History of Rock and Roll
Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States in the early to mid-1950s. It derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlier blues, boogie woogie, jazz and swing music, and was also influenced by gospel, country and western, and traditional folk music. Rock and roll in turn provided the main basis for the music that, since the mid-1960s, has been generally known simply as rock music.
The phrase rocking and rolling originally described the movement of a ship on the ocean, but it was used by the early twentieth century, both to describe a spiritual fervor and as a sexual analogy. Various gospel, blues and swing recordings used the phrase before it became used more frequently – but still intermittently – in the late 1930s and 1940s, principally on recordings and in reviews of what became known as rhythm and blues music aimed at a black audience.
In 1951, Cleveland-based disc jockey Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the term rock and roll to describe it. Attribution: Wikipedia Courtesy of King Rose Archives
Alan Freed was the most influential DJ in the 1950s who's said to have coined the term, "rock 'n roll." Which is why the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Museum is located where he got his start -- in Cleveland.
Alan Freed took a job at a local radio station ostensibly to cater to African Americans but the music he played resonated with an increasingly white audience. His career soared as rock n roll caught on. Freed was eventually hounded by Congress and the New York DA and his career was ruined. More Bio at Alan Freed official website.
Rock and roll music emerged from the wide variety of musical genres that existed in the U.S. in the first half of the 20th century, among different ethnic and social groups.
Each genre developed over time through changing fashion and innovation, and each one exchanged ideas and stylistic elements with all the others.
The greatest contribution came from the musical traditions of America's black population, with an ancient heritage of oral storytelling through music of African origin, usually with strong rhythmic elements, with frequent use of "blue notes" and often using a "call and response" vocal pattern.
"Rock 'n' roll was an inevitable outgrowth of the social and musical interactions between young blacks and whites in America. Its roots are a complex tangle.
This Day in Rock and Roll
This ten-part series explores the musical styles, influences, and complex creative processes that have allowed rock to endure, its renegade beginnings in the 1950s
to the 1990s:
Rock and Roll - WGBH Openvault
This ten-part series explores the musical styles, influences, and complex creative processes that have allowed rock to endure, from its renegade beginnings in the 1950s to the 1990s.
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