History Main / RockAndRoll

After this, Rock became a fusion of...well, considering the [[AlternativeRock millions]] [[HeavyMetal of]] [[ProgressiveRock different]] [[HardRock subgenres]] [[PunkRock it]] [[{{Grunge}} has]], it's a fusion of whatever you want and whatever else you want. Other genres, such as R&B and certain forms of Jazz have also been retroactively categorized as Rock 'n' Roll.

* ''One O'Clock Jump'' (1937) by Count Basie and his band. Signature instrumental song for Basie and one of the greatest hits in the Swing genre. Dance-oriented music, featuring the distinctive rhythmic style of the band and performances by Basie (piano), Buck Clayton (trumpet), Herschel Evans and Lester Young (saxophone), Freddie Green (rhythmic guitar), Jo Jones (drums), and Walter Page (bass). Set the standard for popular music for a while. Other bands adapted the song, and younger musicians strived to emulate the individual performers.

->''"That ain't no freight train that you hear''
->''Rollin' down the railroad tracks.''
->''That's a country-born piano man''
->''Playin' in-between the cracks!''

->''You say that music's for the birds''

By the end of TheFifties, the original incarnation of Rock 'n' Roll all but died, in part because of the loss of the original artists due to Elvis being drafted into the army, popular performers like Music/BuddyHolly and Music/EddieCochran dying in accidents, Music/LittleRichard abandoning the music in favor of religion, Music/JerryLeeLewis being ostracized for marrying a teenage cousin, Bill Haley focusing on middle of the road instrumental and Country music, and Chuck Berry going to jail. As the 1960s began, things weren't much better as Elvis got reduced to starring in a string of less-than-stellar films and focusing on middle-of-the-road recording outside the movies, and the Rock 'n' Roll genre in general being reduced to one novelty dance tune after another (such as The Twist). It took the Brits, previously alien towards rock, but inspired by Haley, Elvis, Berry and the others, to [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion revive it and refine its form]]; two of the best-known groups to find success taking rock and roll and giving it back to the world with a British accent were Music/TheBeatles and Music/TheRollingStones, both of whom found early success either by directly covering or writing songs directly inspired by the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Music/CarlPerkins.

By the end of TheFifties, the original incarnation of Rock 'n' Roll all but died, in part because of a form of AuthorExistenceFailure due to Elvis being drafted into the army, popular performers like Music/BuddyHolly and Music/EddieCochran dying in accidents, Music/LittleRichard abandoning the music in favor of religion, Music/JerryLeeLewis being ostracized for marrying a teenage cousin, Bill Haley focusing on middle of the road instrumental and Country music, and Chuck Berry going to jail. As the 1960s began, things weren't much better as Elvis got reduced to starring in a string of less-than-stellar films and focusing on middle-of-the-road recording outside the movies, and the Rock 'n' Roll genre in general being reduced to one novelty dance tune after another (such as The Twist). It took the Brits, previously alien towards rock, but inspired by Haley, Elvis, Berry and the others, to [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion revive it and refine its form]]; two of the best-known groups to find success taking rock and roll and giving it back to the world with a British accent were Music/TheBeatles and Music/TheRollingStones, both of whom found early success either by directly covering or writing songs directly inspired by the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Music/CarlPerkins.

** ''Music/HeresLittleRichard'' (1957)

** ''Music/ElvisPresleyTheAlbum'' (1956)
** ''Music/ElvisNBCTVSpecial'' (1968)
** ''Music/FromElvisInMemphis'' (1969)
** ''Music/HavingFunWithElvisOnStage'' (1974)
** ''Music/TheSunSessions'' (1976)

** "Music/StaggerLee" (1958)

There is no concrete definition of the genre anymore, aside from the inclusion of electric guitar and percussion [[FolkRock (and even that is debatable)]]. As noted, one of the more common definitions is the melding of R&B with Country and Western (due to this being the form of Rock 'n' Roll that first crossed racial barriers and became popular; this form is also known as {{rockabilly}}); others say Rock 'n' Roll is simply R&B under another name or (very inaccurately) that it's R&B performed by white artists (which would disqualify the many black Rock 'n' Roll pioneers). And of course that really only applies to the earliest forms of Rock 'n' Roll from the 1950s - later Rock can be linked to neither R&B nor C&W. Nor some early Rock 'n' Roll, for that matter.

