I’ve always found the start of rock to be completely fascinating, but the most captivating part is that rock didn’t start as rock at all. The term “Rock ‘n’ Roll” was actually coined by DJ Alan Freed, who played early R&B on mainstream radio. In order for white folks to listen to the station and drive revenue, he knew that he had to find a way to play the music he wanted without using the terms “R&B,” a predominantly colored music genre at the time. Hence, “Rock ‘n’ Roll” is actually not quite rock, it’s just what Freed decided to nickname R&B while on air.
But how did R&B come to be, to later turn into rock? Rock actually started as a combination of R&B mixed with country or folk. This morph came to fruition with a steady drum beat and electric guitar, and later grew into the subgenre of rock we know today as “rockabilly.” Some familiar rockabilly pioneers are Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and Carl Perkins.
Rockability artists tended to rely on a jazz structure while adding country sounds, elements, and instruments. One of the most influential country artists in rock is Hank Williams, who Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and later The Rolling Stones cited influence. Not only did Williams sing in a straightforward manner that influenced rock’s lyrics, but his instrumental focus did too. Using a guitar and fiddle in Western swing, his song “Move it On Over” is considered by music historians to be one of the earliest forms of a rock song. “Move it On Over’s” steady beat mixed with a strong bass line, along with an acoustic guitar solo has added to the rock elements that can be seen in songs today.
Now, it’s no secret that the political climate and American culture during the time went hand-in-hand with the real birth of rock and roll. In fact, rock started to evolve after a plane crash in Clear Lake Iowa took the life of rockabilly stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. The crash was actually nicknamed “The Day the Music Died,” which quite literally signifies and symbolizes the end of rockabilly and early rock. This shift in music culture was so significant, in fact, that it was the central theme and main idea of Don McLean’s classic tune, “American Pie.”
During the 1950s, a sense of unity and conformity spread through American society post World War II. Traditional roles were once again reinforced after the war, with men expected to be the breadwinners of the family and women expected to stay at home and care for the children. The sense of conformity acted as a reaction to the chaotic nature and instability of the country during the war in a large attempt to maintain and enforce a stable society.
However, not everybody conformed. The “beat generation” rose, a group of people who decided these set conventions were morally incorrect. They chose spontaneity over routine, intuition over structure, and the “beats” challenged cultural norms and chose rock as their medium to do so. Additionally, racism was pervasive during the 1950s, but rock and roll acted as a catalyst to soften the racial divide. Buddy Holly was the first white person to play at the Apollo Theater in New York City, and the audience loved him. White teenagers were rushing to see Chuck Berry perform live. Black and white teenagers attended concerts and danced together.
As the “beat generation” grew more frustrated with the consistent racism in everyday life and the extreme sexism that bled throughout the workplace, they eventually revolted. They rebelled. They had the furthermost cultural reaction, enough to bring in the start of bell bottoms and The Beatles. And as the culture changed, rock evolved alongside.