American Pie: History of Rock & Roll, at least until the late '60s; Don McLean, released in '71:
On the Dark Side with Eddie & the Cruisers (John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band):
Elvis, Blue Suede Shoes, 1956:
Beatles, Shea, 1965:
And the Stones, Satisfaction:
Comments
Dave, thank you. My wife heard Don McLean and remarked, "that is so Vietnam." Then, with the Stones, she said, "even more Vietnam."
Richie Valens (Valenzuela) was a couple of grades ahead of me at the same school. Learned of his death, along with Buddy Holly and JP Richardson, at 5:00 on a cold Southern California AM in Feb 1959, when I saw the headline on the papers I was unbundling to deliver that morning. McLean was wrong about one thing, though. The music didn't die.
I think our wartime music was better than today's. But, then, I'm biased.