Rock 'n Roll Generation

spectratg

spectratg

Senior Member
Location
Adamstown, MD
The Not So Silent Generation (NSSG):
How we invented Rock ‘n Roll, Sex, and Other Important Things, while still finding time to land on the Moon

You’ve all seen it and heard it numerous times. Baby Boomers bring about upheaval in social and cultural values, Baby Boomers reject traditional values, Baby Boomers embody excessive consumerism, Baby Boomers redefine retirement, Baby Boomers walk on water, blah, blah, blah, blah. For most of my life, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1965) have always been a hot topic in print and broadcast journalism, and perhaps deservedly so. As individuals, among whom I count friends, colleagues, nieces and nephews, they are perfectly nice people as individuals, but perchance as a generation somewhat over exaggerated as to how they shaped what is today’s modern America.

Of course we are also familiar with the Greatest Generation, those (it is argued) who are directly responsible for the freedom and affluence of modern day America. They are the giants of history and the saviors of humanity. President Ronald Reagan (1911), as well as so many others, epitomizes their huge, positive impact on history. (My parents were members of this generation. My four wonderful daughters are members of the X Generation; more on these folks in a later post.)

A very Ignorant Person (a Baby Boomer) once wrote: “The Silent Generation came of age after major changes in America’s socio-political landscape. The Silent Generation failed to make themselves known or have a great effect on America.”

For those of us born between 1926 and 1945, that is just plain wrong and ignorant! For proof I offer you:

The Civil Rights Movement:
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929)

Men on the moon:
Neil Armstrong (1930) and Buzz Aldrin (1930)

The Sexual Revolution:
The pill was first approved for contraceptive use in 1960. So while the Baby Boomers may claim credit for the sexual liberation of women, it was in fact their older sisters (think Mary and Rhoda on the Mary Tyler Moore (1936) show) who actually started the sexual revolution, as well as giving birth to the modern-day feminist movement (Gloria Steinem (1934) for example). And then there was Marilyn Monroe (1926), perhaps the ultimate sex symbol

Rock n’ Roll:
The greats of the real, original, classical Rock n’ Roll (mid 1950s to mid 1970s) were members of The Not So Silent Generation. They number in the hundreds; some of my favorites include: Chuck Berry (1926), Chubby Checker (1941), Petula Clark (1932), Patsy Cline (1932), Bob Dylan (1941), Buddy Holly (1936), Mick Jagger (1943), Janis Joplin (1943), Ricky Nelson (1940), Willie Nelson (1933), Roy Orbison (1936), Elvis Presley (1936), Otis Redding (1941), Helen Reddy (1941), Diana Ross (1944), Merilee Rush (1944), and Dusty Springfield (1939). The incomparable Beatles (1940-1943), who have probably had the greatest impact ever on American music, are members of the British NSSG version. As host of American Bandstand, Dick Clark (1929) popularized this musical genre more so than any other person. And then there was the voice of American music for so many decades, Casey Kasem (1932).

Among many others, Jane Goodall (1934), Sandra Day O’Connor (1930) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1934) also have certainly had a significant impact on the American Experience!

Those born in my own “cusp” year of 1945 include among many others: Loni Anderson, Eric Clapton, Jose Feliceano, Debbie Harry, Ernie Hudson, John Lithgow, Steve Martin, Hellen Mirren, Anne Murray, Priscilla Presley, Mitch Ryder, Diane Sawyer, Carly Simon, Bob Seger, Tom Selleck, Jaclyn Smith, Henry Winkler (aka the Fonz), and Neil Young. And of course Don McLean, whose hit “American Pie” is considered by this author to be the best Rock ‘n Roll song of all time (with Ricky Nelson and Garden Party a very close second).

“Take a good look at the Silents: these people whose adult cohorts finally brought you civil rights, an unparalleled national wealth in the arts and commerce, and almost unimaginable advances in science and technology.” From: Generations: A Future History of America from 1584 to 2069.

“Failed to make themselves known,” I think not!!!

To quote another generation:
“OK Boomer
 

We've not only seen a lot of changes in our lifetime, we've helped improve those changes for generations to come. If I could have picked the year of my birth, I would still be born in 1948.
 
Ronald Reagan had a "huge, positive impact on history?" It would be easy to make the case that he was the cause of a lot of what's wrong with society today, but that would be getting into politics, which is not allowed in this forum.
 
Hey everyone. My post was intended to be informative (and I hope somewhat humorous) in line with this forum being one for "light hearted discussion." I realize that most of you are Baby Boomers, and your generation certainly has had a major impact on the American Experience! Also given that the dividing line between generations is arbitrary, my life's experiences (1945) are probably much closer to those of you born in the late 1940s that yours are to those born in the early 1960s. Just trying to point out that my generation (and I am at the tail end) has often been overlooked since you Boomers have been so Loud!! (wink, wink)

Not trying to be political. I would refer you to a book: The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World, if anyone is interested.
 
I'm not much in the know of these generational labels but I have never heard anyone trash talk the generation prior to boomers; the silent generation as I think you called it? I have read countless posts on other social media sites that completely trash and denigrate all members of the Boomer generation though. Millennials in particular seems particularly annoyed with Boomers, calling use selfish for having ruined the planet as well as claiming boomers have zero critical thinking skills. It really gets quite offensive at times.

I've always just written this off to frustration and perhaps jealousy at times? My own viewpoint is that each generation has brought positive and negative things to humanity in general and each generation proudly passes the torch on to the next generation. I don't buy into the blame game or the praise game. We all make what contributions we can.
 
