England was caught between two cultures: the old order and whatever came after it.  The rigid class distinctions between upper and middle classes were disappearing, and government reforms had a lot to do with it.  The Conservative Party with their slogan, “Set the People Free,” won the 1951 election, and popular culture began to replace stuffy, upper crust stuff like classical music, opera, theatre, and fine art with mass-market media like radio, movies, and television.

The BBC believed they had a responsibility to the nation to uphold the pre-war idea of ‘respectability’, or, at least, not broadcast music that could threaten the morality of England’s youth.  It was a lot like the U.S. stations refused to broadcast black music in the U.S. in the ‘20s and ‘30s.  More than that, they believed they claimed a responsibility to inform and educate the public in what it perceived as ‘good music’.  

English kids were being seduced by the rhythm and forward thrust of American entertainment with movies like Blackboard Jungle (where Rock Around the Clock was heard for the first time), Elvis, and Bill Haley & the Comets.  Both these bands were MAJOR influences on those four guys from Liverpool, England.  The other musical influencers from America were the living legends of American Blues.

The timing was perfect for a musical revolution that would impact two continents!

Welcome to Episode Eight, Season Two in the American Song series:  American Song Ushers in a Changing of the British Guard.


Thanks to Mark Davis, for the new bumper music included in this episode.
You can learn more about Mark and his music at www.towakeyou.com!