Carefully, examine the information below. Based on your knowledge of Rock history, as well as US History, answer the questions that follow. You will post your answers in the "comments" section below.
Section 1:
While the audience reaction to Elvis’ first single was largely very positive, many people, particularly in positions of authority, were angered by Elvis and his music. Read the two quotes below:
"The big show was provided by Vancouver teenagers, transformed into writhing, frenzied idiots of delight by the savage jungle beat music."
-- Review of an Elvis Presley concert in The Vancouver Sun, September 3, 1957
"When our schools and centers stoop to such things as ‘rock and roll’ tribal rhythms, they are failing seriously in their duty."
-- Letter from Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, banning Catholic school students from attending Presley concert, Feb. 28, 1957
Questions:
1. What do you think the authors meant by the terms:
- “Savage jungle beat music”?
- “Tribal rhythms”?
2. Why might these authors have used these terms to describe Presley’s music? What do they seem to fear about Presley?
3. Where were these comments made? What conclusions can you draw about racial tension in the mid-1950s in other parts of North America besides the South?
4. Think back to the video from Eyes on the Prize at the beginning of the lesson, and discuss:
- In this historical context, why might it have been more acceptable for some people to hear African-American music from a white artist than from an African-American artist?
- Why might any type of music bearing an African-American influence have been unacceptable to some people in this climate?
- How did Elvis’ first single reflect the racial and social climate in America in 1954?
- Looking ahead, how do you predict Elvis’ embrace of African-American music would influence the way people would come to think about race in the late 1950s?
question 1:what the author meant by what he/she said was that he was probably referring to native tribe music.-David
ReplyDeleteYes. But why did they refer to the music in those terms? Why did they call it "savage," or "jungle" music?
Deletequestion 2: the authors used those words to describe Presley's music because when they probably listened to his music they probably thought that the music sounded like the native people when they played their music.-David
ReplyDelete1. The authors meant that Elvis' music has a negative impact on people and brings out the worst.
ReplyDelete2. The authors might have used these terms to emphasize their anger towards Elvis' music. They fear Elvis' music because they worry he will alter people's attention to another genre of music.
3. These comments were made because they wanted the attention to be diverted from this type of music. I can determine that besides in the south, there was a lot of racial tension. I believe that whites were particularly angry towards African Americans.
4.It might be more acceptable because whites disliked African Americans in general. Whites felt more comfortable listening to music from their own race and were very biased.
This might be unacceptable due to the fact that many Whites held a grudge and disliked African Americans for no reason. Whites felt that anything with African American influence polluted music.
Elvis' first single was based off a song sung by an African American man named Arthur Crudup. This helped unite the two races and bring them closer together. This, ultimate, was very controversial.
Since Elvis had millions of fans that praised him, once he embraced African Americans, he influence MANY of his fans to follow in his footsteps and do the same. This caused a decrease in racial bias and racism.
1. The authors meant that Elvis' music has a negative impact on people and brings out the worst.
ReplyDelete2. The authors might have used these terms to emphasize their anger towards Elvis' music. They fear Elvis' music because they worry he will alter people's attention to another genre of music.
3. These comments were made because they wanted the attention to be diverted from this type of music. I can determine that besides in the south, there was a lot of racial tension. I believe that whites were particularly angry towards African Americans.
4.It might be more acceptable because whites disliked African Americans in general. Whites felt more comfortable listening to music from their own race and were very biased.
This might be unacceptable due to the fact that many Whites held a grudge and disliked African Americans for no reason. Whites felt that anything with African American influence polluted music.
Elvis' first single was based off a song sung by an African American man named Arthur Crudup. This helped unite the two races and bring them closer together. This, ultimate, was very controversial.
Since Elvis had millions of fans that praised him, once he embraced African Americans, he influence MANY of his fans to follow in his footsteps and do the same. This caused a decrease in racial bias and racism.
1. What I think the authors meant by saying “ Savage jungle beat music” and “Tribal rhythms” was to describe the fast beat and wildness of his song. This song was upbeat as well as sounding uncontrollable. The beat and tempo went up and down and considerably a fast paced song.
ReplyDelete2. These authors have used these terms to describe Presley’s music because his songs were very fast and had a heavy beat to it. People that were used to the blues would find his song new however, loud and fleet. People feared Elvis Presley because he was gaining so much popularity but thought he was African American.
3. Most comments that offended African Americans was the South. Even in the mid- 1950s in other parts of North America besides the South, there was still heavy racial tension. In those times, there was a lot of segregations where blacks and whites were separated. There were two different water fountains for black and whites, half a section of a restaurant, and overall they only got a half of a whole. Also, there were two different radio station. However, Elvis’s style and beat sounded “African American” and due tot eh fact that his song was increasing in popularity was “unacceptable”.
4. It has been more acceptable for some people to hear African-American music from a white artist than from an African-American artist. There was too much racism as well and discrimination and segregations that African AMerican did not have a voice. Even if the artist had extreme star quality talents, the artist couldn't become a star because of all the racism. They probably didnt even a recording studio or a radio station that would accept them.
-Any type of music bearing an African-American influence has been to be unacceptable to some people in this climate. First of all, the parents didn't want their kids to be exposed to African American singers because all through time there was hatred towards the blacks. And they fact that there may be a chance for the kids to enjoy the music was a risk of growing fond or compassion towards the blacks.
-Elvis’ first single reflected the racial and social climate in America in 1954. EVeryone expected and assumed that Elvis was an African American. However, he wasn't. This depicts that in those day, even white kids were listening and influenced by their style of music. Therefore, his first hit single portrayed a decrease in the brutal relationship between blacks and whites.
-I predict Elvis’ embrace of African-American music would influence the way people came to think about race in the late 1950. Many white people didn't listen African American music. But Elvis demonstrated and showed the style of African American music. Therefore, through Elvis the black music was more widely introduced and gained favor and the tensions eased out.
Nicole