Young
people in the 1950s embraced rock and roll because it seemed to them a form of rebellion during
a time that emphasized conformity. Rock and roll, often disparaged as "jungle music"
by anxious parents, was an interesting case of cultural cross-pollenation, as rhythms associated
with African-American music, and indeed many black performers, caught on with white teens even
as their parents, and in many cases, they themselves, expressed concerns about integration in
schools and other public places. While in many cases this entailed the co-opting of black music
by white performers, it eventually led to the popularity of African-American artists as well.
Popular disc jockey Alan Freed, who is credited with coining the actual term "rock and
roll" described the appeal of this new music to young people:
The world at large helped it a great deal. It was like making a cake, the ingredients
were there, they were just waiting to be put together and accepted. The oven was being
pre-heated at a high temperature, meaning, our children had a lot of emotion in them but no way
to express it. Thus came "The Big Beat" and a way of letting go. A loud trend was
born.. The parade was started €¦
Rock and roll also
caught on due to changing technology, and changes in entertainment in general. Radio, under
threat from the new medium of television, sought dynamic new programming to boost its relevance,
and the new music fit the bill perfectly. Television itself proved to be an important vehicle
for the popularization of rock and roll, as variety shows, most famously American
Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show, regularly booked young
telegenic rock and roll artists, sometimes, as in the example of Elvis Presley's 1956 appearance
on Sullivan, with transcendent consequences. Seeing the hysterical reaction
of young people to the new stars on TV only added to the popularity of rock and roll even as it
convinced older people of the new genre's subversiveness.
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