Rock N Roll
When Jackie Brenston recorded "Rocket 88" on the Chess Label, it became a number one hit on the R&B chart in 1951. This version was an indication of what the sound of rock 'n' roll would be. Some music theorist referred to it as being the first rock 'n' roll record. Alan Freed, a white disc jockey from Cleveland, Ohio who later moved his operations to New York, was credited for coining the phrase Rock 'N' Roll. Rhythm and blues and country-western styles became the main ingredients for rock music.
The official date of rock 'n' roll's beginning was in 1955, when "Rock Around the Clock" was recorded by Bill Haley and the Cornets. The song was introduced as the principle theme music in the picture "Blackboard Jungle." The record became an instrumental success with its popularity in the United States and Europe. There were however, similar types of "rock" music that were recorded by Bill Haley and the Coments, such as "Crazy, Man, Crazy" in 1953 and "Dim Dim the Lights," in 1954. Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," "Gee" by the Crow, "ShBoom" by the Chords and the Midnighter's "Work With Me Annie." But what made "Rock Around The Clock" the turning point for rock 'n' roll was the major record company's involvement in the 'new' music craze and began to inundate the white record buying public in America and Europe.
The format for "rock" music was the typical twelve bar blues pattern with several improvised chorus' of the theme by an instrumentalist, usually a saxophone or a trumpet, in addition to the solo singer or a vocal group. The rock 'n' roll era gave the black artists the opportunity to get exposure in the white market. There were Chuck Berry's "Maybelline," Tutti Frutti," by Little Richard. Bo Diddley's version of "Bo Diddley," Earth Angel," by the Penguins and the "Great Pretender" by the Platters. Then in 1956, Elvis Presley stole the spot light away from all other artists with successful recordings of "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Love Me Tender," and "Blue Suede Shoes." In 1957, it was "Jailhouse Rock," "All Shook Up," and "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear."
