Flights to Stardom

I’d say rock and roll music has been an influence on American society for years. Music now doesn’t compare to the sounds that we had before. From quirky and cute, to tattoos, and headbangs with long hair, these artists range to influence many teens and adults. The era and the artists I’ve come to love while in this class would definitely be the 1960s to the 1980s. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones would be the artists I loved the most and to this day still hear about.

The Bands

The 1960s began with a bang when The Beatles started to become a major band in the USA. After appearing on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, their music skyrocketed into them touring and created a movie out of their lifestyle. Many young teens adored their appearance and fell in love with the way they created rock and roll music to a sound of their own. At first, it wasn’t easy for them to create a fanbase out in America, but Ed Sullivan made sure their appearance on the show would be the start of it all. The Rolling Stones started to appear and be known shortly after The Beatles became a hit. They created an opposite image from the Beatles, but they became well-known just like them even though their sound was completely different. Then Led Zeppelin came into the picture in 1968. They turned their lyrical ways to the sexual world but created their tune into electric blues and acoustic folk sound. All of these artists did come from the United Kingdom, yet they had such a big impact on America and typically all over the world.

The Impact

Since they all came from a different country, it was hard for each of these artists to have stardom in the United States. The locals were not that easy to impress. The Beatles were always showing appreciation towards American music by making covers of their songs and adding their own touch. With those concepts, their manager was able to book them a show in America and the audience fell in love. Without the show, they wouldn’t be able to get the exposure they needed by just releasing it to the radio. The Stones had a slow start in the US industry because of their “bad-boy” image. The exact opposite of The Beatles, but their music and image made teenage girls be head-over-heels for them as well. Led Zeppelin is known for rooting their music in blues. They were so popular and in-demand that they knocked The Beatles off their spot in the charts twice. Every rock band has its own sound of course, but Led Zeppelin gathered America’s attention with different sounds from the Beatles and the Stones.

This era in music was magnificent and the reason why people say they want to be “rockstars.” From the way they were living and by all the attention they got from just their image really brought out a lot for them. Their music did numbers and reached the top charts in America coming from a different country. Without this era in music, not a lot of artists or bands would have as big an impact as these three did.