Glenn C. Altschuler is a historian who analyses the impact caused by rock n roll on the American culture. He introduces a unique perspective that conveys the cultural conflicts caused by rock n roll which was characterized by hip swaying and foot tapping. He draws examples from factors such as race generational, differences and sexuality.

 All shook up takes is an exciting book that informs on matters such as politics, social relationships between various races and explores how roc n roll culture spread, replaced and integrated with the society in spite of conflicting with the other cultural values. This is clear in the book's chapters which focus on race and sexuality. The book is all encompassing as it examines and evaluates race relations during rock n roll movement (Altschuler, 2004).

Altschuler deliberately commences with the political atmosphere that was awaken by civil rights movement and roc n roll music, noting that it was a period when black Americans wanted equal human rights as the whites. White segregationists were threatened by a large number of court cases which were supported rights and integration of American society. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas and a win for the Montgomery Improvement Association in the case that was desegregation of public transport. Most white people were comfortable with segregation before the amendment of the law. The resistance to roc n roll was fuelled by the unrest caused by the civil rights movement.  Resistance was of two kinds: white Americans utilized the music as a platform for campaigning and discussion of anti-integration sentiments while others prevented blacks from getting any attention from the media. The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group, became active and condemned listening to rock n roll. White supremacists claimed that it was jungle music because of its beats and that it would cause white youths to lose morality and humanity as they mixed with other races (Altschuler, 2004).

Sometimes resistance against roc n roll resulted to assaults on black musicians. In the book, Altschuler narrates how ‘Nat King Cole’, one of the best black performer of that time, was violently beaten. He was performing at a white's only event when a mob came on stage and brutally beat him. In spite of this assault, ‘Nat King Cole’ did not get any sympathy from the black community, instead, they criticized him for not demanding to be granted an integrated venue before performing. Most of white communities seemed to support the attack while other accused ‘Nat King Cole' of his jungle music that made people wild. Others leveled baseless accusations against him claiming that he had intentions of sleeping with white revelers at the concert. Resistance resulted in violence (Altschuler, 2004).

The second type of resistance to roc n roll was also outright devastating to black artists of the time. White radio producers hid black musicians from white gatherings. The writer coins the terms ‘cloroxed’ and ‘bleached’ to explain the holing up of black American artists from white crowds. White producers would select a white musician and chose for them a potential hit song from a black artist and made them perform the song with modifications which excluded components associated with the black artists such as provocative dances or ‘emotive moaning’. This was a plus for the white producers as they would make money from black artists’ content while at the same time appeal to the white audience without the inclusion of the black musicians. Musicians who were considered icons such as ‘Pat Boone’, ‘Georgia Gibbs’, and ‘Elvis’ made their first steps as musicians by the exploitation of black musicians. This led to replacement of black artists with more white impersonators who would use their content. (Altschuler, 2004).

The clash caused by roc n roll music can connect to an institutional resistance of white Americans to integration, contraceptives and the widespread exploitation of black Americans all over the country.  ‘All shook up’ brings up the point of political considerations on matters that involve the youth and contraceptives. Only two states abode by the laws banning contraceptive usage in the 1950s.Roc n roll revolution emerged simultaneously with institutional revolution, which seemed to give consent to premarital sex. Parents and elders viewed new contraceptive policies as allowing unacceptable sexual behaviors as contraceptives eliminated consequences of immorality such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Before these laws, the core values and principles of the society advised the youth to abstain from sex until marriage. However, premarital sex was discussed by the government, and they concluded that a child could engage in sexual behavior but in a safe way. This gave way to the contraceptive policies. Rock n roll was more vocal and extreme on sexual matters. It urged the youths to engage in sex regardless of the advice from parents. Youths related to this message and it made them seek a more passionate relationship with the music. (Altschuler, 2004).

Roc n roll made sex sound casual. It was presented as a standard practice that young people engage in when they fall in love. The older generation reacted to this using tactics that would resist the trend. Adults tried to censor sexual lyrics in roc n roll. This was achieved through bleaching. ‘Bleaching’ was replacing vulgar lyrics with more wholesome words. Another way was through magazine campaigns. Articles would be printed to advise the youth and the masses to stick to good morals and abstain from premarital sex .These measures were not good enough and did not get an adequate response.  Courts received petitions and requests for radio stations to avoid playing sexual pervasive and abusive lyrics. The situation escalated to full censorship of music to the extent disc jockeys could not play any music from black artists. White artists who impersonated the blacks saved the roc n roll movement. They gave it a good public relation by cleaning the explicit sexual lyrics, sound, and the perceived look until the white community accepted it. Parents did not want their children to listen to wild roc n roll artists such as ‘Richard Penniman’ but would grant permission to artists with decent lyrics such as Pat Boone. Due to censorship, roc n roll became mainstream again as white artists such as ‘Elvis Presley’ and ‘Jerry Lewis’ reintroduced explicit sexual content to roc n roll (Altschuler, 2004).

