The 1950’s – A Decade of Influential Music in a Cookie-Cutter World

The 1950’s are credited with some of the most influential developments in music history. The decade saw the increasing popularity of Country and Western music, the beginnings of Rock & Roll, and a blended style of both genres, most commonly referred to as Rockabilly.

Carl Perkins’ pioneered the rockabilly style, combining country music, R&B, and even influence from the rock genre. An extremely talented song writer, Perkins’ wrote many songs for well known artists including The Beatles, and even Elvis Presley. His song “Blue Suede Shoes” was the first song to ever top the American Country music charts (Performed by him), and the popular music charts (Covered by Elvis Presley).

The teenagers of the fifties had not suffered through WWII, and this new wave of young adults were bathing in the post-war optimism. 26 million television sets were broadcasting programs like “American Bandstand” and “The Price Is Right” in nearly every American home, and the feel good tunes these teens’ parents enjoyed by singers like Pat Boone and Perry Como, could no longer satiate their thirst for something more exciting. They were praying for something new, and Rock & Roll was preparing to answer. At the same time, Sam Phillips, owner and operator of a Sun Records recording studio, was looking for a white face to sell ‘black’ music. Phillips wanted to create a bridge between a new sound, and an unforgiving audience. Presley seemed the perfect candidate to be one of the forerunners of “Ms. American Pie” – better known as Rock & Roll. But this new genre of music was not without opposition: teens loved the new sound, but parents were not so thrilled. In an era of white picket fences and the cookie-cutter American Family, Rock & Roll was viewed as a menace – a threat to the institution of the American Dream. As a result, the music was banned from most US Radio stations in the early 1950’s. But Elvis pressed on, and in 1956, during his performance on The Milton Berle show, his hip gyrations were met with great controversy. Interestingly though, 80% of the television audience still tuned in to his performance on the Ed Sullivan show just two weeks later. 

But despite a ‘rocky’ start, the genre persevered to introduce the world to artists like Little Richie, Chuck Berry, and of course, the King himself. Today, thousands of radio stations worldwide are dedicated to playing music from the 1950’s Rock & Roll era, and the music that was once considered a menace spawned a many new styles of music throughout the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

Rock & Roll is without a doubt once of the largest developments in music history, not just the 1950’s. Ignoring the success of 1950’s Country Western style music is to forget great music by Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. The two great artists defined the country western style in the 1950’s. Johnny Cash gained his popularity by combining his simple country melodies with the rockabilly style. A humanitarian of sorts, Cash visited American prisons to perform for inmates. Hank Williams is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. His popular songs like “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart” popularized the ‘Honky Tonk’ style of country music that thrived through the 1950’s.