this is "through the decades," a unique hour-long time capsule. sounds of rock 'n roll when the man who would be kingnn vi"his man stood on stage, and risky wht and an artist wh"d

and i'rrand i'm your host, bill. this is "through the decades." rock n roll. it began as a movement. an anthem for a generation energized by edge, rhythm and open emotion. rocks vibrant chords would come to find a home deep amidst cultural identity. today, it's a catch phrase, an idiom of our english language, a style all its own and even a symbol of true heroism. but, today we recall the original roots of rock and roll's sound. the soul and spunk it forged through the decades and the personalities that pred its beat for o listening pleasure.

debuts a new sound, a new style complete with devilsh good s,seduces and changes america fr ever. exactly how history played out tplayed on ed sullivan's show forever changed us. in television history. the power of the medium and the force full display. a defining momenr be"this man "

instinctunnding of blues and raw, so passionate, so sexua at he was aled "press coverage was highly critical. they talked about his threat to the morals of the thghtry and how if this were of elvis's three pearansthange up on his competitor'ss sh allen ouratings.

o night from a serious car accident and elvis was in hollywood filming ae hoovrs. wearing a loud plaid jacket,?k h "don't be cruel" and "love me tender." elvis performed for the national audience as only he could, shaking moving, grooving and gyrating. later he wished ed well and sang little richard's "ready teddy" and "hound dog." the reaction was instant. "you tell america this man is too dirty to be on stage, suddenly everyone looks and pays attention." by the last time elvis appeared on sullivan's show, four months later in 1957, cbs censors to shoot him only from the but it was too late, the masses

king of rock and roll and there would be no turning back. when our journey continues, they helped define the sound of the late '60s and early '70s, crosby stills nash and young's own graham nash sits down to talk about how the turmoil of the time helped guide the songs they created. "in 1969, it was basically almost heavy metal you know "in 1969, it was basically almost heavy metal you know there were lots of marshall stage you know and hendrix and led zeppelin of course, c-s-n made this not an accoustic record but kind of a gentler record even though it had some good rock and roll on there and we kind of knew that it might just slip on righthrough everybody and go to the top of the charts which it did." the release of an album that proved to be a pivotal moment within the music world. plus, the irish rock band from dublin equally known for their sound as for their bold views

on politics and religion "and i think im a good salesman of-- of ideas, songs, melodies, if i believe in them. you know, people getting out on the streets, getting organized and fighting to eliminate extreme poverty is working and thats the mission because i believe if people understand it and see the successes of it then they'll do more of it. i arrived as an activist. social justice arrived as an activist. social justice and we turn back the lens of time on the enigmatic musician who redefined sexy. stay with us, as we look back on the evolution of rock 'n'

as the rock movement evolved elvis dazzled in the '50s to the more complex and self-contained folk sound of the 1960s. one of the most important voices to come out of that era was graham nash and his band - crosby stills nash and young. if there was one band whose music could score a soundtrack to the late '60s and early '70s, it would be crosby, stills ands.

"i don't know how i write songs." "i ' i skn something. i myself what it that i'm periencing. that' what do. how i do that? i don't have clue and i don't want to know." the first rocthe d of 1968 t's very interesting being i four strong writers." musi play rock a roll so eresti" success before. right as bo rock and the counter-culture roads."in 1969, it was almost heavy metal you know there were lots of marall amps on stage, you know, and hendrix

n made this not an accoustic record but a gentler record even though it did have some good rock and roll on there and we kind of knha slip on ght throughbodyry and go to e top of the charts which it did." then they were at places like woodstock where the band rformed only their secondwhy ono fascinated with woodstock." "it was the end of a bunch of peopetogetr in the becoming stars and the begining of corporate invasion into music because when all the corporations saw half a million kids that they could sell another pair of sneakers and as for theg t a spritual journy tomotearm intanew york, it was t went all the way to number 11. the rain or amid the crowd but

on to play woodstock. she was supposed to play the last day on a sunday but on a monday she was supposed to do the dick cavett show which was her first major career. when it was obvious there was going to be more than 100,0 peop there our magers decided that maybe joni 't goand joni didn't go to woock got back to the hotel, sh writt- amazing to us that she could pin what was happening atgreenwich e and san francisco' haight- ashbury. an area in the hollywood hills known as laurel canyon. and

