Jim Linderman says it well in his book called The Birth of Rock n Roll. He said, “Several forces combined in one century to create Rock and Roll,” … “Loosely in order of importance? Racism and subsequent integration, gospel, blues…hillbillies, minstrels in blackface, cheap Silvertone guitars from Sears, the Hawaiian music craze, burlesque, booze, weed, vaudeville, the circus, some showtime razzle-dazzle and the spoiled generation following World War Two.” Boogie-woogie, jazz and swing also played a part in the birth of Rock and Roll music.
Recording of music started with written notation, music boxes, player pianos and then in 1878 the phonograph was patented. Mass production of cylinder recordings began, sparking the beginning of the music industry. The advent of the gramophone disc record (the phonograph record) in 1887 made manufacturing easier and by 1910 this was the primary method of recording until the advent of electrical recording. The record industry began!
As the migration of former slaves fled to cities, a mixed race culture began in places such as Memphis, St. Louis, New York, Chicago and Detroit. People of different races were influenced by the musical style of one another and combined rhythm and blues, country, swing, jazz, boogie woogie, gospel and folk to begin Rock n Roll music.
Among the earlier blues musicians are Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sunhouse, Robert Johnson, Led Belly, Muddy Waters, and BB King. This is just to name a few.
Some early country artists to be noted are Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and Moon Mullican.
There is debate about what would be considered the first actual Rock and Roll record. But some early Rock and Roll records include: Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Strange Things Happen Every Day” in 1944, Jimmy Preston’s “Rock the Joint” in 1949, Goree Carter’s “Rock Awhile” in 1949, Fats Domino’s “The Fat Man” in 1949, and Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm’s “Rocket 88” in 1951. Later Bill Haley would cover some of the earlier written songs and bring them to the main white audience.
MUSEUM OF ROCK N ROLL 