There's no concrete definition of the genre anymore, aside from the inclusion of electric guitar and percussion [[FolkRock (and even that is debatable)]]. As noted, one of the more common definitions is the melding of R&B with Country & Western (due to this being the form of Rock 'n' Roll that first crossed racial barriers and became popular; this form is also known as {{rockabilly}}); others say Rock 'n' Roll is simply R&B under another name or (very inaccurately) that it's R&B performed by white artists (which would disqualify the many black Rock 'n' Roll pioneers). And of course that really only applies to the earliest forms of Rock 'n' Roll from the 1950s - later Rock can be linked to neither R&B nor C&W. Nor some early Rock 'n' Roll, for that matter.

In fact, recordings in the [[RAndB Rhythm and Blues]], [[CountryMusic Country & Western]], Dixieland {{Jazz}}, straight Jazz, gospel, and BigBand genres had incorporated elements of Rock 'n' Roll as far back as the 1920s. The term itself had also been in used since at least then, [[SexualEuphemism though not always in a musical context]].

* Music/FatsDomino

* ''That's All Right'' and ''Blue Moon of Kentucky'' (1954) by Elvis Presley. First single and debut hit by Elvis, both sides were covers of older songs by the new artist. The A side was an Arthur Crudup number, performed at a faster tempo and given a bit of country flavoring, while the B side was a Bill Monroe {{Bluegrass}} classic that was also sped up, with some R&B stylings thrown in. While it didn't make the charts, it sold 20,000 copies in the South, making it one of the first hits of the genre (though a CoverVersion of "That's All Right" by Music/MartyRobbins got to #7 on the ''Billboard'' Country chart).

* ''That's All Right'' and ''Blue Moon of Kentucky'' (1954) by Elvis Presley. First single and debut hit by Elvis, both sides were covers of older songs by the new artist. The A side was an Arthur Crudup number, performed at a faster temp and given a bit of country flavoring, while the B side was a Bill Monroe {{Bluegrass}} classic that was also sped up, with some R&B stylings thrown in. While it didn't make the charts, it sold 20,000 copies in the South, making it one of the first hits of the genre (though a CoverVersion of "That's All Right" by Music/MartyRobbins got to #7 on the ''Billboard'' Country chart).

* ''That's All Right'' and ''Blue Moon of Kentucky'' (1954) by Elvis Presley. First single and debut hit by Elvis, both sides were covers of older songs by the new artist. The A side was an Arthur Crudup number, given a bit of country flavoring, while the B side was a Bill Monroe {{Bluegrass}} classic with some R&B stylings thrown in. A regional favorite in the South, it was one of the first hits of the genre.

* ''Oh Happy Day'' (1952) by Don Howard. Considered a SoBadItsGood novelty hit at the time (sort of a Fifties equivalent of [[Music/RebeccaBlack "Friday"]]), this simple ballad by a white Cleveland teenager accompanying himself on acoustic guitar laid quite a bit of groundwork for the emergence of rock and roll, as a DIY recording released on a small independent label that nonetheless became a smash with America's youth, who found it oddly compelling ''and'' loved the fact that their parents hated the song. The song's chords were a very obvious influence on the DoowopProgression.

* ''That's All Right'' (1954) by Elvis Presley. Cover of an older song by a new artist. First single and debut hit by Elvis, and one of the first hits of the genre.

