First Rock n Roll Song

2,371 Views | 21 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by Aust Ag
Macarthur
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The Chuck Berry thread is great and it brought up a great thought in my mind about what is the first rock n roll song.

I've some reference Mabeline 1955

I've also seen several in the 40s listed:

That's all right Mamma 1946 listed
Good rocking tonight 48
Rocket 88 51

I've also seen some reference Hank w/ Move it on Over 1947




Zombie Jon Snow
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AG
It's Thats All Right Mama but not the Crudup version in 1946....the Elvis version in 1954 just called That's All Right.

Rock and Roll's dominant feature is guitar. And rock and roll drew heavily from R&B and even standard blues but not jazz.

All predecessors to the claim were not guitar oriented enough to be rock and roll and were much more R&B often with jazz influences and lots of horns/etc.

1946 That's All Right - Arthur Crudup was slower and featured brass and horns and piano.
1948 Good Rockin Tonight - Wynonie Harris again more bluesy and sax oriented
1949 Rock This Joint Jimmy Preston and his Prestonians again too much jazz/blues and horns.
1951 Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston again too much jazz and horns and piano


The Elvis version of That's All right features rhythm guitar, lead guitar and slap bass. Minus the drums thats the modern formation of rock and roll. No horns, no jazz style, and the vocals are less blues and more rockabilly.


To me all those others were parents to rock and roll....they influenced it and him....but Elvis was the birth of it.


Ironically the recording was during a session break and Elvis was just messing around with the tune, playing it faster and the others joined in. The producer/engineer came in and had them restart and recorded it.


62strat
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AG
All right, well I guess we can close the file on that one.

Rex Racer
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AG
I have widely heard "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and his Comets (released May 20, 1954) referred to as the first Rock and Roll song. But it's one of those things that is subjective.
AggieOO
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This thread makes me miss FAST FRED.
PLUM LOCO
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AG
Elvis's version of "That's All Right" was the first song that came to my mind.
Scotch
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AG
There is a huge argument for Elvis' "That's Alright" if looking for a "Big Bang", but it's tough to say where the influences end and rock'n'roll begins. I'm fine with the thinking there is no single "first" record.

The term Rock and Roll was used in song years before, and had they come out later (1955 onward), I'd bet a few of the preceding candidates would be considered "rock enough" to count.









Macarthur
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Zombie Jon Snow said:

It's Thats All Right Mama but not the Crudup version in 1946....the Elvis version in 1954 just called That's All Right.

Rock and Roll's dominant feature is guitar. And rock and roll drew heavily from R&B and even standard blues but not jazz.

All predecessors to the claim were not guitar oriented enough to be rock and roll and were much more R&B often with jazz influences and lots of horns/etc.

1946 That's All Right - Arthur Crudup was slower and featured brass and horns and piano.
1948 Good Rockin Tonight - Wynonie Harris again more bluesy and sax oriented
1949 Rock This Joint Jimmy Preston and his Prestonians again too much jazz/blues and horns.
1951 Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston again too much jazz and horns and piano


The Elvis version of That's All right features rhythm guitar, lead guitar and slap bass. Minus the drums thats the modern formation of rock and roll. No horns, no jazz style, and the vocals are less blues and more rockabilly.


To me all those others were parents to rock and roll....they influenced it and him....but Elvis was the birth of it.


Ironically the recording was during a session break and Elvis was just messing around with the tune, playing it faster and the others joined in. The producer/engineer came in and had them restart and recorded it.




While I agree that rock is mostly guitar driven, I have yet to see anything that waits as late as Elvis. There is no question Elvis was the spark, but I'm not sure I agree that it was birthed by Elvis.
PLUM LOCO
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AG
I do not believe Elvis was the birth but he came along and put it into a package.

I remember some tunes from Jimmie Rogers in the '40's that were getting very close to "blending" the sound that became R&R.
Philo B 93
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Its probably better to assume that the first Rock and Roll song wasn't a single song, but a series of songs that all form the birth of the genre. Nobody declared in 195x that "this is the first song of a new genre I call Rock and Roll". It evolved, and against our will, its still evolving.

