Open Today
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Open Today 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Master Class: Elvis Presley and The Birth of Rock & Roll

Exhibit Info
Calendar Icon

On View - Jan 01, 1970 - Jan 01, 1970

Elvis Presley is generally considered to have given birth to rock & roll. Although he certainly did his part, there was a musical groundswell in America that began in the years immediately following World War II that crested with Presley in the year 1956. “Elvis Presley and the Birth of Rock & Roll” explores the roots of this great American music form. It examines the musical, racial and cultural issues that led to the emergence of rock & roll, along with the artists, many of whom precede Presley, that were instrumental in creating rock & roll’s earliest sounds and sensibilities. Finally, the class will look at the roles Presley, Sam Phillips, and others in Memphis played in the rock & roll explosion. The class will feature rare film footage and recordings, plus interview clips culled from never-before-heard oral histories. Classmember participation and discussion is encouraged. Classes are designed as a series, but can be attended individually.

All classes will be taught by Executive Director Robert Santelli. Santelli taught courses on American music history at Monmouth and Rutgers Universities in New Jersey and the University of Washington in Seattle. He has written extensively on American music for Rolling Stone and other publications, as well as more than a dozen books on American music.

Other
Current Exhibits

View
All Exhibits

Subscribe

Please provide a valid email address

Please select at least one option above

Thanks for subscribing!

Partners
& Sponsors

Recording Academy Logo Anschutz Entertainment Group Logo American Express Logo Best Buy Logo Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Logo City National Bank Logo City of Los Angeles - Council District 9 Logo Coca-Cola Logo Dark Carz Logo Fox Sports Logo Google Pixel Logo Harman/JBL Logo Hot Topic Foundation Logo Iron Mountain Entertainment and Media Archives Logo Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation Logo The Latin Recording Academy Logo Toyota Logo Recording Academy Logo Anschutz Entertainment Group Logo American Express Logo Best Buy Logo Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Logo City National Bank Logo City of Los Angeles - Council District 9 Logo Coca-Cola Logo Fox Sports Logo Google Pixel Logo Harman/JBL Logo Hot Topic Foundation Logo Iron Mountain Entertainment and Media Archives Logo Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation Logo The Latin Recording Academy Logo Toyota Logo