What is the state of Rock 'n' Roll today?
Clearly today Pop reigns supreme and maybe always will.
By definition, even if Rock 'n' Roll or Jazz and Blues hit another mainstream high
they will be considered "popular".
In the 40's and 50's Jazz seemed to rule with such artists as Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington
and Ella Fitzgerald. The Folk music revival of the 60's cemented Bob Dylan and Joan Baez
among others as cultural icons. The late 60's and 70's saw Bluesy Rock 'n' Roll dominate
the mainstream with acts like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin
and more. The 80's saw another Blues revival with Stevie Ray Vaughn and AC/DC, among others
creating raw sounds that alluded to sounds of the past while pushing the craft forward. The popularity of
Seattle bands of the 90's such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana certainly had to do with their rock edge.
All along Pop has been there and probably still dominated fiscally as well as in the consciousness of
the American mindset.
What will it take for the new Rock 'n' Roll to rise to the top and be embraced by American youth culture?
Certainly it always feels as if it's all been done until someone comes up with the "new" thing.
The swiveling hips of Elvis, The "Bad Boy" image of The Stones, Iggy Pop cutting himself on stage, these things no longer seem as dangerous or edgy as they once were. The rebellious teenagers of the 50's, 60's and 70's are all grown up and feed their own children with the "dangerous" youth culture that their own parents once sought to protect them from.
The pendulum always swings back and forth and right now it seems to have swung back to Novelty and
Traditional Pop. Truly The Chipmunks and Lady Gaga are making records on par with
'(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?' and it may take a while before the parents of today
or tomorrow become conservative enough that their kids can execute a true Rock 'n' Roll Rebellion.
