My Music: 50s Pop Parade

A blog dedicated to the best 50s Pop music. Featuring artists like Elvis Presley, Connie Francis, and The Platters.

Introduction

My Music: 50s Pop Parade is a public television concert special featuring performances by classic pop artists of the 1950s. The program was filmed in September 2012 at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and aired on PBS stations nationwide in February 2013.

The program includes performances of classic 1950s pop hits such as “I Love How You Love Me” (Bobby Vinton), “At the Hop” (Danny & the Juniors), “Fever” (Peggy Lee), and “Rock Around the Clock” (Bill Haley & His Comets). In addition to live musical performances, the program features interviews with some of the artists featured on the show, including Bobby Vinton, Fabian Forte, and Chubby Checker.

The Birth of Rock and Roll

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a new type of music emerged from the United States. It was called rock and roll, and it quickly became popular all over the world. This new type of music combined elements of several different genres, including blues, country, and rhythm and blues. Rock and roll became the dominant form of popular music in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and it continues to be popular today.

The Influence of Rhythm and Blues

Rhythm and blues music played an important role in the development of rock and roll. R&B was a style of music that was created by African American artists in the 1940s and 1950s. It was a combination of African American folk music, jazz, and blues. R&B was very popular with African American audiences. It later became popular with white audiences as well. Some of the most famous R&B artists include Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and James Brown.

The Influence of Country Music

It would be difficult to overstate the role that country music played in the early development of rock and roll. Before Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, there were Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers, two of the most popular and influential singers of the postwar era. Both Williams and Rodgers were country stars who occasionally dabbled in honky-tonk, a style of music with a slightly more uptempo beat that was popular in bars and nightclubs. The honky-tonk sound would eventually become one of the defining elements of rock and roll.

The Mainstreaming of Rock and Roll

Ah, the 50s. A simpler time, when children could be children, and rock and roll was just starting to take off. It was a time of new possibilities and exploration, and the music of the 50s reflects that. From early rock and roll to doo-wop to early Motown, the 50s saw the mainstreaming of rock and roll. And it’s still some of the most popular music today.

The Impact of Elvis Presley

In the 1950s, a new kind of music emerged that changed the course of popular music forever. This new music was called rock and roll. It combined elements of blues, country, gospel, and R&B to create a sound that was both unique and appealing to the young people of the day. And no one did more to popularize this new style of music than Elvis Presley.

Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. He began his musical career in 1954, when he recorded a song called “That’s All Right Mama” at Sun Records in Memphis. This song, along with his next single “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” helped to launch Elvis’s career and establish him as one of the leading lights of the new rock and roll sound.

Elvis’s impact on popular music cannot be overstated. His recordings helped to break down racial barriers and bring black and white musicians together. His onstage antics were a big influence on the development of rock performance style. And his good looks and sex appeal made him an instant idol for teenage girls all over the world.

Elvis’s influence can still be felt today, more than 40 years after his death. His music continues to be popular, and he is still considered by many to be the King of Rock and Roll.

The Impact of Bill Haley and His Comets

Few events in the history of popular music have been as decisive or as long lasting as the impact of Bill Haley and his Comets with “Rock Around the Clock” in 1955. It was, quite simply, the song that started it all—the one that announced to the world that a new kind of music had arrived, one that would change everything.

“Rock Around the Clock” was more than just a hit single. It was a cultural phenomenon, helping to usher in a new era of music and fashion— rock and roll. Prior to its release, rock and roll didn’t really exist as a distinct genre. Sure, there were artists like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry who were beginning to pioneer the sound, but it wasn’t until “Rock Around the Clock” hit the airwaves that rock and roll truly arrived.

With its simple, catchy hook and Haley’s energetic performance, “Rock Around the Clock” became an instant classic, quickly climbing to the top of the charts. What’s more, it popularized rock and roll among mainstream audiences, paving the way for other artists to find success with this new sound. In many ways, “Rock Around the Clock” was responsible for making rock and roll THE dominant force in popular music for decades to come.

The British Invasion

The 1950s witnessed the power of the youth with the advent of rock and roll. American youth found their own voice and the British Invasion only amplified it. This playlist features some of the best hits of the era that defined a generation.

The Impact of The Beatles

The Beatles impact on popular music and culture was nothing short of revolutionary. They were the first truly global pop group, with a huge following in the United States, as well as their native UK. Their popularity was due in part to their talent for writing catchy, accessible songs that appealed to a wide range of listeners, as well as their dedication to their music and their willingness to experiment with new sounds and styles.

The Beatles began releasing records in the UK in 1963, and they soon found themselves at the forefront of the British Invasion, a musical movement in which British bands and artists began to achieve widespread popularity in the US. The Beatles’ first album, Please Please Me, was released in the US in 1964 and quickly rose to the top of the charts. The band’s next two albums, With The Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night, also topped the charts in the US, cementing their status as one of America’s most popular groups.

The Beatles continued to release groundbreaking albums throughout their career, including classics such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and The White Album. They also experimented with new sounds and textures on later albums like Revolver and experimental projects like Magical Mystery Tour. The band’s influence can be heard in countless subsequent artists, from Paul McCartney’s work with Wings to Radiohead’s game-changing OK Computer.

The Impact of The Rolling Stones

It’s hard to overestimate the impact that The Rolling Stones had on the development of rock & roll. One of the keystones of the British Invasion, they took bits and pieces of blues, R&B, and rockabilly and rolled them together into a synthesis that was not only greater than the sum of its influences, but also distinctively their own. The Rolling Stones not only updated the sounds of their heroes (Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry) for a new generation; they also reconfigured these sounds into something fresh and vital. They wrote some great songs too; “Satisfaction,” “Paint It Black,” “Get Off My Cloud,” “Honky Tonk Women” are as classic as any pop song ever written.

Conclusion

That’s a wrap on our look at the 50s Pop Parade! We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about this great music from the past. Stay tuned for more music history lessons, coming soon. Thanks for listening!