The 50s: The decade that changed the world of Rock music

"Do something worth remembering." - Elvis Presley

The 1950s saw the emergence and rise of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley is thought to be the king of this genre by many. He was more successful in this endeavor than any other artist of the time and he epitomized the Rock 'n' Roll style and teenage rebellion of the 1950's. One incident that best exemplifies tese qualities in Elvis was his controversial performance with hip gyrations on the Milton Berle show in 1956, a performance that shocked the conservative sensibilities of adults, including parents, but drew in the youth as his performance on the Ed Sullivan Show only a few weeks later drew in nearly eighty-percent of the television viewing audience. However, in 1957, after a show in Los Angeles, Elvis Presley was told by local police that he was not allowed to wiggle his hips while onstage. There was also a headline ran in the local press the next day that said Elvis would have to clean up his act if he wanted to continue performing.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/50smusic.html

https://www.zoomerradio.ca/blogs/station-blog/elvis-keep-that-pelvis-far-from-us/

In my opinion, many parents did not like Rock and Roll because they thought that it caused juvenile delinquency. At that time the music contained sexual conotation. This vulgarism and suggestive choice of words made teens want to listen to it more because their parents did not approve and teens felt like they had something to belong to. From my point of view, his dance and music are iconic. I understand that at that time this could be a big problem but I think it was his dance moves and songs that made him so well known and respected in the music industry. He and other Rock and Roll artists like Little Richards, Chuck Barry, Fats Domino, etc, were not afraid to speak their minds and sing what they they wanted and like which allowed future artists to do the same.

In an interview to TV Guide in 1956 Elvis even said: " I just get kinda in the rhythm with the music. I jump around to it because I enjoy what I'm doin'. I'm not tryin' to be vulgar, I'm not tryin' to sellany sex... I just enjoy what I'm doin' and tryin' to make the best of it."

I hope you liked to know more about this amazing music genre and this artist that I love.

These are the videos of Elvis's performances on the Milton Berle Show and the Ed Sullivan Show if you want to watch:

https://youtu.be/WJnVQDA9rHA - Milton Berle Show

https://youtu.be/aNYWl13IWhY - Ed Sullivan Show

Goodbye for now,

Francisca