I was a teenager when rock n’ roll came along. It was a shock to see Elvis Presley swivel his hips on The Ed Sullivan Show. It caused such a brouhaha that eventually the camera wasn’t allowed to show him from the waist down.

Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show Oct. 1956  Wikipedia

Never will I forget the girls crying and screaming so loudly you couldn’t hear the music. I didn’t get it then and I don’t get it now.

Recently I asked my eight-year-old granddaughter what is up with the crying. Brittany looked at me like she couldn’t believe I asked the question. Then she smiled like a wise ol’ grandma, “It’s ‘cause they’re excited Gramgram, that’s why.”

The Beatles on Ed Sullivan Aug. 1965  Wikipedia

Now I gotta tell ya, it was earth-shattering when the Beatles arrived on the scene. There was such a clash between their fans and Elvis that a poll was taken to see who was the most popular.

My problem as a teen was that my dad was a musician, a pianist. He had this little band that would practice at our house. I loved it.

Everyone else took off but not me. I would sit outside beneath the window and close my eyes, let the sound take me over. I am a fan of music before and after. And I love Reggae.

When rock n’ roll hit the music world it was offensive to people like my father. He hated it, “What do they actually do?” he complained. The only group he gave any credence to was Bill Haley and His Comets.

I was never one to speak up but one day when dad complained for the umpteenth time I had to say something. “Maybe rock and roll isn’t good music but we like it.”

The air in the room went dead.

Oh yeah, that popularity poll years ago … Elvis won.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full
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I gotta see what my consorts have to say about Music That Changed My Life:
Blackwatertown, Delirious, Maxi, Maria/Gaelikaa, Maria SilverFox, OCD writer, Padmum, Ramana, Shackman speaks, The Old Fossil, Will Knott..