1950s

"Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine'

'Elvis Presley'

INTRODUCTION

On this page, you will find facts about some big artists and what they did in this decade to inspire the world and what genres of music took over the 50s. You can find out some pretty neat information about some of these big artists best songs of the decade and what the meanings of the songs are and why they became so popular in these years.

The 1950s was the birth of Rock 'N' Roll and created the concept of teenagers wanting to distance themselves away from the cultures of their parents. For the young, the 50s were a cultural revolution. The 1950s was a decade full of music change and variation. Whether it was the complete raw Rock 'N' Roll of Elvis Presley, the rhythmic blues of Ray Charles or the lyrical country of Johnny Cash.

Teen culture in this decade marked a important shift in the American race relations. Most teenagers around this time attended segregated schools, meaning that students are unequally and unfairly grouped into classes, mostly based on their race, colour and sex. This resulted in students of different races and colour, not being able to interact with students of the opposite race. However, Rock 'N' Roll was a big interest for teenagers from many different backgrounds, and some rock concerts allowed crowds of all races, sex and colour. This meant that white teenagers would be able to enjoy the live music of African Americans musicians like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, while the African Americans teenagers could listen to white rock and roll artists such as Elvis and Buddy Holly.

[Rock 'N' Roll]

Rock 'N' Roll was birthed through the fusion of blues, rhythm and country. Coming from the early 50s, Rock 'N' Roll began the chain of events that resulted in the creation of Rock; Metal, Punk, Indie, Britpop, grunge. The list could go on for a while. The big artists of Rock 'N' Roll consist of Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and obviously, the king himself, Elvis Presley. These songs such as Jailhouse Rock and Rock Around the Clock inspired teenagers worldwide and shocked all of their parents.

[Country]

Although all of the gelled-back hair and swaying hips was fun, the 1950s wasn't all that. Country music also evolved greatly during this time period. A

Some famous Artists such as Johnny Cash and Hank Williams made their mark in the 50s, introducing rock ability influences and made it possible to dance to country music. Johnny was famous for performing his music to the inmates in prisons. This is a trend that would continue for many decades to come and resulted in Johnny's famous live album

[Rhythm & Blues]

The electric guitar was the main instrument of the decade. It where manufacturers Leo Fender and Les Paul invented the solid body electric guitar. The blues artists at the time found the distorted sound of these guitars to be really appealing.

Chicago Illinois was really the main attraction for blues artists. Bo Diddley's original beat called the 'Bo Diddley' beat, how ironic, and Ray Charles' first major hit 'Mess Around' is what began the rise of these artists and gave them their big name, this is what made them become such a big influence on future artists.

[Artists of the Decade]

[Elvis Presley]

Elvis was a big artist in the 50s, with his biggest hit of that decade being "Love Me Tender". He is the king and birthmark of Rock 'N' Roll. He had become the idol for teenagers in this decade, wherever he went he was greeted by his fans including hordes of young woman screaming at him and teenagers who were obsessed with him.

He served as the great cultural catalyst in his time during this decade. Elvis set out a project of mixed vision of humanity itself and self-confidence, of extreme commitment and comic disbelief in his ability to inspire frenzy. He has inspired thousands of musicians who were originally those who are more like-minded. People like Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

Elvis Presley's famous quote stands to mean that while a dream is a desire and want for something better to happen or be achieved, ambition is the exact same thing, but it is charged up with a great power and force to actually make is come true.

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