Pop Music In The 60's
The Music And Times Of A Generation
Chief Bushnell
The Sixties were an exciting and revolutionary period of time with great social and cultural change. Some called it the “Decade of Discontent,” mainly because of race riots and protests throughout America (Smith 1999). Others, contrarily, called it the decade of “Peace, Love, and Harmony” because of the flower children and hippie movement. The sixties were about civil rights and peace marches, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, and a presidential assassination. All of these different social components came together to influence one of the most defining features of the 60’s, the music. From acid rock to soul, folk to Motown, and everything in between; the 60’s was a decade of diverse and interesting musical styles that signified a changing world. This essay will explore the development of pop music in the sixties, through it’s different genres, and attempt to show how it was integral to the civil right movement.
A brief timeline of important events will serve as an adequate introduction into the decade. In 1960, four black students begin a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter. A year later, in 1961, the construction of the Berlin …show more content…
Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, it is one of the most poignant moments of the civil rights era. Music played a key role in the movement, joining the supporters together as a community. The gospel from 1903 “We shall Overcome” became it’s anthem, with activists singing when they took to the streets to protest. Joan Baez ' rendition is one of the most famous. One of the greatest civil rights records of the decade comes from Soul legend Sam Cooke, with his captivating song “Change Gonna Come” which captures both the struggle, adversary, and hope for change that Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement brought. (Williams,
Chief Bushnell
The Sixties were an exciting and revolutionary period of time with great social and cultural change. Some called it the “Decade of Discontent,” mainly because of race riots and protests throughout America (Smith 1999). Others, contrarily, called it the decade of “Peace, Love, and Harmony” because of the flower children and hippie movement. The sixties were about civil rights and peace marches, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, and a presidential assassination. All of these different social components came together to influence one of the most defining features of the 60’s, the music. From acid rock to soul, folk to Motown, and everything in between; the 60’s was a decade of diverse and interesting musical styles that signified a changing world. This essay will explore the development of pop music in the sixties, through it’s different genres, and attempt to show how it was integral to the civil right movement.
A brief timeline of important events will serve as an adequate introduction into the decade. In 1960, four black students begin a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter. A year later, in 1961, the construction of the Berlin …show more content…
Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, it is one of the most poignant moments of the civil rights era. Music played a key role in the movement, joining the supporters together as a community. The gospel from 1903 “We shall Overcome” became it’s anthem, with activists singing when they took to the streets to protest. Joan Baez ' rendition is one of the most famous. One of the greatest civil rights records of the decade comes from Soul legend Sam Cooke, with his captivating song “Change Gonna Come” which captures both the struggle, adversary, and hope for change that Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement brought. (Williams,