An Ag in CO
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The Elvis Presley quote:

Quote:

A lot of people seem to think I started this business, but rock 'n' roll was here a long time before I came along.
WestAustinAg
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AG
If a song was singing about Rock and Roll or Rock and Rolling it is safe to say it was a part of early Rock and Roll. There were about 15 songs on the old pre-50 Youtube video that sang about Rock and Roll. That is amazing that the term was created in the 30's and 40's.
Bottlehead90
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AG
Elvis and "that's alright " were not the first but it made the music industry stand up and notice how marketable the genre could be
Zombie Jon Snow
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WestAustinAg said:

If a song was singing about Rock and Roll or Rock and Rolling it is safe to say it was a part of early Rock and Roll. There were about 15 songs on the old pre-50 Youtube video that sang about Rock and Roll. That is amazing that the term was created in the 30's and 40's.

so a jazz song, purely jazz instruments and style that had lyrics saying rock and roll would be a rock song????

i don't think so.


Elvis was the birth of Rock and Roll. Period. Everything before was influences or seeds that finally sprouted or was born with him in 1954.

But until it was comprised of rock instrumentation and rock or rockabilly singing style at least it was just more rocking versions of jazz, blues, R&B, etc.

The term rock and roll was actually something that came after the fact anyway - it wasn't because songs had those words.

And I say that as person who is NOT an Elvis aficionado. But I recognize when a unique sound and style was originated.
Bottlehead90
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AG
An interesting read is "how the Beatles destroyed rock n roll" by Elijah Wald

Despite the title it is a thorough history of pop music through all the technological innovations and how they changed popular music. And he does explain how the Beatles destroyed rock n roll (although he is not a Beatles hater. )

jeffag02
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Bill Haley died a bitter man towards the rock community for not being credited as much as he should be for helping start the rock n roll movement. Elvis was an opening act for Bill Haley when Rock Around the Clock was really climbing up the charts. Ironically Bill Haley and the Comets sorta stumbled into the rock scene by accident by varying tempos and rhythms of songs and it sorta just caught on with younger crowds.
Bruce Almighty
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Zombie Jon Snow said:

WestAustinAg said:

If a song was singing about Rock and Roll or Rock and Rolling it is safe to say it was a part of early Rock and Roll. There were about 15 songs on the old pre-50 Youtube video that sang about Rock and Roll. That is amazing that the term was created in the 30's and 40's.

so a jazz song, purely jazz instruments and style that had lyrics saying rock and roll would be a rock song????

i don't think so.


Elvis was the birth of Rock and Roll. Period. Everything before was influences or seeds that finally sprouted or was born with him in 1954.

But until it was comprised of rock instrumentation and rock or rockabilly singing style at least it was just more rocking versions of jazz, blues, R&B, etc.

The term rock and roll was actually something that came after the fact anyway - it wasn't because songs had those words.

And I say that as person who is NOT an Elvis aficionado. But I recognize when a unique sound and style was originated.
Explain to me how Crazy Man, Crazy or Rock Around the Clock are not rock n roll songs.
jbanda
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AG
Sidebar: troubled as he was, Bill Haley passed away at his home in Harlingen, TX, which is also my home town. His house was one street over from my grandparents' house.
Philo B 93
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jbanda said:

Sidebar: troubled as he was, Bill Haley passed away at his home in Harlingen, TX, which is also my home town. His house was one street over from my grandparents' house.


I've read about his final days. It's a sad story that brought me down a little. It's one of the reasons I decided not to be a Rock legend.
WestAustinAg
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AG
Lots of Rock n Rock had some brass. Rock is a branch of blues, jazz and country - it's driving beat and rapid pace exemplifies Rock as much or more than the guitar.

So there are many songs that cross over into rock before Elvis. Elvis starts nothing but mass acceptance of already well-established rock into mainstream (white) audiences.
Aust Ag
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AG
The Music TexAgs All-Stars came out on this one, and all good post. And not one stupid post, or "I hate (fill in the blank)" post that is just someones attempt to derail or troll. I think the subject matter weeded them out.

My take is, and this is just from what I always thought (no research), is that Bill Haley had the first real R&R song, and the only reason he wasn't bigger is because he did not look like a star, and was quickly overshadowed by the (white) guy that looked like a star maybe more than anyone else in history.

But....to give Chuck Berry his due here, he might be the most influential of all the early pioneers. And not a mention yet of Little Richard's "Tuiti Fruiti" in '55 and Bo Diddley, who appeared on Ed Sullivan in '55.
Rocagnante
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I hate Elvis.
Aust Ag
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Ha Ha!!
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