December 20, 2020
Rock and roll was quickly associated with juvenile delinquency after arriving in Colombia as the music and Hollywood movies inspired youth in Bogota to join gangs.
Before US-born Jimmy Reisback really introduced Colombia’s capital to rock and roll music and the concept of a radio disk-jockey in 1957, American cinema set the scene.
Between 1953 and 1956, “The Wild One,” “The Blackboard Jungle” and “Rebel Without a Cause” introduced Colombia’s urban youth to youthful rebellion, a concept that didn’t exist.
In the United States, music icons like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash were causing a cultural revolution around the time these movies made James Dean and Marlon Brando instant icons.