During the 1950s, racial inequality was a significant problem that performers and musicians had to deal with. During this decade, black and white people were not treated the same, as black people were seen as inferior and were often discriminated against.
In terms of music, black people had enjoyed some popularity during the 1920s due to the advent of jazz. Jazz was popular among all classes, but had originated in the blues music that was popular with the black population. However, when the 1950s came along, rock and roll was popularized as a type of "white music." This meant that the legacy and impact that black music had had on it was denied and forgotten, making it difficult for black rock 'n' rollers to achieve success.
Answer:
Rock 'n' roll was born from a mix of various musical styles: rhythm and blues, gospel music, folk music, blues, country and jazz. Before the style became famous, the expression was already found in movies, commercials and music. A good example is the song Rock and Roll Blues, recorded by Erline Harris in 1949.
However, the popularization of the style occurred in the 1950s.
Influenced by several country-predominant genres, white musicians such as Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and His Comets, and Jerry Lee Lewis began a rock 'n' roll that was christened Rockabilly. Most of Rockabilly's musicians were white, but there were others like Chuck Berry, Little Richards, and Bo Diddley, african-americans who came from rhythm and blues. These, while sounding like whites, were not considered to be Rockabilly.
One of the social factors that rock 'n' roll had a lot of influence on was the racial issue. At that time, the US court was taking various measures against racial segregation, but racism was already rooted in American culture. In this scenario, rock 'n' roll was a paradox, because the rhythm was the product of the mixture of black and white rhythms.
In addition to racial factors, rock 'n' roll began to influence the fashion, style and customs of young people at the time. Part of this is due to Elvis Presley, who with his beauty, sound, and sexually appealing dances, drew thousands of fans to his shows.
Most rock and roll fans know about the musicians who have had worldwide success. But at the time of the style's emergence, thousands of young people picked up their guitars and set up a multitude of bands. Today many of them are dead and have not been recognized by the general public. Good examples of these unknown musicians are Benny Joy, who toured Europe during the late 1950s, Ronnie Allen, Hasil Adkins, among others.