christine. by the time we got to asking neal to join us and doing the record of dejavu, christine had been killed, ias no longer with joni and steven wasn't any longer with judy colnsit's a ve, different feeling." while the band would be almost as notable for their feuds as for their music. if you're trying to understand that time in a the sounds of crosby, stills, early '70s.a band." y dn't work in a vaccuum. the music they mad came out of collaborations and life experience. one of those who helped

collins. her hit song, both sides now, came out of new york's then- burgeoning folk music scene. judy collins was a fixture of the early '60s music scene ino's clubs alongside a who's who of "the first time that i was in yo gertie's i'll tell you that when i got tre frm the c-ds, from the records rather, were there. joan was there. mimi was there, her sister. dave enro was there. peter, paul and mary were there before they became peter, paul and mary, ramblin' jack elliott was there and this guy who was this young, ratty

robert zimmerman was there singing old woody guthrie blues. i was the headliner and i thought well how did this happen i mean i just started doing this and then i discovered why they were all there. they were all there because my opener was a 13 year old named arlo guthrie." then collins hit the top ten on the pop charts with "both sides now." the pop charts with "both sides now." the vietnam war and civil rights movement were in full swing. the women's liberation movement was picking up momentum and in the midst of it all was judy collins. "l-b-j was president of course,d we thoht that j-f-wagoing to ste our man in the white house and when he w k

a huge shock and shift in the way people perceived things. mostly they said if not now, when. it was if the mask came off and the truth was out." been lying to us who were in government, presidents included and the world was not the world we had grown up with in the eisenhower years and we were in a new place and we better do something about this and i think that the action in combination with the music stuck w probably quite rightly, that something was happening there that was extremely powerful and that they would have loved to been a part of and if they aren't a part of it physically they could be a part of it musically. they can experience all of this music." "what was it about? it was very, very powerful - powerful

survive, thank god that i did, and powerful to still believe it had a huge impact on the culture, which i think it did." still to come, we remember the release of an iconic rock opera. one that crossed into terrority no bum had dared to tread bore and we look back on when the voice of a rock movement brought his own story to an early end. her of nirvana, a rock group especially popular with people in their teens and twenties shot and killed

of rebellion. its nexteration a to greenwich village. by the mid-'60s, ambitious concept albums like the beach boys' "pet sounds" and the beatles' "sgt. pepper" broke new ground. but the, "the who" releathgrt rock opera, "tommy," and history was made once again. "an opening at the metropolitan opera is usually an occasion for a lotf people to get

dressed up in evening clothes, furs and jewels and then brace themselves for an evening of verdi, puccini, or wagner. well, this openingt the metis ne any furs in the audience the odds are they're second-hand andnstead of evening clothes and jewels you get blue jeans and love bds. and you don't get puccini, either. instead you get the who." in 1968, the who was just another ambitious band looking for a way beyond the standard another ambitious band looking for a way beyond the standard three-minute radio play. pete townshend, the who's lead guitarist and chief songwriter, had an inspired idea - a full-scale rock opera. the result was 'tommy.' a double-album extravaganza, a composition dealing with the life story of a tormented deaf, dumb and blind boy. it was a critical and commerical success and scored hit singles with "i'm

"see me, feel me." townshend's yearning, harmonically complex music drew on themes from his own childhood. "tommy can you hear me? can you feel me near you?" clsical composer leonard bernstein praised the wo and in 1970 "tommy" was given two dates at the met, new york's in 1970 "tommy" was given two dates at the met, new york's high church of opera. the reaction bordered on the ecstatic. "it was the most fantastic mg still rushing from being inside. it's unreal." vibrations from the pple, had, he same feelings at the same time. it was just beautiful." "it's just nice to p this age g" "but also, the piece kind of

certain degree and so it's nice to give it -- put it in a building tha sort of is on the same level with what it's done for its own milieu. you know what i mean?" "you know, we've taken over. beautiful. it's really fantastic." "tommy's" journey continued: there was a ballet in 1970 and an orchestral rendition recorded by the london symphony. then in 1975, controversial film director ken russell turned it into a star-studded, surrealist movie jack nicholson, tina turner and elton john with the title role played by the who's own roger daltrey. "tommy," in all its incarnations is now considered a milestone in rock and roll's conquest of e people people to say, 'oh yeah, tommy a rock pretent--

