![]() One of things the affluent adolescents of the 1950s bought was music-in particular, they bought rock and roll music. Economics & Technologyįor the first time in the history of the United States, teenagers had disposable income. Some pundits claim early rock and roll was black music played with white instruments.Īt the very least, rock and roll was one of the first music genres simultaneously created and enjoyed by both white and black cultures.īesides the changing winds of social change, rock and roll owns a debt of gratitude to economic and technologically advancements. More importantly, the genre took cues from both white and black cultures. Rock and roll borrowed elements from numerous genres including rhythm and blues, jump blues, blues, country, swing, gospel, and boogie-woogie. Since it's steeped in youth culture, much of rock and roll is de-constructive, rebellious, and subversive. Traditionally, rock and roll music has featured lyrics about love, dancing, romantic relationships, partying, and/or sex. In the early and mid-fifties, the bassist played a double bass. A rock band usually consists of one or two electric guitarists, a lead singer, a drummer, and an electric bassist. Stylistically, rock and roll music has a strong backbeat and highlights the electric guitar. These artists and their music continued to wield great influence until 1964 and the arrival of the Beatles in America. Holly's discography includes classics like "That'll Be the Day," "Words of Love," "Peggy Sue," and "It's So Easy." He was one of the few artists that wrote, produced, and recorded his own music. Perhaps the greatest creative force of the era was Buddy Holly. The following year, Lewis issued "Great Balls of Fire." Vincent released "Be-Bop-A-Lula" in 1956. Little Richard gave us "Tutti Frutti" (1955) and "Long Tall Sally" (1956). ![]() He was arguably rock's first guitar god and a huge influence on Keith Richards. Major Rock and Roll ArtistsĬhuck Berry was responsible for such hits as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), and "Johnny B. They are widely viewed as the genre's main progenitors. ![]() Released in April of 1954, but really took off in 1955, "Rock Around the Clock" put the genre on the map and turned it into a commercial, cultural, and artistic force.īill Haley & His Comets, as well as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, laid the foundation for rock and roll. "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets is widely considered the first big rock and roll single. Yet, in the late 1940s there were several songs that we'd today describe as rock and roll-esque: "The Fat Man" by Fats Domino, "Strange Things Happening Everyday" by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and "Rock the Joint" by Jimmy Preston. Even so, "rock," "rock music," and "rock and roll" can be used interchangeably. Nowadays, "rock and roll" refers to the rock music created between 19. In the 1960s, the "and roll" was dropped from the phrase and the genre was referred to as "rock music" or just "rock." To differentiate this new dynamic brand of tunes from the old, Freed used the term "rock and roll." In 1951, Cleveland deejay Alan Freed played rhythm & blues and country music on his radio show. While it described a steady beat, "rock" was also used as a euphuism for partying and sex. The word "rock" and its variations have been appearing in song lyrics since the turn of the 20th century. The term, although it didn't describe music but the motion of a boat on the ocean, was used as early as the 17th century. Nonetheless, rock and roll, sometimes written as "rock n' roll" or "rock & roll," became a distinct musical genre in the decade of the 1950s. To borrow a line from the music's most famous practitioners, it was a "long and winding road" to get to rock and roll. An artist didn't enter the studio and, presto, the genre was suddenly born. It didn't come into existence at the snap of someone's fingers. An image of The Clovers captured as a single frameįrom the Public Domain show "Rock 'n' Roll Revue"
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