News outlets were never left behind when it came to roc n roll as they painted a negative picture of the genre. Headlines such as ‘roc n roll brawl hospitalize youth’ by  ‘The New York Times ‘were very common in in the 1950s.The headline would then go ahead to explain how white and black boys were in a fight at a roc n roll concert attended by thousands of fans. It would then exaggerate the events that took place by describing how a fifteen-year-old boy was stabbed and thrown on a railway track. The police would then blame it on the Negro youths. This went to further taint the image of roc n roll. For an estimated two years ‘The Times’ printed articles that blame roc n roll for the violence that occurred before and after the concerts. They claimed that roc n roll tune alone would cause destruction. When there was no violence to blame during concerts, they would call it unusual and attribute it to the presence of police. In the mass media, the alarmist drowned out the voice of the apologists. They condemned roc n roll viciously. "Smells phony and false, "said ‘Frank Sinatra’. Others complained that it was written by goons and by unsober minded individuals. Psychologists also gave their view claiming that teenagers who embraced the music had a deeply rooted abnormality of wanting to belong. ‘New York Times’ gave the platform to psychologist Frank who claimed that roc n roll was "cannibalistic and tribalistic" form of music, which appealed to rebellious youths (Altschuler, 2004).

Leaders were not left behind in criticizing roc n roll. The nation's elders and leaders were angry over roc n roll. They regarded it as trash, but they differed on its impact on the youth. Judge ‘Hilda Schwartz’, presided over Youth ‘court in New York City. She blamed a few rebellious youths for the disturbances and violence associated with roc n roll. She compared roc n roll to ‘Charleston’ which allowed teenagers to discharge a lot of energy that would make them cause harm. Some cities across the United States banned roc n roll in Atlanta, Georgia. Parents were instructed by mayors to go with their children to public concerts. San Antonio, Texas city council, got rid of roc n roll music from the jukeboxes. Boston mayor ‘John D Hynes’ announced that the city public would not be rented out to roc n roll promoters and concerts. Roc n roll white artiste was not spared from criticism from leaders. After ‘Elvis Presley’ performed ‘hound dog’ while using vulgar language and sexual gyrations. The ‘New York Daily’ news was not pleased with His performance. Politician and Congressman ‘Emanuel Celler’also weighed in on the performance and said it had no space among white people and should be restricted to the blacks. Many organizations such as ‘North Alabama white citizens' council took a strict standpoint on opposing roc n roll music by barring its access to the mainstream market. Carter, secretary to the organization, took to the public to criticize roc n roll. He demanded that the music is struck out of the jukeboxes. This angered jukebox owners who made most of their profits from roc n roll. Carter stated categorically that," roc n roll is the basic heavy beat music of Negroes. It appeals to the base in man and brings out “animalism and vulgarity." (Newsweek, (April 23, 1956).

In spite of the financial disadvantages the black roc n roll artists faced in the 1950s, roc n roll was an essential tool in making the black Americans earn respect from the youth who loved their music. This respect led to a change in attitude that came along way in assisting black leaders to gain support for the civil rights movement. The rise of roc n roll coincided with that of the right public changes in the 1950s.The youth of America were becoming old enough to vote and contribute to other functions of the society in America. Their attitude towards integration was soon manifested in the legislations and policies of political leaders. This assisted the civil rights movement gain its momentum and support through the civil rights act of the year 1964 and the voting right of 1965 (Shi, and Tindall, 2015).

‘W.E.B Du Bois’ a graduate from Frisk University narrated the achievements of the ‘Jubilee Singers’ in his book, ‘souls of the Black folks’. Du Bois discusses the spirit of the black people were ignored until the ‘Fisk jubilee’ sang slave songs that contained profound messages to the world's heart. The world can never forget that message. This resulted to the plight of the slaves being known to the white audiences. Although people looked at the ‘Fisk Jubilee Singers’ in term of entertainment some went further to analyze their message. The ‘Fisk jubilee singers’ did not have the mass appeal of the young audience nor the advantage that came with technology, but their news spread all over. Their spiritual songs were sang in churches as of gospel music. The ‘Fisk jubilee singers’ laid a foundation for roc n roll musicians of the 1950s. (Altschuler, 2004).

‘Little central high school in Arkansas’: there were about nine African American pupils who were denied access to the institution despite a court order that entrusted the school administration to let the students attend the school. Governor’Orval Faubus’ was in support of the students. President Eisenhower sent an airborne plane to ensure the court order was followed and to protect the right of the black children to education. These events were successful, and they challenged the legal existence of segregation among the Americans. Many people who supported segregation were threatened by such activities thus they reacted violently toward leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. Such events that supported integration made roc n roll a target. ‘Eisenhower’ suggested that integration is best if it comes through the change of heart rather than law. This statement by Eisenhower, was unknowingly implemented through roc n roll music which changed the heart of many white youths to accept integration.Roc n roll black musicians were unknowingly changing the way white people felt about black Americans. Roc n roll, therefore, played a part in civil rights movement (Shi, and Tindall, 2015).

 

 

 

Rock n roll has left a remarkable mark in the world since the day it started. It has impacted the social, fashion and even the political world beyond the twentieth century. It has changed with time to subgenres which are still influential and relevant to the society as a whole.Roc n roll has passed the test of time and hopefully will live generations to come, impacting the culture both positively and controversially.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 Altschuler, G.C. (2004).All shook up: how rock n roll changed America. New York: oxford university press

Shi, David E., and Tindall, George, America: The Essential Learning Edition. New York: W.W.

Norton & Company, 2015

White Citizens Council vs. Rock and Roll," Newsweek, (April 2 3, 1956) p22-32