The fifties : rock and roll : Bill Haley : Rock around the clock

The birth of rock and roll in the fifites : Bill Haley, author of Rock around the clock and other well known singers such as Elvis Presley.

The fifties were years of increasing affluence in USA and in the UK. There was Second World War
and the world needed to be rebuilt.
This war had destroyed the industrial systems of American competitors and for this reason only
American industry could build it again. During the fifties the USA led the world in economic growth. The Marshall Plan, a program of economic aids for the west of Europe benefited British economy.
A mood of prosperity began to grow and this is encouraged by a low unemployment rate, a rising
per capita income and a growing standard of living.
People could buy new houses with a lot of consumer goods that the technology could now offer.
There was a new social group, the teenagers, that were encouraged to spend their money in
consumer goods. They were appreciated for an economical reason.
They became more skeptical about traditional values and they extended their interest. They became
also more creative.