9/27/2011

Rock T Shirts, Rock n Roll, And The Rocky Ride

By Jane Mccabe


Rock n' Roll will never die, and the same goes for rock t shirts. The love of Rock n Roll is symbolized by the popularity of rock T Shirts. A brief history of rock music, which revolutionized entire generations and inspired the culture and lifestyle of the last six decades, is given below.

Nineteen fifty one was the year in which the term 'Rock-and-Roll' was first used when Alan Freed, a Cleveland jockey, picked up the phrase from a then popular song, "My Baby Rocks Me with a Steady Roll." Sexual-innuendo-containing music was considered to be Rock-and-Roll in the 1950's. Different genres, including blues, jazz, and country, were incorporated into the music, which was salient in its use of a strong rhythm with an accented offbeat and a loud electric guitar.

The 1960's saw the Rock-and-Roll music characterized by heavily accented beats, electronic amplification, along with simpler and more youthful lyrics, in the United States. This decade was pivotal for rock music as the entire world, including the United States, embraced rock music, making its popularity achieve the great heights. Chuck Berry, who started the wild and crazy, jail-break kind of music, called Rock n' Roll, was instrumental in the achievements of this type of music in the following years.

The industry comprising of rock music, however, went through major ups and downs, before the 60's and before it saw its' popularity explode. Serious events like the death of Buddy Holly followed by the death of Ritchie Valens, Little Richard's decision to start a life of preaching, Elvis's draft, and the criminal prosecution of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, were some of these. Chuck Berry, who was considered the epitome of Rock n Roll music, ended up in jail for three years, having being accused of indulging in sex with a 14-year-old waitress.

Rock n' Roll would have died a premature death due to these scandals had it not been for what became the British invasion. December 17, 1963 is a landmark date in music history as this is when America first heard the Beatles and their hit song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" on the WWDC radio station. Rock n' Roll was here to stay.

Another landmark date in music history is January 18, 1964, when "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" topped the charts in the United States, following which, on February 9, Beatles performed live on the Ed Sullivan show. The Beatle phenomenon was dubbed "Beatlemania" by the CBS Evening News. The British group enjoyed ultra popularity until they disbanded in 1970.

Rock music achieved unsurpassed eminence in the 70s and produced both fame and wealth for its proponents. An entire generation gave rock stars a divine status and no rock concert seats went empty. The undulating wave of popularity in the 70s made the way for rock bands and stars to begin selling rock T shirts, concert T Shirts and a host of other merchandise.

The range and styles of rock music included, blues rock, jazz-rock fusion, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, glam rock, and heavy metal, which became the most popular and noticeable forms of music, which till today are the craziest and loudest music forms. Political and social criticism found a venue in the late 70's with the arrival of punk rock on the music scene. New Wave, post-punk, and alternative rock, which ultimately led to the advent of indie rock, Brit pop and rock metal, were all forms of music derived from punk rock and its' memorabilia in the 80's.

The two decades of the 80s and 90s produced iconic music figures that are household names even today. Kiss, Madonna, U2, Prince, Jon Bon Jovi, and Metallica, among others are just a few of them. American music and the entire world music scene changed to what we see today with the help of these creative artists.

Rock n Roll has surpassed just being a music form today. Movies, sports, fashion, and entire cultures have been dominated by Rock n Roll. Rock T shirts are simple mementos to the musical coup we have witnessed.




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