Rebellious? Hell yeah, yo.

The 1950s - the "transistor radio" was invented and became increasingly popular. Radios became much smaller and inexpensive and they were even more commonly installed in vehicles. Until then,

adults and teenagers listened to the same kind of music, but the transistor radio changed everything. Not surprisingly, teenagers grew bored with the music from their parents' generation and sought for a type of music oftheir own. At this time, it was highly unlikely and for the most part, impossible for a white person to go into a black record store and make a purchase. Rhythm and Blues, known as R&B, was commonplace for the majority of the black population but was brand new to white teenagers. White teenagers nationwide tuned into their favorite R&B stations on the radio while record producers searched for white acts who had a style similar to R&B. Artists who had strong country backgrounds such as Big Joe Turner, Bill Haley and His Comets and Elvis Presley combined their already established country style with R&B to create the music we know as Rock and Roll.

Can you imagine the music industry today

without Rock and Roll? The transistor radio initiated a dramatic and popular change all across America and worldwide. Before the transistor radios were created, radios were treated as a piece of furniture, set in the living room to be controlled by parents only. The first commercial transistor radio, the TR-1, was introduced in 1954 and quickly became a fashionable, portable accessory. Like the modern iPod, the TR-1 completely changed how people listened to music. A blues-based song that was "fast, sexy, catchy and could be danced to easily and with excitement" horrified adults, especially parents. Rock and Roll was a term used to mask the term R&B, which was often associated with black or race music. Ironically, this term was known as slang for sex amongst the black community. Teenagers, who felt they had their own music, fell in love with Rock and Roll and it became extremely popular. Money, leisure and technological advances - teenagers loved it, parents hated it. Rock and Roll brought forth teenage rebellion. With the ability to forge their identity through clothes and music, teenagers felt invincible and unstoppable. It was all about the cars, clothes, love, shagging and dancing in the fifties.

Rock and Roll began to break down the racial barriers, simply through music, but parents were highly opposed to this genre of music. Although Rock and Roll had existed for a while, Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" was viewed as highly dangerous. To parents, it seemed unethical and confusing as to why he would write a song about dancing all night long. Parents felt that this song encouraged dancing and it influenced teenagers negatively. How could dancing surpass all other responsibilities that need to be met on a daily basis? And, as if the childish, immature lyrics weren't offensive enough to parents, it was accompanied by wild, crazy, chaotic dancing. Prior to World War II, dancing was orderly and disciplined - far from the dancing that came with the beginnings of Rock and Roll. What all the parents hated about Rock and Roll, their children loved. Along with the growing parental disapproval came the growing teenage approval of Rock and Roll.

Teenagers in the 1950s embraced all of the technological advances, especially the transistor radio. In a time of luxury, teenagers were showered in items that their parents were never able to have. So, if many adults felt that as a result of Rock and Roll teenagers were becoming rebellious, in a way, they were. "Rock Around The Clock" was not the only song that was looked down upon. There were even songs with no lyrics that were banned because they were thought to cause rebellion amongst teenagers. The more society pushed against Rock and Roll, the more teenagers yearned for it. The more parents looked down upon wild, crazy dancing, the more teenagers were interested. Were they rebellious? Hell yeah, yo.

Information:

http://esto.es/rock/english/history.htm

http://www.pbs.org/transistor/background1/events/tradio.html

http://school.eb.com/

http://www.toqonline.com/blog/the-teenage-rebellion/

Pictures:

http://therocknrollclub.com/modules/tinyd0/index.php?id=2

http://www.retrothing.com/2005/11/regency_tr1_ign.html

http://www.lilesnet.com/memories/past/concepts.htm

http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3ecs1.htm