by Jim McAllister

"Put another nickel in, in the nickelodeon, all I want is loving you and music, music, music" sang little squeaky voiced Teresa Brewer in her hit song from 1950. Yes, Virginia, there was a time when a song like that could be very popular. Growing up in Ohio in those days, I was always aware of the "hit parade" of current popular songs on WCKY radio and listened anxiously each day at 6:15 pm to see if DJ Nelson King had a new number one song for that particular week. Would it be the aforementioned diddy by Brewer, or maybe "Tennessee Waltz" by the singing rage Miss Patti Page, or was it time for "Mona Lisa" by Nat "King" Cole? My heart would pound in anticipation!

The early fifties was a unique time for popular music as World War II was now five years into the past and the popular big band tunes had lost or were losing steam. Replacing them was the softer, easier going fare of performers like Perry Como, Eddie Fisher, and Kay Starr. In 1953 the Korean conflict ended and there was a nice run of peace through the rest of the decade (although the "bomb" was always resting in our subconscious) and these artists enjoyed a period of popularity. As kids, we would flock to the nearest record store to hear all of our favorites in the listening booth.

As 1954 and 1955 arrived, storm clouds were on the horizon in the popular music business. A Cleveland disc jockey (later New York) named Alan Freed had begun playing a lot of black rhythm and blues tunes as early as 1952. He called this music "rock 'n roll" and it started to catch on with the younger set. One of its early stars was the never to be forgotten Chuck Berry. In an attempt to blunt the popularity of these songs the establishment would produce what they considered "good" or "cover" versions. The one I remember in particular was "Tutti Frutti". It was performed by another pioneer of the genre, Little Richard, but was covered with a much more bland version by Mr. "white bucks" himself, Pat Boone. The cover versions did not go over well with the angst ridden teenagers of that era; they wanted rock 'n roll, daddy-o!

Another major figure who played an important role in the changing musical tastes of that time was Sam Phillips. Phillips had worked at several radio stations in the south and had become an expert at recording songs. He established Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee in the early 1950's and attracted such future stars as Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. Thus, the genre of "rockabilly" was born as a combination of rock'n roll and hillbilly.

Also, at that time the movie "Blackboard Jungle" (1955) was released with the theme song being "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets, a rock'n roll band out of Pennsylvania who had already had a big hit in 1954 with "Shake, Rattle, and Roll".

1955 became a watershed year for popular music. Many of the early fifties stars still had their fans, hence, they still had some hit songs but it was never going to be the same for them as it was in that microcosm of 1950-1955. Despite the terror in the hearts of parents, rock 'n roll was here to stay. Early stars like Berry and Little Richard paved the way for future stars like Elvis, Fats Domino, and the many popular groups like The Coasters and The Diamonds. Kids were ready for change and broke out their new styles of poodle skirts, white shoes, black pants, and pink shirts. "Ducktail" haircuts were in and James Dean became a big influence; it was a time to be "cool, man!" The music scene was never again going to be the same.