on you know, the wleonrflife of- roll, "when the mother smashes the mirror and he discovers life, he takes his life into his own hands. he realizes that he's alone. and i think that certainls in all this, is that we -- that's what rock- and-roll is. rock and roll is about that moment when you discover that you're alone. you know, it's not about leaving home. it's not about deserting know, it's not about leaving home. it's not about deserting you wake up, you could be 15, 16, 17, sometimes you can be 12 years old -- but at some time, you have that conversation with your folks, you either stay or you go but whatever you do, from that moment, you're on your own." there are few bands that have topped the charts with consistency "through the decades" all while spreading a message of social change when we continue, we delve into the story of irish rock band, u-2.

who redefined what it means to be masculine and became rock royalty in process. you're watching "through the

we turn the lens of time back we turn the lens of time back to 1981 when the idea of taking

was the newest thing. "just about anywhere you go this weekend you may be listening to music or if you're really lucky as bernard goldberg reports, you may be watching people listening to music." "from the noisy streets of new york to the laid back tranquility of california, americans are tuning out and tuning in. it's the latest fad, tiny stereo cassette players with featherweight headphones. it's caught on all over america but nowhere as it has in new york where more and more people are discovering that about the only space they've got is between their ears - in a manner of speaking of course." "you know listening to beethoven and walking in manhattan ... you know walking on the streets, it's pretty nice as opposed to hearing the sirens

just puts you in your own world all by yourself." "it's like carrying your stereo with you, you know, on your head and it's light." "whether they wear pinstripes or no stripes they're discovering that at least musically speaking, you can take it with you, about 750,000 people nationwide are doing just that." "everybody's buying the machines. anyone from a wealthy executive who likes to spend his weekends out on his sailboat street kid listening to new wave music down in the subways." "well, this is all it is. there's a lot of noise and confusion down here. it just centers me. you know, i just got to go about five stops but it feels good." "is it the 'me generation' gone wild, a height of anti-social behavior, electronic snubbery?" "the rest of the world tunes out to me sometimes so i might

"some still prefer last year's model. the radio that's about as big as the empire state building and as loud as world war ii that exemplify the sophistication for which new york is so admired." "do you bother a lot of people with that?" "no." "you bother me." "bothers the hell out of me. i think you are invading my life space with that damn thing." "yeah? i am?" "yeah. you are really. not only mine but everybody else around here." "can i ask everybody here, isn't this ridiculous?" "you're a country dud "it's nice to know that music can bring serenity to people, that music has charms to soothe the savage breast. it's really quite comforting." "i've had it up to here! i can't take it anymore!" "life is but a dream!" "thank you! thank you!" "life is but a dream!" "mark goldberg. cbs news.rock n constant motion through the decades, adapting, and transforming as new artists tap into that classic sound and make it their own.

world knows for its own constant reinvention of the genre, is no other than the legendary bono and maybe, the most well known band in the world, u-2. "u u2, u2, u2...whoooo" from the moment that drummer larry mullen, junior posted asc. from the moment that drummer larry mullen, junior posted asc. paul hewson, better known bono, "as the wordsmith of the group..." david evans known as the edge and adam clayton all met for the first time in mullen's kitchen and and these four irish musicians have been playing rock n roll almost ever since. in the beginning, they thought they may be a punk band. the sound of the era but rock became their anthem.

dubbed them the band of the decade. "we're very lucky people to be doing jobs like we do - to be in rock n roll bands." rock n roll, they thought, had more to offer than just music to the masses, it was part of a tradition of calling truth to power. "the greats - jimmy hendrix, the who, bob dylan, the people whose records i have bought, i think the members of our audience ha bought, are all associated, and have always been associated with speaking out, so i don't think i am doing anything that new." at a concert benefitting amnesty international u-2 gathered with sting and others to bring that message to their audience. "because we're in rock n roll, if you like, is the symbol of rebellion and we want to make our world a better place through rebellion." "i think it's actually a very good thing for rock n roll and

