What year did Rock 'n Roll begin? I thought it was 1954 or 1955, but Bill Haley says it was 1949.

[Mike Eskimo]

Bill Haley ?

Love the (local) guy but - no.*


And just to make it easier, if it was any one single song/source ? it was not a low-melanin individual.


* I remember running across the Essex Bill Haley LP (w/steel guitar) and an original “One Dozen Berry’s” at the same used record shop in Lake Orion Michigan on the same day.

And I member first, noticing that that Italian guy was playing the same solo from rock around the clock earlier and on a different song, but I also noticed how the entire record hardly swung at all. It may have rocked, but it didn’t swing.

Rock AND Roll.

ROCK came after Rock AND Roll.

 

[fenderchamp]

A Timeline of African American Music: 1600 - Present Day

Carnegie Hall's Timeline of African American Music. Learn more about the influence, history, and evolution of African American Music in the USA.

timeline.carnegiehall.org

This is an interesting graph. It is without a doubt about African American contributions to music, if you read the descriptions of the different genres you get a more solid idea about what they are trying to chart and describe on the graph.

 

[Mr. St. Paul]

I believe that’s Eldon Shamblin on guitar….I had the most humbling honor to meet him at a NAMM Show shortly before he died….his speaker was blown in his amp….the distortion was not intentional….they just left it in because it was a “good” take.

Same deal with 'Rocket 88'. Willie Kizart's amp was tied to the top of the car the group was traveling in to get to Sun Studios. It fell off on the way. When they got to the studio, Sam Phillips discovered the amp was working, but the speaker cone had split from the impact. Some newspaper was stuffed in there as a fix.

 

[Mr. St. Paul]

I'll throw this one from 1946 into the debate. Still more of a jump blues, but the guitar intro by Carl Hogan was a HUGE influence on Chuck Berry.

 

[Mr. St. Paul]

Juke In The Back - Matt The Cat presents the soul that came before rock n’ roll: 1950s rhythm and blues. Each week, this underrated and rollicking music plays on that old Rockola Jukebox in the back.

www.jukeintheback.org

This show explores early, early rock and roll and the evolution of blues, country, soul, rockabilly, R&B and rock an roll.

actually they don't really hit much country or rockabilly on that show.

It's a great show!

Thanks for the heads up, I'm always on the lookout for interesting music podcasts.

 

[Mike H.]

According to Wikipedia, "Good Rocking Tonight", by Roy Brown (1947) or by Wynonie Harris (1948) is one of the contenders for the title of "first rock'n'roll record".

 

[Buckocaster51]

It developed along with amplified guitars, PAs, and guitar amplifiers.

Keep in mind that it is a fool’s errand to claim anything as “the first” of anything.

See Ian S Ports’ “The Birth of Loud”.

 

[tonepoet333]

I think the year depends on circumstances... One theory is that if Beethoven or Schubert or Wagner had electricity and amplifiers, some of what they did would have been called Rock.

Imagine this with an electric Rock band and drums pumping behind it. Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" Quartet, 4th Movement, done by a chamber orchestra to amplify the volume.



Or imagine this with a 4 piece electric Rock group with drums driving the rhythm. Beethoven's String Quartet OP 18 No. 4, 1st Movement



These guys were rockers.

tonepoet
www.jackshiner.com

 

[Honga Man]

No spoilers from me, but the free podcast at www.500songs.com has their first episode about this very question.

I learned about that podcast right here at the TDPRI.

 

[GoldDeluxe5E3]

Sister Rosetta Tharpe began playing the electric guitar in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was one of the first gospel musicians to adopt the instrument and incorporate it into her recordings and performances. Her pioneering use of the electric guitar significantly influenced the development of both gospel and secular music, including blues and rock and roll.

• .
  Tharpe's career began in the 1930s, primarily as a gospel singer and guitarist. She gained popularity for her unique blend of spiritual lyrics and guitar playing, which often included elements of the blues.
  
  
• Recording with electric guitar:
  .
  In 1941, Tharpe began recording with an electric guitar during her first studio session with Lucky Millinder's band for Decca Records.
  
  
• Influencing the rise of rock and roll:
  .
  Tharpe's innovative electric guitar playing, especially her blend of gospel and blues, deeply influenced the rise of Chicago's electric blues and rock and roll guitarists and singers. She is often referred to as the "Godmother of rock and roll".
  
  
• Impact on musicians:
  .
  Tharpe's influence can be heard in the music of artists like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, who cited her as an inspiration.
  
