1960 was the birth of a fresh, new decade, one that promised peace, prosperity, and happiness. The working-class citizens of America had just elected the young, handsome John F Kennedy, and courageously stepped forward into a hopeful future. A future that would go on to become one of the most divisive decades in history.

Not only were people still divided by segregation, unequal pay between men and women, and an apparent “generation gap”, but by the Vietnam War as well. Buddy Holly’s untimely and shocking death in 1959 was the beginning of a pattern that would continue throughout the 60s. A pattern of shock, uncertainty, tragedy, loss of innocence, and many dramatic endings.

By 1960, there were 52 million television sets in American households. Television’s rising popularity helped rock & roll reach mainstream audiences. It also emanated the golden age of advertising, political propaganda, and escapism through entertainment.

Political stressors began to take a toll on young Americans. They no longer felt aligned with the values of their parents' generation, and the threat of losing the idyllic “American Dream” to communism was very real to people at the time. Many American’s couldn’t handle change, upheaval, or rebellion. They craved simple pleasures of life.

Luckily, Rock & Roll wasn't just a club reserved for a specific few. Artists like Buddy Holly and Elvis made it alright for the squares to join in on the fun. The young, rebellious air of rock & roll music became more palatable and more marketable.

Although the roots of rock & roll music were strong, the effects rock & roll had on the industry had already taken hold. What once was edgy, raw, and controversial was now being transformed into something squeaky clean, polished, and cool.

[Bobby Vee - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes]

Record labels, producers, radio DJs, T.V producers, and even the “song factories” all got a piece of rock & roll. Once industry professionals witnessed the effects of early rock hitmakers such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Barry, and Little Richard, they wanted to capitalize even more.

Using tactics such as racially integrated radio shows, concert tours, television appearances, and new music formatting technology such as the LP (long playing) record, industry professionals kept fans of rock & roll continuously engaged with artists they know and love, while also creating opportunities for new, emerging artists to step into the spotlight. These new artists such as Bobby Rydell, Pat Boone, Paul Anka, and Bobby Vee had fans not only buying records, and tickets to concerts, but tuning into The Dick Clark show to learn “The Twist”.

The market of rock & roll became much more than just a music movement sparked by civil rights, it became a way to sell ideas of purity, innocence, ease, convenience, escapism, and a way to cope with the uncertain political landscape. By focusing on “what’s hot and what’s not” and singing along to silly little love songs, non-threatening teen idols and girl groups provided fans with a much-needed distraction.

[Bobby Rydell & Dick Clark on the cover of Teen Magazine, December 1960]

I couldn’t imagine living through this time as a woman, trying to fight for civil rights, and demand equal pay, while enduring the reality of my brothers, classmates, and boyfriends potentially getting drafted into a war. I can see why the “comfort and safety” of commercial pop music would help ease some of the tension from what was happening in the world. I also think this is why “movie musicals” were also successful during this time such as Blue Hawaii (1961), West Side Story (1961), and Bye Bye Birdie (1963).

Many say this was a “Dark Age” for rock music but I have mixed opinions. I don’t think it disappeared as much as it transformed. I think rock & roll morphed into what it needed to become in order to survive such a strange time. Much like it did during the early 00’s after 9/11 when we had bands like Nickleback, 3 Doors Down, and Staind topping the rock music charts. Rock music wasn’t making big strides at this time, more just fighting to stay alive. It didn’t disappear but it was hanging back, letting pop music reign. Pop music was the scoop of the day, with OutKast’s “Hey Ya”, Usher’s “Yeah”, and of course Pink’s “Get This Party Started” were all non-threatening, fun, palatable songs, that were very popular at the time.

I feel like this “Dark Age of Rock & Roll” had strongly established that rock’s roots ran deep, the soil was fertile, and the tree of rock & roll was not only growing but stretching out its branches to reach new heights.

* Sources

TV in 60’s households

(https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2007/TamaraTamazashvili.shtml)

The Twist: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-twist-dance-craze-1779369

JFK Campaign: https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/campaign-of-1960

Notable themes of 60’s history: https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/1960s-history

The Golden Age of Advertising: https://adage.com/article/75-years-of-ideas/1960s-creativity-breaking-rules/102704

Vietnam: “The First Television War”: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2018/01/25/vietnam-the-first-television-war/

Groovy 60’s Head & Shoulders Commercial

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZklKZO31bM]

The Twist: When Rock & Roll Reached The Main Stream