Proto-Rock
tagStarted 1947Peak 1949-1954Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
The pre-1954 records that contain rock's DNA before the genre had a name: jump-blues shuffles, boogie bass, gospel-shout vocals and the first hard backbeats, occasionally with an early distorted or amplified guitar. Rawer and more jazz- and blues-bound than the teen hits to come, these sides supplied the rhythm, attitude and instrumentation rock would crystallize.
History
In the late 1940s and early '50s, R&B and jump artists cut records widely cited as rock's first sparks. Many point to Jackie Brenston's 'Rocket 88' (1951), recorded at Sun, as a contender for 'first rock and roll record,' with its distorted guitar amp. Goree Carter, Wild Bill Moore and Big Joe Turner laid groundwork that the 1954-55 boom would name and sell.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_rock_and_roll
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88_(song)
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/rock-roll-ma0000004433