Get yourself in the mood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXq8oQ5DNbQ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkaYfyJZRyA 
ROCK AND ROLL WILL NEVER DIE
September 30, 1955 - James Dean suffers mild injuries after narrowly avoiding a major car wreck with Donald Turnupseed on a lonely stretch of road in Cholame, California.
October, 1957 - Little Richard begins his ministry, but quickly comes back to the lifestyle of rock and roll, releasing his comeback special album, "Little Richard - Boppin' and Hoppin'," on March 19th, 1958.
March, 1958 - Elvis Aron Presley is drafted, but he insists he will continue to record new albums while serving his country at the same time, joining the Special Services. Some resent this, calling it "special treatment," but he remains the most popular man on earth.
May, 1958 - Following a loud ruckus at the Lewis Mansion, Jerry Lee Lewis is taken in for questioning. He has had a big argument with his teenage cousin. After sobering up, he begs her to return to him, but she refuses. Lewis is left alone and saddened, but quickly finds other women interested in him. He marries Janet Lang, a woman he simply met at a bar in Louisiana. She is 19 years old.
February, 1959 - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper Richardson, Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch go on their Winter Dance Party Tour. It is a huge success. Critics hail it as injecting new life into rock and roll and rockabilly. Waylon Jennings in particular is looked upon as a promising future star, and he releases several upbeat hits in early 1960.
December, 1959 - African-American superstar guitarist Chuck Berry is accused of violating the Mann Act. Thanks to the judge and jury being accused of racism and widespread public opinion in Berry's favor, the case is thrown out.
October 18, 1960 - James Dean, now 29 years old, stars in his biggest box-office smash of all time, King Cry-Baby, where he lip-syncs through musical numbers and delivers "an amazing performance" as Elvis-type Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker. Despite the musical numbers, which are mere sideshows for the drama, the movie is extremely dark and follows his many heartbreaks growing up in the gutter and making his way to the top, all the while dealing with immense personal demons. This will be his last role as a "teenage heartthrob" before moving onto more adult roles, such as his gripping portrayal of Hilts in the WWII epic, The Great Escape (1963). The motorcycle chase in The Great Escape cements Dean's legacy as the "King of Cool."
1960 - Elvis leaves the Army and immediately releases a new album, Return to Rockin', which features the smash hit "Rock Till You Drop." His agents land him a string of roles in very cheesy but popular movies, such as Aloha Lola! and WWII farce Boogie Woogie Bugle Boys. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boys co-stars Jerry Lee Lewis, which led to "a massive ego war on-set," but the two eventually realize they are both good at what they do. Elvis is the unanimous "King of Rock" while Lewis is the undisputed (and self-proclaimed) "King of Boogie Woogie." It is during this period that Boogie Woogie regains popularity not seen since WWII. Meanwhile, Richard M. Nixon barely squeaks out a victory against Democratic candidate John Kennedy in the Presidential Election. Nixon vows unceasing efforts to combat "those crummy communists."
1961 - Waylon Jennings becomes the "King of Country," replacing the late Hank Williams, and begins a lengthy competition with Johnny Cash. Country goes back to its roots of the 1940s and moves away from the "feminizing" of it (by creating less love ballads and more rip-roaring drinking tunes), but with a heavier bent toward a twangy rockabilly beat. He joins forces with Duane Eddy, and together they release "the best guitar music since Chuck Berry came on the scene." Waylon thanks Buddy Holly as his "mentor and master." "Without Buddy, I'd be some bum doing drugs and wasting my life." Buddy Holly, meanwhile, laments that he will never overtake Presley as King of Rock. Holly then turns to Boogie Woogie and hardcore rockabilly, the music he started his career with, and helps Lewis to usher in the "Boogie Woogie Revival." "Boogie is, like, the most," says Virginia teenager Bobby Peterson to ABC News while in an interview with twenty other teens. He is wearing a zoot suit, a style recently revived by Jerry Lee Lewis and Holly. Hasil Adkins, a wild and raucous West Virginia hillbilly, is discovered by Holly while on a tour. Adkins signs to Holly's new record label and releases "Get Out of My Car" to widespread popularity. Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper also sign onto the Holly label and release a string of Top 40 hits.
1962 - Popular Music has settled into three main camps. Rock and Roll- dominated by Elvis Presley, with almost no challengers. Boogie Woogie and Rockabilly- split between Holly and Lewis, with Valens and Bopper bringing up the rear. Country and Western Swing - spearheaded by Waylon Jennings and Duane Eddy. Johnny Cash, the "Man in Black," splits off from mainstream music to release several critically-acclaimed "psychobilly" albums (though Cash never refers to it as psychobilly until years later). This new genre has extremely dark and edgy lyrics, such as "Cocaine Blues" (which was banned from the radio), and also borrows elements of Mexican music.
I got no idea where I'm going with this.
I just wanted to write it down as it seemed like a cool WI. Anybody have ideas for what's next? I'm thinking this turns into some weird "Leave it to Beaver"-esque American superpower into the modern era, where almost every aspect of culture is plastered with fins, chrome, pastel colors, and a never-ending paranoia of communism, spear-headed by President Nixon. But seriously, I just completely changed American history and culture irreversibly and forever, and I could use some creative help on what comes next, since this all conjecture. Dean marrying Marilyn Monroe is one idea I tossed around. I'm interested in forcing the 1950s to live longer than they did, even if the world ends in a cartoonish Nixonian police state that worships Elvis. Hell, you can even write the next chapter, if you want. I just want to see what happens. And yes, this is my favorite era, and I have a house plastered in rockabilly memorabilia. This is me: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/image.php?u=33736&dateline=1397714627&type=profile
Last edited:
