PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A historian has come up with a fact-based theory on a force that may have brought down the iron curtain.

Dayton University Professor Larry Schweikart says the infusion of western music 40 years ago, set the stage for the liberation of the east bloc countries.  It was a fever he says that spread:

“It first starts in the conquered republics and you get a lot of American bands invited over to play, the first one to play surprisingly is ‘Blood, Sweat, and Tears’, in 1970.  Then the ‘Nitty, Gritty Dirt Band’ which most people never heard of go over there and then pretty soon other American groups start coming over.  A lot of British Groups come over too.”

The professor gave glaring examples of the power of rock and roll from his documentary Rocking The Wall on this week’s Voice of Reason on the Comcast Network.

Reported by:  Larry Kane, KYW Newsradio