Rock and Roll
By: Haneesh Kaku
Questions
Throughout the years, musical styles have reflected the society of the time and have evolved with changes in the world. Not only does music change with society but it changes with technological advances as well. As technology changes it can allow new styles to emerge and new ways for people to listen. From radio to television, and records to the internet, music and the way we consume it has dramatically changed in the past seventy years. Even the innovations in the technology used to create musical instruments and recording equipment has effected what styles and songs are made and popular within the music landscape. Throughout this section we will try to briefly cover the types of music that were popular since the 1940's up until the present day by providing lists of genres and artists as well as some historical context.
This is a fair and clever summary of what happened between 1949 and 1954, when black and white musical traditions cross-educated each other, and then disc jockey Alan Freed popularized the phrase "rock and roll," which was black slang for having sex.
Now along comes Rolling Stone magazine, huckstering a commercial myth to sell magazines, get advertising, and make a buck. Along the way, they falsify and simplify the history of America's music.
Link to timeline: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K44TJPxeqAy1RP_-pux_mbpqiMmBXP18CQfMJM_bc/edit