On this page, we will discuss literature, music, entertainment, customs, and architecture.
Literature
After the 1960s, authors wanted to approach a new step in literature. They wanted to search for different themes, perspectives, and voices to make literature more exciting. Writers used historic moments like, the feminist movement and the Watergate scandal, to write nonfiction pieces of literature. These historical, nonfiction books became extremely popular and caused many people to read about the issues in their own country. There were also some fictional books that became very popular. Some of these books were written by well known authors that we know today! Authors like Agatha Christie and Dr. Seuss. Poetry was also very important during this time period, and authors like Shel Silverstein wrote poems that made readers enjoy its profound sayings.
Popular Authors of 1970s
Agatha Christie was a crime novelist, a short story writer, and a playwright. During the 1970s, she wrote 3 popular books called, The Sleeping Murder, Elephants Can Remember, and Nemesis.
Dr. Seuss was an american writer and cartoonist, that wrote children's books. Each of his books were very unique and had a unique writing technique. During the 1970s, he wrote many famous books like The Lorax, Mr. Brown can Moo! Can you?, and many more.
Shel Silverstein is a famous poet that is well known today. He was also a singer, songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. He wrote many books like The Giving Tree. During the 1970s, he wrote a book called Where the Sidewalk Ends. This book contained different stories of poetry that contained many comical lines and many profound sayings.
Literature
After the 1960s, authors wanted to approach a new step in literature. They wanted to search for different themes, perspectives, and voices to make literature more exciting. Writers used historic moments like, the feminist movement and the Watergate scandal, to write nonfiction pieces of literature. These historical, nonfiction books became extremely popular and caused many people to read about the issues in their own country. There were also some fictional books that became very popular. Some of these books were written by well known authors that we know today! Authors like Agatha Christie and Dr. Seuss. Poetry was also very important during this time period, and authors like Shel Silverstein wrote poems that made readers enjoy its profound sayings.
Popular Authors of 1970s
Agatha Christie was a crime novelist, a short story writer, and a playwright. During the 1970s, she wrote 3 popular books called, The Sleeping Murder, Elephants Can Remember, and Nemesis.
Dr. Seuss was an american writer and cartoonist, that wrote children's books. Each of his books were very unique and had a unique writing technique. During the 1970s, he wrote many famous books like The Lorax, Mr. Brown can Moo! Can you?, and many more.
Shel Silverstein is a famous poet that is well known today. He was also a singer, songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. He wrote many books like The Giving Tree. During the 1970s, he wrote a book called Where the Sidewalk Ends. This book contained different stories of poetry that contained many comical lines and many profound sayings.
Music
The 1970s was a decade of new music genres rising to take a spot in the music world. Throughout each year of the 1970s, different types of genres of music became popular. Funk, Soul, R&B, Pop, Hard Rock, Soft Rock, and Disco were some of the rapidly growing music genres. Hip Hop was also a new music genre which was still developing. In today's time period, Hip-Hop takes up a large region of our music. The 70s was a golden time for vinyl records, since they were affordable, and everybody had them. Music equipment of the 1970s allowed artists to become more experimental with their music, which allowed them to make 1970s music better.
Music over the Decade:
1970- Popular artists like Elton John, who came from England and The Jackson Five, who were from Detroit, Michigan, showed the first sign of the rise of music in the 1970s. One of the members in The Jackson Five, was 12 years old Michael Jackson, who soon became one of the country's most loved singers. The Beatles, one of the most famous groups in all time, separated during this year, and appeared on solo albums. With the Beatles leaving, pop and rock would never be the same without them. The death of a mercurial guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, and the death of Janis Joplin, caused people to realize that the music of the sixties was vanishing before their eyes.
1971- Louis Armstrong, who was an incredible jazz player, died from an illness in 1971.
- Black Sabbath, Elton John, The Who, Led Zeppelin and Bee Gees were a few of the popular English musicians.
- 1971 was a time of Glam Rock and Jazz.
- All the former Beatles members were successful, but George Harrison was very successful with his song, My Sweet Lord.
