How Did Music Influence American Culture

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Music has always been a big part of our lives. It continues to influence the way many people think and express the thoughts of the silent many. Some artist become widely known for their contribution to some of the United States cultural events. For example, artist, such as Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan , John Lennon, Sam Cooke, and Woody Guthrie, made an important impact to the people of their era; they sang songs that spoke too many.
The first artist I will talk about is Billie Holiday. She was an amazing jazz vocalist. Holiday was commonly recognized for her unique melancholy voice. According to biography.com, in the 1930s Billie began her career as a singer. She sang in clubs and eventually, at the age of 18, got noticed by producers. Billie …show more content…

This era was a huge strain on people. Bob Dylan, a famous folk singer, was very passionate about singing issues on the Civil Rights Movement. According to the website faculty.wagner.edu, Dylan was one of the first artist to actively take a role in moral issues. He united people through his music. One of the songs that was most aspiring was “The Times they are A-Changin”.
This song was also made into the name of his album. Dylan, according to Wikipedia, recorded this song to let the people have an anthem to the changing of times. It also states that the song was influenced by Irish and Scottish folk songs. It was covered by many artist, one being The Byrds. “The Times they are A-Changin” became very popular due to the then current Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr. He speaks to older generations in the lyrics, “don’t criticize what you can’t understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command…” Dylan tries to tell them to accept what is going on. He wants them to try and understand it and not fight or question it. This song brought people together and influenced their views on their society. He states that no matter what, times will change continuously and we will all have to