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Iconic Moments
The emergence of rock and roll in the mid-twentieth century coincided with the advent of mass media. Through radio, film, and television, music was broadcast to millions of people, available across divisions of race and class. Many of the most important shared cultural events of the twentieth century were rock performances, whether as part of televised variety shows, sporting events, or sprawling outdoor music festivals.
In these famed moments, many of which are captured in the video presentation nearby, musical instruments played an integral role through both their function and iconography. The Ludwig drum set used by Ringo Starr on The Ed Sullivan Show, the startling white guitar played by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, and the sunburst Stratocaster Bob Dylan debuted at the Newport Folk Festival all left an indelible mark on popular culture as well as on the history of rock music.
This gallery features two instruments that were used at ground-breaking performances; they are surrounded by a selection of posters that recall legendary events and testify to printed ephemera's essential role in the visual history of rock and roll. |