* ''I Got a Woman'' (1954) by Ray Charles. The first #1 R&B hit for Charles, he took an uptempo Gospel number ("It Must Be Jesus") and translated the rhythm (and lyrics) into a secular setting. Not only a big step forward for Rock, the song is usually considered the starting point for {{Soul}} as well. A popular choice for cover versions, it was durable enough for Music/KanyeWest to base "Gold Digger" around it six decades later.

* ''Oh Happy Day'' (1952) by Don Howard. Considered a SoBadItsGood novelty hit at the time (sort of a Fifties equivalent of [[Music/RebeccaBlack "Friday"]]), this simple ballad by a white Cleveland teenager accompanying himself on acoustic guitar laid quite a bit of groundwork for the emergence of rock and roll, as a DIY recording released on a small independent label that nonetheless became a smash with America's youth, who found it oddly compelling ''and'' loved the fact that their parents hated the song. The songs chords were a very obvious influence on the DoowopProgression.

* ''Oh Happy Day'' (1952) by Don Howard. Considered a SoBadItsGood novelty hit at the time (sort of a Fifties equivalent of [[Music/RebeccaBlack "Friday"]]), this simple ballad by a white Cleveland teenager accompanying himself on acoustic guitar laid quite a bit of groundwork for the emergence of rock and roll, as a DIY recording released on a small independent label that nonetheless became a smash with America's youth, who found it oddly compelling ''and'' loved the fact that their parents hated the song. The figure of the teen guitarist going out and doing his own idiosyncratic type of music prefigured Music/ElvisPresley, Music/BuddyHolly and many others like Music/RitchieValens (whose "Donna" was just one of many early rock ballads that were inspired by this song's chord progression).

* ''Oh Happy Day'' (1952) by Don Howard. Considered a SoBadItsGood novelty hit at the time (sort of a Fifties equivalent of [[Music/RebeccaBlack "Friday"]]), this spare ballad by a white Cleveland teenager accompanying himself on acoustic guitar laid quite a bit of groundwork for the emergence of rock and roll, as America's youth was impressed by its DIY aesthetic ''and'' loved the fact that their parents hated the song. The figure of the teen guitarist going out and doing his own idiosyncratic type of music prefigured Music/ElvisPresley, Music/BuddyHolly and many others like Music/RitchieValens (whose "Donna" was just one of many early rock ballads that were inspired by this song's chord progression).

There's no concrete definition of the genre anymore, aside from the inclusion of electric guitar and percussion [[FolkRock (and even that is debatable)]]. As noted, one of the more common definitions is the melding of R&B with Country & Western (due to this being the form of Rock 'n' Roll that first crossed racial barriers and became popular; this form is also known as rockabilly); others say Rock 'n' Roll is simply R&B under another name or (very inaccurately) that it's R&B performed by white artists (which would disqualify the many black Rock 'n' Roll pioneers). And of course that really only applies to the earliest forms of Rock 'n' Roll from the 1950s - later Rock can be linked to neither R&B nor C&W. Nor some early Rock 'n' Roll, for that matter.

* ''Rock Me Mamma'' (1944) by Arthur Crudup. A {{Blues}} song by a significant singer of the genre. The emotional lyrics performance and rhythmic guitar beat are thought influential to Rockabilly and some examples of early rock. Crudup often originated songs popularized by other artists, and was cited as a major influence on Elvis Presley.

* ''Maybellene'' (1955) by Chuck Berry. A song concerning fast cars and speed, it became the first hit by Berry and one of the first major hits of the genre, not to mention an early example (along with "Rocket 88") of the marriage between rock and roll and fast cars, as well as an example of the "rhythm and blues/country western" definition of rock and roll from the black musician's perspective. (See also Berry's "Thirty Days" from around the same time.)

* ''Good Lord'' (1934) by Austin Coleman and Joe Washington Brown, better known as ''Run Old Jeremiah''. One of the earliest recordings of a "ring shout", a traditional African-American church song. This performance included improvised, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, rhythmic singing, use of hand clapping and heel stamping to provide the beat. Along with repeated words, including "rock". Music historians have noted that it anticipated key elements of rock.