  
• Continued exploration of electric guitar:
  .
  Tharpe continued to experiment with the electric guitar throughout her career, using it in both gospel and secular contexts. She even performed on a train platform in Manchester, England, in 1964, showcasing her electric guitar prowess in a memorable performance.

Early career and gospel roots:

 

[Mike Eskimo]

I think the year depends on circumstances... One theory is that if Beethoven or Schubert or Wagner had electricity and amplifiers, some of what they did would have been called Rock.

Imagine this with an electric Rock band and drums pumping behind it. Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" Quartet, 4th Movement, done by a chamber orchestra to amplify the volume.



Or imagine this with a 4 piece electric Rock group with drums driving the rhythm. Beethoven's String Quartet OP 18 No. 4, 1st Movement



These guys were rockers.

tonepoet
www.jackshiner.com

Very interesting.

Yes and yes.

But “rock” came later.

Rock and roll. Ain’t that what we’re talking about ?

The roll/bounce is kinda important and you’re not gonna get that from Austrian’s and German’s.

(Oooooo - did I just say that out loud ?)

Never forget the three legged stool - everything other than those three legs isn’t nearly as important as the big three.

Working class southern white folks, working class southern black folks, and the British.

There it is !

Every other component/ingredient pales in significance

 

[monkeybanana]

Sister Rosetta Tharpe began playing the electric guitar in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was one of the first gospel musicians to adopt the instrument and incorporate it into her recordings and performances. Her pioneering use of the electric guitar significantly influenced the development of both gospel and secular music, including blues and rock and roll.

• .
  Tharpe's career began in the 1930s, primarily as a gospel singer and guitarist. She gained popularity for her unique blend of spiritual lyrics and guitar playing, which often included elements of the blues.
  
  
• Recording with electric guitar:
  .
  In 1941, Tharpe began recording with an electric guitar during her first studio session with Lucky Millinder's band for Decca Records.
  
  
• Influencing the rise of rock and roll:
  .
  Tharpe's innovative electric guitar playing, especially her blend of gospel and blues, deeply influenced the rise of Chicago's electric blues and rock and roll guitarists and singers. She is often referred to as the "Godmother of rock and roll".
  
  
• Impact on musicians:
  .
  Tharpe's influence can be heard in the music of artists like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, who cited her as an inspiration.
  
  
• Continued exploration of electric guitar:
  .
  Tharpe continued to experiment with the electric guitar throughout her career, using it in both gospel and secular contexts. She even performed on a train platform in Manchester, England, in 1964, showcasing her electric guitar prowess in a memorable performance.

Early career and gospel roots:

And we've all seen this most rock and roll guitar:

 

[bottlenecker]

There is no single point of origin, person or time. Rock and roll was a new marketing direction for music that already existed, that influenced the music that was made after. Drawing a line anywhere is arbitrary.

 

[GoldDeluxe5E3]

And we've all seen this most rock and roll guitar:

View attachment 1394887

And the Guitar on the chair in the lower right of the photo.

 

[RocknRollShakeUp]

I remember seeing a documentary once that argued that Louis Jordan was a precursor to rocknroll. I guess this was technically jump blues but it does seem that this is only a few steps from bonafide RocknRoll:
From 1945:

 

[Mike Eskimo]

And the Guitar on the chair in the lower right of the photo.

View attachment 1394907

Sister Rosetta knew

Look at her Guitar- pointed to like 2:30

And it ain’t going anywhere.

You only get that with the world’s most complicated anti-neck dive device, the sideways vibrola !

 

[tonepoet333]

Sister Rosetta knew

Look at her Guitar- pointed to like 2:30

And it ain’t going anywhere.

You only get that with the world’s most complicated anti-neck dive device, the sideways vibrola !

and she has the strap attached above the nut like you might an acoustic guitar.

tonepoet
www.jackshiner.com

 

[Telekat 100]

I think and I’ve thought a lot about this that as others have said there’s no real start. But Rock around the clock is where you can say it arrived.

That's when it arrived in middle class suburban living rooms. Even though it existed prior.

I don't think rock n roll had a definitive "beginning" year. It was and is a gradual evolution. Anything else is strictly for marketing purposes.

 

[Telekat 100]

12,000 screaming Japanese fans would hasten to tell you that it began on April 28, 1978.

I didn't know that many Japanese were thrilled Afghan president Mohammad Daoud Khan was overthrown. Go figure.

 

[Sparky2]

I didn't know that many Japanese were thrilled Afghan president Mohammad Daoud Khan was overthrown. Go figure.

The Japanese are a very odd people sometimes.