The Mods and Rockers were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the early-mid 1960s. Gangs of mods and rockers fighting in 1964 sparked a moral panic about British youths, and the two groups were seen as folk devils. The rockers adopted a macho biker gang image, wearing clothes such as black leather jackets. The mods adopted a pose of scooter-driving sophistication, wearing suits and other cleancut outfits.
The rockers were influenced by American music and films, prospertiy in the working class segments, new road construction around British cities, and the development of transport cafes (pronounced "caffs" by rockers of that period) that became their haunts. These factors coincided with a peak in British motorcycle engineering. Although rocker-style youths existed in the 1950s, they were known as ton up boys because ton-up was English slang for driving 100 mph (160 km/h). It wasn't until the 1960s that they became known as rockers and they were immersed in rockabilly music and fashions and began to be known as much for their devotion to rock and roll music as they were for their motorcycles.
The first rockers were primarily known for their motorcycles, standard factory-made motorcycles they stripped down, tuned them up and modified them to appear like racing bikes. By the 1960s, their subculture became associated with a specific music genre and clothing style. Many rockers mostly favored 1950s and early-1960s rock and roll by artists such as Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Elvis Presley. The rocker's style was born out of necessity and practicality. They wore leather motorcycle jackets covered with metal studs, patches, and pins. They usually sported open-face helmets, aviator goggles, and sometimes a white silk scarf. Leather caps called Kagneys, Levi's jeans, leather trousers, tall motorcycle boots (often made by Lewis Leathers), engineer boots, brothel creepers, T-shirts and Daddy-O-style shirts were also pretty common.
The first rockers were primarily known for their motorcycles, standard factory-made motorcycles they stripped down, tuned them up and modified them to appear like racing bikes. By the 1960s, their subculture became associated with a specific music genre and clothing style. Many rockers mostly favored 1950s and early-1960s rock and roll by artists such as Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Elvis Presley. The rocker's style was born out of necessity and practicality. They wore leather motorcycle jackets covered with metal studs, patches, and pins. They usually sported open-face helmets, aviator goggles, and sometimes a white silk scarf. Leather caps called Kagneys, Levi's jeans, leather trousers, tall motorcycle boots (often made by Lewis Leathers), engineer boots, brothel creepers, T-shirts and Daddy-O-style shirts were also pretty common. The rockers were influenced by American music and films, prospertiy in the working class segments, new road construction around British cities, and the development of transport cafes (pronounced "caffs" by rockers of that period) that became their haunts. These factors coincided with a peak in British motorcycle engineering. Although rocker-style youths existed in the 1950s, they were known as ton up boys because ton-up was English slang for driving 100 mph (160 km/h). It wasn't until the 1960s that they became known as rockers and they were immersed in rockabilly music and fashions and began to be known as much for their devotion to rock and roll music as they were for their motorcycles.
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1 comment:
nice post love reading it.
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