• The rise of rock ’n’ roll in the mid-1950s transformed the landscape of American popular music, cementing the popularity of southern styles derived from the blues and country music.
• Youth culture grew as teenagers became both marketing concepts and cultural icons.
• The dominance of youth culture—and of the music industry’s sometimes clumsy attempts to interpret and shape it—was to become even more predominant during the following decade, as rock ’n’ roll gave way to rock.