The History of Modern Music

The History of Modern Music — page 1 — CHAPTER ONE THE BIRTH OF MODERN MUSIC At the end of World War II in Joining Together 1945 few would have believed In the early 1950s white musicians began that within 10 years a musical to make music that was heavily influenced revolution would take place in by traditionally black styles such as rhythm and blues and jazz The first genre to fuse the United States In the mid 1950s black and white music styles was rockabilly a new form of music took the This was a combination of the heavy beats world by storm and set in motion and rhythms of blues folk and country music influences an uprising of musical adventure and experimentation This new music was rock and roll Divided Nation 4 In the years following World War II the United States was still a nation divided by strict race laws Black people did not have the same freedoms as white people and were considered by the racist system as second class citizens Because of this the musical sounds and traditions of the country s black and white populations were kept Enter Elvis separate In 1954 Elvis Presley a former trucker from Memphis Tennessee had a worldwide hit with a rockabilly song called That s Alright Mama Teenagers loved the song and Elvis quickly became the headline star of a worldwide rock and roll revolution

The History of Modern Music — page 2 — Rock Around the Clock Rock and roll was slightly different from rockabilly It featured electric instruments and was similar to rhythm and blues It was first made popular by Bill Haley and the Comets whose 1955 song Rock Around the Clock became a worldwide hit The scoop AT Although Rock Around the Clock and That s Alright Mama were huge hits many music historians think that Little Richard's Tutti Frutti was the song that really kick started rock and roll recorded and released in 1955 its simple energy and heavy sound inspired a whole new generation of would be stars ASEAN Bill Haley's fun songs helped to make rock and roll a worldwide phenomenon in the 1950s Revolution in sound Teenage Kicks There were two things about rock and roll that made it attractive to teenagers First it was music they could dance to Second their parents hated it The older generation couldn't understand the music's raw power and loud chords and just made teenagers love rock and roll even more It was something that was theirs and separated them from their parents For the first time ever buying playing and listening to music became an essential part of being a teenager Rock and roll changed the way teenagers dressed spoke and how they spent their spare time Sales of vinyl records soared and organized rock and roll dances often called sock hops became the place to be seen In the future nothing would be the same again Today's bands might not make rock and roll but without these 1950s pioneers we would have no rock music at

The History of Modern Music — page 3 — THE BIRTH OF MODERN MUSIC THE BRITISH ARE COMING S AO American rock and roll ruled in the late 1950s but by the mid 1960s the world was dancing to different sounds They came from the United Kingdom specifically the cities of Liverpool and Manchester The bittest rock and pop stars of the 1960s were followed by fanatical A New Sound groups of screaming teenage fans Rock and roll had a big effect on many British teenagers But it was a British version of rock and roll called skiffle From The Cavern that made the biggest impact Skiffle was to the Charts played with acoustic instruments rather than electric ones and it was made popular by the The beat music scene in Liverpool was based singer Lonnie Donegan Inspired by both around a music venue called The Cavern skiffle and Elvis many teenagers formed Club It was here that many local bands first their own bands played and where they perfected their sound A New Beat The Scoop By the early 1960s many skiffle bands had gone electric and replaced their homemade music making equipment with instruments These young bands began to make a form of pop music that was influenced by rock and roll but kept a very British sound It was called beat music Nowhere was beat music more popular than in Liverpool One of the most successful Merseybeat bands of the early 1960s was Gerry and the Pacemakers They set a record when their first three singles reached number one on the British charts No one had ever done that before not even The

The History of Modern Music — page 4 — Rule Britannia One of these bands The Beatles rose up the British charts in 1964 Record labels quickly rushed to sign more groups from Liverpool and soon these groups nicknamed Merseybeat bands ruled the charts Following The Beatles many other British bands were successful in the United States The American media called this The British Invasion other than The Beatles the US also fell in love with The Dave Clark Five Freddie and the Dreamers and Herman's Hermits The Invasion Begins MEMBE It wasn't long before American teenagers began to get a taste for British beat music In 1964 The Beatles made their first trip to the United States After appearing on a popular television talk show they were headline news Their concerts sold out and their music sold in record breaking time In one week in April 1964 The Beatles held the top five positions on the Billboard Top 100 chart ENTRANCE British Blues British pop music at the time was also greatly influenced by the heavier Sound of American rhythm and blues In London a homegrown blues scene developed Bands such as The Rolling Stones The Kinks and The Who gave audiences a sound that was far rougher than the clean cut pop created by the Merseybeat bands It wasn't long before these bands made their mark in the United States and led the way to a decade of dominance by British rock that lasted into the early 1970s Even recent bands such as Oasis Coldplay and The Killers owe a debt to British pop of the 1960s The Rolling Stones are still making records today over 50 years after recording their first song

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