Music and the Sixties
The 1960s was a time of transformation in cultural standards, fashion, and society attitudes. This decade of change was particularly apparent in the radical shifts in this era’s music. The music of the sixties had very distinct sounds, portrayal of events and attitudes. Social movements and political events influenced the culture through music. There were also several genres and artists that contributed to the influence of culture. During the 1960s, the music played a major role in shaping the culture. The music echoed the events and movements that were happening in society. Prior to 1963, the music reflected the sounds, styles and attitudes of the previous decade. Music of the 1960s magnified the rebellion and standing up to the emerging cultural changes. The music about protest relayed messages that everyone could and would to sing along to. Through the multiple events during the sixties the music and the American culture mood began to change. Current events in America also played a role in how music influenced American culture. The British Invasion, the Civil Rights Movement, and the escalation of the Vietnam War were major events that impacted the music. The British Invasion occurred when an explosion of British artists took the United States music scene by storm in the mid 1960s. Kenneth Olwig wrote an article titled, “The ‘British invasion’,” and summarizes, “The British Invaders that were listened to, were inspired by and faithfully played a great diversity of American Music, but a subtle change occurred in its context” (176). This shift led American musicians to the realization that their music had influences worldwide. Not only did the British Invasion play a role in the influence of music, but so did the Civil Rights Movement. An article about social movements and their impact on culture, says that The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s is famously known for being one of the most musical movements of American History (86). Two of the most integral sounds for the Civil Rights Movement are those of Motown and R&B. They had a huge impact on the Civil Rights Movement and the integration into American society. In an article called, “Motown and R&B” it is explained that “The success of musicians of Motown was proved by breaking down the barriers of segregation”. This helped change the American perspective on African Americans having the same rights as non African Americans. According to the article, “Motown and R&B” R&B artists also enjoyed the mainstream success that the Motown artists enjoyed despite not being a part of the Civil Rights Movement. In the journal article, “How Social Movements Do Culture” the author William Roy states that “For the Civil Rights Movement, music was less a matter of a performer singing to an audience than part of the collective action itself” (86). The 1960s was home to numerous different genres of music, musicians, and bands that topped the charts with a major impact on the culture. One of the most influential Motown artists was Marvin Gaye. Although his popularity in Motown was memorable, he wanted to create more sophisticated music. In the article, “Black Music's Bosses, Legends and Game Changers,” written by Kevin, Powell, “Marvin Gaye’s lead single What’s Going On was a smash hit. The song included everything but the Motown pop formula; It was a combination of the blues, spoken words, jazz, and folk music. The result is one of the most definitive concept albums ever made” (97). Marvin Gaye has had an influence on future artists. Another famous genre was Rock music, and has basically sustained itself in the aspect that the stars who were big in during the mid sixties to mid seventies are still big today. One of the most influential groups of the sixties were The Beatles. The Beatles were seen as a symbolic historical reference of the decade. The Beatles early music was pop. In the article, “Why can’t we get over the 60s?” it is explained that for a year or so The Beatles became completely irrelevant because they performed pop music too long, and took a step back in order to regroup, and “reinvent” themselves. This is when they started performing Bob Dylan story Ballads (2). The Beatles sparked a cultural change during the 1960s that would impact future eras. In an interview with ten-year-old Emiliano Cervantes he explained that, “He enjoys The Beatles, because they are different. They don’t have the traditional pop sounds of todays music, and I like that” (interview). The Beatles had a major influence in shaping what popular music was and paved the way to the diversity experienced in music today. In conclusion, the sixties were a decade that had many influences on culture. Music was one of the biggest influences. Many of these cultural impacts of the sixties also shaped todays culture in regards to music.

Works Cited
Candaele, Kerry. "The Sixties and Protest Music." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Summer ed. Vers. 2012. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. <https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/sixties/essays/protest-music-1960s>.
Cervantes, Emiliano. Interview by Alexandra Adams. 6 Nov. 2015.
"Motown and R&B." The People History. People History Where People Memories and History Join, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2015. <http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/60smusic.html>.
Olwig, Kenneth. "The 'British Invasion': The 'New' Cultural Geography and beyond." Cultural Geographies 17.2 (2010): 175-79. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Powell, Kevin. "Black Music's Bosses, Legends and Game Changers." Ebony 2014: 95-104. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Roy, William. "How Social Movements Do Culture." Academic Search Premier. N.p., 26 Feb. 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.