Was Blues the Only Music that Shaped 1950s R&B and Rock &
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Was Blues the Only Music that Shaped 1950s R&B and Rock & Roll? – Find out how other genres influenced these two popular music styles.
The Birth of Rock & Roll
The 1950s was a decade that saw the birth of many different genres of music. One genre that particularly stood out was rock & roll. Rock & roll was a blend of many different styles of music, including blues, country, and gospel. This new style of music quickly gained popularity among young people all over the world.
The influence of rhythm and blues
Though other genres such as country and folk played a role, rhythm and blues was the main force that shaped the early sound of rock and roll. Popular R&B artists such as Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Ray Charles blended elements of blues, jazz, and gospel music to create a new sound that was exciting and accessible to a wide audience. Rock and roll would not have existed without the hard-driving beats, creative guitar work, and soulful vocals of R&B.
The influence of country music
During the 1950s, country music enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Thanks to guys like Hank Williams and Patti Page, the genre was crossing over into the pop charts with increasing frequency. It’s no wonder that this unique blend of music would have an influence on the developing sound of rock & roll.
In many ways, rock & roll can be seen as a direct extension of country music. The twangy guitars, the driving rhythms, and the focus on storytelling are all elements that can be traced back to country’s roots. Butcountry music wasn’t the only genre that shaped 1950s R&B and rock & roll. Jazz, blues, and even gospel all played a role in the birth of this new musical style.
The Evolving Sound of Rock & Roll
It is widely believed that rock & roll was born out of a combination of blues, gospel, and country music. However, there were other genres that played a role in shaping the sound of rock & roll in the 1950s. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the other genres that influenced the sound of rock & roll.
The influence of Elvis Presley
In 1954, a 19-year-old truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi, cut a couple of songs at the Sun studios in Memphis. Those songs – “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky” – would change the course of popular music. The young man’s name was Elvis Presley, and he would go on to become the biggest star in the history of rock & roll.
Elvis’s success was due in part to his unique style, which blended elements of black R&B and country music. But it was also thanks to his approach to performing. Elvis was a natural showman who knew how to work a crowd; he was also one of the first white musicians to adopt the style of African-American performers, which helped him connect with a black audience.
Elvis’s influence can be heard in the work of many subsequent rock & roll artists, including Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and The Beatles. But he also had an impact on musicians outside the world of rock & roll. Folk singer Bob Dylan has cited Elvis as a major influence, and even artists as diverse as David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix have acknowledged his importance.
The influence of Chuck Berry
Though other artists had played fast before, and other artists had played guitar with their fingers, no one before Chuck Berry quite combined those two things the way he did. He was rock & roll’s first guitar hero, and he remains one of its most influential figures — not just on rock guitarists, but on anyone who has ever plugged in and tried to make a noise. His riffs have been copied endlessly, his songs have been covered by everyone from the Beatles to Nirvana, and “Maybellene” and “Johnny B. Goode” rank among the most instantly recognizable tunes in all of popular music.
The Legacy of Rock & Roll
Though Rock & Roll is now seen as a genre that encompasses a wide range of styles, it has its roots in a specific form of music: the blues. The blues was a style of music that was created by African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a way for them to express their emotions and tell their stories. The blues influenced a lot of other genres of music, including R&B and Rock & Roll.
The influence of the Beatles
While the Beatles are usually thought of as a British invasion band, their music was heavily influenced by African American artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Fats Domino. The Beatles’ popularity helped to break down the racial barriers that existed in the early days of rock & roll. In 1964, the group recorded a cover of Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” and their performance of it on The Ed Sullivan Show was seen by a record-breaking 73 million people. The Beatles’ success opened the door for other African American artists to gain mainstream popularity, paving the way for the continued evolution of rock & roll.
The influence of Jimi Hendrix
An electric guitar virtuoso and Hendrix set the bar for rock guitarists who followed. His career was short but influential. Hendrix pushed the boundaries of what was possible on the electric guitar and his style has been described as explosive, flamboyant and imaginative. His use of feedback, distortion and other effects set him apart from other guitarists of his generation. Hendrix was also one of the first rock guitarists to experiment with slotting bottles into hisstrings to create a wah-wah sound.
