The revolution in American popular music during the 1950s changed our world influencing lifestyle, language, mindset, and modern culture. The recipe of swing, doowop, blues, country, and gospel, created the perfect casserole of rockabilly, pop, soul, rock 'n' roll, and more. This evolution of popular music had been cooking for decades before adding dashes of gospel style harmonies and pinches of call and response. It was less about any one style and more about a feeling that teenage America could not get enough of, that religious groups, government officials and parents often deemed as the “devils music” or somethng equally dangerous, and at the same time became a voice of justice, change and hope.
Be-Bop-A-Lula: Rockin' through the '50s celebrates this music that had a prevailing presence in and, indeed, fundamentally transformed American popular culture. Artistic director Lynnea Barry welcomes Tracy Tooze, Siri Vik and Bill Hulings in an evening of a choice selection of the era's most iconic songs, including “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”, “Please, Mr. Postman”, “Bye Bye Love”, “Be My Baby”, “Rock Around The Clock”, “Save the Last Dance for Me” , “ Change is Gonna Come”, “The Great Pretender”, “The Twist”, "Stand By Me", "People Get Ready" and many more.
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| |  | Peggy Sue (1957) Norman Petty, Jerry Allison (w/m) |
| |  | Love Me Tender (1956) Elvis Presley, Ken Darby (w) George R. Poulton (m) |
| |  | My Guy (1964) Smokey Robinson (w/m) |
| |  | Stay (1960) Maurice Williams (w/m) |
| |  | Be My Baby (1963) Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector (w/m) |
| |  | I Will Follow Him (1962) Norman Gimbel (w) Arthur Altman, Paul Mauriat, Franck Pourcel (m) |
| |  | Baby Love (1964) Holland–Dozier–Holland (w/m) |