Rock 'N' Roll Artists: 50s - 1962

Well, if we wanna be chronological, we kind'a have to start with Bill Haley and the Comets. "Rock Around the Clock," the theme song from the movie Blackboard Jungle, was the first big R&R hit, as I recall. At least I don't think any rock number had ever hit the top 40 Hit Parade before.

Merry Andrew
You may be right. Some historians credit Fats Domino's THE FAT MAN as being the first true rock song. But I have listened to enough music of the time to believe dozens of recordings were in a transitional phase at the same time.
However, I will go along with your criteria: first to break into the top 40.

Thanks for your vote of confidence, Edgar. For a while, in the 50s, it was a very thin line between rhythm & blues and rock & roll. A lot of early stuff can qualify for either category. But Haley and the Comets were definitely Rock, no question of ambiguity there.

Where do Les Paul and Mary Ford come in? I'd add their contributions to the vase of buds forming the rock n roll bouquet.

Another question, what criteria distinguishes the early rockers from folk musicians and the blues genre?

Hmm, I see Merry has already mentioned the question. Shall we agree on some criteria?

One of my favorites as a kid was "Earth Angel". Here's some interesting facts about the song:

http://www.history-of-rock.com/DooWopSound.htm

You also will find this interesting:

http://www.history-of-rock.com/numberonerecord.htm

Earth Angel was written by Jesse Belvin, who became a one hit wonder with another Belvin composition: Good Night My Love. I love his voice. But he did not get a chance to develop further as an artist - He and his wife died in a car crash.

Les Paul is -- how would you say, part of the foundation of R&R. After all, he developed the solid body Electric Guitar. And his playing style and invovations in recording and production with techniques like double tracking are fundemental to the future developement of the music. Without him, well, who knows?

The day Elvis Presley walked through the doors of Sun Studios in Memphis to record an acetate for his mum's birthday has been hailed as the most important moment in the history of music. The 18-year old mechanic paid studio owner Sam Phillips just $3.98 for the recording of 'That's Alright' on July 5, 1954. Now, almost 50 years later, Elvis's first step to fame has topped a readers' poll of the 100 pivotal events in popular music in next month's Mojo magazine. Here's the top 20 moments and song releases that left their marks on the history of rock and roll, according to readers of the magazine:

1 Elvis Presley: The Sun Records session on July 5, 1954, which yielded That's Alright. It went on to become Elvis's first single.
2 Bob Dylan: Electric at the Newport Folk Festival, July 25, 1965
3 The Clash: Release of White Riot, March 1977
4 The Beatles: The Fab Four's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964
5 Rolling Stones: Jumpin' Jack Flash, March 12, 1968
6 Jimi Hendrix: At the Monterey Pop Festival, June 1967
7 Neil Young: Time Fades Away, September 1973
8 John Lennon: Release of Imagine, October 11, 1971
9 Nirvana: Six-day UK tour, November 21-27, 1990
10 Led Zeppelin: Release of their first LP, March 1969
11Sex Pistols: Foul-mouthed TV outburst, December 1, 1976
12 Pink Floyd: The Dark Side Of The Moon, March 1973
13 Marvin Gaye: Release of What's Going On, 1970
14 The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds released, May 7, 1966
15 Bob Marley: Gets Lee `Scratch' Perry to produce Wailers, 1970
16 Radiohead: Guitarist Jonny Greenwood sabotages Creep, 1992
17 The Velvet Under-ground: Fired from Cafe Bizarre, 1965
18 Frank Sinatra: Someone To Watch Over Me, July 1945
19 Blondie: Heart Of Glass goes to No.1 in the UK, January 1979
20 The Kinks: Their Waterloo Sunset puts London right at the centre of the Swinging Sixties, May 1967

Can't say my top 20 would be the same, what say you?

I would count the day that some of these people died too young as very pivotal... What would have become of such artists as Jimi, Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Marving Gaye, Joe Strummer, Marley and the like-- had they lived. What kind of inovations would they have brought us? Would music be any different. How would their music have evolved?

Focusing on the positive, I may not agree with all of Mojo's top 20 but it's a pretty impressive list overall, IMO. A good job of narrowing things down.

Such lists are very subjective. For instance, I believe Rock music had already gotten a hold into our music before Elvis went to Sun Records - not that I'm minimizing his impact - but, I believe the music would have evolved and grown with or without any single artist. The excitement and style of Elvis definitely influenced Rock much more than any other performer and I love him dearly.

This is a great thread subject. In 1953, the clearly pre-rock song, "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?" rose to #1 in the charts, implying that rock had not yet taken hold. In addition to Haley's song becoming a hit in 1954, Big Joe Turner had a #1 hit that year with the original version of "Shake, Rattle, and Roll."

Joe Turner 1911 - 1985

Contributed to jazz and rythm-and-blues - played a seminal role in developing Rock 'N' Roll, was a major influence on Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. Born and raised in Kansas City. Toured with Count Basie. "Roll 'Em Pete" is one of his early records. Moved to California in the late 40s, eventually signed with Atlantic Records. Had a string of hits, including "Shake Rattle and Roll" in the 50s. Plagued by bad health, continued to work. Won a grammy for album "Blues Train" recorded with Room Full of Blues.

Very interesting!

WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON -1926 - 1984

Birth: Montgomery, Alabama. Learned music in her father's church, won first place in amateur singing contest. Discovered there by Sammy Green of Atlanta; played his "Hot Harlem Review." 1948: moved to Houston. Only there a while. Did a show for Johnny Otis in early 50s. Played the Apollo in 1952. 1951: signed with Peacock Records. Recorded Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller composition of "Hound Dog." The flip of the record was "They Call Me Big Mama.' It sold over 2 million records, for which she was paid $500. Big Mama wrote and recorde "Ball and Chain," a song that was big for Janis Joplin also. Toured America and Europe. Played Monterey Jazz Festival for many years. Death by heart attack.

All really good stuff. I must admit that I had never, even remotely, connected Les Paul and Mary Ford with Rock. To me, they are a completely different genre. But, of course, you are right -- Paul's pioneering work in overdubbing his own guitar licks clearly foreshadows later developments in the Rock genre. I also didn't know that Joe Turner had ever played with Count Basie. Abother crossover artist!

Have you heard Ben E. King's last recorded songs? Straight from pre-rock days.

I've just learned that Bill Haley's Comets are still performing.
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