This Day in History June 3, 1956

By Ruth on June 3, 2013 in history

I found today’s feature of particular interest. On this date in 1956, Santa Cruz, California banned rock music at all public gatherings. And why did they do this? Because the music was “detrimental to both the health and morals of our youth and community.” The reason this happened was that the evening before, there was a fantastic party where 200 teenagers danced to the music of Chuck Higgins and His Orchestra. Just after midnight, the police attended the gathering, and what they saw was teenagers “engaged in suggestive, stimulating and tantalizing motions induced by the provocative rhythms of an all-[race] band.” In other words, this was African-American music that caused people to be perverse and engage in behavior that was lewd and lascivious. You can imagine that even though other cities did similar things throughout the country, rock ‘n roll continued to thrive. Interesting that 57 years later, this is tame compared to what happens in concerts and gatherings. No city would dare do this today!

For more info:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rock-and-roll-is-banned-in-santa-cruz-california

http://famousdaily.com/history/rock-and-roll-music-banned-santa-cruz.html

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RuthView all posts by Ruth

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” — Franz Kafka Ruth is an inspirational entertainment journalist who instinctively sees the best in all and seeks to share universal beauty, love and positivity. She is an artist who leads with her heart and gives readers a glimpse of the best of this world through the masterful use of the written word. Ruth was born in Tacoma, Washington but now calls Yelm, Washington her home. She lives on five acres with her parents, a dog, two miniature goats, cats and a teenage daughter who is a dynamic visual artist herself. Ruth interviews fellow artists both inside and outside of the film/television industry. At the core of all she does is the strength of her faith.

Tags: ban, history, rock music, Santa Cruz

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5 Comments

Jodi @ A Mom Having Fun June 4, 2013 Reply

That was not really all that long ago…and look at what we find as “acceptable” now! You are so right, what got banned then is nothing compared to now!
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SHELLEY R ZUREK June 4, 2013 Reply

Interesting how times change!
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wendy June 3, 2013 Reply

how fascinating i live in cali & didnt know that
Heather McKenzie Carter June 3, 2013 Reply

This totally sounds like what happened in Footloose! 🙂
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  Ruth June 3, 2013 Reply
  
  I would tend to agree!