Music Through the Ages: The 1960s
Graphic By Alekhya Maram
By Alekhya Maram and Anna Ravid
Within the 20th century, there was no greater period of radical cultural and political change than in the 1960s. While the 50s marked a return to conservative ideals, the 60s gave birth to a cultural awakening, namely in the Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and anti-war movements.
The advent of birth control and the release of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique forever changed America’s perspective on gender roles. In her seminal work, Friedan spoke to the plight of millions of American housewives, sparking the genesis of the Women’s Rights movement: “Each suburban wife struggles with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night- she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question-- 'Is this all?”
This desire for social and political equality was simultaneously building in the Civil Rights Movement, which began in the 1950s. Activism led by the NAACP, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and the Black Panthers converged and resulted in the signing of landmark legislation such as Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and The Fair Housing Act of 1968.
American music both reflected and drove these cultural shifts. The 50s saw the beginnings of rock and roll, with stars like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Fats Domino. But the Golden Age of rock and roll didn’t begin until the 1960s. The British Invasion brought classic bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and the Animals to American audiences, where their sound--which borrowed heavily from blues music--became a phenomenon.
“In those days, a lot of the early greats had trouble making a living in the U.S., but found an eager audience in the U.K,” Animals star Eric Burdon said in an interview with Forbes Magazine. “We simply returned the music to the place where it had come from. In a way, we helped show Americans the music that was being created in their own backyard.”
American Artists like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Byrds, and Santana redefined popular music, fusing traditional blues music with a newer, scrappier sound. Joplin’s dynamic powerhouse vocals, Hendrix’s wild, unrestrained guitar riffs, and Santana’s Latin- inspired rhythms led to the emergence of this new genre--one that was intertwined with the growing counter-culture movement. Rock concerts were legendary; many rock icons performed at the infamous Woodstock music festival in the summer of 1969, originally billed as “3 days of Peace and Music.”
The Social movements of the 1960s as well as the anti-war movement in response to the costly Vietnam War contributed to the growth of counter culture--a revival of Bohemian ideals, hippie lifestyle, as well as copious drug experimentation. These social movements also gave birth to the genre of protest music, which was particularly exemplified by the work of folk rock artist Bob Dylan. Dylan wrote several songs in protest of the Vietnam War, such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Masters of War.”
As barriers were being broken down for African Americans in the political and social arenas, they were also being dismantled in the music industry. In 1959 Berry Gordy founded the Motown record label with only an 800 dollar loan in order to support the hundreds of Black artists who were denied a platform for their work. Since its founding, Motown has had over 80 no.1 hits, and brought iconic artists into the public eye.
Because of his work, soul music surged in popularity during this decade; artists such as Sam Cooke, Nina Simone, James Brown, the Supremes and The Temptations became the faces of the genre. Spanning everything from resonant, expansive vocals to upbeat R&B, soul music combined various styles of African American music throughout history. Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” and Nina Simone’s “Mississipi Goddam”--both of which are civil rights songs--are particular standouts of the genre. Soul music also created a sense of national Black pride.
"To me we are the most beautiful creatures in the whole world…Black people,” Simone said. “I mean that in every sense."
A decade of monumental change and timeless music, the 60’s forever changed the course of United States history.
The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam
And I mean every word of it
Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam
Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam
Nina Simone, “Mississippi Goddam”
