It was quite a time.
As the decade began, Elvis Presley still held reign as the "king
of rock and roll," but from the late 1950s to 1964, there were
many princes competing for the throne. As this music form became
successful and a HUGE financial powerhouse, record companies
that had previously dismissed it began an earnest search for new
singers, which brought forth the teen idols.
True vocal ability wasn't necessarily required to be a
teen idol (Fabian Forte, for example). Being young, male, (there
were a few female exceptions), Caucasian, and good-looking were.
This group made rock and roll acceptable and safe to many white
households, who were initially appalled by it and horrified that
their children were enjoying THAT music. But the teen idols ALSO
brought a commercialized blandness to the form, though there
were a few gems in the mix.
Help was on the way.
The "Girl Group Sound" has often been overlooked until
recently. It deserves its full recognition and respect. Some of
rock's most memorable songs and talent came from this phenomenon
(The Shirelles, The Chantels, Darlene Love, Phil Spector, etc).
A go-getting Detroit entrepreneur, songwriter, and
ex-boxer, Berry Gordy, was about to make major music history
with the start of Motown Records in 1959. The roundup of future
stars under one roof was astounding: The Marvelettes, Mary
Wells, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Martha and The
Vandellas, Barrett Strong, "Little" Stevie Wonder, The Contours,
The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, among so many
others. The songwriters, producers, and eventually the
musicians, would also achieve legendary status:
Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield,
Thomas "Beans" Bowles, Benny Benjamin, James Jamerson, Janie
Bradford, Nick Ashfordand Valerie Simpson, etc.
Other songwriter/production teams blossomed and
flourished: Bachrarach and David, King and Goffin, Sedaka and
Greenfield, Greenwich and Barry, Weill and Mann, Curtis
Mayfield, Gamble and Huff, Luther Dixon, among others.
The advent of Beatlemania and the British Invasion
brought a new (though somewhat recycled in the beginning) sound,
caused a cultural revolution, and forever changed rock and roll,
while rendering obsolete some of its established forms.
But not Motown.
Not only did this company hold its own, it prospered and
brought about its OWN cultural revolution, paving the way for
other regional accents such as The New York, San Franciso,
Memphis, Philadelphia, and Chicago sounds. There was even a
second Detroit sound!
Surf and beach music became popular and folk-rock began
emerging. The late 60s were a perfect marriage of the latter to
current events. Civil rights, the Vietnam War, and many social
changes were at the forefront.
Rock and roll was one of those changes. From strictly
"Dreamy young teen, will Johnny take me to the prom or marry me,
He's a bad boy, but I still love him, Does Cindy Lou love me, I
can't live without Cindy Lou, Hey, everybody, let's dance"
sentiments, rock and roll had grown and evolved into a
galvanizing force that addressed the war ("Universal Soldier")
or injustice ("Blowin In The Wind" and "Eve Of Destruction") or
changing American culture ("Love Child", "Does Your Mama Know
About Me?", "Society's Child" (which was banned on many radio
stations!).
Psychedelic music (or "drug rock") also became
preeminent; rock festivals became the "thing".
In spite of all this, there was still room on the table and a
popular market for the Bubblegum Sound (Simon Says") and just
good old-fashioned "hey, everybody, let's dance" music
("Boogaloo Down Broadway").
AM Top 40 radio ruled the airwaves, and several regional
DJs and stations achieved national fame: "Cousin" Brucie Morrow,
Dick Biondi, WABC in New York, CKLW in Windsor/Detroit, and KDKA
in Pittsburgh, for example were "must listen to" programs.
FM radio was also born during this decade, with
progressive, free-form, and album-oriented formats. The music
only was the main focus, rather than the DJ here. But let's not
forget that rock and roll wasn't the only music that charted
during the 1960s. There was a variety of easy-listening or
"middle-of-the-road" music that was successful. Some considered
it "square" or "grown-up, old folks' music." Nevertheless, MOR
was a hit! And this market also bought movie soundtrack albums
in record-setting numbers, such as "The Sound Of Music",
"Exodus", "Camelot", and "West Side Story." (And
instrumentals-Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass and their
sound-alikes, The Baja Marimba Band, for example.)
The 1960s may well be the most memorable and outstanding
decade of the 20th century (It's probably the most turbulent),
for its events AND music that still reverberates throughout our
culture today.
Classic Motown and the Beatles' music are revered and
played regularly. The words of Martin Luther King Jr. are often
quoted by several politicians. And his image was used in a
recent commercial. The Beach Boys play to sellout crowds.
"American Dreams" was a critical
and ratings (for a while) success. Dick Clark is still America's
oldest teenager! Mini-skirts are back (in a different style, but
they're still mini-skirts), as are culottes (now called skorts;
same thing!). Malcolm X, who was considered an inflammatory
radical, now has his words and image on hats and T-shirts and is
regarded as a visionary, ahead of his time. The Rat Pack is
retro-cool. (In some circles, they never stopped being cool.)
The sheer musical diversity and talent of the era may be
unequalled before or since.
Return to where to all began; welcome back to 1960s music.
