Who Created Rock and Roll?

[Jonie]

Who Created Rock and Roll, I've heard many different answers to that question from James Brown to the Beatles, to Buddy Holly, to Elvis. Personally I think the person most responsible for Rock and Roll is Les Paul who in 1941 built the first electric guitar. What do you think?

[RebeccaFog]

I go with Les Paul because without kicking electric guitars, you got nothing.

After Les, I'd have to say that rock and roll was created by many people who played in little no name clubs until it gelled and those who we know as 'the greats' took it into recording studios.

[Laura Elizabeth Jones]

I would say Elvis and Little Richard, of course you can not deny the influence of the old school blues stuff on rock n roll. Also, lets not forget the late Leo Fender and the godly Jim Marshall. Without those two guys inventing the tools that were instrumental in creating rock music everybody would still be playing acoustic guitars exclusively.

[BeverlyAnn]

Rock & Roll transcends that sort of thing.

That it does without a doubt.

Though, if backed into a corner, I would have to say Little Richard

Not even close.  Rock & Roll is actually an amalgam of several different forms of music from Blues to Gospel to Country.  If you think about it, you could say the modern day "heartthrob" singer actually dates from Frank Sinatra in the 40's.  Instead of being an invention, I would call it more of a metamorphosis and all of those mentioned made significant contributions from Buddy Holly being the first to add classical instruments (violins on "True Love Waits" long before the Moody Blues thought of it) to Chuck Berry doing things with a guitar that would make Jimi Hendrix blush to Elvis both popularizing it with the young and demonizing it with parents at the same time.  Like I said, I wouldn't call it an invention but it's been fine tuned by some GREAT musicians.

Beverly

[nancyj]

{This refers to another thread}

Know this: that the rock 'n roll is uncreated.

[cindianna_jones]

I define rock n roll as music with that beat. padum pum pah, padum pum pah.

You can play rock n roll without the 'lectrics.  I like Little Richard and Elvis for being major influences in bringing it to our attention.

With all that said, I love the lectrics!  I have far too many of them and I can't even play very well.

Cindi

[nancyj]

You can play rock n roll without the 'lectrics. 

ah huh, but if you play EG: Louie Louie on an accordian, it doesn't rock.

[Butterfly]

Rock & Roll transcends that sort of thing.

That it does without a doubt.

Though, if backed into a corner, I would have to say Little Richard

Not even close.  Rock & Roll is actually an amalgam of several different forms of music from Blues to Gospel to Country.  If you think about it, you could say the modern day heartthrob singer actually dates from Frank Sinatra in the 40s.  Instead of being an invention, I would call it more of a metamorphosis and all of those mentioned made significant contributions from Buddy Holly being the first to add classical instruments (violins on True Love Waits long before the Moody Blues thought of it) to Chuck Berry doing things with a guitar that would make Jimi Hendrix blush to Elvis both popularizing it with the young and demonizing it with parents at the same time.  Like I said, I wouldnt call it an invention but its been fine tuned by some GREAT musicians.

Beverly

Marvelous answer Beverly.  In the early-mid 50s, teenagers first got into this music that was a mix of gospel, blues and country music and was beginning to crossover to white musicians, as well as black.  I read somewhere that the DJ Alan Freed coined the expression Rock n Rol to describe this new music

[BeverlyAnn]

Alan Freed did indeed coin the phrase rock and roll.

And let's not forget the contributions of Muddy Waters.  After all, two English lads once started talking on a rail platform because one of them had a Muddy Waters album under his arm.  These two English teens?  Their names were Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Beverly

[Chaunte]

Marvelous answer Beverly.  In the early-mid 50s, teenagers first got into this music that was a mix of gospel, blues and country music and was beginning to crossover to white musicians, as well as black.  I read somewhere that the DJ Alan Freed coined the expression Rock n Rol to describe this new music

And I believe that Alan Freed got the term from the lyrics of a then hit.  Something along the lines of "My baby rock and rolls me...."

Chaunte

[nancyj]

"Rock 'n roll" in black music always referred to sex, pure and simple. Cf. Motion of the Ocean.

R 'n R cannot be said to have been 'created', much less by any individual or single group. Has anyone heard an original rock 'n roll song that didn't cop the riff in some fashion from some prior exemplar? You can't copyright the three chords of a 12-bar blues, for example.