The Golden Age of Rock, coincidentally, approximates the Golden Age of Television. Both grew out of the postwar boom, Rock grew with the baby boomers and TV grew from wartime electronics technology.
By the 1960s, most homes had a TV set that operated from a rooftop antenna or rabbit ears. Electronics were tube operated, and even though the sets were big, the picture tubes were small. My kids don’t believe any of this, but in the early 60s, color sets (and color programming) were rare, the remote control hadn’t been invented yet, cable and VCRs were still many years away. To top it off, there were only 13 channels on the dial and TV owners considered themselves lucky if they received at least 3 networks with no more than a bit of snow (visual static).
Even so, we fell in love with our TVs and affectionately called them “Boob Tubes”. For the first time, a viewer could take in some of the top music acts without leaving their living rooms. Ed Sullivan brought us the blockbusters, including our first looks at Elvis and the Beatles. American Bandstand brought us a different act with every show, and variety shows such as The Smothers Brothers, Andy Williams, Hootenany, and Hullabaloo mixed music in with comedy.
Surprisingly, one of the earliest musical variety shows was Nat King Cole. His show, broadcast in the late 50s was the first time that a black man hosted a nationally televised show in the US. This was at the same time that Alan Freed was playing Rhythm and Blues music and calling it Rock and Roll to make it more acceptable to whites. Nat King Cole was a trail blazer for the mainstream acceptance of Rock music.
Transistor radios had been around for a while but it was Sony, a small startup company, and other far-east imports that brought the price down and made “the transistor” a standard part of the baby boomer’s accessories. It weighed a half of a pound, could fit in a pocket, and ran all day on one or two small batteries (the 9 volt was invented to be the same shape as the case). Best of all, they were portable and had tiny earphones, so Rock music could be played without parents listening in.
At the height of their popularity, Sony’s transistor radios went for around $25. That’s the inflation adjusted equivalent of about $200 today, so they weren’t really cheap. By the mid 60s, Hong Kong manufacturers had the price down to about $15. That was still the equivalent of $120 today, so transistor radios became prized posessions.
Along with the portable transistor, car radios took a big step when they moved from vacuum tubes to transistors. Once the tubes were gone, radios came on quickly, and the drain on the battery was a lot less (if you went “parking” with a vacuum tube radio, your battery went dead quickly!).
As compact as they were, early transistor radios were AM only and stereo was a long way in the future. The tuning was a bit fussy, twisting or moving the radio changed the volume and tone, and the analog tuners had trouble holding a station. FM radio broadcasting with its higher frequency response was still a few years off.
New Ways to Listen
Yet, the advent of transistor radios in the 1950s marked a significant shift in the way music was consumed and played a major role in the growth of rock and roll and the development of teen culture. Prior to the introduction of transistor radios, people would typically listen to music on larger, bulky vacuum-tube radios or at home on phonographs. The development of the compact, portable transistor radio allowed teens to carry music with them wherever they went, greatly increasing the accessibility of their rock and roll music.
This fueled the rise of rock and roll and the emergence of teen culture. The transistor radio became an essential tool for teens to stay connected to their favorite music and to each other. The portability of the radio allowed them to listen to music in a variety of settings, including in their bedrooms, at the beach, and on the go. This gave rise to a new kind of musical culture that was centered around the radio and its ability to bring music to people wherever they were.
The transistor radio also had a profound impact on the way music was marketed and distributed. With the growth of rock and roll, record companies and music industry executives saw the transistor radio as a powerful tool for promoting new music and reaching a wider audience. They started producing smaller, more affordable radios that were specifically designed for teenagers, and they worked to create a more sophisticated marketing and advertising industry around them. And all of this helped fuel the growth of rock and roll.
We have all seen Back to the Future right? Remember that classic scene near the end where Marty suddenly bursts into a fantastic rendition of ‘Johnny B Goode’? Despite dancing for a while, the whole room quickly falls quiet and looks stunned at something they had never heard before. Despite this being a movie, this was the exact attitude back in the 1950s. They weren’t ready for the crazy music that Chuck Berry was going to be pumping out, although just a few short years later, he was a pioneer of the ‘Rock’ craze, and the face of music would be changed completely forever. Let’s take a little look at his contribution that he made to the music industry.
Chuck Berry
If there ever was a pioneer of Rock Music back in the 1960s, it was Chuck Berry. Whilst in the past, rhythm and blues music was rather toned down, Chuck practically reinvented the genre. Not only did he make the music much more upbeat, but he crafted lyrics that were able to appeal to the younger generation. Gone were the slow rock ballads declaring undying love for somebody, in were songs which talked about culture, cars and life at school, all in a fairly humorous way. It really is easy to see how the great man was able to touch a generation. This is a practice which continues to today.
