The Birth and Evolution of Modern Popular Music 1951 to 1999

**  a work in progress…

Rock and Roll Origin: 1951

A  great advance in American civil liberties, as well as a revolution in music, took place as a result of the introduction of rock and roll in 1951. Alan Freed, a disc jockey in Cleveland, used the term to undermine the segregation of popular music into black and white. African-American popular music of the day, known as rhythm and blues, was increasingly influential, but radio stations and the record industry insisted on having white performers for white audiences. The only way a song composed and performed by blacks could reach a wider audience was for it to be remade by a white group.

Freed was able to get around the prohibition against Afro-American music on his radio station by coining a the new all-encompassing term, Rock and Roll. He wouldn’t fight to play the forbidden rhythm and blues; instead, he would treat his audiences to what he called rock and roll. And while that term did not end music segregation overnight, it eventually made segregation impossible, as both black and white performers took up the phrase and together developed the new rock and roll.  By the mid-1960s the triumph of rock and roll was so complete that the name of the genre, now performed by musicians of all races all over the world, shrank to rock.

Freed did not actually invent rock and roll; he just gave it a new definition. Freed probably picked up rock and roll from the lyrics of a 1948 rhythm-and-blues hit called “Good Rockin’ Tonight.” Before that, both rock and roll had sexual meanings in jazz and blues, as in “My Man Rocks Me with One Steady Roll,” recorded by Trixie Smith in 1922, which inspired Bill Haley’s famous “Rock Around the Clock” in 1954.  From Answers.com

I’m hoping to put together a representative list of the evolution of Rock and Roll. From it’s embryonic stage right through to the end of the Twentieth Century – The Era of Rock. (we are not complete yet – hope you can come back over the next few weeks as I piece this together).  For each year I’ll try and include at least 1 song from Billboard’s Top 10  (except for the early fifties where the record industry was still dominated by white crooners) and for a few years I’ll select 1 other song that represents the times. I’ll try to not take the easy way out and just select the biggest hit or the biggest band but select something that defines the age – with a slant towards the very early days of important bands/performers. * Chart numbers come from Billboard’s Top 100 – Thanks to Longbored Surfer for compiling these in a great format.

1951

As mentioned above Rock and Roll became mainstream when white performers started recording Rhythm and Blues tunes. But if you want to know where rock really started we need to look just a few years before the likes of Elvis and Bill Haley. The Swallows are a great example of the birth of rock and roll..

As we are trying to track the evolution of Rock music we need to look at the innovators and Rock is pretty much defined by the electric guitar. We must pay homage to The Great pioneer in solid body electric guitars as well as an early innovator in multi-track recordings – Les Paul. We see both in this 1940′s jazz standard that made it to # 3 on the charts in 1951. A little piece of trivia is that How High the Moon was the first song the Beatles played at the Cavern Club.

1952

Regarded as the first ever rock and roll concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball finished before it got a chance to start. With a capacity of about 10 000 the Cleveland Arena was unable to handle the over 20 000 people that tried to get in. The police shut it down in the early stages of the show.

Bill Haley came onto the scene hand in hand with the birth of rock and roll. With his first rock and roll recordings beginning in 1951 we led the way. Here is Rocking Chair on the Moon from 1952.

1953

Somebody who doesn’t get enough mainstream credit as a progenitor of rock and roll is Ella Mae Morse. She’s simply fantastic.

