The first type of Rock music was Rock and Roll. It originated in the United States in the 1950s, and was largely derived from music of the American South.
In the United States, the affluence that followed the end of World War II in 1945 and the emergence of a youth culture based in part upon the rejection of older styles of popular culture helped rock and roll to displace the New York-based Tin Pan Alley songwriting tradition that had dominated the mainstream of American popular taste since the late 19th century.
Rock and roll was a combination of the R&B style known as Jump-Blues, the gospel-influenced vocal-group style, later known as Doo Wop, the piano-blues style known as Boogie-Woogie (or barrelhouse), and country-music styles such as Hillbilly and Honky-Tonk. (there's only one Y in Hillbilly)
The term ROCK AND ROLL goes back to 1929. It’s the title of a song by Conne Boswell of the Original Five Boswell Sisters
During the 1950s the term rock and roll was used as a synonym for black R&B music. Rock and roll on 78rpm shellac discs were first released by small, independent record companies and promoted by Radio Disc Jockeys (DJs) like Alan Freed, who popularized the term rock ‘n’ roll (originally a slang term for sex) to help attract white audiences unfamiliar with R&B.
He hosted a concert, The Moondog Coronation Ball, at the Cleveland Arena in 1952, which is often cited as the first major rock-and-roll promotion. Indeed, the appeal of rock and roll to white middle-class teenagers was swift and caught the major record companies by surprise. As these companies moved to capitalize on the popularity of the style, the market was fuelled by cover versions (performances of previously recorded songs) of R&B songs with their original suggestive lyrics and expressions excised and performed in the singing style known as crooning, by white vocalists such as Pat Boone. The most successful rock n roll artists wrote and performed songs about love, sexuality, identity crises, personal freedom, and other issues that were of particular interest to teenagers.
Popular rock n roll artists and groups emerged from diverse backgrounds.
Bill Haley and the Comets, which had one of the first big rock n roll hits with the song “Rock Around the Clock” (1954), was originally a country music band from Pennsylvania that adopted aspects of the R&B Jump-Blues style of saxophonist and singer Louis Jordan and merged it with Western Swing as popularised by artists such as Bob Wills, Pee Wee King and Tennessee Ernie Ford previously.
The unique style of Chuck Berry came from his experience playing a mixture of R&B and country music in the Midwest. The rock-and-roll piano style of Fats Domino grew out of the distinctive sound of New Orleans R&B, which also influenced singer and songwriter Little Richard.
The earthy style of guitarist Bo Diddley derived from the blues of the Mississippi Delta region.
Rockabilly, which was part of the development of Rock n Roll, is a blend of Country Hicks music known as Hillbibilly; was pioneered by Memphis producer Sam Philips, who first recorded artists Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins on his Sun Records label.
The first Elvis single release in 1954 combined two critical aspects of rock and roll. One track was a spirited version of the R&B song, “That’s All right Mama”. originally recorded by Arthur Big Boy Cruddup. The second track was a bluegrass song, “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, played much faster than done before.
Elvis became a figurehead for this new music, which also valued image, attitude, and energetic performances in addition to the music. Other artists such as Billy Lee Riley, Warren Smith also came out of Sun Studio's though only Elvis had the combination of attributes that made him a sought after commodity that appealed to both Genders.
The age of classic rock and roll, which lasted only five years, from 1954 to 1959, is exemplified by the recordings of Berry, Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly. The latter developed the standard four-piece instrumentation of rock bands (drum kit and lead, rhythm, and bass guitars).
By the early 1960s, the popular music industry was assembling professional songwriters, hired studio musicians, and teenage crooners to mass-produce songs that imitated late-1950s rock and roll. In the UK the record companies and artist agencies were controlling the output then the British beat sound emerged with the Mersey sound and white mans blues bands such as the Rolling Stones which had a different sound and emphasis to the original Rock n Roll phenomenon, this resulted in the "British invasion" of the USA as the music was becoming Sanitised by their industry.
However, Doo Wop thrived well into the mid Sixties and later in Britain a second "Rock n Roll Revival" happened in the early seventies with the release of many Rockabilly tracks never seen before in the UK. This interest was again spurred on by many tiring of the music that was heard on Radio and in the general music clubs where up and coming youth listening to and wanted something different.
This was a second generation that organised itself into groupings headed by organisers and promoters in various locations across the UK setting up Clubs and memberships, Record Hops and engaging bands at Hired halls.
What has happened since then is a result of the efforts of those who have been inspired to continue the passion and lifestyle of the music that has been developing and played by bands across the Globe, supported by various Radio Presenters and promoted by the various organisers.
Never in the history of Rock n Roll as described above has it been so popular or available to obtain on recordings or see live performances.
