The Music Scene
It was the 1920s in New Orleans,
and sad, beautiful music filled the streets and cafes. The singers were
black, and most of them were poor. They sang about their lives, their loves,
and the tough world they lived in. Their music - jazz, ragtime and blues
("I've got the blues" means "I'm unhappy") - soon travelled to Europe and
all over the world.
It was the 1950s in Memphis
Tennessee, and Elvis Presley was the king of Rock' n Roll. The new sound
travelled to Britain as well. Teenagers disagreed with their parents, wore
their tight blue jeans, and danced to their rock' n roll records. The days
of the pop star and the huge pop concert were here. The fans rushed to
hear their favourite music, screamed, fainted, and came back for more.
Pop music was now the world of young people everywhere, moving fast, always
changing.
It was the 1960s in Liverpool,
England, and gour young men were making a new sound. They called themselves
the Beatles, and their music quickly travelled to America and all over
the world. For the first time, British pop music was important abroad.
It was 1969 in Woodstock,
near New York. A great pop festival attracted nearly half a million young
music fans. Most of them were hippies, who shocked the world with their
beards, long hair, old jeans and their calls for Peace and Love. Rock music
was loud and fast, but there was a gentler sound too. The great folk singers
like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, touched millions of people with their protest
songs. They sang about the war in Vietnam and about violence in the world.
It was the mid-1970s. Things
change fast in pop music. Elvis was dead. The Beatles were no longer together.
The gentle mood of the 60's was gone, and Britain punk music was in fashion.
The punks wore green and pink hair, leather clothes, and tried to shock
people with their violence.
And a new star was rising.
An old American tradition country and western music, was becoming internationally
known. This simpler music is more old-fashioned, bringing back memories
of a farming life away from the big cities. One of country and western's
big stars s Dolly Parton. With her blonde hair, a wig actually, her glamorous
clothes, but at the same time her strong ideas about family life and morality,
Dolly Parton is "as American as apple pie".
Fashions in pop music come
and go - but the singers and the fans will always be there.