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CHAPTER
03
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Review
Summary
HOW DID ROCK & ROLL DIVIDE THE
GENERATIONS? 40
IN WHAT OTHER WAY WAS ROCK
MUSIC ATTACKED IN THE 1950s? 45
• American teens emerged as a demographic.
• Teens are characterized as undisciplined and rebellious.
• Mitch Miller launches his plan to eliminate rock from
the radio through the promotion of MOR music, cover
records, novelty records, and new forms of music.
• A fraction of teen society becomes characterized as juvenile delinquents with crime, rebellion, and violence as their only intent.
• Teenagers begin to listen to the rhythm & blues music once only
associated with African Americans. The sexually charged lyrics and
dance moves jar the adult population, which leads them to draw the
conclusion that rock music is primitive and base.
• Radio stations ban rock music, and the media continue their
assault on the evils of rock, attempting to link it with communism.
• Television shows such as American Bandstand show a cleaner
version of MOR rock music.
WHAT NEARLY KILLED ROCK &
ROLL? 48
• Blackboard Jungle cements the link between teenage rebellion and
rock & roll.
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WHAT EFFECT DID SCANDALS HAVE
ON ROCK? 42
• ASCAP launches its campaign to fight BMI and
rock & roll.
• BMI holds the rights to the most popular music of the time, which
further perpetuates the fight with ASCAP.
• The established powers in the music industry and the government
launch congressional hearings on payola.
• Alan Freed is arrested in the payola scandal, while Dick Clark
leaves nearly unharmed.
• Small record companies are forced to close doors or sign with large
companies due to the effects of payola on the music industry.
• Musicians sing cover songs to compete with the more
volatile rock music.
• Elvis Presley’s image is domesticated by television through strategic
camera operations.
• At the request of the public, movie executives clean up teen movies
by focusing on light themes.
• Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big
Bopper, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley have all left the rock & roll
stage for one reason or another. This is a signal to some that rock
has died.
Key Terms
pop music shortened name of “popular
music” 40
Frank Sinatra American singer popular in the
1940s and 1950s 40
Arlan Coolidge a chairman at the Department
of Music at Brown University who supported
legislation in the music industry in the
late 1950s 42
Blackboard Jungle controversial film
that showed juvenile delinquency in the
1950s and connected it with rock & roll
through the use of its opening song “Rock
Around the Clock” 40
Vance Packard a journalist and social critic in
the 1950s who took part in the ASCAP-BMI
hearings of 1958 43
American Society of Composers, Authors,
and Publishers (ASCAP) a membership
association that held nearly all publishing rights
to recorded music until the 1940s 42
Artists and Repertoire the division in a
record company that is responsible for the
acquisition of new talent 45
Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) a
membership association formed as a
response to ASCAP’s music licensing
monopoly 42
Oscar Hammerstein II an American
songwriter who testified for ASCAP in the
ASCAP-BMI hearings of 1958 42
payola the practice of play for pay on radio
stations 43
MOR middle-of-the-road, or popular
music 45
Pablo Casals a Spanish cellist and
conductor 46
novelty record a humorous parody
46
Ross Bagdasarian a songwriter and creator
of Alvin and the Chipmunks 46
Senator Joseph McCarthy a Wisconsin
senator who held hearings on alleged
communists in the 1940s and 1950s 46
Happy Days a television show in the 1970s
that portrayed a sanitized version of life in
the 1950s 47
jukebox a machine used to play records
often found in clubs, diners, and restaurants in
the 1950s 50
Ritchie Valens a rock & roll musician famous
for “La Bamba”; killed in a plane crash 50
Big Bopper a rock & roll musician also known
as Jiles Perry Richardson; killed in a plane
crash 50
Buddy Holly a rock & roll musician who
influenced later generations; killed in a plane
crash 50
Don McLean a musician who wrote the song
“American Pie” and coined the phrase “the day
the music died” 50
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Sample Test Questions
1. Why did Blackboard Jungle cause controversy?
a. It was the first “teen” movie.
b. It showed juvenile delinquency.
c. It proved all teens were rebellious.
d. It showed the inexperience of teachers.
ESSAY
2. What was one of the main reasons ASCAP fought against BMI?
a. BMI took all of their clients.
b. ASCAP wanted more record companies.
c. ASCAP had lost control over the industry.
d. BMI ended rock & roll.
3. Describe how BMI and rock music changed the music industry.
3. What two key people testified at the payola hearings?
a. Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley
b. Elvis Presley and Dick Clark
c. Alan Freed and Dick Clark
d. Alan Freed and Jerry Lee Lewis
4. Why was rock music considered a communist plot?
a. Rock music was feared to be a form of mind control.
b. Rock music was started in the Soviet Union.
c. Rock music led to rioting.
d. Rock music was played at large gatherings.
5. Which of the following rock stars left the music industry to serve in
the military?
a. Chuck Berry
b. Elvis Presley
c. Ritchie Valens
d. Jerry Lee Lewis
1. What psychological traits are evident in Dr. Joost A.M. Meerlo’s
analysis of the dance craze in the 1950s?
2. What factors led the establishment to fear rock music in the 1950s?
4. Compare and contrast Alan Freed and Dick Clark.
5. Analyze two different personas associated with rock in the 1950s.
WHERE TO START YOUR RESEARCH PAPER
For a history of rock & roll in the 1950s, go to
http://www.rockhall.com/teach/sti-lesson-5
For an overview on BMI and the hearings with ASCAP, go to
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/BroadcastMusic-Inc-Company-History.html
For an in-depth biography on Alan Freed, go to
http://www.alanfreed.com
For an in-depth biography on Elvis Presley, go to
http://www.elvis.com
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To find more information on selected musicians from the 1950s, go to
http://www.rockhall.com
The Establishment Strikes Back (1954–1960)
Remember to check www.thethinkspot.com for additional information, downloadable flashcards, and other helpful resources.
ANSWERS: b, 2. c, 3. c, 4. a, 5. b