It's hard to imagine that before the fifties there wasn't a diving line between child and adult, leading to, many "young adults" unsure of their place in the world, to young to be taken seriously and too old to enjoy games, they needed their own culture, and so the teenager was born.
      The song that embodied the feeling of rock and rock and roll and the teenage revolution was called "Rock around the clock" by Bill Hayley this was the title song from the film "Blackboard Jungle" this film gave the new teens a voice along with Britain's Marty Wilde, Billy Fury and Vince Eager whilst America had Buddy Holly, "Big Bopper" and Ritchie Valance until the three later died tragically in an aeroplane crash in 1959.

Finally the youth of the fifties had an identity, saying goodbye to childhood and no to adulthood, they became rock and roll teenagers.                        

Of course one of the biggest names to come out of fifties rock and roll was of course Elvis Presley, whose controversial dancing style and black sounding music had parents in uproar, to the point that due to his hip gyrations he could only be filmed on television from the waist up.

Still the teenagers were undeterred and his popularity grew and grew even after he was drafted into the army as a GI in Germany in 1958 for two years, and he now holds the record for the artist with the most number one hit songs.

            sixties music                          home

 
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1