Rock and roll
Genre of popular music evolving in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its origins are rooted in a blending of African-American musical genres, mainly rhythm and blues, with stylistic influences from gospel, jazz, boogie-woogie, electric blues, jump blues, swing, and folk music. The genre did not acquire its name until 1954.
- field
- Popular music
- nationality
- United States
- known_for
- Originating in the late 1940s and early 1950s, blending African-American musical genres, and influencing contemporary American lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language
Lore & Background
Rock and roll's early elements can be heard in blues records from the 1920s and in country records of the 1930s. In the earliest rock and roll styles, either the piano or saxophone was typically the lead instrument, later replaced or supplemented by the electric guitar in the mid-to-late 1950s. The beat is essentially a dance rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, almost always provided by a snare drum, and minimal blues chord progressions such as the twelve-bar blues are commonly used. Classic rock and roll is usually played with one or more electric guitars and a double bass; after the mid-1950s, electric bass guitars and drum kits became popular.
The term 'rock and roll' was popularized by Cleveland, Ohio, disc jockey Alan Freed in 1951, who began playing the music style and referring to it as 'rock and roll' on his mainstream radio program. The phrase had earlier been used in various contexts, including a 1934 song by the Boswell Sisters and in 1942 by Billboard columnist Maurie Orodenker to describe upbeat recordings. The immediate roots of rock and roll lay in rhythm and blues, then called 'race music', in combination with boogie-woogie and shouting gospel or with country music of the 1940s and 1950s.
Reader's Guide
Rock and roll had a profound influence on contemporary American lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language, and is often portrayed in movies, fan magazines, and on television. According to G.C. Altschuler, the music had a positive influence on the civil rights movement because of its widespread appeal to both Black American and White American teenagers. By the mid-1960s, rock and roll had developed into the more encompassing international style known as rock music. The genre's development was aided by radio stations that made white and black forms of music available to both groups, the spread of the gramophone record, and African-American musical styles such as jazz and swing taken up by white musicians. The Top 40 format, first adopted by Todd Storz at radio station KOWH in Omaha, Nebraska in 1953, helped promote the genre. Commentators differ in their views of which forms were most important and the degree to which the new music was a re-branding of African-American rhythm and blues for a white market, or a new hybrid of black and white forms.
Did You Know?
- The term 'rock and roll' did not acquire its name until 1954.
- In the earliest rock and roll styles, either the piano or saxophone was typically the lead instrument.
- The beat of rock and roll is essentially a dance rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, almost always provided by a snare drum.
- Alan Freed popularized the term 'rock and roll' on his mainstream radio program in Cleveland, Ohio in 1951.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rock and roll as a musical genre?
Rock and roll is a popular music style that took shape in the United States across the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was born from merging African-American musical traditions with a wide array of other rhythmic and melodic influences, producing a sound that would redefine popular culture.
Where and how did Rock and roll originate?
The genre developed in the United States, with rhythm and blues serving as its central musical foundation. It also absorbed stylistic elements from gospel, jazz, boogie-woogie, electric and jump blues, swing, and folk traditions to form its distinctive identity.
When did the term 'Rock and roll' actually come into use?
Although the musical style had been developing since the late 1940s, the specific label 'rock and roll' was not applied to the genre until 1954. Prior to that, the sound was typically filed under broader categories like rhythm and blues.
Which musical traditions were blended to create Rock and roll?
At its core, the genre grew out of African-American forms, particularly rhythm and blues. It further incorporated textures and rhythms from gospel, jazz, boogie-woogie, electric blues, jump blues, swing, and folk music to build its signature sound.
Why is Rock and roll considered so important in music history?
Beyond its sonic innovations, the genre reshaped everyday American life, touching fashion, slang, social attitudes, and broader cultural expression. It stands as one of the most far-reaching popular-music movements to emerge from the United States.
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