Rock and Roll: A Brief History

Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States . with black influences created controversy during a turbulent time in history but that did not stop them from creating what we call Rock n Roll.
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However, the success of white artists such as Bill Haley, Buddy Holly , and Elvis Presley made liking rock and roll mainstream. All these artists were rooted in jazz and blues traditions. It is difficult to pinpoint one particular song as the first ever rock and roll song, since the style developed gradually and with inputs from a multitude of artists.

However, the song Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston is considered the first rock and roll record ever produced. Origins and Early Development. Though no single particular preexisting genre can be considered the direct predecessor of rock and roll, the upbeat blues-based rhythm and blues comes close. It was a confluence of rhythm and blues and country music that led to the first, rudimentary versions of rock and roll. In the early days, 'rock and roll' was distinguished from other, often similar, genres by the presence of a back-beat , which was often played on the snare drum.

However, this feature got fazed out over time. The electric guitar, an instrument crucial to rock and roll, started to be commercially sold by Rickenbacker. This caused a revolution in the sound of popular music at the time, and led to the creation of the upbeat genres of rhythm and blues, and swing music. Many early rock and roll songs can also legitimately be considered rhythm and blues songs. This early form of rock and roll was almost exclusively played as well as enjoyed by African Americans.

In fact, the term 'rock and roll', which arose as a euphemism for sexual intercourse in the s, was frowned upon by the mainstream white audience, and lyrically toned down versions of early rock and roll songs were often released by white artists; Pat Boone is known for such songs. The migration of African Americans to the large cities in the American north led to greater cultural exchanges between white and black artists , including musicians. In , this 'race music' received a boost, when Cleveland-based RJ Alan Freed started to give rhythm and blues songs considerable airtime. Freed was also instrumental in popularizing the term 'rock and roll' as the name of the nascent genre.

Three of the most influential rock and roll artists in history flourished in the s: Bill Haley, Elvis, and Buddy Holly.

Rock and roll - Wikipedia

His on-stage persona was just as catchy as his tunes, and he became a symbol of the new, inclusive and expansive culture brought forth by rock and roll. His recording career began in , but he died in a plane crash in The importance of his seminal work in this short period was such that Holly has been called the "single most influential creative force in early rock and roll".

Chuck Berry's song Maybellene was one of the very first to prominently feature deliberately created distortion on the guitar, a feature that came to define the 'rock' genre. The British Invasion and Beatlemania. Up till the early s, rock and roll music had been limited to the USA. Its origins were in the States, and its greatest practitioners were also to be found in the U. Oxford University Press US, , pp. Tyler, Music of the postwar era Greenwood, , p.

History of Rock & Roll

Millward, From blues to rock: Manchester University Press ND, , p. Campbell, Popular Music in America: And the Beat Goes on: And the Beat Goes on Cengage Learning, 3rd edn. Retrieved June 24, MacDonald Boone, Understanding Rock: Essays in Musical Analysis Oxford: Oxford University Press, , p. Brocken, The British folk revival, — Aldershot: Ashgate, , pp. Porter, British Cinema of the s: The Decline of Deference Oxford: Gracyk, I Wanna Be Me: Millward, From Blues to Rock: Manchester University Press, , p.


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Millard, The electric guitar: Erlewine, eds, All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues Backbeat, 3rd edn. Retrieved August 10, Robbins February 7, All Music Guide to the Blues. Augsburg Publishing House, Fisher, Something in the air: Zinn, A people's history of the United States: Fifty Years of Women Making Music.


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Sex, Gods, and Rock 'n' Roll. Love on the Racks McFarland, p. Lewis, The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media Routledge, , p. All Music Guide to Rock: Dutton Gilliland, John The rock revolution gets underway" audio. University of North Texas Libraries. Find more about Rock and roll at Wikipedia's sister projects.

A Brief History of Rock and Roll Music That Will Get You Swayed

Alternative rock Rap rock Trop rock. Stoner rock Sufi rock Viking rock.

A Music of the People

Active rock Adult album alternative Album-oriented rock Classic rock Mainstream rock Modern rock Progressive rock radio format. Rock music by country.

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Presley was hardly the only artist who embodied this attitude, but he was clearly a catalyst in the merger of black and white culture into something far bigger and more complex than both. For young white America, this new music was a soundtrack for rebellion, however mild. By the end of the s, Presley had been inducted into the army, Holly had died in a plane crash, and Little Richard had converted to gospel. By the mids this sophistication allowed the music greater freedom than ever before, and it fragmented into numerous styles that became known simply as rock.

100 Riffs (A Brief History Of Rock N' Roll) - Band Edition

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