If they say “rock”, you say “and roll”; and if they tell you “rock and roll” many inevitably think of Elvis Presley. But the truth is that the origins of rock and roll go way beyond the figure of the Mississippi boy with the cheeky cheeks and the impossible hips. The history of the birth of this musical genre is somewhat diffuse.but it also has its greatest exponents in certain artist names and also in songs.
No, rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t born with Elvis’ guitar, it entered our lives long before that. Even if the 50s was his peak decadethis style, which took a bit of the Blues and the gospel, some country and lots of R&B; appeared by chance or something malicioussince its popularity has woken up with a not-so-hidden commercial and racial purpose.
What is rock’n’roll?
Answering this question would be unthinkable for someone like Greil Marcus, an American music journalist and critic who delved into the literary essays of rock music but from a different perspective.
The truth is that the origin of the term rock and roll, its first authentic use, has nothing to do with music. In fact, it was a concept commonly used in the maritime field refer to how to arm a ship: oscillate, Back-and-forth; And rollon both sides.
But if we stick to its definition in music, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines it as “a musical genre with a very accentuated rhythm, resulting from the mixture of various styles of American folklore, and popularized since the 1950s”. In our country, the term is Hispanized as rock and roll (from English rock and roll).
When and where was rock and roll born?
Placing the origin of rock and roll on a specific date would be a difficult task, as well as an unpredictable one. What is clear is that its peak moment came in the 50 yearsbut its birth as a recognized musical genre and its roots were much earlier.
To understand the genealogical tree of this style, we must speak of the blues, gospel a bit country and especially R&B. We can say that rock ‘n’ roll is the child of all these styles and has inherited a little from each of them.
But to explore their origin, we must go back to their meaning. He the Blues it emerged as a black response to years of slavery and oppression due to their skin color; while the gospel was born with a more spiritual and religious intent stemming from the North American black community.
Elvis, the “King of Rock”. / Getty
He country it was something different, it came from the hand of Irish immigrants in the United States; therefore, rock and roll has American roots. But the arrival of R&B (mixture of jazz and gospel sounds but with an urban and more danceable tone) was decisive.
Who invented rock and roll?
Although the decade of the 50s stands as the decade of peak popularity in rock and roll, the truth is that his term began to be used long before. Some experts place 1934 this concept, notably in the title of one of the songs of Hermanas Boswellone of the themes that appeared in the film transatlantic merry-go-round.
A few years later, a journalist from the magazine Billboard he also used it to refer to the music of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Already in the 50s, to the announcer or the American DJ Alan freed he is credited with being the first to begin popularizing the name. According to his account, the communicator began to broadcast music on the radio from rhythm and blues because it was a style that young people listened to on the air, but then they didn’t buy the records because, at the time, R&B was labeled as “black music”.
So, in order to be able to continue spreading this music, they chose to call it something else. to avoid being attached to this stigma by the public and thus attempt to reach white listeners. In the end, although it was the same music, on the radio it was defined as “rock and roll”.
Thanks to this, Freed was recognized as a promoter of rock and roll and in 1991 he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, although he had died years before.
Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry… who is the father of rock and roll?
For the famous critic Greil Marcus none of these names would appear on his top 10 list historic rock and roll songsbut names (and titles) are there, such as shake actionfrom The Flamin’ Groovies; Transmissionof Joy Division; In the still of the nightby Fred Parris; Money (that’s what I want)by Barrett Strong, reinvented by the Beatles or money changes everythingof The Brains.
But the truth is that, like in any other musical genre, rock has also been attributed hundreds and hundreds of boosters; being the name of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard the ones that sound the most.
Another of the most widespread theories is that of Rocket 88by Ike Turner – one of Tina Turner’s husbands – and The Kings of Rhythm, as the first song of rock & roll Historycreated in 1951. It was given this title for its rhythm, its sound and because it was the first recording of a guitar with distortion.
Another of the songs that marked a before and after in rock history was Good rock tonightby Roy Brown (1947).
- Chuck Berry, father of Rock n’ Roll
Cuck Berry vs. Elvis Presley. It’s a historic dispute over who gets the title “King of Rock”, but the former also earned the nickname “Father of Rock and Roll”. The truth is that the two kings shared a lot, including the peak of their careers.
Berry also had his moment in the 50s with his song maybellene and, later, his famous Johnny B. Goode; considered the best guitar song in rock history, according to the magazine Rolling stone.
Among his most notable subjects, it is worth highlighting Johnny B Goode Let’s dance the twist again. and if you liked We never know, of pulp Fiction, it is also thanks to him. Therefore, depending on who you ask, many will say that, yes, Chuck Berry is the “King of Rock and Roll”.
- Elvis Presley, the creator of rockabilly
And, of course, you can’t talk about rock ‘n’ roll without mentioning Elvis Presley, one of the many artists who took Chuck Berry as a reference. But that of Mississippi had a special glory; this ability to make white rock with a black voice. If we pay attention to what Rolling Stone was saying, he was the architect of the recording of the “first rock and roll song” considered as such with his version of It’s alright mom (Crudup).
Two years later, in 1956, he released another of his best versions, Blue suede shoes there Jailhouse Rock and other songs from greats like Little Richard, Ray Charles and The Drifters. For this reason, Elvis was considered an icon of this style (though not necessarily a promoter) and thruster of rockabilly —a wilder rock and roll—.
- Little Richard and his electricity on stage
Richard Wyne, known as Little Richard, can boast of being one of rock and roll’s most recognizable figures with his distinctive blend of gospel, soul, R&B and rockabilly. In addition, he was one of the most influential artists for famous groups such as The Rolling Stone, The Beatles or Deep Purple.
To define the legacy of Richard Wayne Penniman, nothing better than to refer to the words of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum: “He blew up the music scene of the 1950s with his thundering piano and electrifying stage presence, set the tone for the future of rock and roll“. Although he was not the true promoter of the genre either, he is one of its founders.
Indeed, no matter who you ask, if he is an expert in the matter, he will tell you that Little Richard was one of the most contributing figures of this style. James Brown himself once said that he was the first to put funk at his own pace.