ROCK AND ROLL: THE EARLY DAYS (TV)
Summary
This direct-to-video documentary examines the rise and fall of American rock 'n' roll music in the 1950s, interspersed with footage of various song performances.
The program begins as narrator John Heard explains that in prosperous, post-WWII America, the most popular music was "inoffensive," low-key tunes by white artists. However, as teenagers became a class unto themselves, black R&B, which combined blues, gospel and big-band music, slowly gained popularity with songs such as Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and The Chords' "Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)". Some white DJs, including Cleveland's Alan Freed, began playing these non-mainstream songs on the radio and referring to the style as "rock 'n' roll," though record labels soon began recording cover versions with white artists and achieving higher sales. However, Bill Haley and the Comets then used a mixture of R&B and "country swing" in their song "Rock Around the Clock," which became a hit after its use in the 1955 film "Blackboard Jungle." Freed moved to New York City and began hosting live music shows, and in the South, Sun records owner Sam Phillips began making records with black artists, then finding a white singer with a "black sound," Elvis Presley, whose first record was "That's All Right, Mama." In Chicago, brother Phil and Leonard Chess began recording black artists as well, including Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Fats Domino of New Orleans and Little Richard also gained fame, though Pat Boone's versions of their songs were still more popular.
Freed, still against these covers, continued promoting black artists onto the national pop charts, though many listeners still preferred artists with a "white sound" like young Frankie Lymon. Some groups, like the Alabama White Citizens Council, objected to the rock 'n' roll craze, claiming that the music had immoral themes and sounds. Presley gained more fame via RCA's aggressive press tour and his noteworthy "gyrating," as well as his roles in many Hollywood films. Phillips also attempted to promote Carl Perkins and his song "Blue Suede Shoes," but a 1956 car crash severely damaged his career. Other notable performers included young Buddy Holly of Texas, with his song "Peggy Sue," the Everly Brothers with "Bye Bye Love," and the wild piano-playing Jerry Lee Lewis and "Great Balls of Fire." Haley, whose popularity dipped in the U.S., received a "second chance" in Europe, where he was received by teenagers with "unbridled enthusiasm." Concerts occasionally turned violent, however, and the police and government began cracking down on the musical scene and the practice of "payola," accepting money to play certain records. Freed was singled out, and his career irreparably damaged.
Other scandals began to impact the music scene: Little Richard turned to religion and away from music, Lewis married his teenage cousin and ended up canceling a tour, and Presley was shipped off to join the Army. Holly left his band, the Crickets, and joined a tour alongside the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, ending with their deaths in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959. Paul Anka and Fabian were brought in to finish the tour, but by the end of the 1950s, rock 'n' roll seemed to have lost its "rebellious" edge once again. However, several of the artists of the day had later revivals and success in their careers. The decade's effect on the pop culture landscape remained highly influential long-term.
Details
- NETWORK: Cinemax
- DATE: October 4, 1986 4:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:17231
- GENRE: Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Music; History
- SERIES RUN: Cinemax - TV, 1986
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Patrick Montgomery … Producer, Director, Writer
- Pamela Page … Director, Writer
- Robert Egan … Writer
- Louise Betts … Writer
- John Heard … Narrator
- Paul Anka
- Chuck Berry
- Big Bopper
- Bill Haley and the Comets
- Pat Boone
- Leonard Chess
- Phil Chess
- Chords, The
- Crickets, The
- Fats Domino
- Everly Brothers, The
- Fabian
- Alan Freed
- Buddy Holly
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Little Richard
- Frankie Lymon
- Carl Perkins
- Sam Phillips
- Elvis Presley
- Big Joe Turner
- Ritchie Valens