" (Ibid.) It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, to find that music has been widely used in religious ceremonies, ranging from the trance dancing of shamans to the singing of Christian hymns, in order to elicit intense emotions in the worshippers. Music is also used by states and armies for propaganda purposes and to stir patriotic fervor through the playing of national anthems and military marching bands. Background music in movies is used by the film-makers to alter the mood of the audience; advertisers have learned to use music to enhance the persuasive power of their messages and music is even used for therapeutic purposes in modern medicine. (Bonta 11).

             The Beginnings of Rock.

             Keeping in mind the undoubted power of music, it is perhaps not surprising, that rock music-the most popular form of music over the last fifty years3-has had such a great influence on our culture and politics. Let us briefly, recount how it all started.

             Most music historians agree that rock music has its origins in the rock 'n' roll of the fifties. Rock 'n' Roll, in turn, evolved out of the R&B (Rhythm and Blues), which was essentially considered to be 'black music,' fused with gospel and the honky tonk country music in the post-World War era. Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard and groups such as "Bill Haley and the Comets" were some of the pioneering rock'n'roll artists. However, the man responsible for making rock'n'roll a household phenomenon and making it popular among the white audience was a 19-year-old truck driver named Elvis Presley4. (Manzoor) .

             Rock Music and the Civil Rights Movement.

             The Civil Rights Movement in the US and rock music seem to have developed hand in hand. The content and tone of popular music during the period from the early fifties to the late fifties closely followed the developments of the Civil Rights movement. As the Civil Rights movement had its roots in the labor movement and the black church, union and gospel songs such as "Which Side Are You On," "This Little Light of Mine," "This Land is Your Land," were the ones that initially fired the imagination of the activists and "moved the movement.