Rock and roll opponents - PowerPoint Presentation

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Rock and roll opponents

James W. Houchins Jr.

Sociology A490 Summer term 2014 UAASlide2

Did Rock and Roll’s opposition have anything in common?

I mean in common besides the protection of children from what the threat they called Rock and Roll.

For instance religious

a

ffiliation? Social groups? Political parties?Slide3

Violence did happen

We cannot argue that violence did occur in rocks early days but was it the music's fault or the fault of society for trying to censor choice?

That could be a another presentation full of debate and speculation but let us focus on specificsSlide4

The purpose of this presentation

I attempted to locate as many opponents as possible to compare backgrounds

and look for similarities

I found more information on famous opponents than the average

American

I have attempted to uncover as many if any similarities between the opponents of rock and roll looking for another common link between them

What has been portrayed so far

as

the only link is they agree rock and roll is bad for society

Let’s begin with some of the well known opponents

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Slide6

Frank Sinatra 1915-1998

Frank Sinatra was an early opponent of Rock and Roll.

“My only deep sorrow is the unrelenting insistence of recording and motion picture companies upon purveying the most brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression it has been my displeasure to hear—Naturally I refer to the bulk of rock ’n’

roll”(Sinatra 1957).

Ironically in 1960 he performed with Elvis on an ABC TV special.

He professed to be a Catholic but in a 1963 Playboy interview he expressed his frustration with organized religion.

At the time of his quote about rock and roll he was a democrat. In the 70’s he became a republican.Slide7

Dr. Francis Braceland

A man with a stellar reputation called rock and roll

"communicable disease with music appealing to adolescent insecurity and driving teenagers to do outlandish things... It's cannibalistic and

tribulistic

..(

Braceland

1956).

Former

chief psychiatrist of the Institute of Living, in

Hartford

Ct. 1951-1965

Physician

to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Special

witness at the Nuremberg trials in Germany

Religious affiliation CatholicSlide8

I

could not find

any evidence if Dr.

Braceland

thoroughly researched the effects of rock and roll or if he just commented based on his experience.Slide9

Asa Earl Carter 1925-1979Slide10

Noted Klan member and later a part of the white citizens council

As

Satzmary

pointed out in the text Carter stated rock and roll is a “plot to mongrelize America.”

I could not find a religious affiliation for Carter.

The only group affiliation I found was the white citizens council.Slide11

Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1978

Author Glen

Altshuler

researched that Martin

Luther King, Jr. found rock ‘n’ roll and gospel music “totally incompatible,” asserting that rock music “often plunges men's minds into degrading and immoral depths.”

(

Altshuler

2003).Slide12

Dr. King was a Baptist minister so he held a Christian viewpoint.

I found the only organizations he was affiliated with were the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceSlide13

The military joined the fight against rock and roll

Rear Admiral Ralph D. Earl Jr. was the commanding officer of Newport Rhode Island Naval Base.

A fight broke out during a Fats Domino concert when the lights went out

Although black and white sailors were involved race was not a factor.Slide14

What I discovered

These are a few examples of some of the more prominent opponents.

My hypothesis was wrong since some of our opponents did have Christianity in common.