![]() “Forget all the myths you hear about 1954, Sun Records, Elvis, Sam Phillips, etc. Rather than open that Cassandra’s box with my opinion, I want to pass on this perspective from Morgan Wright on his Hoy Hoy website (with a few minor editorial alterations for stylistic consistency with the rest of this article): Any discussion of the origins of the music will lead to a discussion of the definition of that term. Many historians consider Harris’s version as one of the cornerstones of rock & roll. It was more obviously in the mold of what we call rhythm & blues now (and a term that wasn’t coined until after Brown and Harris’s hits). In the same year, Wynonie Harris recorded a version of “ Good Rockin’ Tonight” that rocked, featuring prominent saxophone and hands clapping to the beat throughout. It was a sizable hit in the black market. Tonight she’ll know I’m a mighty, mighty man.” Brown’s singing and the orchestra were politely constrained, owing a nod to big band jazz. I’m gonna hold my baby as tight as I can. In Brown’s lyric, “rocking” referred to the secular fervor: “I heard the news, there’s good rocking tonight. In 1947, Roy Brown wrote and recorded “ Good Rocking Tonight” that DeLuxe Records called a “rocking blues” on the label. On this original poster, Freed is billed as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The original rockers of the Hoy Hoy era Rock, Rock, Rock! was one of the first movies to exploit the rock & roll phenomenon and featured Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, LaVern Baker, and Chuck Berry. It is probably safe to assume that these men knew exactly what the racy implications of the term were and that they probably took some delight in spreading it among the Ozzie & Harriet households of white America.īy 1953, the term rock & roll was widely used in certain parts of the culture, although it was mostly unknown in white households.īy 1956, Alan Freed had become a big enough name that his name was used to sell tickets to movies geared toward the teenage market. While Freed’s original audience of listeners was black, the music quickly caught on with young white listeners who wanted something more than their parents’ pop music offered.įreed’s enthusiastic backing of this new music was followed by other DJs around the country. Freed referred to his radio program as a Rock ‘n N Roll Party, which he also used for package shows in various venues. ![]() We’re gonna rock around the clock tonight.Īs a musical reference, rock & roll is usually credited to disc jockey Alan Freed’s coinage in 1951. Put your glad rags on, join me hon’-we’ll have some fun when the clock strikes one. Somewhere in the first half of the 20th century, “rocking” and “rolling” were joined together as “rocking and rolling” as a euphemism for the more secular joy that humans experienced during sexual intercourse. In these gospel songs, the term “rocking” referred to the spiritual joy and fervor that the faithful experienced at religious events. Apparently, the word “roll” has been used as a sexual metaphor since the Middle Ages!īlack gospel singers were singing “Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham” and “Rock me in the cradle of Thy love” as far back as the 19th century. The phrase “rock & roll” as it refers to music and dancing has been with us for almost seventy years and appears to have originally been a black American euphemism for sex that goes back even further. I KNOW, IT’S ONLY ROCK & ROLL, but I like it and so do millions of others (although the number of faithful may be dwindling as we age and the Hip-Hop Era endures). The original rockers of the Hoy Hoy era.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |