(AM67) 1960's Era Music in the U.S. Lesson

1960's Era Music in the U.S. Lesson 

Popular music of the United States in the 1960s became innately tied up into causes, opposing certain ideas, influenced by the sexual revolution, feminism, Black Power and environmentalism. This trend took place in a tumultuous period of massive public unrest in the United States which consisted of the Cold War, Vietnam War, and Civil Rights Movement.

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan ImageCentral to this trend was a folk roots revival that inspired a wave of similar trends across Europe and the rest of the world. This stemmed from a revival of hillbilly music early in the decade, and drew on Appalachian folk-pop pioneers The Weavers. Singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez broke new ground in lyrical approach and personal style in composition, setting the stage for the next wave of lighter, country and R&B influenced singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Elton John, Carole King, and Cat Stevens, who began topping the charts.

The 60s began with soul music topping the charts, including pure soul divas and singers specializing in the new, R&B-gospel fusion with a secular approach. The last part of the decade saw soul singer-songwriters like Marvin Gaye invent album-oriented soul, and James Brown and his ever-evolving backing band invent funk.

Modern music in the 1960s was dominated by the Nashville sound until Merle Haggard changed the national country sound to the Bakersfield sound. For a time, the Bakersfield sound was the only homegrown music that could compete in sales against an influx of British bands; this was called the British Invasion (1964-1966), and it sparked a new wave of music and social activism. Artists from Britain such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, Herman's Hermits, Tom Jones and the Animals became the most popular artists in the U.S. Psychedelic rock arose from this subculture, which opposed the Vietnam War and supported civil rights and other generally leftist causes. While the energy in this scene remained strong for some time, it soon splintered into competing heavy metal, early art-punk rock and progressive rock.

 

Learn more about the Music of the 1960's in the presentation below:

 

Be sure to watch the video presentation below before moving forward in the module.

British Invasion Informational Image: The British Invasion was a phenomenon that occurred in the mid-1960's when rock and pop music arts from the United Kingdom became popular in the United States. Here is a list of the most popular artist and bands: --The Animals --The Beatles --Dave Clark Five --Petula Clark --Hermann's Hermits --The Hollies --Tom Jones --Lulu --The Moody Blues --Peter and Gordon --The Rolling Stones --Dusty Springfield --The Who

 

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