50s music
The release of the vinyl LP (Long Playing) record in the early 1950s made it possible for people to play continuous music for much longer than before. With this new technology came rock 'n' roll, an exciting new American musical style.
The arrival of American entrepreneur Lee Gordon in 1953, marked a major expansion in Australian entertainment. He established himself with a record-breaking tour by American singer Johnnie Ray and Gordon’s now-legendary “Big Show” promotions brought to Australia—in many cases for the first or only time—dozens of the biggest American jazz, rock and popular stars of the era, including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Artie Shaw, Nat King Cole, Johnnie Ray, Frank Sinatra, Bill Haley & The Comets, Little Richard, Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and many others. He also promoted local talent by using Australian acts as supports on his concerts. In 1955, the New South Wales government extended pub closing time from 6pm to 10pm to allow more rock and roll bands to play at these clubs. With the end of six o'clock closing in Sydney, the pubs started bringing the new music into the bar. The enduring link between alcohol and rock and roll was firmly established, and female performers were treated with the same respect as males. Rock 'n' roll swept onto Australian shores in 1955, with the release of Bill Haley's hit song Rock Around the Clock in 1956. It became the biggest-selling Australian single ever released up to that time. Originating in America, this new style fused black American rhythm and blues music with the white-dominated country and western genre.Rock 'n' roll was fast, rhythmic and exciting, and audiences loved it: teenagers loved it, although not all parents approved. They danced to Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock, Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock . American music, fashions and dances dominated the youth scene. Popular dances were the bop, the swing, the jitterbug and the boogie-woogie.Young women copied the fashions of Marilyn Monroe with the tight-waisted flaring skirt and tight jumper. As rock hit Australia, immediately there was intense competition to be Australia's first rock and roll band and cut the first record. Unknown to most Australians the seeds of this new music were already here years before. During World War II in the pubs and clubs of Sydney's Kings Cross, the initiated few jitterbugged the nights away with partying American G.Is. Jazz musicians were hip to the beat- but a rock and roll band needed a front man. When Johnny O'Keefe grabbed the microphone in 1956, Australia got its first rock and roll icon. Australia's first rock star, O'Keefe rose to fame by imitating Americans like Elvis Presley and Little Richard. In March 1958, Johnny O'Keefe's "The Wild One" was the #1 single on the Australian charts - he was the first Australian rock star to have such a hit. Elvis Presley was known the world over as the king of rock 'n' roll. During the 1940s, singers like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra had been popular, but their fans were mostly young adults. Elvis Presley, however, tapped into the young teen market and thrilled audiences with his original style of music and hip-gyrating 'bad boy' image. By the end of the decade, the airwaves were dominated by rock 'n' roll and Australian rock 'n' roll artists like Col Joye were also achieving considerable chart success. |
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