On American Rock And Roll

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Ruby Ortiz Professor Hatcher Humanities 1302-001 25 November 2014 1950-60's Rock & Roll Rock and roll music had become very popular in America in the nineteen fifties. Some people, however, did not approve of it. They thought it was too sexual. These people disliked the rock and roll of the nineteen sixties even more. They found the words very unpleasant.The musicians themselves thought the words were extremely important. Singer and song writer Bob Dylan said, "There would be no music without the words." Bob Dylan produced many songs of social protest. He wrote anti-war songs before the war in Vietnam became a violent issue in the United States. One was called "Blowin' in the Wind."Rock and roll…show more content…
The love of life became a notable quality in America during this time, as people were for the most part content with their lot in life. After 1953, no soldiers were dying in Korea and American society was thriving due to the adjustments the country had made to business operations to increase productivity in World War II. In late 1948, President Truman had desegregated the American military, and five years later, a man by the name of Elvis Presley became the first notable Caucasian to sing what had previously been a black’s genre of song (Ward 77). This desegregated the genre and earned it more respect, as a white singer would have an easier time getting play time in the more racist areas of the country. Rock and roll was about to take off. This would be the first, but by far not the last, example of the genre reflecting the values of…show more content…
They felt that their parents' values were not enough to help them deal with the social and racial difficulties of the nineteen sixties. They rebelled by letting their hair grow long and by wearing unusual clothing. Their dissatisfaction was strongly expressed in music. In addition to songs of social protest, rock and roll music continued to be popular in America during the nineteen sixties. The most popular group, however, was not American. It was British -- the Beatles -- four rock and roll musicians from Liverpool. The Beatles' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" went on sale in the United States at the end of nineteen sixty-three. Within five weeks, it was the biggest-selling record in the country. Other songs, including some by the Beatles, sounded more revolutionary. They spoke about drugs and sex, although not always openly. In the nineteen sixties, "do your own thing" became a common expression. It meant to do whatever you wanted, without feeling guilty.Five hundred thousand young Americans did their own thing at the Woodstock music festival in nineteen sixty-nine. They gathered at a farm in New York state. They listened to musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez, and to groups like The Who and Jefferson Airplane. Woodstock became a symbol of the young peoples' rebellion against traditional values. Many young people called themselves hippies. Hippies believed there
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