How Rock ‘n’ Roll Was Invented

Rock ‘n’ roll is regarded as the origin of modern pop and rock music and the root of everything that was to follow. Originating in the late 1940s and early 1950s, it initially caused a stir among frustrated young people in North America and then spread rapidly across the globe. The time was hot! 🎸

Gibson Elvis SJ-200

An outlet and a rebellious mass phenomenon

Rock ‘n’ roll was much more than just a style of music. It was a way of life for young people, a culture of protest against the social constraints and establishment of the time. Rock ‘n’ roll became the expressive outlet of an entire youth culture. On the one hand, there was a spirit of optimism and economic recovery after World War II, on the other, much of society was still stuck in prudery and conformism. The youth cared to differ. Rock ‘n’ roll began as a rebellion against social conventions and developed into a genuine mass phenomenon.

via GIPHY

America is burning: parents in shock

The generation of parents was shocked and many perceived the new youth culture as a baseless, immoral and corrupting threat to society. The previously unthinkable sexual innuendos contained in the lyrics were viewed as vulgar. No wonder, after all, as the term “rocking and rolling” was slang for intercourse. It was all about questioning the status quo, the search for personal meaning and, above all, wild, unbridled fun.

Hauptmodell Georg Harrison – Rickenbacker 360 FG Halb-Akustikgitarre

The new sense of freedom was reflected in the clothing and hairstyles. The women wore petticoats and high heels, the men dressed in jeans, tight leather jackets and pomade-laden hairstyles like the famous Elvis quiff.

The Big Bang: How it all began

In the early 1920s, the first precursors of rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the synergy of swing, country and blues. Although similar songs had been played and published before and the term first appeared on “Rock ‘n’ Roll” by the Boswell Sisters in the 1930s, it wasn’t until the early 1950s that DJ Alan Freed used it to describe a specific style of music.

“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & The Comets, which was released on 12 April 1954 and became the first international rock ‘n’ roll hit, is often seen as the “big bang” that started it all. Around a year later, the song had its global breakthrough in the film “Black Jungle” and shook up the world of popular music like nothing else before it.

Bill Haley & His Comets – Rock Around The Clock (1955) HD

Young, wild and unbridled

The young guns made the established stars look old in the truest sense of the word. Jerry Lee Lewis aggressively hammered the keys of his boogie piano and sang words like “Great Balls of Fire” that could hardly be misunderstood. Chuck Berry shot razor-sharp guitar riffs into the crowd and invented the duck walk.

Little Richard was another undisputed rock ‘n’ roll icon of the early years. Alongside these and numerous others, a certain Elvis Presley, who was actually an (albeit rather good-looking) truck driver by trade, suddenly appeared on the scene. With an incredible voice, numerous hits such as “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Tutti Frutti” and “Jailhouse Rock”, and his trademark hip shaking, he became the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock (Music Video)

The instruments in the changing face of electrification

The technical development of the instruments undoubtedly played a role in the development of rock’n’roll that should not be underestimated. It was the time when the first electric guitars became suitable for the stage thanks to the built-in pickups and could be sent directly through the speakers and amplifiers, which were also slowly getting bigger, without microphones.

Gibson ES-335 Dot 60s Cherry

Most electric guitars were hollow bodies, such as the ES-335 or ES-355 from Gibson, which were already popular in blues at the time, and the models from Hagstrom, Gretsch and Co. The sound systems were not even remotely comparable to those of today’s PAs; so the sound came mostly from the backline, which was usually equipped with all-tube amplifiers from stacks to combos.

Gibson 1959 ES-355 Reissue

The result was the not at all digital club sound that many people today call vintage or retro and that they would like to have back. Suddenly it was possible to play comparatively loudly for the times. And the bands took full advantage of this, much to the chagrin of their parents’ generation. The instruments also made it possible with less feedback due to their construction.

Hagstrom ’67 Viking II WCT

An era of many stars

Epiphone 1959 ES-355 Cherry Red VOS

Any attempt to list all the stars of rock ‘n’ roll is bound to fail, as there were so many popular acts at the time. Among the standouts are, for example, Roy Orbison with the unforgettable “Pretty Woman”, Carl Perkins with “Blue Suede Shoes”, Buddy Holly with “Peggy Sue”, or the Beach Boys with their incredible vocal harmonies in “Barbara Ann”. Around 1960 – the rock ‘n’ roll bandwagon had long since picked up speed – the music became increasingly commercialized and accepted as a mainstream phenomenon. The bands and solo acts continued to churn out evergreens like a factory. It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that the wave slowly ebbed away and the original rock ‘n’ roll diversified into beat music, soul, pop and rock.

Buddy Holly & The Crickets – “Peggy Sue” on The Ed Sullivan Show

The musical secret of rock ‘n’ roll

Above all, the music was danceable and catchy. With the exception of the highly emotional ballads, rock ‘n’ roll songs were characterized by an uninhibited energy that embodied the unrestrained lifestyle. Often based on relatively simple chords and catchy melodies that stuck in your head and made you want to sing along, rock ‘n’ roll hits were really written for the fans. Commerce had no negative connotations, quite the opposite.

Beatles Bass: Höfner Ignition SE

And when the established labels finally realized that they were about to miss out on a major trend, they cautiously gave up their resistance and began throwing an endless string of rock ‘n’ roll songs onto the market. The generation of parents still didn’t quite agree, but the money was “rock ‘n’ rolling” in.

When rock ‘n’ roll slowly faded away

It didn’t take long until the rebellious spirit of the early years began to fade away and the rock ’n’ roll hype slowly began to decline. Elvis temporarily lost his glamour and joined the military. Many stars died far too young, such as Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in a plane crash and the highly talented Eddie Cochran in a car accident.

The Beatles stepped into the limelight and served up English beat music, while the Rolling Stones, as a kind of counterpart, focussed more on rhythm and blues. Harder styles of music also began to develop, perhaps as a counter-movement to the unprecedented and highly commercialized Beatlemania.

Höfner Höfner H500/1-63-60th Anni II

If your parents don’t like it, it’s good!

The fact that classic rock ‘n’ roll was above all a way of life is evident in that the term continues to be used by musicians and non-musicians of later generations as an expression of a certain attitude: “It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, but I like it!”

Gretsch G6128T-53 VS Duo Jet BK

And if someone shouts “Rock ‘n’ Roll” at you, you know what they mean without any explanation – even if they aren’t talking about music, at all. Or to put it in the words of Lemmy Kilmister: “Rock ‘n’ roll: if your parents don’t like it, it’s good.”

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Simon's passion for music generated a long time ago, and led him to become a guitarist and self-produce his music with the band Onyria.

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