Rock 'n Roll -- The Beginnings

The Rock-‘n-Roll movement started in the early 1950s. It was a continuation of blues in both structure and rhythm, but also influenced by the improvisation of early jazz, and the emotional quality of the spirituals and Gospel. Crossroads in Music (p. 218) explain that two factors, “emotional vocal interpretation and a heavy emphasis on the beat—especially the backbeat,” were common to the different styles of rock music.

Two songs of note that set the stage for Rock-‘n-Roll music are the songs “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “Rock Around the Clock.”

“Shake, Rattle and Roll” was first performed by Big Joe Turner; however, the version by Bill Haley and his Comets are probably best known. Notice how the song uses the typical twelve-bar blues structure, as well as the AAB-form for the lyrics. It is also thematically still just a blues song—a man complaining about his woman.





Like “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” the song “Rock Around the Clock” also has a twelve-bar blues structure. Listen to it below, also performed by Bill Haley and His Comets.



“Rock Around the Clock” came out in 1955 and is considered the official year that Rock-‘n-Roll began. It was also in this year that Elvis started to make a name for himself.