Sunday, August 09, 2015

Fifties Revolution

I decided this weekend to revisit the dulcet tones of 1950's tunes. I started with the Crew Cuts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9G0-4TWwew.

Hm, well how about Bill Haily & the Comets:This was the start of real Rock and Roll. Their hit, "Rock around the clock" took over the charts from the gradual slide from Rhythm & Blues, which then became a part of the rock generation. There were many others, but I'm coming on with the pioneers in music.

The mid-fifties  which coincided with my junior-senior years in high school, was the most revolutionary period in music. Elvis blasted upon the scene which brought many country singers to score well in both genres. Faron Young, Ferlin Husky, (my neighbor's ex husband) The Big Bopper, who could forget Ritchie Valens and La Mamba.

Then there was the star attraction in those days,  Buddy Holly & the Crickets. The three were touring together during cold winter weather, on unheated buses. Holly decided to fly to the next venue, which was North Dakota. Waylon Jennings, the bass player for Holly, gave up his seat to one of the other head liners. They all died along with the pilot on that cold snowy night.

There were others that met the same fate, as making it to a commitment was gospel for these performers.

To sum up the fifties, is that we had some horrible lyrics like Shboom, Shboom, and some great music. During the three years I was in High School, 1954-56 we had holds overs from WW11, like the Andrew Sisters, the McGuire Sisters, and other trios and quartets.

The music that grew out of that mishmash produced great harmony in the 1960's like the Everly Brothers and many others.

After reviewing a long line of musical changes, while I wouldn't give up the musical crossroads, better music came in the 1970's. Credence Clearwater, the Doors, the Hill Top Singers who recorded a CocaCola commercial that went viral. They had to go back to the studio to record those famous words: "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony..." .

But my all time favorite goes back to the 1964-68 career of the Seekers, with Judith Durham, an Australian like the rest of the group, perhaps the greatest female lead ever.  They mostly recorded in England, where with two top hits, "I'll never find another you," and shortly thereafter,"A world of our own, both of which knocked the Beatles off the Number one charts. Check them out on YouTube.


No comments: