Rock music : definition and creation

Hi there!

Each of us can claim they’ve used or heard the word “rock n’roll” or “rock music”. But do we know what that means? How and who created it?

Let’s have a look!

DISCLAIMER: This post is based on some of my knowledge and is backed up and supplemented by research done before its writing. You can find the sources at the bottom of the page.

WARNING: the use of the words “Black” and “White” in my post are not racist, or prejudicial. I don’t want to disrespect anyone.

WHAT’S ROCK MUSIC ?

When I checked in the Oxford Learner’s dictionaries, rock music is: “a type of loud popular music, developed in the 1960s, with a strong beat played on electric guitars and drums“. There you go! You’re welcome.

I hope you don’t stick to this definition, because I don’t! Let me explain to you a little more about rock music.

Rock is a musical genre born far from the framework of any academic teaching. At first, it was a bit like «uncultivated peasant music». Great right?

It is the meeting between different genres of music from various cultures including blues, rhythm and blues (mix of jazz and blues), gospel, and country. I’ll talk about it more deeply in this post.
Basically, musicians took the predominant presence of the guitar and then speed the rhythm.

Then, rock music has evolved again and again to lead to a lot of different categories of rock and then metal music.

PS: I’m going to talk about those various kinds of rock and metal in upcoming posts

WHO CREATED ROCK MUSIC?

Well, the official story is this one.

On July 5, 1954, three young men named Elvis Presley (singer), Scotty Moore (guitarist), and Bill Black (bassist) walked into the studio to initially record some pop cover. They keep making recordings without success. Then, during a break between two recordings, Elvis started a cover of a song written by bluesman Arthur Crudup named That’s Allright. This was a huge success! Two weeks later, they returned to the studio to record a second cover, this time of a bluegrass song, Blue Moon Of Kentucky. That’s how the legend of Elvis, the King, was born.

This is all very well, but did Elvis invent something?…
The answer is NO. He just picked up some hits that we suggested to him, or that he liked, and then he adapted them with a more contemporary sound and a faster rhythm. These aspects may give the impression that he is the creator, but he’s actually not.

However, he has contributed greatly to the spread of rock music.

I’d like to compare this to putting a filter on a picture to make it look better and pretend it’s your own when it’s not your pic in the first place…

PS : to be clear with the King’s fans, I have no problem with Elvis Presley. I’m just exposing facts.

WHO DID REALLY CREATE ROCK MUSIC?

We can say that several artists helped create rock n’roll music. We can mention :

Sister Rosetta Tharpe :

Before all the artists I’ll quote below who helped create rock n’roll music, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Considered the godmother of rock n’roll music even as the creator, she’s a gospel and blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. This is in one of her songs, where we’ll be able to hear a guitar solo for the first time. She’ll influence great rock n’roll figures like Chuck Berry or Little Richard.

Unfortunately forgotten for decades (like a lot of women would I say), She’ll be back in the spotlight in 2018 when all of her records came out and with her introduction to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

Louis Jordan :

Very popular in the 40s, he’s called The King of Jukebox ’cause he’s one of the rare black artists to have his name in both rhythm and blues and American pop charts.

Ex-saxophonist of the Chic Webb orchestra, his high-energy style of playing gives a “jive” sound to it. This allowed him to be considered one of the rhythm and blues and rock n’roll pioneers.

It develops some basics of the genre as :

Wild and powerful stage performances,
Lyrics full of innuendo,
And mostly, great quality of interpretations.

Caricature Louis Jordan, The King Of Jukebox

Antoine “Fats” Domino :

Caricature Fats Domino, The New Orleans rock music Rep

Singer, pianist, and songwriter, he’s the most famous New Orleans rock ‘n’ roll rep.

His first album, The Fatman, recorded in December 1949, soon inherited the title of «first rock’n’roll album». The song is part of the New Orleans tradition, as well as boogie-woogie and blues.

His features as well as his round and warm voice will influence many rhythm and blues bands.

Ike Turner

March 5, 1951, he recorded with singer and saxophonist Jackie Brenston Rocket88. Almost everything is there to make a rock’n’roll success :

Lyrics about a powerful old mobile,
A rhythm based on the eight to the bass*,
A furious saxophone,
A relentless riff,
The use of an artificially saturated guitar.

However, the song was released under the name of Jackie Benston and His Delta Cats. He wasn’t credited as a co-writer, and nothing changed in his career.

By the way, for those who don’t know Ike Turner, but know Tina Turner and think “Oh! That’s funny, they share the same name”, well, that’s because he was her ex-husband. Here you go!

Little Richard Penniman :

Caricature Little Richard, one of the rock creator

Pianist, singer-songwriter, he records his first album in 1951. In it, we can hear some typical characteristics of rock n’roll music, like :

The piano and bass are punctuated by a walking bass* that will become THE melodic phrase of rock n’roll,
The stop time (stop of the musical accompaniment) that precedes the chorus,
Minimalist lyrics,
An accompaniment including a trumpet and a saxophone section

* Eight to the bass and walking bass are explained in this post.

However, the closest one who can be credited as the “creator of rock n’roll music” is :

Bill Haley :

After being one of the first white country musicians to sing a rhythm and blues song, his transition to rock n’roll music will be done in a radical way by integrating a drummer in his band. Rock around the clock (April 1954) shows EVERY musical trait of rock n’roll :

A real band with bass/drums/guitar/piano/saxophone,
Festive lyrics,
All musical characteristics of the genre (e.g., rhythmic, riff, syncope, etc.)

Caricature Bill Haley, The Rock music creator

The success will be even bigger when the song will be taken for the film credits of the movie Blackboard Jungle, released in 1955. Thanks to the cinema, rock n’roll music has its first anthem.

WHY IS ELVIS MORE REPRESENTED AS THE ROCK AND ROLL CREATOR THAN BILL HALEY?

The recording condition

First, the answer lies in the recording condition of Bill Haley and His Comets’ title. They don’t match the image we want of rock n’roll:

The song was recorded by two famous Tin Pan Alley celebrities. (Tin Pan Alley was the name of the first popular music industry in the USA). At the time, the song lyricist was 59 and the songwriter 39. (which was considered as old for the teenagers and young adults )
It was recorded in a big firm (Decca)

Making this one a founding title of rock music is to reconsider the fact that rock is from an African-American rural genre and practiced by disadvantaged south white trash.

Bill Haley image

Then, the second part of the answer is Bill Halley himself.

The way he looked didn’t match either with what was expected of teenagers and young adults. He didn’t fit with rock music’s values. Bill Haley was 29 in 1959 (so, when you referred above, he was old), he was considered “ugly”, was married, a father, and agreed with eternal America’s values which he should be against. It was a lot, there!

You need to know that, in those days, to be black, ugly, alcoholic, vulgar, wise, or stupid was enough to compromise success. Time has changed…

Elvis makes the connection and corresponds perfectly to the image of rock. He is a kind of link between White Trash and Black people.

By being seduced by Black people’s music, he crosses borders.

What transforms Elvis as a King, it’s his capacity to personify a new social type. With his position, he redefines at the same time values of social classes, ethnicity, age, sex, and nationality.

What about Chuck Berry?

You’re gonna tell me I’m writing a post about the creation of rock and I’m not talking about Chuck Berry? Well, here I am!

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Chuck Berry is considered one of the pioneers of rock and roll and one of its greatest representatives. By mixing country, rhythm, and blues and blues, he creates his style.

His stage performances will earn him the nickname Crazy Legs. It was even copied years later by some guy called Angus Young.

Although his role is undeniable in the history of rock, he takes a lot from artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Louis Jordan.

So from my perspective, Chuck Berry, like Elvis Presley, mixes different elements already existing to do something else.

Again, I’m just stating the facts, and I really like Chuck Berry’s work.

In conclusion

What we must remember, is that several artists contributed to the creation of rock n’roll music. And ALL can be considered founders, co-founders of rock’n’roll.

I end this post with a list of artists (not as known as those above) who helped to lay the foundation of rock n’roll music.

Merle Travis : Merle’s BoogieWoogie (1947)
Frank Culey : Cole Slaw (1949)
Ralph Willis : I’m gonna rock (1949)
Amos Milburn : Bad, bad Wiskey (1950)
Billy Love : Juiced (1951)
Curley Williams : Move a little closer (1951)
Dominos : Sixty Minutes Man (1951)
Lucky Joe Almond : Gonna Rock n’Roll (1954)

Also, you can find just below the playlist where all the artists and songs I mentioned are. And don’t forget to share the post if you liked it or if you think it might interest someone you know!

Spotify Playlist

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !