Sweet Little Sixteen
In mid-1950s America, out of the Deep South came a rhythm-driven fusion of blues, boogie woogie and vocal harmony played by young black pioneers.
In Cold War mid-1950s America, as the new suburbia was spreading fast in a country driven by racial segregation, rock 'n' roll took the country by surprise. Out of the Deep South came a rhythm-driven fusion of blues, boogie woogie and vocal harmony played by young black pioneers like Fats Domino and Little Richard that seduced young white teens and, pre-civil rights, got black and white kids reeling and rocking together.
This fledgling sound was nurtured by small independent labels and travelled up from the Mississippi corridor spawning new artists. In Memphis, Elvis began his career as a local singer with a country twang who rocked up a blues song and sounded so black he confused his white listeners. And in St Louis, black blues guitarist Chuck Berry took a country song and turned it into his first rock 'n' roll hit, Maybellene.
Movies had a big role to play thanks to 'social problem' films exploring the teenager as misfit and delinquent - The Wild One showed teens a rebellious image and a look, and Blackboard Jungle gave them a soundtrack, with the film's theme tune Rock Around the Clock becoming the first rock 'n' roll Number 1 in 1955.
Featuring Jerry Lee Lewis, Don Everly, Little Richard, Tom Jones, Wanda Jackson, Pat Boone, The Spaniels, PF Sloan, Joe Boyd, Jerry Phillips, Marshall Chess, JM Van Eaton (Jerry Lee Lewis's drummer), Charles Connor (Little Richard's drummer) and Dick Richards (Bill Haley's drummer).
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Music Played
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Bo Diddley
Roadrunner
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Bo Diddley
Roadrunner
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Elmer Bernstein
Main Title (From The Man With The Golden Arm)
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Fats Domino
Ain't That A Shame
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White Noise Research
An Afternoon On Condale Lake
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The Crew-Cuts
Sh-Boom
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Santo & Johnny
Sleep Walk
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Chuck Berry
Johnny B. Goode
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Chuck Berry
Deep Feeling
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Producer | Matt O'Casey |
Director | Matt O'Casey |
Executive Producer | Mark Cooper |
Broadcasts
- Fri 3 Jul 2015 21:00
- Sat 4 Jul 2015 00:15
- Mon 6 Jul 2015 01:10
- Fri 29 Jan 2016 23:00
- Mon 1 Feb 2016 01:30
- Sun 17 Apr 2016 21:15
- Sun 19 Feb 2017 00:05
- Fri 24 Mar 2017 22:00
- Sat 9 Dec 2017 00:00
- Fri 5 Oct 2018 21:00
- Sat 6 Oct 2018 02:30
- Fri 11 Oct 2019 20:00
- Sat 12 Oct 2019 01:55
- Fri 29 May 2020 21:30
- Sat 30 May 2020 02:20
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