The 1970s is a decade that began on the 1st January 1970 and ended on December 31st 1979. Progressive social values that began to emerge in the 1960s, such as an increased political awareness and the economic liberty of women, continued to grow. The hippie culture, which involved opposition to the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons, advocating World Peace, and hostility to government and big business that started in the mid-1960s had started to wan by the early 1970s and faded by the middle of the decade.
The 1970s was a decade that saw the rise of a significant number of women as heads of state and heads of government in a number of countries across the world, with many being the first women to hold such positions, such as Margaret Thatcher who became the first woman Prime Minister in the United Kingdom in 1979 for the Conservative Party.
Once in power, she became synonymous for reducing government spending, weakening the power held by the trade unions and promoting economic and trade liberalization.
The 1970s saw the first face lifts being carried out, the first email being transmitted in 1971, the first floppy disc being invented by IBM and becoming commercially available in 1971, people could purchase VCRs and microwave ovens during the 1970s and the first cell phone call was transmitted in April 1973 by Motorola.
Smaller, more fuel-efficient cars were introduced due to the era being one of increased fuel prices, rising insurance rates, safety concerns and emission controls.
In music, the early 1970s saw the rise of many diverse forms of popular and rock musical styles, including jazz, southern, folk and soft rock with artists such as The Carpenters, Carole King and James Taylor being prominent during the decade. R&B also rose in popularity through the works of artists such as The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations.
The mid-1970s saw the rise of disco music which dominated the charts during the latter half of the decade with bands like ABBA, the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Village People, and Boney M being the front-runners. In contrast to this, rock bands became more hard-edged with artists such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zepplin.
Other bands and artist popular during the seventies were those such as Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, The Who, Queen, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Blondie the Sex Pistols, and the Clash, amongst others. A number of popular rock starts also lost their lives in the early 1970s, with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison all losing their lives at the age of 27. Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby also both passed away within eight weeks of each other in 1977. Crosby’s record “White Christmas” remains as the best-selling single of all time, confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records.
Listen in to the new seventies show with Debbie Russ on Thursday evenings from 7pm-10pm here at www.Lovesongs247.com