Rest in Peace, Dick Clark

 

If you are my age and older, then you grew up on Bandstand! From the beginnings of early rock-n-roll to the 90's, Dick Clark was on every Saturday morning in my area, showcasing new talent as well as showing off existing talent. Chubby Checker, the Beach Boys, Elvis, Fabian, Dion and many more, we all rocked ourselves silly to the tunes that always had a dance beat. Dick went on to produce and host many shows: $10,000.00 Pyramid, Funniest Bloopers, New year's Rockin' Eve are just a sample of what he did. he was America's Eternal Teenager. Although he had a stroke in 2004, he still sat at the helm of his New Year's show. In his honest way, he explained to America that although he spoke awkwardly, he was giving it his best shot. And if you didn't cry when you saw that, you must have no heart.



"American Bandstand" was a simple idea blessed with perfect timing. Television was new in the early 1950s, and a Philadelphia station began showing a version of a teen dance party in the afternoon. Clark, a DJ in the city, took over as host in 1956.
It soon went national. One of the country's biggest generations, the post-World War II baby boom, was heading into their teen years, itching to dance to this new sound of rock 'n' roll.
Clark spun the hits, as the camera panned to kids trying out the freshest dance moves. It was a required stop for the day's hitmakers, and exposure on "American Bandstand" could send a song soaring up the charts. He'd ask an audience member to listen to a couple of brand-new songs each week and rate their hit potential, launching the immortal phrase: "It's got a good beat, and you can dance to it."
It should be noted that Dick showcased acts that involved blacks. During the civil rights movement, it eased the transitions between the races. After all, how could you dance the Twist and more and still feel any hatred towards  blacks? Thanks to American Bandstand, that cultural divide was bridged- music being the instrument of peace.

I have always felt that whatever we can do to create that positive ripple is a wonderful thing. Dick showed us that we are all human, we can live together in tolerance and acceptance of each other. He never preached from the choir, he WAS the choir, and we gleefully sang to his every tune.

Dick was graced with 82 wonderful, productive years. What blessings are you providing others with today? What "instrument" do you play to bring about a positive change in the world? Whatever it is, don't delay, because we never know when our time will be over...and hopefully because of the ripples we have made, others can pick up the tune where we left off.