While teaching English in Korea, my class had to read a Scholastic book called "The Roots of Rock and Roll." I actually learned quite a bit from that, as it covered the origins of rock from R&B in the 40s, through the heavyweights like Elvis and Chuck Berry, until today. Another thing I noticed is the early rock musicians tried to have class. Not like the artists we have today.
Here are some pictures of musicians from the 50's.
The Drifters
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
Back then, most singers and musicians dressed nicely. It was how they earned their living, for one; they dressed like they were going to the office. They also played in public venues where they were expected to maintain decorum. For example, the music shows such as American Bandstand had dress codes. Even Elvis wore a tie. Of course there was a lot of racism (lots of angry letters poured in after Frankie Lymon was shown dancing with a white girl on TV) but everything else seemed respectable.
Around the late 60's, however, musicians started to look a lot scruffier. For example, the Beatles went from this:
To this.
Goddamn hippies.
Appearance continued to decline throughout the 70's and 80's. More and more musicians started to look as if they'd just rolled out of bed after a hard night. This is not to say there weren't any exceptions. The guys in the pic below might appear strange, but at least they don't look like hobos.
The following pic is an example of today's norm. Kids actually think it's cool to look like this?
It's not that I think musicians should still wear suits. I hate wearing those things myself. Nor do I think they should all dress up in white like Pat Boone. But I think they should at least try to not look like strung-out bums or convicts.
Thoughts?