Another fella playing what could be called rock and roll all the way back into the forties was Antione ‘Fats’ Domino. Here’s what Elvis had to say about the origins of Rock and the suggestion that his recoding of That’s Alright Mama was rock and roll’s first record. “A lot of people seem to think I started this business,” Elvis explained, “but rock ’n’ roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Let’s face it; I can’t sing it like Fats Domino can. I know that.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSmWA_9xiec&feature=related

As rock continues to search for its big ‘crossover’ star ( a killer app to use today’s jargon) Bill Haley releases more great music like Crazy Man, Crazy and R & B musicians do what they’ve always been doing. Listen to this once and you’ll never forget it – the incomparable Ray Charles

1954

Although, as mentioned above, Alan Freed is credited with coining the term Rock and Roll it would be more accurate to say that he ‘popularized’ it. Rock ‘n Roll had been playing by guys like the Trenier brothers going back to the 40′s. The Treniers are also the first rock and roll performers to appear on National TV (with Martin and Lewis in 1954). By Milt Trenier’s account they also had an influence on Bill Haley (who went on to influence the country).

1955

Rock and Roll begins to make an appearance on Billboard’s Top 10 with Rock Around The Clock finishing at #2.

1956

1956 is the year that Rock and Roll made its grand entrance into mainstream culture thanks to a man with an ear for talent named Sam Philips. Philips understood the need for the killer app – a white guy doing black music. But where on earth could he find the perfect crossover talent? Well he walked right into Mr. Philips studios – Sun Records – back in 1954. It took a couple of years of working, promoting but by the end of 56 record companies were fighting to sign him. RCA won the fight and when they released his records in early 56 there was no stopping the Rock and Roll freight train that was Elvis Presley. 5 of top 15 songs on Billboard’s Charts had his name on them. The following year he owned 4 of the top 16. It’s time for Perry Como, Pat Boone and the crooners to make way for Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Diamonds, The Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry and more…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2PytIb1XSI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxrsv0pcRoE&feature=related

Bill Haley becomes the first International Rock Star with his trips to Europe, Australia, South America. Here’s the band in London doing their UK #4 hit Rip it Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVzwQgxbq_Q&feature=related

1957

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt02zuoxGj4&feature=related

1959

The Isley Brothers – The only ones to Chart in 6 separate decades.

1961

1967

The ever connected world of Rock and Roll. Here are the Easybeats doing Friday On My Mind. Easybeats had a lead singer by the name of Stevie Wright who went on to sing the rock classic Evie. Evie was co-written (as was Friday on my Mind) by 2 Easybeat band mates Harry Vanda and George Young. A few years later George Young went off and helped to make the biggest selling album by any band in history – Back in Black. You see George (you may know his brother Angus) started up a band a few years after the Easybeats called AC/DC.

Almost all great stories have memorable characters. The story of rock and roll has a full, diverse, unforgettable cast. We all know them – Elvis, John Lennon, Elton John, Mick Jagger. Many of them defined their era but none more so than the independent, poetic, majestic, messed up mind of Jim Morrrison – a perfect reflection of the experimental late sixties.

1972

Ronnie Lane formed Faces with most of the members of Small Faces – they added a fellow named Rod Stewart and a young guitarist named Ronnie Wood. Lane (who also co-wrote Itchycoo Park) is seen on bass.  Kenney Jones was the Faces drummer (also the drummer on The Who’s Tommy soundtrack) and Ian McLagan was on keyboards (he went on to be a session player with Springsteen,Bob Dylan and Jackson Browne to name a few) while Wood moved on to a band called The Rolling Stones.

1973

1981

The early eighties saw the emergence of New Wave. Bands like the Smiths, OMD, XTC, Simple Minds all had strong, memerable sounds but none could keep up, arguably no band ever,  with changing times like U2. 25 years later they still produce relevant music. To put things in perspective, 25 years in the other direction, Elvis had his first hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwHq5iipazw&feature=PlayList&p=C620B75067FB8156&index=0&playnext=1

1983

I had to include this clip not only because in ’83 The Police were the biggest band in the world but because I’m in this clip, if only for a second (44 sec. mark with a black t-shirt, enjoying the show with my old friend Nita). This charted in 1984 at #85

1984

Bruce Springsteen regained his status of the new King of Rock n Roll with his massive Born in the USA album. I was lucky enough to see him in concert and this tune is a perfect example of what can be expected at one of his performances – one of the best I have ever seen!