This isn’t all though. Chuck Berry was one of the first musicians ever to take a guitar beyond a simple instrument. There is no denying that Chuck was a great guitarist, he still appears on lists of some of the greatest guitarists of all time right now, however, up until that point guitar took a back seat in much music. It was there, but you just didn’t really think about it. However, Chuck turned this completely on its head. He started to breath life into the guitar, he started incorporating guitar solos into his music, and showmanship like had never been seen before. Who can honestly forget his ‘duck walk’? All rock music since then has incorporated guitars in this way. No longer is it that uncool instrument that takes a back seat. It is often the driving force behind most modern rock music, and one of the most popular instruments in the world. It all started with Chuck, and almost all music nowadays will use variations of licks that Chuck Berry created. He really was that great at changing the face of the genre.
Chuck Berry was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music, and his influence on the genre cannot be overstated. He was known for his energetic performances, catchy guitar riffs, and clever lyrics that often spoke to the experiences of teenagers at the time.
In recognition of his contributions to rock and roll, Chuck Berry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The Hall of Fame, which is located in Cleveland, Ohio, was established in 1983 to celebrate and preserve the legacy of rock and roll music.
Berry’s induction into the Hall of Fame was a fitting tribute to a man who had helped shape the course of popular music. He was one of the first musicians to incorporate elements of rhythm and blues, country, and swing into his music, creating a sound that was uniquely his own.
Throughout his career, Chuck Berry had numerous hits, including “Johnny B. Goode,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Maybellene.” His music continues to be celebrated today and has influenced countless musicians who followed in his footsteps.
In addition to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chuck Berry received many other honors during his lifetime, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984. He passed away in 2017, but his music and legacy live on.
Chubby Checker is an American rock icon. He became the father of the Twist with his 1960 hit cover of a Hank Ballard’s tune. “The Twist” never hit it big for Ballard but from September 2008 until August 2013, “The Twist” topped Billboard’s list of the most popular singles in the Hot 100 of all time.
The Twist’s main claim to fame was that it was the first popular modern dance where partners danced apart to the beat. Chubby takes credit for the change and said “Anyplace on the planet, when someone has a song that has a beat, they’re on the floor dancing apart to the beat. And before Chubby Checker, it wasn’t here.”. As if the Twist wasn’t enough, he also pioneered “The Jerk”, “The Hully Gully”, “The Boogaloo” and “The Shake”. And he was part of the power behind “The Fly”, “The Pony”, “The Hucklebuck”, and “The Limbo”.
Chubby Checker Twist Album
I had a chance to see Chubby in concert in 2014. He’s still going strong at 70 and devotes a section of his performance to how “The Hucklebuck” was written and why he was never able to perform it on stage. The dance involves pelvic movement that was censored in the 60s but acceptable now.
Chubby’s dominance of the pop record scene was so great that he still holds the distinctions of:
-Having five albums in the Top 12 at the same time, a feat that hasn’t been matched to this day.
-Being the only artist to have a song hit #1 twice.
-And being the only artist to have 9 double sided hits.
Born as Ernest Evans in Spring Gulley, South Carolina, his family moved to South Philadelphia. He put together a street-corner harmony group later took piano lessons at Settlement Music School. He clowned around by mimicking some of the big voices of the time, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino.
How Chubby Checker Got His Name
His boss at the meat market where he worked was impressed with his impressions and contacted Dick Clark. It didn’t lead to a show appearance right away, but Dick Clark recorded some of his imitations in 1958 as a novelty Christmas tune that he used as a Christmas greeting. The tune, called “The Class” won him a recording contract and was released to the public. At the recording session, Barbara Clark asked him if he had a nickname to record under. He said that his friends called him “Chubby” and, as he had just been mimicking Fats Domino, Barbara suggested Chubby Checker. He had a new name!
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Controversy
Despite all of his hits and dance creations, Chubby has been passed over by The Rock and Roll hall of Fame and he’s not happy about it. I can’t blame him! In the July 28, 2001 issue of Billboard Magazine, he bought a full page ad that he addressed to “the Nobel Prize nominators and the nominators of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, TV, radio, motion pictures, entertainment, entertainers, and the general public at large, world wide.” It rambles a bit but finishes up with “I want my flowers while I’m alive. I can’t smell them when l’m dead. The people that come to see the show have given me everything. However l will not have the music business ignorant of my position in the industry. Dick Clark said, and l quote, “The three most important things that ever happened in the music industry are Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Chubby Checker”. Now l ask you. Where is my more money and my more fame? God bless and have mercy. You know I love you.”
Chubby was in the news again in 2013 when he sued Hewlett-Packer for an app named “The Chubby Checker” that estimated a guy’s penis size based on his shoe size. Someone should have known better, especially in a company as big as HP. The App is gone, Chubby is happy to see it go, and I can imagine that HP is still embarrassed over it.
