Let’s Talk About Music and its Unspoken Controversy
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
I know I’m ancient, and I am aware that there is a huge generation
gap on many issues in America. I suffer some of the same problems as other men
and women my age. However, my mind and my memory are intact. I am fortunate to
have lived in some of the greatest times in world history. I certainly
experienced more changes than any other generation in the past, and probably in
the future. Electronics, how we live our daily lives, none of these were
imaginable as I was growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
I feel extremely lucky to have experienced the origins of
Rock and Roll music, and the advancement of blues, jazz, R&B, and country music.
The primary origin of Rock and Roll comes from Gospel Music.
Like Gospel Music, Rock and Roll touches our souls, our deepest emotions.
I heard, and occasionally watched the most incredible
individuals and bands in the history of music in the 20th century.
In 1956, I watched a man perform on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The date was 9/9/56. Elvis Presley changed my perception of music forever. He
not only had talent, a great voice, and was very handsome, he showed us how
music inspired him and he inspired us. No one will ever be able to claim the
title of “King of Rock And Roll;” it belongs to him and him alone.
A few of the others who became famous in the 1950’s were
Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, B.B. King, Tony Bennett, Chuck Berry, Peggy Lee,
James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Mathis, Johnny Cash, Ray
Charles, Chubby Checker, Ella Fitzgerald, Kenny Rogers, and many, many more.
They all shared certain qualities: they made us feel better, and we loved to
dance to their music.
Then came the 1960’s. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and
The Who, alongside Motown artists such as The Supremes and The Temptations, and
influential folk and soul singers like Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin drew
enormous crowds. Like Elvis, the Beatles are rightfully credited with changing
the direction of music for decades to come.
On February 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan.
The crowd inside the Ed Sullivan Theater was so loud it was difficult to hear
the music. On stage, John, Paul, George, and Ringo could barely keep from
laughing. Other 60’s bands and solo artists included Led Zeppelin, Jimi
Hendrix, James Brown, Otis Redding, Credence Clearwater Revival, Roy Orbison,
Sam Cooke, The Doors, the Four Seasons, and the Righteous Brothers.
All of these individuals and groups had one unique quality.
They were original. When one of their songs came on the radio, we knew who it
was immediately.
The 1970’s added more legendary musical greats. Disco was
popular all over the world. Everyone seemed to be dancing under flashing lights
and the disco ball. I admit this was my favorite era. Those of you who never
knew the joy of moving your body on a dance floor song after song, missed some
of the greatest fun human beings ever had standing up.
The Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, The Doobie Brothers, Van
Morrison, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Spinners, Talking Heads, Aretha
Franklin, Rod Stewart, Cream, Ten Years After, Eric Clapton (solo), and many
more were constantly on the radio and on the television dance shows.
During the 1970’s, all music genres flourished. Rock and
Roll, Country, Blues, Jazz, and especially R & B were listened to all day
long on every form of media available.
Disco remained popular into the 1980’s. Donna Summer, Gloria
Gaynor, and Rod Stewart made us want to get out of our seats and find our place
on the dance floor.
Some of the greatest and most memorable artists in music
graced us during the decade. To name just a few: Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Prince,
Madonna, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, The Police, Phil Collins, Whitney
Houston, Metallica, The Police, Phil Collins, Journey, John Mellencamp, Huey
Lewis and the News, Billy Idol, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, David Bowie,
Elton John, Toto, Stevie Wonder, Chicago, Pink Floyd, Blood Sweat and Tears,
and more.
I will end here, most of you know the 90’s and how music
began to change. This is my story.
I understand the attraction to Rap and Hip Hop, but I don’t understand
the ‘music,’ literally. The stars mumble, and when I can’t understand the
words, they all sound the same. You can’t dance to it, and you can’t sing along
with it, therefore, it cannot be called “music.”
My other complaint is today’s country music. Unlike the 50’s,
60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, they all sound the same. In the four decades I enjoyed,
when a song came on the radio, or someone played it on a jukebox, you would
know who the artist was immediately.
For my 70th birthday, my brother sent me three
T-shirts. My favorite told everyone, “I may be old, but I heard all the great
bands.”
Enough said.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Follow my blog and be an informed American
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1950s_musical_artists
https://top40weekly.com/top-100-artists-of-the-80s/
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