JP

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Vista Regional Heritage Fair

Early History of Canadian Rock 'n' Roll

A short history of Canadian rock from its beginnings in the early fifties to the end of the seventies. I stopped at the seventies because, to me, this is when rock began to have its own sound, different from other popular music and the ‘80s saw so many more genres explode that I couldn’t cover it all in one project.

 

 

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

It was really cool to see the music develop. Music in the '50s sounds very different, but at the same time I can see traces of the rock I listen to now.

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

Music is as much a part of our culture and heritage as the other aspects of what we typically think of as historical. I was surprised (and proud) of how many Canadians had a major impact in how the world listens to rock 'n' roll. There is a lot more Canadian music out there than we typically think of.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

That can be hard for my project because the people I studied were rock stars! It was interesting to learn how hard it was for some of them to break into the business.