I'd agree that some great people came out of the "Silent Generation." Those were the early rock-n-rollers of the '50s and '60s, as well as jazz musicians and writers. Their parents fought in WWII and survived the Great Depression, and when you grow up with adversity, when you witness what horrors man is capable of, it affects your psyche. Many of them called themselves the Beat Generation, which had nothing to do with music; it was that they were beat down and lost. Hardship often is the fuel of creativity. Even if they experienced it second hand through their parents, stress affects neurological development of infants, and their parents were undoubtedly stressed.

There was a lot of innovation during the '50s and '60s, such as the introduction of electric guitars and loud amplifiers, which made rock-n-roll possible, and jet airliners, which allowed bands to travel easily to all parts of the world. American bands went to Europe, British bands came to the U.S., so there was the sharing of musical styles and influences which led to newer musical genres such as progressive and fusion rock. Of course, babyboomers were also a big part of the explosion of great music that is now known as Classic Rock.

Probably more than anything, as I mentioned earlier, the horrors of war were still fresh in everyone's minds, which led to many great novels. There was also the influence of Jewish and Italian immigrants — especially in New York, out of which grew great literature.

There was also an optimism during the '50s and '60s that people could make the world a better place — that we weren't victims of circumstance, or so I've read, since I'm a boomer who came of age in the '70s. Of course, a lot of that died with the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK and others, and our involvement in the Vietnam War, which we can thank Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Nixon... what generations were they? ... mostly the "Greatest Generation."

The most creative time in U.S. history was probably the mid-'50s through probably the mid-'80s, so it was both the Silent Generation and the BabyBoomers who deserve credit. There was also a lot of bad during those years, but all in all, it was a positive but turbulent time.
 
Proud to be a boomer!! Born in 1946 and still enjoy the music and food of my time. My "Grands" think I am old fashioned just like I thought my folks were.
 
spectratg said:
The Not So Silent Generation (NSSG):
How we invented Rock ‘n Roll, Sex, and Other Important Things, while still finding time to land on the Moon

You’ve all seen it and heard it numerous times. Baby Boomers bring about upheaval in social and cultural values, Baby Boomers reject traditional values, Baby Boomers embody excessive consumerism, Baby Boomers redefine retirement, Baby Boomers walk on water, blah, blah, blah, blah. For most of my life, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1965) have always been a hot topic in print and broadcast journalism, and perhaps deservedly so. As individuals, among whom I count friends, colleagues, nieces and nephews, they are perfectly nice people as individuals, but perchance as a generation somewhat over exaggerated as to how they shaped what is today’s modern America.

Of course we are also familiar with the Greatest Generation, those (it is argued) who are directly responsible for the freedom and affluence of modern day America. They are the giants of history and the saviors of humanity. President Ronald Reagan (1911), as well as so many others, epitomizes their huge, positive impact on history. (My parents were members of this generation. My four wonderful daughters are members of the X Generation; more on these folks in a later post.)

A very Ignorant Person (a Baby Boomer) once wrote: “The Silent Generation came of age after major changes in America’s socio-political landscape. The Silent Generation failed to make themselves known or have a great effect on America.”

For those of us born between 1926 and 1945, that is just plain wrong and ignorant! For proof I offer you:

The Civil Rights Movement:
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929)

Men on the moon:
Neil Armstrong (1930) and Buzz Aldrin (1930)

The Sexual Revolution:
The pill was first approved for contraceptive use in 1960. So while the Baby Boomers may claim credit for the sexual liberation of women, it was in fact their older sisters (think Mary and Rhoda on the Mary Tyler Moore (1936) show) who actually started the sexual revolution, as well as giving birth to the modern-day feminist movement (Gloria Steinem (1934) for example). And then there was Marilyn Monroe (1926), perhaps the ultimate sex symbol

Rock n’ Roll:
The greats of the real, original, classical Rock n’ Roll (mid 1950s to mid 1970s) were members of The Not So Silent Generation. They number in the hundreds; some of my favorites include: Chuck Berry (1926), Chubby Checker (1941), Petula Clark (1932), Patsy Cline (1932), Bob Dylan (1941), Buddy Holly (1936), Mick Jagger (1943), Janis Joplin (1943), Ricky Nelson (1940), Willie Nelson (1933), Roy Orbison (1936), Elvis Presley (1936), Otis Redding (1941), Helen Reddy (1941), Diana Ross (1944), Merilee Rush (1944), and Dusty Springfield (1939). The incomparable Beatles (1940-1943), who have probably had the greatest impact ever on American music, are members of the British NSSG version. As host of American Bandstand, Dick Clark (1929) popularized this musical genre more so than any other person. And then there was the voice of American music for so many decades, Casey Kasem (1932).

Among many others, Jane Goodall (1934), Sandra Day O’Connor (1930) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1934) also have certainly had a significant impact on the American Experience!

Those born in my own “cusp” year of 1945 include among many others: Loni Anderson, Eric Clapton, Jose Feliceano, Debbie Harry, Ernie Hudson, John Lithgow, Steve Martin, Hellen Mirren, Anne Murray, Priscilla Presley, Mitch Ryder, Diane Sawyer, Carly Simon, Bob Seger, Tom Selleck, Jaclyn Smith, Henry Winkler (aka the Fonz), and Neil Young. And of course Don McLean, whose hit “American Pie” is considered by this author to be the best Rock ‘n Roll song of all time (with Ricky Nelson and Garden Party a very close second).

“Take a good look at the Silents: these people whose adult cohorts finally brought you civil rights, an unparalleled national wealth in the arts and commerce, and almost unimaginable advances in science and technology.” From: Generations: A Future History of America from 1584 to 2069.

“Failed to make themselves known,” I think not!!!

To quote another generation:
“OK Boomer
Click to expand...
I didn't now we invented sex! Cool!
 

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