The type of music that later became known as "rock and roll" evolved in the mid 1950's. It was a combination of jazz, rhythm and blues, country, and gospel sounds. One of the reasons rock and roll was said to have such a great impact on society at the time was mainly due to the fact that it broke the "race barriers" of the time. During the 1950's, the greater part of the United States, in particular the South, was segregated, with blacks on one side and whites on the other. However, rock musicians were both black and white, and listeners really didn't seem to care what color the performer was.…
