Rock and roll is definitely the melting pot of influences; jazz, gospel, folk, country, blues and all the subgenres that inherit those musical families are all parts that make up the whole that is Rock and Roll. The spring of popularity that Rock saw in the '50s and '60s was created equally by a mixture that had almost as many facets as the music: sex, race, understimulated youth, a change in lifestyles and attitudes towards of social norms were all within. the purpose. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay With the merging of ideas and lifestyles it should be no surprise that one race began to copy another; there was mass exposure to many new things, one of which was music. In my opinion, music is where the potential to communicate and get along lies. I can only imagine the first time a kid growing up in a suburban neighborhood listening to Sinatra and The Andrews Sisters in the late '40s reacted the first time he heard something coming from the Mississippi Delta or the clubs of Chicago. I imagine it would be no different than the first time I listened to The Misfits or Smashing Pumpkins after being inundated with Boston and Avril Lavigne via the radio. There are only so many times you can praise the Lord and pass the ammunition before you start investigating something that speaks to you. I don't think the use of black music by white artists should be seen as an attack or misappropriation by the artists themselves. It's a shame, but it depends on the attitude of the public and the social beliefs of the regions. People in the Southern states lived under Jim Crow laws, social norms were not such that black music could become mainstream. It took white musicians taking inspiration from black musicians to help bring the soul, rhythms and movements of dance to society's ears. Does this mean the artists were racist? This argument cannot be supported. Did they earn? Of course they did; Elvis is a shining example of the success of black-inspired music. To say that the success of every Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis or Buddy Holly diminishes the success of every Little Richard, Miles Davis or Shirelles only further perpetuates the idea that their music was not of equal value. Remember: This is just an example Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Rock and Roll is not black music, it is a genre that borrows elements that build a beautiful homogeneous blend of genres and styles. As it stands, I remain adamant about the idea that Rock and Roll is culture theft. Music, regardless of genre, borrows from others. Early country borrowed European folk tunes and later added Hawaiian slide, big band and swing to the mix. We don't see articles condemning French house DJs for sampling or mixing beats inspired by (or taken from) funk and disco. The record industry pushed artists they knew would sell; Does this make them racist? Given the time period you might imagine there was a bias, but a bias that made them money. It was all about business and what would sell. Black music and musicians were underground because white society didn't allow them to become popular and it seems to me that white musicians helped popularize these acts and bring them to the mainstream. I have never heard a musician at the top of his career deny who (Clapton, Auerbach, White, Page) gets his.