Thank God For Bandstand

My mom always said thank god for American Bandstand because she hated the Hit Parade. The Hit Parade was on from 1950 to 59 and featured a whole host of clean cut kids singing bad renditions of the most popular hit songs of the day. It was like today's Kidz Bop. But In 1957 when Dick Clark's American Bandstand came on you were finally able to see who was singing your favorite songs everyday after school, and that was a wonderful thing. It was like hanging out with your favorite friends daily.  By today's standards American Bandstand seems an easy sell, but its not until I read more into the history of Bandstand from James Millers Flowers in the Dustbin that I now have an even greater appreciation for what Dick Clark achieved. The analyzing of teenagers in 1957 was incredible to me. The teen of the 50's was a "generation of teenagers to never have know an non prosperous world." They had not experienced the Depression and they were to young to know the horrors of World War 2. They had money to spend and were psychologically free to spend it on leisure items that their parents could not."Of course this included the freedom of expression to enjoy music and for that, the teenagers  needed a moderator, a gentle master of ceremonies to the music and Dick Clark was just the man. He realized that the young people of the country was a powerful element that had not been properly reached, or acknowledged. Now Dick Clark was above all else a shrewd business man and he approached the music industry from a business perspective, He wasn't a music enthusiast but in a sense that's what was needed for the show to work. Those who had a supreme passion for the music above all else were the ones who failed. Alan Freed cared more about the music itself and disregarded the rules, and ultimately lost. Dewey Phillips did the same thing and failed. So its no surprise that Dick Clark looked at those failures and set up a controlled format that left no room for scandal, or failure. The show was filled of course with regular white teenage dancers from 14 to 18 dancing to the music which anchored the show down. Strict clothing requirements made sure the censors were pleased. Boys had  ties and jackets, Girls had simple skirts and blouses tight sweaters and slacks were forbidden. The performers lip synced to their own songs. But by doing that it guaranteed it always sounded perfect and eliminated any room for error. By doing this Dick Clark minimized Rock and Roll as a negativism, and made it accessible to mainstream America. If Rock and Roll could be viewed in the capacity of a nice wholesome show, showcasing the popular music of its time then somehow that's ok and theirs nothing to fear in that. Racially speaking the dancers were a majority of Caucasian kids who were normal everyday kids which connected with the everyday kids at home. The network allowed no more than nine Negros on dancing on the show at a time, in the shows beginnings. Ironically the dances displayed on the show by the main dancers were dances developed by black kids, granted they were cleaned up, but the show did expose the country to the dances themselves. Dances like The Stroll, and The Twist. Dick Clark's hands might have been tied but by having his dancers display and slowly erode the physicality of this black intimate dances he was striking a blow for civil rights.  Dick Clark single handily turned Philly into a music mecca and in doing so he gave every performer a chance to fulfill their dreams. Acts who would have never been seen or heard gained instant celebrity. From The Ronetts, to Frankie Vali and the Four Seasons, to Frankie Avalon, and Connie Francis, Bobby Darin, all the way to the television debut of Madonna the list goes on and on till 1989. American Bandstand went for 32 years. Which is absolutely incredible, for a man who didn't have an ear for music, he did more for music and exposing it to the country than anyone. Long live the eternal teenager Dick Clark.