Music of the 1960’s
The 1960’s Represented the revolutionary era of the decade Time of rebellion & counter-culture: Young adults were questioning everything: the government, authority, everyday life This led to the Civil Rights Movement of the decade
The British Invasion Movement during the mid-1960’s, where bands from the United Kingtom grew very popular The Beatles The Rolling Stones The Who The Animals Herman’s Hermits The Troggs
The Beatles The group took America by storm in the early 1960s Appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 They began a trend in the US because of their catchy tunes & appearance Some songs were creative experiments (Yesterday, with string quartet) #1 band on the list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time- Rolling Stone Magazine
The Beatles & Elvis Controversy John Lennon made a statement saying that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Many boycotted their albums & burned their albums Elvis met with President Nixon & asked him to ban the Beatles from entering the US because they were anti-war (anti-American) Elvis felt that the Beatles were a bad influence on people This made the Beatles more popular!
Bob Dylan Not only a musician, he was an activist & poet. He unofficially became the spokesperson for the counter-culture movement of the 1960’s. He wrote and sung songs that were politically or socially driven. He performed at the famous March where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. He has a very unique singing voice
The Rolling Stones "Bad boys" of rock; lyrics by Mick Jagger Condoned sexual freedom and drugs Famous TV performance 1965 on Ed Sullivan Show
19th Nervous Breakdown -The Rolling Stones First performed in 1965 Uses blues chord progression Based on short ideas (riffs) and high energy level Special effects include guitar distortion
California groups Raised the standard for studio production (the Beach Boys) Folk rock also emerged in California, groups influenced by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez Eclectic musical styles emerged: acid rock (the Doors, Jimi Hendrix)
Woodstock Culminating event for rock music in the 1960s was Woodstock Festival August 15-18, 1969 Took a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Half a million people attended. Performers: Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Jimi Hendrix “Summer of Peace & Love” & many attendees were “hippies”-people who believed in sexual liberation & love for fellow man.
Other Popular artists from the 1960’s Beach Boys The Mamas & the Papas The Monkees Simon & Garfunkel Fleetwood Mac Aretha Franklin The Grateful Dead Jimi Hendrix Cream Pink Floyd The Everly Brothers The Tokens Gene Chandler Marvin Gaye Maurice Williams The Drifters Johnny Cash