• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

KEEP ON PUSHING The Fight for Civil Rights and Black Empowerment in the Context of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Philadelphia Lee Junkin Senior History Essay Spring 2016 African Americans in the southern United States, experiencing increased racial oppression through segregation and lynching, as well as seeking better economic opportunities, began moving north at an exponential rate starting after the Great Depression. Philadelphia was one of the northern cities that took in many of the migrants. The growth of the black population in Philadelphia increased the strain of racial tensions in the city. As historian Matthew Delmont points out in his book The Nicest Kids In Town, “from 1930-1960, the city’s black population grew by three hundred thousand, increasing from 11.4 percent of the city’s total population to 26.4 percent.”1 The growing racial diversity and developing culture of the city, along with the progression of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950’s and 60’s, established Philadelphia as a battleground for racial relations and social change. The movement of African Americans into northern cities began to change many aspects of American life, including popular music. This migration into urban areas, as well as increased access to electric instruments, caused a shift in black rhythm and blues musicians’ approaches to music. Music was played faster and with more energy. White musicians picked up on these musical changes and took black rock and crossed it with certain aspects of popular white music such as country-style lyrics and a cleaner sound. Music historians began to call this “rockabilly music”, a cross between rock ‘n’ roll and “hillbilly” country sounds. Rockabilly hits began to explode in popularity in 1953.2 This new form of music, enjoyed by both white and black Americans, opened the door for considerable social change in all aspects of American life. With the prominence of black artists in the genre, and a seemingly more open attitude of white Americans toward African Americans, many black artists were able to explode into rock 1 Matthew F. Delmont, The Nicest Kids in Town: American Bandstand, Rock 'n' Roll, and the Struggle for Civil Rights in 1950s Philadelphia. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012), 21. Ebook Library version. 2 Glenn C. Altschuler, All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), “Chapter One: All Shook Up”. 1 ’n’ roll fame. The most notable of these early artists were Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Fats Domino. African American rock ’n’ roll music began to shift American ideologies on segregation and race among teenagers. In the 1950’s, Chuck Berry, writer of rock ’n’ roll standard “Johnny B. Goode”, commented on these changes. White superstar Carl Perkins claimed that Berry said “You know Carl, we might be doing as much with our music as our leaders in Washington to break down the barriers.”3 Though hyperbolic, Perkins and Berry reflected the belief that rock ’n’ roll music was affecting American ideas toward integration and racial harmony. As blues sensation B.B. King put it, “Along with this music, these white kids were hearing and feeling the souls of black people. They were getting to know us and like us and appreciate our talent.”4 These shifting feelings on race were most prevalent among teenage audiences. Despite vast opposition from the older generation who believed that rock ’n’ roll was immoral and promoted sexual exploration, substance use, and integration5, the younger generations, infused with shifting ideologies on race and teenage life, were swept by the music. While many of the rock ’n’ roll shows, especially in the early 1950’s were segregated, in order for white teenagers to experience black rock ’n’ roll, integration was a necessity. Venues were becoming integrated, even in the south. The press began to take notice of this phenomenon. A news story was run in the black newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier “Integrated Houston Dance Draws Four Thousand” in 1956. Historian C. Vann Woodward wrote that “White teenagers are getting their first taste of discrimination and they don’t like it.”6 In 1955, Cashbox magazine, one of the most influential rock ’n’ roll magazines of the time, ran a story called “Breaking Down the 3 Michael T. Bertrand, Race, Rock, and Elvis, (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000), 41. 4 Ibid, 233. 5 Altschuler, All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America, “Chapter Four: Yakety Yak, Don’t Talk Back”. 6 Bertrand, Race, Rock, and Elvis, 96. 