Tolerance Of Kovach And Flory In What's That Sound?

Koi Mancuso Music 116 History of Rock The Spread of Tolerance at The Expense of The Untolerated 05/17/2024 The birth of rock and roll was a reflection of the times as accessibility to music grew thanks to radio and television. It gave way to the idea of “the rebellious teenager," which continues to be accepted as a phase of life even today. What isn't often acknowledged is the sheer significance that the rise of rock and roll had on society at the time, and how modern-day self-expression and conversations on tolerance are directly influenced by rock and roll. John Kovach and Andre Flory in What’s That Sound? : An Introduction to Rock and Its History, Rock and roll, characterized by its social commentary, has always been seen as controversial

As is a common trend in the US’s musical history, many rock and roll artists took rhythm and blues music and “whitened” it. John Kovach and Andre Flory in What’s That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History describes, “Adjustments to both the lyrics and the music of rhythm and blues began to establish a model for rock and roll in the early years, and Hayley was an important figure in what might be the ‘whitening’ of rhythm and blues” (Kovach and Flory 92). Where inspiration is simply a part of learning any art form, rock and roll artists seemingly took music from black artists and made their messages accessible to those who avoided “race music”. The whitening of protest music was a necessary step to getting these messages of hardship to a wider public. By planting the seed of listening to the messages shared by black artists alongside R&B, rock and roll was able to amplify voices such as Big Mama and Little Richard. A domino effect was able to take place as white rock and roll musicians shared tolerance in a digestible format that appealed to the conservative values of 1950s

The tolerance of nonconformity was able to make way for the celebration of identities not accepted at the time. Artists were able to see figures like Big Mama Thornton and Little Richard and feel inspired enough to continue the spread of progressive ideas. Radio was the creation that truly amplified the voices of protest the most. Where these expressions of hardship could only be shared from stage to stage and on street corners, musicians can now share their ideas and experiences with people across the country. The downside is the separation between artists and their art. For example, Thornton’s “Hound Dog”: “Peacock” released ‘Hound Dog’ the following February, and it eventually soared to the number one spot on the rhythm and blues charts, where it remained for seven weeks. After 1956, though, Thornton’s name would not be the one primarily associated with “Hound Dog.” That year, Elvis Presley recorded a cover version that became a smash hit, propelling him to rock ’n’ roll stardom” (Steptoe