Where would we be without rock ‘n’ roll? The seed from which countless different artists, albums, and subgenres have been born, the rock revolution is among music’s most important and enduring. But when exactly did the age of rock first begin?
The early days of rock ‘n’ roll conjure up images of diners, classic muscle cars, and greasy hair. Stars like Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis are often cited among the first generation of rockers, and it is easy to see why. It was during their tenure, after all, that rock firmly established itself within the musical mainstream of the United States, birthing youth culture and modern pop music in the process. However, the revolutionary sounds of Elvis Presley were not formed from thin air.
One record which is routinely highlighted as the beginning of the rock explosion is ‘Rock Around The Clock’ by Bill Haley and the Comets. Admittedly, that was the first rock record to top the pop charts both in the UK and the US, alerting widespread audiences across the world to the blossoming sounds of this new musical era. However, it is difficult to cite that record as the first rock record in general, given its relatively late release date in 1954.
In reality, Haley, Presley, and every other rock and roller of that early age owed their sound to an endlessly broad range of influences. Rock ‘n’ roll, in essence, is born from a blending of blues and R&B, but there are elements of folk, country, and even bluegrass which sneak into the mix, too, particularly when taking rockabilly into account. With that in mind, can somebody like Elvis Presley really be considered the first rock and roll musician? No, absolutely not.
Even Elvis himself regularly admitted that he would be nothing were it not for the influence bestowed upon him by figures like Fats Domino. A pivotal figure in the development of rock and roll, Domino is among the most important and beloved figures in the history of R&B, and his energetic, often wild recordings played a key role in inspiring people like Presley, Lewis, and Little Richard. His 1949 recording ‘The Fat Man’, in particular, could certainly be seen as an early instance of rock and roll, but the songwriter himself was openly ambivalent toward that term.
“What they call rock ‘n’ roll now is rhythm and blues,” Fats Domino declared in 1957. “I’ve been playing it for 15 years in New Orleans.” Indeed, if you look deeper into the landscape of R&B and blues, the term ‘rock and roll’ has been kicking around since the 1920s. Blues singer Trixie Smith is credited with the first use of the rock and roll terminology, with her 1922 release ‘My Man Rocks Me (with One Steady Roll)’.
But what did the rock ‘n’ roll sound come from?
If your quest to find the first-ever rock ‘n’ roll song is purely linguistic, look no further than the incredible voice of Trixie Smith. Sonically, though, that 1922 record doesn’t bear a whole lot of resemblance to the typical sound of rock ‘n’ roll music as heard in the 1950s. The earliest origins of that particular sound owe themselves to the advent of boogie woogie, with an early example being ‘Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie’ by Clarence Smith, which hit the airwaves in 1928.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, various jug bands and skiffle outfits played a part in influencing the future sounds of rock and roll, too. However, it was Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s use of the electric guitar, blues rhythms, and rock lyricism in 1938’s ‘Rock Me’ which most resembled the later sounds of rock and roll. Indeed, Tharpe’s pioneering work went on to have a colossal impact on performers like Little Richard and Elvis Presley.
Jackie Brenston has been credited with creating the first rock and roll record on a multitude of occasions, with his 1951 recording ‘Rocket 88’ paving the way for the rock explosion which came later in that decade. While that track is utterly unavoidable in its importance to the development of the genre, it must be remembered that its recording was predated by the likes of Fats Domino and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who, as we have discussed in this article, really kicked off the rock and roll genre as we know it today.
