Rock and Roll

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Rock and Roll

One of the most important forces in American culture, rock and roll emerged in the early 1950s as the merger of several styles of black popular music and white popular music, some reaching back into the nineteenth century and before. The two most important of these styles were black rhythm and blues (R&B; see entry under 1940s—Music in volume 3) music and white country music (see entry under 1940s—Music in volume 3). When they came together in the early 1950s, rock and roll was born. From its beginnings, however, rock and roll was more than just music—it was an attitude of youthful rebellion that expressed itself in music, fashion, art, film, and in many other aspects of American culture. Few forms of popular culture have been as influential.

Although the origins of rock and roll go back into the distant past well before the Civil War (1861–65), the merger of R&B music and country music that began in the late 1940s is the most influential. Prior to the late 1940s, these traditions had existed in largely separate worlds for many generations. By the 1940s, they had begun to cross racial and musical lines and influence each other. After World War II (1939–45) especially, record company executives began to deliberately combine the two kinds of music. For example, Syd Nathan (1904-1968) at King Records in Cincinnati, Ohio, recorded both white country and black R&B musicians. Nathan felt that if a rhythm and blues song proved successful in the black record market, why not have a white singer record it in a country style to sell to whites? The formula proved successful. Nathan was not alone in doing this kind of switch, and soon artists from both styles were learning from each others' music.

Another factor that helped in the creation of rock and roll was radio (see entry under 1920s—TV and Radio in volume 2). Radio waves do not know about racial barriers. They will go into anyone's radio anytime. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, young listeners began to tune in to both white country stations and black R&B stations. It was only a matter of time before someone blended the two formats.

Although he was not the first person to play what would become rock and roll, Elvis Presley (1935–1977; see entry under 1950s—Music in volume 3), a young singer from Memphis, Tennessee, was the first person to make the merger of these two styles a huge success. At Sun Records, owner Sam Phillips (1923–) was recording both black and white musicians, much like Nathan was doing at King Records. Phillips realized that if he could find a white singer to sing black R&B music, he would have a star on his hands. Elvis was that singer. Elvis brought his love for black R&B and his deep roots in country music

together in a winning formula. His early records, including "Mystery Train" and "That's Alright," had both the gutsy flavor of R&B music and the twang of country music. When Elvis moved to RCA Records and released such songs as "Jailhouse Rock," "Heartbreak Hotel," and "Hound Dog," he popularized rock even further. After Elvis, a number of other important artists made rock into a distinct form in the 1950s. The most notable of these artists were Chuck Berry (1926–), Buddy Holly (1936–1959), Bill Haley (1925–1981) and the Comets, Gene Vincent (1935–1971), and Eddie Cochran (1938–1960).

By late 1959, Presley was in the army, Holly had died in a plane accident, and rock had gone into a bit of a decline. But in 1964, rock and roll revived with the so-called British Invasion, led by the Beatles (see entry under 1960s—Music in volume 4). The British rock scene included such important rock groups as the Rolling Stones (see entry under 1960s—Music in volume 4), the Who, and the Kinks. The Beatles, who grew up listening to the early rock pioneers such as Presley, Holly, and Berry, reshaped the music. The "Fab Four" wrote their own songs, developed their own look, and created a huge sensation wherever they went. The Beatles were also largely responsible for taking rock and roll beyond the teenage themes of young love. In the mid-1960s, they began writing songs on more mature topics and pushing the sound of rock in radically new directions. Their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band redefined what rock music could be with a concept album organized around a theme and music that used many new sounds. The 1960s saw rock move in a number of directions. There was surf music, led by the Beach Boys (see entry under 1960s—Music in volume 4), psychedelic rock led by Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970) and the Jefferson Airplane, and visionary rock artists such as Bob Dylan (1941–; see entry under 1960s— Music in volume 4).

By the 1970s, rock and roll was established as the major force in American music, eclipsing all other forms in popularity and record sales. The 1970s also saw rock fragment into a number of different directions, from the soft pop-rock of such musicians as the Eagles, James Taylor (1948–), and Joni Mitchell (1943–); to the music of such hard rockers as Alice Cooper (1948–), Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin ; to the punk (see these entries under 1970s—Music in volume 4) rock movement of such bands as the Ramones, the Sex Pistols (see entry under 1970s—Music in volume 4), and the Clash; and towards the end of the decade, New Wave as practiced by Talking Heads, Blondie, and another Elvis—Elvis Costello (1955–). These variety of styles proved that rock and roll could be many things to many people.

Rock continued to grow as a commercial presence in the 1980s and 1990s. Those decades saw a number of innovations. In the 1980s, there were more traditional rock acts like Journey and Foreigner; more eclectic British pop-rock acts such as Culture Club, Duran Duran, and the Eurythmics; and solo superstars such as Madonna (1958–; see entry under 1980s—Music in volume 5). In the 1990s, the alternative rock (see entry under 1990s—Music in volume 5) movement, led in part by such groups as Pearl Jam and Nirvana (see entry under 1990s—Music in volume 5), sprang up to challenge the self-satisfaction of 1980's rock. By the end of the 1990s, some of rock's greatest names from the past, such as Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and former Beatle Paul McCartney (1942–), continued to make viable music right alongside talented newcomers. By the end of the century, it seemed that rock and roll, although a simple musical style in many ways, was in reality an endlessly inventive form of music with an enduring cultural impact.

—Timothy Berg