Back to the 50s!
Damn, there was a lot going on in the 1950’s. Where to begin eh? Well lets start with “Events and Social Movement”… number 1 on the list.
There was a lot happening in terms of strides in social justice around this time. Segregation was still rampant in the South, separating the Blacks and Whites like it was laundry day. One of the largest movements against this was known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This was largely organized and implemented by Rosa Parks and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luthor King Jr. When Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for not yielding her seat in the front of a bus to a white man, it sparked a 13 month bus boycott among Blacks from the day her trial began to the day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional. This was a huge step to ending segregation in the Southern States.
While great accomplishments were being made in American society during the 50’s, science and technology worldwide was also evolving quickly. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into Earth’s orbit. This was named Sputnik 1. Sputnik was able to determine many different things, even without sensors, such as the density of Earth’s upper atmosphere. The satellite remained in orbit for about 3 months before running out of power and falling back to Earth. Who would have thought this small achievement would be so close behind putting the first man on the moon?
“The one secret no one ever suspected is that I DID stage the moon landing … on Venus! ARROOOOO! Muahahaha!” – Richard Nixon
Well… now lets talk about more thing… the day that music died. The day that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P “The Big Bopper” Richardson were all killed in a plane crash. Why was this so important? The were all so young, and just at the start of their careers. Buddy Holly was only 22 at the time, and was already creating chart topping music and touring across the globe. He was the musician that pioneered the standard band format we know today as Two guitars, a Bass, and Drums. He would come to inspire some of the greatest bands to come in the future, such as the Stones, Beatles… and also this song by Wheezer. I just really wanted to throw this in instead of Don Macleans American Pie, sorry!
Alright. lets delve into the influential musicians of the decade now, god knows there was enough of them! Les Paul is a good place to start, after all, only one of the most well known guitar models in the world was created by him. Les Paul was well versed in many instruments and styles, but was well known for being a Jazz guitarist. In 1941 he built the first solid body electric guitar, but by the time it was ready for mass production by Gibson guitars, Leo Fender had already released his Stratocaster. Despite not being credited as the inventor of the solid body guitar, he was still a revolutionary musician and guitar
Dean Martin is one of the crooners who’s versatility as an artist truly came through for him throughout his life. He began doing live slapstick comedy routines with Jerry Lewis in 1946, eventually co-starring in movies with him and making millions between the two of them. At the same time, he was recording singles with Capitol records. He had many hit singles, but only two number 1’s: Memories Are Made of Thisin 1956, and Everybody Love Somebody almost a decade later. He became good friends with Frank Sinatra, starring in movies together such as Oceans 11. The two of them alongside a few other actors including Sammy Davis Jr. were referred to as The Rat Pack. This actor, comedian, and musician had a very fruitful career, even starring in his own NBC comedy special, The Dean Martin Show. This lasted almost 10 years, airing over 250 episodes.
Can’t talk about early 1950’s musicians without tipping a hat to Big Mama Thornton. Straight outta Alabama, she was a blues Singer/Songwriter that was known for having a very powerful voice as well as having rather sexually explicit lyrics. She signed on a record deal in 1951, and then recorded her first hit single “Hound Dog”, which rose straight to #1 on the R&B charts. It was redone by Elvis Presley is 1956, aiming it towards a younger, white audience. Thornton’s popularity began to fade by 1956 and she began to play smaller venues and tour across Europe, playing Jazz festivals such as Monteray. At the 1967 Monterey Jazz Festival, Janice Joplin performed a cover of Big Mama’s “Ball and Chain”. This brought Big Mama Thornton back to the mainstream public eye. In 1969 she signed on with Mercury Records and released some of her most commercial successful work.
Wow okay lets talk about even more musicians because they’re just consistently interesting, and cool people amirite? I already sorta touched on Buddy Holly didn’t I? I did mention that he kinda commandeered the modern band format of 2 guitars/1 bass/drums yeah? That’s a huge deal, especially since every other popular band after followed that similar format. I mean, look at the Beatles! They were hugely influenced by Buddy Holly and also paralleled in band structure. Here’s a cover they did of Buddy Holly’s “Words of Love”.
This next musician is one of my personal favorites of the era. Chuck Berry! He was widely considered “The Father of Rock N’ Roll”. In the mid-fifties, Berry met up with blues legend Muddy Waters who recommended he go to Chess Records, and was immediately signed by them when they heard his song “Maybellene”. The song very quickly rose to #1 on the R&B charts and #5 on the Pop charts. This is widely considered the first rock and roll song by many historians. Chuck put out hit after hit, from “Roll Over Beethoven” to “Johnny B. Goode” which would inspire further generations of guitarists to come. In 1986, he became the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and rightfully so.
Last but not least, we have Ray Charles. This is a man who became one of the biggest names in music without being able to see a thing he was doing. Yup, Ray Charles, blind from the age of 7… his mother sent him to a school for blind children where he learned to read and arrange music in braille, as well as play a multitude of instruments. He went on the road at 15, where he picked up a slight heroine addiction. By the late 40’s he had released a couple of songs already that were doing well in the R&B charts.In 1953 he landed a deal with Atlantic Records and scored many #1 tunes. By 1960 he was winning Grammy’s left and right for songs like “Georgia on my Mind” and “Hit the Road Jack”. Yet again, he was one of the first musicians to be added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and went on in the later years to do many cameos in movies, tv shows, and commercials. Throwback to his cameo in Blue’s Big Musical!
The music of the 1950’s shifted immensely mid-decade. The subject matter changed from a more reserved (depending on the genre) feel, to a very energized atmosphere with rockin’ guitars and lots of lovin’. It gave the feeling of just wanting to have a good time and rock out, as opposed to the 1940’s where it was about morale and keeping things happy when it all had gone to hell in a handcart. The 1950’s were about bouncing back from that and straight into a new, re-energized decade full of new music.
