The WLU Collection is available only for University classroom usage. Titles are not available for sale or rental. In a matter of months during the summer and fall of 1956, the Hillbilly Cat transformed old-fashioned rhythm and blues into a new kind of music, breaching the boundaries between country and blues, folk and pop, black and white.
Tonight recounts the glory days of rock s first golden age.
Dick Clark recalls the origins of American Bandstand, and Fabian looks back on his fifteen minutes of fame. For a spell, rock was dominated by teen idols and countless dance crazes like the Twist. But as clips of Ben E. King and of Phil Spector s Ronettes remind us, there was still more to rock n roll than cute white boys trying to be the next Elvis. That the imitators should keep on trying is no surprise. One need only look again at Presley s classic TV shows.