The first rock song
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johnny miles
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Haha. Rocket 88 was written by Turner and first recorded by him (by Sam Phillips at Sun Records) and his band under a pseudonym. Turner's sax player took lead vocals.
Rock Around the Clock was Bill Haley and His Comets, not Fats.
As for early Rock and Roll, I'd probably say Rocket 88, but it's very hard to find a dividing line from not-rock and roll to rock and roll. You can hear some upbeat blues stuff that sounds an awful lot like rock and roll (minus piano) from Charley Patton in the late 1920s.
I have a box set that's called something like "the roots of rock 'n roll" and some of the upbeat blues recordings from the 40s sound very much like Haley, Little Richard, Fats, etc. a decade later.
To throw another name out there: Big Bill Broonzy. Love that guy, and he was a major influence on what became Rock and Roll.
Rock Around the Clock was Bill Haley and His Comets, not Fats.
As for early Rock and Roll, I'd probably say Rocket 88, but it's very hard to find a dividing line from not-rock and roll to rock and roll. You can hear some upbeat blues stuff that sounds an awful lot like rock and roll (minus piano) from Charley Patton in the late 1920s.
I have a box set that's called something like "the roots of rock 'n roll" and some of the upbeat blues recordings from the 40s sound very much like Haley, Little Richard, Fats, etc. a decade later.
To throw another name out there: Big Bill Broonzy. Love that guy, and he was a major influence on what became Rock and Roll.
"According to Bill Dahl at Allmusic:[12]
"Determining the first actual rock & roll record is a truly impossible task. But you can't go too far wrong citing Jackie Brenston's 1951 Chess waxing of "Rocket 88," a seminal piece of rock's fascinating history with all the prerequisite elements firmly in place: practically indecipherable lyrics about cars, booze, and women; Raymond Hill's booting tenor sax, and a churning, beat-heavy rhythmic bottom.
"
"Determining the first actual rock & roll record is a truly impossible task. But you can't go too far wrong citing Jackie Brenston's 1951 Chess waxing of "Rocket 88," a seminal piece of rock's fascinating history with all the prerequisite elements firmly in place: practically indecipherable lyrics about cars, booze, and women; Raymond Hill's booting tenor sax, and a churning, beat-heavy rhythmic bottom.
"
johnny miles
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Keep reading...
"Sam Phillips, then a fledgling in the record business, produced 'Rocket 88,' Brenston's debut waxing, in Memphis. The singer/saxist was backed by Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, an aggregation that Brenston had joined the previous year. Turner played piano on the tune; Willie Kizart supplied dirty, distorted guitar. Billed as by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, 'Rocket 88' drove up to the top slot on the R&B charts and remained there for more than a month."
And, from elsewhere on the site:
"Ike Turner carved a niche for himself as a noted blues pianist long before his rock 'em, sock 'em marriage to Annie Mae Bullock (Tina Turner), and as the creator of what many call the first rock & roll record, the immortal 'Rocket 88.' Sam Philips recorded the number in 1951 with Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm Band in Memphis, TN, then shipped it off to Chess Records credited as, without Ike's knowledge, Jackie Brenston & the Delta Cats--a surprise to Ike. Even more surprisingly, Ike wrote the song but Brenston received the credit on the label. Brenston played tenor sax in Ike's band, and the unexpected fame swelled his head so much that he left Ike to go solo but never tasted success again."
"Sam Phillips, then a fledgling in the record business, produced 'Rocket 88,' Brenston's debut waxing, in Memphis. The singer/saxist was backed by Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, an aggregation that Brenston had joined the previous year. Turner played piano on the tune; Willie Kizart supplied dirty, distorted guitar. Billed as by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, 'Rocket 88' drove up to the top slot on the R&B charts and remained there for more than a month."
And, from elsewhere on the site:
"Ike Turner carved a niche for himself as a noted blues pianist long before his rock 'em, sock 'em marriage to Annie Mae Bullock (Tina Turner), and as the creator of what many call the first rock & roll record, the immortal 'Rocket 88.' Sam Philips recorded the number in 1951 with Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm Band in Memphis, TN, then shipped it off to Chess Records credited as, without Ike's knowledge, Jackie Brenston & the Delta Cats--a surprise to Ike. Even more surprisingly, Ike wrote the song but Brenston received the credit on the label. Brenston played tenor sax in Ike's band, and the unexpected fame swelled his head so much that he left Ike to go solo but never tasted success again."
DiegoTiger
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I'll throw a second vote in for "Power of Love"
TheTwinAndreBen
3 stacks
I draw the line at electric guitar. Rock was born from the blues, and that's why the Robert Johnson's delta blues sounds much more like rock than that big band inspired Delta 88 nonsense. Big Band and Zydeco did not lead to rock, blues did.
Moon's selection is a good one as is Berry's Maybellene. I'd have to draw the line somewhere around there. If it doesn't have a guitar lead, its not rock.
Moon's selection is a good one as is Berry's Maybellene. I'd have to draw the line somewhere around there. If it doesn't have a guitar lead, its not rock.
johnny miles
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If we're truly talking "rock," you're definitely correct. But for "rock and roll," piano is just as key. Think Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Fats Domino. You can do rock and roll with just piano/bass/drums.
Perhaps the real dividing line is "when white people started liking it." That happened in 53/54, even though black artists had been performing similar music for a decade or more.
Perhaps the real dividing line is "when white people started liking it." That happened in 53/54, even though black artists had been performing similar music for a decade or more.
myDeaconmyhand
First man to get a team of horses up Bear Mountain
It's perfectly reasonable to argue that the first rock song ever came out in 1968....Facepalm