In the 1950's, Television sets were only affordable for the privileged, so my Family could not afford one, and so we listened to radio. My uncle had a Television at his house, and when us Kids first saw a Television set for the first time, we were afraid of it! Hey, we were 10-12 years old, and there were few Television sets anywhere in the country! We wondered, as Kids, how they could get all those little human figures in such a little box! (Isn't that crazy?)
In the late 1950's, my father bought a Television set, and we watched shows like Lucy; the Honeymooners; Leave It To Beaver; Ozzie and Harriet; 77 Sunset Strip; Life of Riley; F lash Gordon; the Millionaire, etc. Television was new to everyone all across the country. But, there was one Television show, that was a MUST on our to-do list...was American Bandstand! The oldest American teen-ager, Dick Clark, hosted the show for many years, when it was broadcast (live) out of Philadelphia EVERYDAY!
Because of American Bandstand, it was Television and rock and roll that teamed up, to spread the music of rock and roll throughout the country. As Kids, we watched all the singers and groups that came out on American Bandstand to showcase their talents. What was amazing, is the fact, that many of these stars were only teen-agers or in their early twenties at the time...such as Smokey Robinson; Leslie Gore; Carol King; Buddy Holly; Paul Anka; Neal Sedaka; and many others. Many of the hi ts they sang...they wrote themselves! And, the hits they wrote back then, still thrive today! (2006)
At the community center down the street where we lived, we attended dances, and there was only one dance going on at the time...Band-standing, which was similar to jitter-bugging! Everyone on American Bandstand did it, so we could learn from them! It was exciting to get off from school about three in the afternoon, and race home, so we could see American Bandstand everyday about 4:00 in the afternoon. One after another...all the biggies of rock and roll came on the show! Little Richard; Jerry Lee Lewis; Connie Francis; the Platters; the Drifters; Chuck Berry; the Coasters; Fats Domino and Elvis-somebody-or-another...and, the list was endless! There were, of course, no oldies at that time...these singers, songs and performers were the main ingredients of the beginning of the rock and roll era!
But, rock and roll was not liked by everyone at the time! As a ma tter of fact, it was down-right hated! Parents; schools; the government; churches; and the establishment, frowned on rock and roll right from the beginning! Rock and roll was corrupting our Kids...was the cry! Certain songs were banned from the church, and the establishment frowned on rock and roll. It was later in the mid-1960's, when the drug culture came onto the scene, and it was then...when rock and roll was more accepted by the establishment! After all, Parents thought it was best for their Kids to be having fun with music...than to get into the hazards of drugs!
But, rock and roll was here to stay! In the early 1960's, Mo-Town c ame onto the scene, which included Smokey Robinson; Marvin Gaye; the Supremes and many more! I remember Little Stevie Wonder, when he was only ten years old singing Fingertips (1&2). Singer/songwriters had block-busters at that time, and they were so young! How could so much talent exist throughout the 1960's? The Television shows Shin Dig and Solid Gold added to the popularity of rock and roll, and spread the word, as did the Ed Sullivan Show, where many newcomers got their start, including Elvis and the Beatles!
As Kids, we couldn't afford (45rpm records), but we had a friend down the street, whose Parents bought their daughter records, and we went over there all the time to boogie to the latest hits! The dance craze, at the time was called, Band-standing, which was similar to jitter-bugging, and later the dance partners dropped apart, and danced on their own, and the dance was called the slop! In 2006, the slop is still around, it's just called by a different name!
Throughout the 1960's, I loved to see the American Music Awards, because there were all the biggies who lead the way in rock and roll. Woodstock? A big orgie of over 500,000 People in New York! It was a time of free-love; dope and alcohol. And, the 1960's were violent times...not only because of Viet Nam, but because of the civil rights movement; women's lib; equal rights for all. And, the music of the time reflected the mood of the country! It was a time of, do your own thing, independent thinking...free and clear from the establishment! Hundreds of protest songs were written during this era! And, hundreds of those songs are still popular today! (2006)
I would say that around 1970, rock and roll began to change. On the one side, was heavy metal, which I did not listen to! And, goi ng in a different direction was something called, disco! Somebody puts these labels on music, and to this day in 2006, I have no idea what disco means! The only thing I can say about disco, is that me and my wife saw the movie, Grease in the 1970's, and we loved the music! The movie itself was a dork...but the music was great!
It was the beginning of rock and roll in the mid-1950's, and into the mid-1960's, where Parents hated for their children to listen to rock and roll music! In the mid-1990's, I was taking a computer course at a local community college, and the Rolling Stones were in town. The community college was located near the football stadium, where the Stones were to perform. That night, I got out of class about 6:30 in the evening, before the Stones show, and, as I waited for a traffic light to change, I noticed 40 and 50 years old PARENTS taking their CHILDREN to a Stones concert! Can you imagine that? What a difference a generation makes! Back in the 1950's/60's Parents hated rock and roll, and now those KIDS are taking their KIDS to a rock and roll concert...unbelievable!
In the year 2006, the oldies dominate the music airwaves, and will continue to dominate because the music and lyrics are so great. I never hear too much about new music much anymore! Oh...well...as the song says...rock and roll is here to stay...whether the songs be the oldies or the new songs coming along! I've always admired musicians...those who can sing a song...write a song...and play an instrument. As for me...the only instrument I can play...it the radio...and, I don't do that well at all!
email: humordoctor@aol.com Website; humordoctormd Over 200 colorful pages; over 500 graphics http://humordoctormd.homestead.com Copyright; Jerry Aragon; 2006
Author:: Jerry Aragon
Keywords:: Family, Television, People, Parents, Kids
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