Great article. I wish I had said that! I sent it over to digg for others to see.

I am going over to youtube to see that Joni Mithchell song/album that you mentioned, Chinese Cafe.

Loved Chuck Berry. I got n opportunity to see him at Disney World, of all places.

Anyone who doesn't like Sarah Palin or loved Lasers come on over to my blog to see the latest posts on it.

Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~

Thanks, Sharon. :-)

Wow, there is so much I love talking about in this subject. Music still had a long way to go, develop, evolve in 1948. But earlier generations, established generations, could not see it. Let me state up front, that there was much good in the old ways, but there was much need for improvement as well. And the established generations of the day were terrified by this new style of music. It was just music, often or later to be, very compelling. But I think they saw it as more than music. I think Blacks had unique creative ways of expressing themselves and maybe, possibly, the white folks saw a difference as immediately and automatically bad or wrong or very suspicious.

But the Beatles and so many other Brits, were taken by this music, without prejudice, and they did one more thing. They evolved this American music a little more so that it as far more compelling than ever before. Rock n Roll was appearing a little here and there in the 50s. But It was that British invasion led by the Beatles that really and truly changed it to me. I think the sax rhythm of Little Richard and the guitar of Chuck Berry were the real genesis of R n R. Little Richard was amazing for his rhythm saxaphones. They gave his music the gusto along with his incredible intense vocals. It was magic that terrified. It might have been a little risqué. But the established could not separate the risqué from the good. There was their major downfall.

As I see it, this downfall caused the established generations to lose so much credibility that the young stopped listening to them. This was bad for all. But I am one show believes that the adults are more responsible fir the young, rather than the young responsible for adults, just as politicians are more accountable than the average population. All over much of the world, even in the deep dark Soviet Union, the older generations were losing major culture music battles to the young.

Back to the Beatles. They refined and sweetened a good form of music and made it even better. Even succeeding black artists would improve the sound as well. You can best see this in what are now called the Classics, albums and singles that keep selling and making new fans with their original material releases. Not many seek out the early stages of R n R, but many will seek out the likes of Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Beatles and so many more artists from the 60s to 80s and beyond though not as much.

When one tries to hold back a major cultural tsunami, one can be assured of total absolute failure. But oddly, I believe it was not just parents and grandparents who were wrong on this matter and trying to fight it. It was politicians and Businessmen who often resisted. Some legendary Rock n Roll, perhaps of a more heavy persuasion, was never heard on radio for years. It started to creep in a little in the late 70s. I feel that business, nearly one and the same with government, were terrified of the rebelliousness and free-thinking that had erupted among the youth and had gotten out of control. So they tried to keep us happy with Pat Boone, and the soft mellow crooning so common at one time. But it did not work anymore.

Government is also good at telling us what we can or can not see, listen to, like, believe, do; far beyond what I think was first granted in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The gov, as much if not more so that the general population, tried to hold back some things while pushing and promoting others.

I would just hope that we take a look at OUR music, which striped of associations, is nothing by good, and give some careful thought to the importance of credibility and reason. When we react by knee jerk instinct, which is vulnerable to prejudice and the irrational, we put ourselves and our young in danger.

Indeed, rock n roll is a great form of music that seems to resonate more with people than any other music at this time, and maybe for all time. It is quite a thing for a generation to be associated with such a broad appealing movement. We were a part of it. Lets just hope we can learn some good lessons from it and pass them on to our young.

Great column!! Proud to be related to you.

yobro

I always assumed it was Bill Haley and the Comets with Rock Around the Clock that was the first Rock & Roll Song which broke the “Color” barrier, paving the way for Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.

I played in rock bands from 1967 to 1981 and we covered many of the 50’s & 60’s rock classics – mostly strung together in a medley form. They never failed to get a crowd on the dance floor and even in the disco era when no matter what was being played from the Hustle to Saturday Night Fever – someone would always request the oldies, particularly the Beatles, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, Elvis and The Everly Bros. but after the high energy rocking was broken up by a breath catching ballad invariably the requests would be for “More Disco”. People seem to love to dance in unison whether it’s Line Dancing, the Bunny Hop, Chicken Dance or the Macarena - the Polka Medley was always a huge hit as well.

Burt, it's funny. The whitening of R&R performers wasn't as important as I thought it would be as this particular piece came together. Rather, it was the acceptance of black music by formerly prejudiced whites that was Rock's greatest gift. As much as I love it, I never realized the liberating effect it had on formerly oppressed races, working right alongside the civil rights movement.

And I'm not sure why I'm capitalizing Rock and Roll, but not civil rights, as they both deserve it. A shortcoming on my part.

My mom raised me on Rock and Roll, my dad came over from Europe and went straight to Woodstock! They were so cool I had a hard time rebelling!

Leo (not Joe) Fender is the guy behind the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar (hollow-body electrics were available from Gibson starting in the 1930s) and his first one hit the market in 1950, not 1948. (That would be the Broadcaster, later renamed the Telecaster because of copyright issues. He sold lap steel electrics before that.)

History Buff, thanks for the catch on Mr. Fender's first name, now corrected. However, I'll need to see some documentation on the year of 1950, my source is pretty adamant that the year 1948 is correct.

Let us not forget Les Paul who created the guitar by his name for Gibson, with his humbucking double coil pickups to produce a quiet sound and he also pioneered some recording techniques as well I believe. My late 70s memories are getting a little old and worn.

The term used above, “combination of technological advancement……..” reminds me of a few cover versions of older songs I have heard lately. These songs are widely regarded as classics of their time but with the use of technologically advanced equipment, they are given a new sound within a familiar sound.

One such song is “Cars” by Gary Numan of 80’s fame, remembered by us younger boomers. At the time of the original release in the 80’s, “Cars” was out there as a kind of glimpse of techno future of music as was the album “Telekon” which contained the song.

Fast forward to 2009. Until a year or so ago, I had been in the music wilderness when I started to trawl through music videos on demand on YouTube. I came across a version of “Cars” performed live by Gary Numan in 2009 with Nine Inch Nails.

What struck me was the depth the song was given by the much more advanced equipment than in the original version of twenty something years ago. The bass was entrancing.

The depth and impact of the song was significantly enhanced and was to me, a whole new musical experience. Just as interesting though, it was a new musical experience for the live audience which were clearly Gen X’ers.

So, we the baby boomers, we who were the nurturers of R&R, we who stood up to our parents and said, “We WILL listen to this!”, are seeing our music played again in updated style to those who say,” The Beatles are so old and soooo uncool.”

Do they really know what they are listening to? Do they really know WHO they are listening to?

Rock and roll truly is here to stay and us boomers, the creators of rock and roll are still very much still a part of it.

To get a feel for what for what I mean, do some YouTubery and search “NIN Cars”.

For something way cool, search “The Punkles Help” for some Beatles Punk style and as you listen to these, remember Rock History but remember you are a boomer too. So let’s embrace the change as all good boomers do.