How 1950s Rock Music Influenced Multiple Generations of Rock Bands

The 1950s were where it all started for rock music. While some proto-rock origins can be found in the 40s, the 50s were where rock music really started to develop. And even though decades have passed since that particular era, 1950s rock music is still influencing rock musicians today.

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Considering so many evolutions of rock music have passed since then, this might be a little bit hard to believe. The 1960s boasted incredible evolutions in rock style, the 1970s adapted psychedelic edges to rock music, and the rest of the 20th century saw rock evolve with elements of blues, folk, country, jazz, and more.

So, how is 1950s rock music, the old-school sound that started it all, still influencing musicians today, several generations into the genre? Honestly, a lot of the elements that made rock music so appealing in the 1950s are still part of the foundation of rock music today.

Many Aspects of 1950s Rock Music Haven’t Changed as the Genre Evolved, Even in the 2020s

To start, rock music in the 1950s marked a sharp change in media consumption as it related to morality. Parents in the 1950s were terrified by rock music because its lyrics were “explicit” and often contained sexual themes. The new generation was getting into some crazy stuff. And the older generation was having a hard time dealing with change. 

Sound familiar? Rock music would be defined by freaking out parents in every single decade from the 1950s to the 2020s. Remember the Satanic Panic era of the 1980s? How about the censorship debacle spearheaded by famously concerned parent Tipper Gore, which led to the use of Parent Advisory stickers on music released in the early 1990s? 

Rock music is, by definition, designed to shock and push boundaries. It’s still happening today.

Rock music also broke down some serious racial barriers in 1950s America. Plenty of big names that spearheaded the rock music movement, from Fats Domino to Chuck Berry, encouraged younger listeners to be more accepting of black artists through their music. Barriers were broken down that were previously firmly in place. 

Today, rock musicians are continuing to break down barriers between race, gender identity, sexuality, class, ethnicity, and more.

And we can’t forget the sound of rock music. The standard rock band format of drums, guitar, bass, and vocals is still the standard of rock music today, though it still varies. And it all started in the 1950s. That lineup standard is often pinpointed as the work of Buddy Holly, who famously used that lineup format with his band, The Crickets.

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