50s Rock and Roll Era
tagStarted 1954Peak 1955-1959Last big hit 1960From United States
Located in 1 route
The original rock and roll explosion: slapback-echo vocals, walking upright bass, boogie-woogie piano, twangy electric guitar and a driving backbeat fusing R&B and country. Mono singles, two-minute jolts of teenage energy — hiccupping rockabilly, duck-walking guitar leads and saxophone honk that birthed the entire genre.
History
Crystallizing around 1954-55 as Sun Records' rockabilly and Chuck Berry's Chess sides fused black R&B with white country, rock and roll swept American teens via Elvis Presley's stardom. Berry, Little Richard and Buddy Holly defined the form before 1959-60 setbacks (Holly's death, Elvis's draft) cooled the first wave.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll
- https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-and-roll-early-style-of-rock-music
- https://www.history.com/topics/1950s/1950s-rock-and-roll