fans to see us doing." but, it wasn't until 1987, when joshua tree was released that their fame hit levels unseen since the beatles. the album and concert on top of a liquor store in l-a catapulted the irishman to superstar status on a global scale. they buttoned up that success at the grammys and with a new album "rattle and hum" the following year. album "rattle and hum" the following year. affic now d again, you know." that was accompanied by a film by the same name, debuting in the streets of los angeles. "i still haven't found what i am looking for." the crowd couldn't get enough of bono's impromptu performance. the band only sky rocketed from there and in addition to their pop appeal and rock star status,

justice. and i think im a good salesman of-- of ideas, songs, melodies, if i believe in them. you know, people getting out on the streets, getting organized a fighting to iminate exeme poverty is working and ths theission becau bieve as people unta iand see ess of it--" "mm." "then theyll do more of it. i aivt, know--" "yeah." "--agenda." bono, the bands front man, would take the mant sitti with members of the u-s senate, the united nations, even the popover thar during the meeting, and i thought it was my natural charisma. but--but

wearing sunglasses during--and i'm--maybe he's not used to people wearing shades. and it wasn't that i was being in any way disrespectful. and---so i-- i took them off, and he kept staring at them in my hand. and i said, you know, 'as well as being a--a great holy man, i know you're a great showman. do you want these?' and he took them and he put them on." "and it was quite a special moment." u2 solidifed its status as one moment." u2 solidifed its status as one of the best selling bands of and continues to perform even aswanes and some grow tired of their social justice mission. their luster may have aged but their rock n roll sound remains solid gold. when we come back, we remember two rock legends who maybe couldn't have been more

music world. first, we'll remember the lead singer who helped to create the grunge rock sound that dominated the '90s then we'll look back on the legacy of musical anstyle icon - prince.

by the early 1990s, rock had been pushed to the side as the '80s pop stars took center stage

sire for somethingder,g. a edgier and soulful and none the scene, quite like nirvana understanding and taking it away far too soon. he wanted to make and the fact that iconneed with this audience, you know, is almost irrelevant." in 1989, kurt cobain, along with fellow seattle area friend krist novoselic, started the alternative rock band, nirvana, producing their first album in 1990. the next year they added drummer dave grohl and its smash single "smells like teen spirit." nirvana would go mainstream, the album would go platinum and cobain was crowned the voice of a generation, a rock star, something he never aspired to. (singing) "here we are now

"here we are now. entertain us. kurt hated this businesss of voice of a generation but the use of that second person plural, 're we are now' is something you didn't get from the hair metal bands, you didn't get from michael jackson." "cobain was seen as a man who had everything - success, a beautiful wife, a baby and a drug problem." "i think they knew he was troubled. they knew he was "i think they knew he was troubled. they knew he was battling drug problems. knew that the marriage with courtney love was very controversial. it had its ups and downs." "do you like fatherhood?" "vodka? yes, i love vodka." "these troubles caught up with him so people were not surprised, "they knew he had troubles. he's a guy that wrote really good songs and made us feel connected to him through that and also had troubles that claimed his life." "the lead singer of nirvana, a rock group especially popular with people in their teens and

washington today." "just last month, cobain was hospitalized for an overdose of drugs and alcohol. kurt cobain was 27." it was a loss that shook the music world but even his fans while shaken weren't surprised. "you know, he almost o-d'd a couple of weeks ago and he was in a coma and we almost lost him then." "well, it's just sad, really. a really sad thing." the aftermath gripped the country. his wife, musician walters she felt responsible for his suicide because she had staged an intervention for him as he struggled with his addictions. "this is a woman who feels very guilty and what happened is that after the intervention she screamed at him one day because evidently he had dropped their baby daughter, frances bean. the child was heavily dressed and she had a hood on so she didn't get hurt." "and courtney said, 'u dropped this baby. you dropped

with guiltt was the trigger that made him kill himself." jim derogatis who interviewed the singer before he died says music was cobain's life and he had been looking forward to the music he would make in the future. "kurt cobain was a man who could just as soon imagine not breathing or not eating as not playing music. it was that important to him." regnize in med, i very rel you know he's depressed. he's drug nodicted, miserable s-o-b. no. no. he had a very stronger vers. he intended to live a long time and continue to make music. there was not a death wish there." "this was a man who loved music. for him, every time he picked up the guitar it was an act of saying, 'i'm glad to be alive.'"

life, his death worried some about the impact it would have on his gen x-er fans. "he was a very gifted person but i don't think they're gonna take this as some message that you should just give up." "i personally think he had a lot of self emotional problems that he just couldn't deal with himself and he chose to be selfish about it." "right. there's other ways to deal with you're problems, you know? everybody's got 'em." "in fact, some are hoping cobain's death may serve demystify and deglorify the somewhat romantic notion of suicide and might ultimately save lives." ulitmately, there was not a rash of teenagers that followed suit but the music kurt left behind remains revolutionary, a tribute to an era that he alone came to define. "i think it's easy to romanticize nirvana from this point in time almost three decades later but the fact is, that they are very, very good. they were very good and they're timeless in

rock and roll." over twenty years after we mourned kurt cobain's loss, we said good bye to another artist who charted much of the new territory of our modern american musical landscape. his navigation was unlike anything we'd seen before, defying any one label. he crossed over into nearly every genre of music - jazz, pop, r & b but we can't deny that prince was also just little bit rock and roll. he was inducted into the hall of fame in 2004 and today we remember prince's impact on the sound and his imprint on us. few performers commanded a stage and a thirlled an audience quite like prince. aruguably, one of the most talented musicians of his generation. "sing it!"

"oh yeah" rock star, visionary, provocateur, legend - just a few of the words that have been used to describe him. he won seven grammys. "my early days in the business. there's a guy who he's still in the business and he's very famous so i won't say his name but he told me that i wasn't going to make it and i needed to go back anwo music or something (laughs)." prince grew up in minnesota. his fe's path would be strongly influenced by his jazz musician parents and the nearby minneapolis music scene. he was a shy kid but friends say he came alive whenever he played music. "i deal with everything through my music. emotionally i stay centered through music. it's the best medicine in the world."

at 19, prince signed with warner bros and in short order, proved prolific. writing, composing, performing and producing most of his own work, he released four albums in four years. his fifth release in 1982 would be his breakthrough. with his title track, he invited the world to party like it's 1999. the album, went multi-platinum. his sixth album two years took his fame to rarified heights. purple rain went straight to nuer one on the billboard charts where it stayed for 24 weeks. the movie--by the same name grossed 68-million dollars at the box office. prince seemed unstoppable...and was emerging as an artist in a league of his own in both talent "prince made electric drums sexy, right? they were very

how to make the syncopation and make the beat and make the tones to make them soothing almost but definitely sexy." and style "it was a very edgy, modern edwardian with the high neck, ruffled blouses and the tailored suits and the sparkles and the heels and the accessories. it was so over-the-top and flamboyant and out of this world, yet still very much him." "prince is my favorite, i love prince" "we want prince! we wt prince seemed to break down barriers of both race and gender. "i think he changed the way that people style them selves. now it's called gender fluid, but to be whoever you are. i think he really encouraged that." and he redefined what it meant to be a sex symbol. "he's adorable!" never one to shy away from provactive lyrics, prince inspired the parental advisory label on c-ds after an outraged tipper gore heard his song "darling

music resource center. but for all of his freedom of expression through music, prince was highly protective of his private life. in 1996, prince married mayte garcia, one of his back up dancers. "i sort of made an off the cuff statement like that. i said there's my future wife i was being coy but low and behold." in a rare moment in 1997, he spoke about his marriage. in a rare moment in 1997, he spoke about his marriage. "i think the most profound thing that's happened to me is the way i view women now and going through my wife's pregnancy had a really powerful effect on me." the couple suffered a painful loss after their son was born with a rare genetic disorder. he died within a week of his

in 2000. prince married again in 2001, to manuela testolini, the same year he became a jehovah's witness. that marriage would end in divorce in 2006. in the mid '90s, prince began what would be a long and very public legal battle with warner bros who he eventually parted ways with in 1996. "i felt pressure not being able to live my life the way i "i felt pressure not being able to live my life the way i wanted an artist can't really be an artist they can just sort of go according to their rules and regulations. that was pressure for me." when he learned the label owned not only all of his music but also his name, he dropped it for an unpronouncable symbol and took to writing slave on his face. in 2014, in a landmark deal,

regained full ownership of his music catalog. the very thing he had been fighting for. "if one sticks to one's guns one will get through. the way one wants to. not the way somebody else tells you." prince seemed invincable. "it's just such a loss, i'm sorry..." on april 21, 2016 prince died. sorry..." on april 21, 2016 prince died. within hours, hundreds of fans showed up at the gates of his paisely park mansion. "just to pay respects, i was here yesterday and i went to first avenue last night. i just really loved his music and grew up with him, so" in the two weeks after his death, prince's albums sold more than four million copies in the u.s. alone and artists from bruce springsteen to paul mccartney have paid tribute

immeasaurable legacy. "you all feel good tonight?" "there's a core audience that's never really going to go away." "i've had these friends for a long time and they're going to bring their kids this is my job i'm going to be doing this a while." still ahead here on "through the decades," the bizarre story behind the time the king of rock 'n' roll unexpectedly showed up at the

we end our look at rock and roll "through the decades," right back where we began wh 'the king.' in an unforeseen chapter of history, the world of rock n roll crossed paths with the world of politics, when elvis went unannounced to see president richard nixon at the white house with an urgent message. one was the leader of the free

roll. their meeting was initially a secret but has since achieved the status of legend. "and i got a call one night about two in the morning, i was asleep and i said 'who is this?' and he said 'it's me,' so i knew it was elvis. and he said, "i'm at the airport, i don't want anybody to know where i'm at. can you meet me?" "and elvis had written a letter on the plane which he had me proofread. and, uh, elvis had only written about three letters in his life." "and there were a lot of things i think grammatically that could've been changed but the letter was so honest and so to the point, it was just a beautiful letter. so i figured we'd go the hotel, i'd been up a couple of days now, and clean up and whatever he said, 'we've gotta go by the white house, drop this letter off.' i said, 'elvis, don't you want to go to a hotel first?'

president should get this as soon as possible.'" "i was sitting at my desk and i got a call from dwight chapin, who is the president's scheduling secretary and he says, 'bud, the king is here.' and i looked at the president's schedule and i said, 'what king? there aren't any kings on the schedule here. what are you talking about?' he said, 'no, not any two-bit king, the king, the king of rock, elvis presley, he's right here.' i said 'dwight, come on, it's gonna be a long day, four days before christmas.' he said, 'no, i'm reading this the president and he wants to help on the drug program and that's what you work on.'" "you gotta understand this was the early '70s. 1970. and there was a big drug influence that was really, it was generated a lot by certain types of rock music. it was advocating and he felt real responsible." "but what he was saying was, 'if i'm the king of rock and roll, then i should do something about this image.'" "just to get elvis over to the

effort, because he walked in the door and he looked at the eagles engraved in the ceiling and eagles engraved in the carpets in the floor, and i knew it sort of overwhelmed him. 'i'm a poor boy from tupelo, mississippi and i'm here in the oval office of the president of the united states.'" "and he had wanted a federal narcotics badge. which they had turned him down. but nixon didn't and he gave it to him." "the president said, 'get him a badge. i want him to have one.' elvis is overcome and he steps forward and he grabs the which wasn't the norm in that white house." "they were really extremes, and at the same time, i think they had a ... elvis had an understanding. he was a very human person. if somebody was ... if we had an underdog within our group, you can damn well bet elvis was gonna take up for him and i think he understood what was happening to nixon, and he felt -- he felt a sensitivity there." the meeting remained secret for thirteen months. since then,

meeting of the president and the king has become the most requested photo in the history of the

that'll do it for us today. i'm bill kurtis. as we leave, one last look back at the history of rock and roll

captioning sponsored by cbs >> quijano: where is hermine headed next? the deadly storm gained strength leaving a path of destruction along the coast. also tonight, voters weigh in on hillary clinton's honesty issues, and whether donald trump's m changing minds. a cold case solved in central minnesota. what lead police to the remains of a boy who had been missing for decades. a powerful earthquake felt in seven states rattled the oil & gas industry. and pope francis celebrates mother ter-- elevates mother teresa to sainthood. >> mother teresa was called saint of the gutters and before becoming pope francis was