2 Barriers” discussing the integration of rock ’n’ roll shows.7 As Ray Charles put it, “White America was getting hipper.”8 This new form of popular music presented the first time that teenage mainstream white and black American musical interests overlapped to this degree, and it also marked the beginning of a truly “teenage” culture. In the 1950’s, the Dictionary of American Slang claimed that “the United States was the only country “considering this age group as a separate entity whose influence, fads and fashions are worthy of discussion apart from the adult world.”9 This culture opened up a possibility for teen activism and an avenue for activists to speak to teenagers, and it also provided a space for integration. This new culture, developed through rock ’n roll music, would help ease future American ideologies toward integration as a whole in society and set this stage for teenage activism. Though rock ’n’ roll had positive effects on American integration, it is important to note how detrimental it often was to African Americans. The all-white producing and recording industry exploited black artists. The musicians were shorted of the money that they deserved and this essentially put black money in the hands of white men. Covers of black songs by white artists exploded more than most of the black recordings. Elvis Presley took songs written by black musicians like “Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thorton and “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry and turned them into hits. Pat Boone’s version of “Aint that a Shame” by Fats Domino made far more money than Domino’s version and reached the top spot on the U.S. pop charts.10 Many of these white versions of songs had less energy and featured a cleaner sound with more understandable lyrics so the white community could find them easier to listen to.11 Though 7 Altschuler, All Shook Up, 47. 8 Ibid, 51. 9 Ibid, 100. 10 Ibid. pp. 52 11 Ibid. pp. 47 3 exploitative, these white cover versions often brought greater publicity to the black original versions. For example, Pat Boone’s cover of Fat’s Domino’s “Aint that a Shame” propelled it from number one on the black charts to number one on the white pop charts.12 Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of integrated rock ’n’ roll was the fact that it was often seen by contemporaries, as well as by people today, as an illusion of integration. White Americans were listening to and seeing black artists. Certain black artists were making a lot of money, such as Fats Domino who became the first black rock ’n’ roll millionaire.13 The Brown vs. Board of Education decision was passed in the midst of all this in 1954, and this helped give people the impression that American was now integrated. But racial violence over increased integration was raging all over the nation. Black artists were continually exploited in music, and segregation was still prevalent everywhere. White Americans may have believed that things were changing because of the shifts in pop culture, and this provided them with an opportunity to ignore the massive racial turmoil throughout the country. While there were certainly dangers and racial tensions associated with the rock ’n’ roll craze, the effect that it had in promoting civil rights and combatting racial inequality was incredibly influential, especially in Philadelphia. Philadelphia became a rock ’n’ roll hotbed due to its increasingly diverse population as well as its proximity to New York City, where most major recording and producing industries were located.14 The growing rock ’n’ roll scene in Philadelphia set the background for civil rights movements and increased integration. Dances and parties throughout the city were beginning to become more integrated due to the diversity of musicians playing music and overlapping tastes in music by both white and black cultures, something that had not happened 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid. 45 14 Delmont, The Nicest Kids in Town, 12. 4 before to this extent in American history. Gerald Early, a history professor at Washington University in St. Louis, recalled in a film called Philadelphia: The Great Experiment that “there was more racial integration than people think…There was so much music around and everyone wanted to appreciate the music”.15 Some local restaurants and businesses also integrated their venues in response to the increasingly integrated youth society.16 That being said, segregation still took place in all aspects of American life, including television and radio. White producers of hit rock and roll television shows, most notably Bandstand stationed in Philadelphia, believed that if they allowed African Americans to enter the show, they would lose support from their sponsors and then lose money in advertising17, a practice I will discuss in more depth later in the paper. While whitewashed rock ’n’ roll was being depicted on shows like Bandstand, an extremely influential black radio and television scene was developing in Philadelphia in contrast to this. Disc jockey Georgie “the guy with the goods” Woods, created one of the most influential radio programs in Philadelphia, a show listened to by a mixed audience including Bandstand host Dick Clark, who got much of his rock ’n’ roll from black radio shows.18 Disc jockeys like Georgie Woods were able to capitalize on the rise of this new musical genre in ways other than just profit.

Load more

  42

Copy Link