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View Full Version : Elvis Invented Rock 'n Roll 50 Years Ago Yesterday!


dsm
07-06-2004, 08:00 AM
Or did he?

"Yesterday July 5th marks the 50th Anniversary of the Big Bang of Rock N' Roll at Sun Studio with the recording of 'That's All Right' by Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and of course Elvis Presley."

This was the type of hype I heard on the radio yesterday in Los Angeles on KLOS (and the other station to the left of the dial from KLOS). They pointed out that in 1954 Elvis started it all with "That's All Right,' and that's that. Apparently this was going on world wide with over 1000 stations playing the Elvis hit simultaneously (info on the celebration):Sun Studios 50th Anniversary Kick-off (http://www.sunstudio.com/50thanniversaryparty.htm)

There are numerous Rock-History sites that will claim the same thing:

Rock History (site) (http://www.warrensburg.k12.mo.us/soc/rock/mike.html) Here's a snip:

"Rock music is divided into two periods. The first is Rock'n'Roll. It was started by Elvis Presley in the fifties..."

While Elvis may be known as the King of Rock 'n' Roll, many consider it a stretch to anoint him the creator mixing blues, R&B, country, and even a bit of swing.

Yesterday CBS News states that, "Just two years ago, there were commemorations of the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll pegged to disc jockey Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland. Some rock historians have claimed the March 21, 1952, show as the first rock concert — the main reason the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was located there.

Other historians point to "Rocket '88," the 1951 hit written by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston, as the first rock record because of its distorted electric guitar sound."

Original 1951 Version of Rocket '88 (http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?~oo-600111/0118165_0105_00_0002.ra) Jackie Brenston vocals, and listen carefully to Ike Turner on piano in the backround, (i guess you need realPlayer to hear it. If this doesn't play for you, tell me and I'll provide the link of the site where you can scroll down and click onto it.) I read that Little Richard took Ike's opening-piano intro from this song and used it note-for-note in his hit Lucille (1957).

Rocket '88 with Ike Turner Singing (http://www.detnews.com/2001/entertainment/0105/cds/rocket88.mp3)


Some cite Fats Domino with the first rock song in 1949 called "The Fat Man", but I think this song falls into a sort of 'missing link' type category, where you have a song thats right on the crest of being a rock song, but just not quite there. Others disagree, and if i could hear the whole song, instead of this short sample, I might agree:

Scroll down a bit, it's number 2 on the list of 20 titled "The Fat Man"Fats Domino Songs (http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:1949-1951:1921862819:upc=3307510502527)

CBS NEWS also goes on to say, "Others also suggest that more so than the music, "That's All Right" was perhaps the first time that American teens — more specifically, white teens — started embracing a new style of edgy, sexy black music as their own.

"The rock 'n' roll explosion really starts when white kids were becoming immersed in black music," said historian Marc Kirkeby. "Elvis was the catalyst for that, you have to give him that credit."

Soul legend Isaac Hayes puts it more bluntly.

"You've got to think about it at a time when black music was looked down upon by whites. People like Elvis got lambasted for singing that kind of music," he said. "It took a white guy to break it. Blacks couldn't break it."

-dsm

El Barto
07-06-2004, 08:07 AM
Nobody invented Rock & Roll, it developed. Also, oftentimes too much credit is given to only one or two of its musical forebears. Classical and country are often overlooked.

In reality, all music out there can have an effect on a new style.

Lee Jones
07-07-2004, 12:35 PM
"The rock 'n' roll explosion really starts when white kids were becoming immersed in black music," said historian Marc Kirkeby. "Elvis was the catalyst for that, you have to give him that credit."

Soul legend Isaac Hayes puts it more bluntly.

"You've got to think about it at a time when black music was looked down upon by whites. People like Elvis got lambasted for singing that kind of music," he said. "It took a white guy to break it. Blacks couldn't break it."

I think that pretty much sums up the situation. I also think it's inexcusably simplistic, journalistically unconscionable, and culturally unavoidable to have somebody announce the "date of birth" of a musical style.

When did "classical" music start? When did "jazz" start?

But yes, when a white guy started performing black music, the world was never gonna be the same.

Regards, Lee
"Sex and drugs and rock n' roll"

James Boston
07-07-2004, 11:33 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I think that pretty much sums up the situation. I also think it's inexcusably simplistic, journalistically unconscionable, and culturally unavoidable to have somebody announce the "date of birth" of a musical style.

When did "classical" music start? When did "jazz" start?


[/ QUOTE ]


I agree with your point....kind of. I can't speak for classical, but I know the "invention" of jazz has been credited to an individual, although I can't remember his name. W.C. Handy is credited with inventing the blues. While these aren't "dates of birth," they do pinpoint the creation of a musical stlye. Rock N Roll might be a mixture of ingredients, but Elvis does deserve credit as the chef who first mixed them up.

dsm
07-08-2004, 01:23 AM
[ QUOTE ]
W.C. Handy is credited with inventing the blues.

[/ QUOTE ]

W.C. Handy acknowledged that he did not invent the blues but merely transcribed them and presented them to a worldwide audience, which he was able to do since he owned his own publishing business.

W.C. Hardy Biography (http://www2.una.edu/library/handy/biography.htm) (Scroll down to the last paragraph)

-dsm

MicroBob
07-08-2004, 05:27 AM
quite a bit of hype about the 50th birthday of R&R here obviously. memphis has been promoting this 50th birthday of R&R for a few months now.
they came extremely close to landing MTV's Video-Music Awards for this year as they were really pushing their connection with the 50th anniversary thing.
the VMA's are going to Miami instead but Memphis really thought they were getting them.


i thought about going down to Sun Studios on monday to take in the all-day concert celebration (i live about 3 miles away)....but i had a lot of pokering to catch up on after blowing it off over the weekend and just didn't feel like it i guess.
i also heard that justin timberlake was going to be there (he's from memphis) and i certainly didn't want to be at the same place as him at the same time.

the local news coverage of it showed justin on the same stage as isaac hayes. weird. justin was accepting some sort of award.


i enjoyed the 'true' R&R birth theories that i wasn't familiar with.
when you hear That's All Right you can't help but think 'well, i'm sure there were songs before this one that sounded at least kind of similar.'


obviously alan freed got a lot of credit with R&R's creation. and cleveland got the hall of fame (which is a pretty good museum if you've never been there).
memphis still remains pretty bitter that they didn't get the hall of fame.



the other big news around memphis is the filming of the Johnny Cash bio movie (which i think is titled I Walk The Line). a few semi-famous actors around town and i think everyone in the city but me knows someone who knows someone who was able to get them a gig as an extra in the film.

mikeyvegas
07-08-2004, 01:58 PM
[ QUOTE ]
But yes, when a white guy started performing black music, the world was never gonna be the same.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.musicomh.com/gigs/eminem-150.jpg

MicroBob
07-08-2004, 05:28 PM
uuggghhhhhh....i'm blinded....Take it Away!!! Take it Away!!!!
noooooooo!!!!

jagoff
07-09-2004, 04:27 PM
Remember that the term was coined right here in Cleveland! And for those of you who don't know "Cleveland does not ROCK" no matter what that fat ass Drew Carey says.