- Many Jazz festivals were canceled due to violence, so they directed it to older audiences.
1972- Soul music started emerging, and at one point the top five selling records were by African America artists.
- Legendary R&B artists at the top were Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield and Sammy Davis Jr. who got into the mix with “Candy Man” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
1973- Pop, rock, and soul were huge during 1973. Legends like Barry White and Stevie Wonder were leading artists in soul music at that time. Many rock bands like, Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and Led Zeppelin were predominant figures in the rock industry. Jazz Festivals were very successful during this time, and jazz enthusiasts came from around the world to listen to 10 days of jazz music, at the festival.
1974- Elton John’s popularity soared in both the United States and United Kingdom. During one concert in California, 75,000 tickets sold out within hours of being released. Stevie Wonder’s second album “Innervisions” was a huge success. Sadly, Duke Ellington, one of the most influential jazz artists of all time, died at 75 years old.
1975- Bruce Springsteen was not a well known artist, but with his third album, “Born to Run”, he made over 1 million dollars in less than two months. Elton John and Stevie Wonder continued to rise in popularity, and were very successful in life. Around this time, discos became very popular, to the point where even radio had to copy the style. Discos were made for dancing, mainly soul music, with a strong bass and drum beat. Barry White, Gloria Gaynor, and Van McCoy were popular artists within the disco circles. Jazz began forming the World Jazz Association and the Las Vegas Jazz Society. Leaders of this jazz movement were people like Lonnie Liston Smith, Quincy Jones, Eddie Harris, and many more.
1976- Aerosmith, a popular group with the lead singer, Stephen Tyler, became well known throughout the country. Stephen Tyler was compared to Mick Jagger, which shows that Aerosmith was a praised band in the country. There were some unique people during this period like Eric Carmen who played multiple instruments while singing. There was also Barry Manilow, who played the piano, and British-born Peter Farmpton, who outsold Bob Dylan with his album, “Frampton Comes Alive!” A new genre called Electric funk became popular and was led by Wild Cherry and their lead singer/guitarist, Robert Parissi. Their single called “Play That Funky Music” sold over a million copies. George Benson, a jazz musician, hit #1 in charts for popular, soul, and jazz music, with his album “Breezin.”
1977- Punk rock was a developing music genre that became popular at this time. Bands like The Ramones, displayed crazy stage behavior and offbeat arrangements, that drew praise, but also discouragement. Kiss, was a heavy rock band that wore strange costumes that surprisingly drew crowds of young people. The deaths of Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby, rocked the music industry, and saddened the world. Both were remembered for generations to come.
1978- The Bee Gees exploded into the music world, selling millions of records and even a soundtrack for the movie, Saturday Night Fever, which sold nearly 30 million copies. Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, blended American music with other styles of music to create pop-country and rock country mix. Bruce Springsteen came out with “Darkness on the Edge of Town” which was considered to be one of the great rock albums of the decade. However, Billy Joel was the most popular rock artist of the year, and sold over 6 million copies of his albums in the U.S. alone. Jazz played an important role at this time because Jimmy Carter, the president of the U.S. invited 30 jazz instrumentalists to come play on the White House on June 18. The president hailed jazz as America’s own original music.
Architecture
During the 1970s, architecture was evolving at a fast pace, and new architectural techniques were being made. Geometric design, pop-art, postmodernism, and deconstructivism. The most notable buildings finished during this decade, were the John Hancock building, the Sears Tower, and the World Trade Center.
Customs
Bicentennial Celebration:
On July 4th, 1776 the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed. On July 4th, 1976, the bicentennial anniversary of The signing of the Declaration of Independence was celebrated. President Ford gave an address to the citizens of United States for the 200th anniversary of Independence Day. In the early 1970s, Ross Rowland Jr., had the idea to start an “American Freedom Train” to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary. This “Freedom Train” traveled through all 48 states, and carried 7 million Americans for 21 months. Also President Gerald Ford lit the third lantern at the Old North Church in Boston, which symbolized America’s third century.