All Shook Up: Art, Music And Politics In America 1950 1975

ALL SHOOK UP: ART, MUSIC AND POLITICS IN AMERICA 1950-1975 1950-1975 is arguably the most tumultuous period in modern American history. It began, and ended, with the country’s involvement in eastern Asia. No sooner had the Korean War ended than the Vietnam War began – a conflict that would dominate American politics for twenty years. 

The 1950s saw rock and roll transcend its humble origins to become big business with a central role for the teenager, both as a consumer and as a fan of the new stars – in particular, Elvis Presley. President John F Kennedy epitomised the new emphasis on youth and brought a sense of optimism to a country beginning to confront deep-seated problems. His assassination shocked the world and the positivity evaporated. Protest was in the air – whether from African-Americans campaigning for their civil rights, students angered at the prosecution of the War, or women seeking emancipation from oppressive, traditional female roles. 

Meanwhile art became ever more abstract until Andy Warhol blurred the distinction between high and low culture, bringing with him a new young audience. Likewise minimalism, a trend permeating all arts, but especially music, offered an attractive alternative to the complexities of contemporary modernism. 

As the 1960s progressed, the West Coast, long a haven for beatniks, surfers and practitioners of cool jazz, was the destination for young people lured by the promise of peace and love and the hippie lifestyle to go along with it. The music scene was bursting with new styles: rock, soul, Motown, funk, jazz-rock and folk-rock - the latter spearheaded by Bob Dylan, seen as a spokesman for the whole generation. 

But things turned sour towards the end of the decade with the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy and the catastrophic Democratic Convention in Chicago. Spirits were lifted by the moon landing but American society was still in turmoil culminating in the Watergate scandal and the consequent resignation of President Richard Nixon. 

At the same time artists and musicians, undeterred, were busy creating innovations which would last to the end of the century – and beyond.

1 BLUE SUEDE SHOES: Elvis Presley And The Rock And Roll Boom 

2 CLOSING THE VOID: Abstract Expressionism – America’s Art 

3 YOUNG AMERICANS: The Rise Of The Teenager 

4 CALIFORNIA DREAMING: From Beat Generation To Counterculture 

5 GOING POP: Pop Art 

6 BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME: The Folk Revival, Bob Dylan and The Song Poets 

7 OLD AND NEW DREAMS: The Transformation Of Jazz 

8 A CHANGE IS GONNA COME: African-American Music And The Struggle For Civil Rights 

9 MAXIMALISTS AND MINIMALISTS: Art and Music At The Extremes 

10 NEXT STOP IS VIETNAM: America’s Quagmire War 

11 BALL OF CONFUSION: The Descent Into Chaos, 1968-1970 

12 THE FUTURE IS NOW: One Giant Leap . . . Into What?