His appearances on TV and movies personified what rock and roll was in that era. Others followed Elvis in establishing an evolution to rock for what it is today. Among those people were Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis who's personalities inspired outrageousness and unrestrained abandon into rock and roll. The Everly Brothers brought harmony and story telling into rock and roll, while Buddy Holly gave rock its basic instrumentation, which consisted of new forms and harmonies to create a future from the past. Society's reaction to these pioneers of rock and roll was not all that pleasant in the beginning. However, after the shock evaporated from the new type of music hitting the radio waves, it was setting itself for a craze of rock that was developing and heading into the 60's. .
The 60's are pretty much summed up by the society that developed around the music of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. That summation deprives the 60's of its true elusiveness and variety that existed in the era. Dylan was a re-creator of folk music that established the groundwork for many other musicians, including The Beatles. His music came at a time when the focus around the nation was protest movements on civil rights. The songs created by Dylan focused on the situations that were occurring around him and to the society that was listening to his music. His songs, such as "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," were one of several songs about the mistreatment of African-Americans. His easy-going folk music with incredible lyrics was altered when he decided to go completely electric and escape the folk route. Society's reaction to his decision came with many cold rejections and a new acceptance to a new crowd. The Beatles came into the United States with an unprecedented bang. Their music to this day has influenced people and society for different generations and eras. "Beatlemania", as it was called, was a craze expressed by society back in the early 1960's towards The Beatles.