1. Unit 5: The Empire strikes back
The Reaction to Rock ‘n’ Roll

2. Introduction
By late 1950s, R&R had changed the popular music landscape
Social change evident; big change had been economically
R&R had turned the structure of the music business on its head
Aesthetically-encouraged tilt to African American & working-class styles
Socially-music had threatened to upset the separation of races and classes not just in music but in all social interactions

3. Intro, cont. 1950s was politically the Eisenhower Era
President was old-fashioned, conventional, bland, polite and conservative; R&R not
Conformity was a huge theme of 1950s
Suburban life-Men went to work; women stayed at home; kids went to school to prepare for working class
Conformity of work life conflicted with demands of new consumer economy
Post war created economy that practiced on pleasure principle; contradicted Protestant work ethic
Ideal consumer was impulsive
Important: this tension was experienced as a conflict between the official values of school, family and church and reality

4. The Established powers fight back
After the success of independent labels with R&B, major labels tried to cash in on success
Major practices include:
creating cover albums
Promoting alternative styles of music
When efforts failed, ASCAP & Government suppress music in “War on Rock”
Major labels stayed away from R&R until it became apparent it was the new “thing”
Columbia and RCA stayed away but did sign big names like Elvis and Johnny Mathis
Other labels were impressed with RCA’s success of Elvis and looked for the “next Elvis”
For MGM, Conway Twitty was the answer with his country roots

5. Powers fight back: Covering the Bases
Recording multiple versions of a song by various artists in different styles was nothing new in the 1950s was nothing new
Using this strategy to sanitize a particular style of music was new
Covers by major labels altered stylistic elements and often doctored lyrics
Biggest artist to receive criticism for covering other artists was Pat Boone
Did Little Richard “Tutti Frutti” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame”
He dramatic changed the style of artists’ work
While big labels not willing to take risk, independents were flexible to consumer demand
Unfortunately, as teenagers became more adept at distinguishing originals from covers, covers became less valuable to major companies

6. Pop diversions
One way major labels try to deal with the emergence of R&R was through other musical forms
Particularly calypso & popularized folk music
Calypso was black music but its Latin beat gave it another sort of appeal; originally from Trinidad
Harry Belafonte made calypso hits like “Jamaica Farewell” and “Banana Boat” AKA: “Day-O” popular
Groups like the Kingston Trio capitalized on folk music
Managed to avoid attacks by anti-communists like Joseph McCarthy
With coordinated preppy attire and college-oriented humor, they swept the country with pop folk repertoire

7. Schlock Rock: Enter the White Middle Class
Late 1950s: initial rush of R&R excitement over
New generation emerges: white, middle-class teen idols
Roots barely scratched the surface of pop
Big artists included: Fabians, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Connie Francis
Philadelphia became the center of schlock rock
Many artists of Italian American descent
Many felt compelled to anglicize their names
New pop could not be reduced to a particular ethnic affiliation completely
Music became overly bland, white, middle-class rock ‘n’ roll
Major non-white artist to emerge was Chubby Checker
Biggest hit was “The Twist”
Set off dance craze; other artists began to follow suit
Ex: Sam Cooke’s “Twisting the Night Away” and Isley Brothers “Twist and Shout”

8. American Bandstand
Was a local Philadelphia dance party broadcast on ABC affiliate WFIL-TV
Dick Clark brought in after first host fired
Only 27 but looked like the teenagers he was hosting
1957-Show picked up by ABC for national broadcasting
Within 2 years being broadcasted by 101 affiliates with more than 2 million viewers
Clark pointed out in 1990 that nearly 2/3 of all HOF inductees got there TV start on ABS
Being in Philly, he was in a great position to promote local artists of schlock rock
ABS was not the first vehicle for promoting music artist
Ed Sullivan
The Mickey Mouse Club
The Adventure of Ozzie and Harriet promoted Ricky Nelson
Nelson was a product of a family of singers

9. The War on Rock ‘n’ roll
Throughout the 1950s, American society was beset by widespread anxieties concerning youth and juvenile delinquency prompted by the rising cultural influence of teenagers in the midst of the baby boom.
- initially political and religious leaders targeted comic books and movies as detrimental influences. teenager/
By mid-decade rock ‘n’ roll had become society’s focal point of the general moral decline seen in American youth
main concern was the bringing of various styles of music, previously considered class and race specific, into the mainstream and creating new popular music with no set boundaries.

10. The Beginnings of resistance
1954 Variety Magazine released a three-part series on “leer-ics”
- called for industry to police itself
Generated enough public response that numerous record companies and radio stations announced campaigns to weed out suggestive lyrics.
Catholic Youth Organizations in Boston, Chicago, and Minneapolis (along with fundamentalist groups in the south) supplied lists of objectionable records.
- Billy Ward and the Dominoes-“Sixty Minute Man”, “Work with Me Annie”
Municipalities set up review boards to screen new releases, and police began confiscating offensive records and Jukeboxes.
In 1955 opponents decided to broadened their offensive to aspects outside sexually suggestive lyrics

11. The Opposition expands
By the Mid-1950s major establishments joined the fight war against Rock n roll
The American Society of composers, authors and publishers (ASCAP) and the U.S. Government began to work in unity (if not conspiracy) to bring a return to “good Music”
ASCAP had aimed at putting Broadcast Music Incorporated BMI out of business since the 30s
1953 thirty-three ASCAP members filed a $150 million antitrust suit against BMI for a conspiracy to monopolize the market by not playing ASCAP music on the radio.
- BMI chair, Sydney M. Kaye, proved that no radio stations received compensation for playing BMI music over ASCAP.
ASCAP and the antitrust Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Congressman Emanuel Celler, launched an investigation into if BMI’s relationship with numerous radio stations influenced the music that was being played.
- clear racial undertones “Well, rock and roll has its place. There is no question about it. It’s given great impetus to talent, particularly among the colored people.” – Celler
- committee found no wrongdoing and referred the matter to the Justice Department

12. Opposition Continued
1958 ASCAP had a Senate bill introduced to prevent broadcasters from owning BMI stock.
- Frank Sinatra wrote a testimony revealing his distaste for rock n roll.
- despite 1200 pages of testimony the bill died in committee.
1959 ASCAP convinced the Legislative Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce to launch a new investigation into payola, particularly against deejays.
- main target: Alan Freed
Cleveland concert, 1958 Boston concert
-1960 $30,000 in payola

13. Outcomes
By the end of hearings the committee identified $23,245 in payola to deejays; however, with no hard evidence of the figure
Still led to a substantial number of deejays coming forward to confess their wrongdoings in fear of being publicly shamed
Extensive media coverage of the hearings created a climate that encouraged the makeover of “down and dirty” rock n roll.
In aid of the opposition rock was already being neutralized in many ways
- Elvis was drafted in 1958 and by the time he returned in 60 his influence had dwindled
-Little Richard left rock n roll for the ministry
-Jerry Lee lewis’s career had self destructed when he married his cousin
-Buddy Holly died in a plane crash
-Chuck Berry was arrested for violation of the Mann Act

14. Outcomes continued Finally, a bill passed that outlawed payola
-Imposed a tighter and more hierarchical structure that made popular music easier to control
-But listeners still demanded the music and stations couldn’t afford to ignore their wishes, so they played as few black artists as they could without losing their listenership.