A Caisii Mao
This is the 1950s and the music scene is not like the present. Music is what you hear a group performing in a party or small stage show or church meeting. Radio been playing the same old folk or gospel songs where the main emphasis is on the voice with nearly nil instrumentation. Guitar doesn’t inspire and even if you pick it, you don’t know what the hell to play.
A new form of music genre came into being in the 1950s. Why not in 1940s or 1960s? Look after World War 11, everything finally started settling down and artists found the time and peace of mind to create and experience. Scientist were experimenting something new. Something different for the lifestyles. It was an America where everything was in a state of flux. Lifestyles were changing fast, where women becomes working, becoming independent to meet the situation demands. The kids of the war era were going through a phase of change. Society was changing, values were changing, habits were changing and the music too has to change.
Looking back in 1950s time machine, you’re sitting in a room thinking for tomorrow life and your brother tuning to some same old folk song on the radio and your sister playing the piano, that too, learned from the church. You say to yourself, “I want something different, something that I can relate but I don’t understand”. But you saw a guy playing something strange at a party that you have never heard before. The guitar sound quite exciting, drumbeat unusually pacy too. The lyrics of the song large light, naughty and sung perkily, hey, this is different, this is what you are looking for and what you can relate to. This really ROCK!
The guy playing at the party show was one of the white artists who started blending country, folk and gospel with black rhythm and blues beats that were fast and rhythmic. The young generation liked the sound, irrespective at black or white. Records label and producer realized that there’s a white market for black music and a black market for white music.
Two of the artist that was successful in achieving the sound that American youth was looking for can be truly titled as “Father of Rock ‘N’ Roll”. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry – one white and one black are considered as the father of rock ‘n’ roll. Can you imagine what that means? Giving birth to a genre that itself is the father of pop, rock, hard rock, metal, punk, alternative, dance, hip-hop etc. Giving birth to an entire music culture, to a multi-million-dollar music industry, to the trend of superstars, to screaming fans, to the fashion of buying music like smoking cigarettes. Their music reflected the energy of the youth; their lyrics reflected their feeling, hopes, dreams etc. The young generation quickly related to this music and started following it. The wave of change was not welcomed by the older generation, which could not accept ‘noisy’, ‘meaningless’ music, but the wave was unstoppable.
The guitar starts to scream with a catchy riff and with the bang of a share drum and swinging bass, an rhythm begins. That heart–pounding rhythm, then quite original and new, is now easily recognized as the signature sound of rock ‘n’ roll and thy why Chuck Berry become Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Elvis Presley the God of Rock.
Chuck Berry laid the foundation of rock in every aspect. He was the first to start the legacy of singer-songwriter-composer-performer rolled into one. What he wrote, what he played, his style, and his technique everything was so powerful that all of it becomes an encyclopedia for future artists. His guitar play and composition techniques become the fundamental for almost all rock music for all time to come.
Further Chuck Berry is one of the most ‘covered’ artists of all time but on one could ever recreate the magic of his original songs. Elvis Presley – the God of Rock did eight Chuck Berry covers, Jerry Lewis eight, Bruce Springsteen six and so on. The list continues with John Lennon, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana etc. Jerry Lewis remembers, “My mama said, you and Elvis are pretty good, but you are no Chuck Berry”. Joe Perry, the Aerosmith guitarist say, “Berry ‘ON TOP’ is probably my favorite record of all time – it defines Rock ‘n’ Roll.
The first award in Grammy for rock music went to Chubby Cheeker on 1961, and it’s a turning point in the history of Grammy award because the first award for rock music was given. John Lennon said, “If you tried giving rock ‘n’ roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry.” That’s definitely the father of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Why is Elvis Presley – the God of Rock? In this 21st century, if a TV channel conduct a poll to find’ the greatest rock star of all time’ you may think that Metallica. Gun ‘n’ Rosses, Aerosmitn would be the winners. Yes you may think. Out of many listed rock star/bands, the winner dates back to1950s, the days of vinyl records and black and white pictures. Can’t figure it out who that must be? It’s none other than Elvis Presley, 85% of the American believe that Elvis made a huge impact on American culture. In fact, since his music was universal, its impact is released across generation, across the world.
In the Mids 1950s, when Americans society was going through change. Teenagers were becoming independent, developing their own personalities, problems, preferences. They had money in their pocket to spend and frustration in their minds due to the hypocritical values of their parent. The older generation was not willing to accept social change, even though it was the need of the time. Recorded rock ‘n’ roll gave the youth everything a vent to release their frustration, a medium to relate their circumstances, a hobby to have fun, a fashion to practice like religion, a god to worship. Elvis become the symbolic rebel who gave the young generation its first taste of opposition to orthodox values. Everything about him was revolutionary.
Without them, there can’t be any rock ‘n’ roll among the Nags. All the artists were inspired or influences by rock music and everybody want to be a rock star. Every band were driving their guitar and beating their drums as they do. Many great artists follow all the footsteps of other on how they make it big and how they conquer it. Amazing that Slash, the guitarist of Guns ‘n’ Roses, Kirk Hemmett, guitarist of Metallica etc were teach by guitar guru Joe Satriani and they make it big. So Nagas were practicing what they hear and see from them and preach by those gurus. Watch out who’s going to be the “Father of Naga Rock ‘n” Roll.
