Leading up to the 50s

Have you ever heard of Moondog, Albert James "Alan" Freed or Rock 'n' Roll? If you have heard of one, you should know them all! The man and the term have always been associated with the 50s. Did the hip-shaking pandemonium that ensued start with this so-called Moondog? Not for a skinny minute moment! Let's look back to the decades before the 50s exploring the music that led to the discovery of Rock and Roll, Rock & Roll, Rock 'n' Roll, Rockin' and Rollin'.

Do you recall Roaring into the 20s? During that era, the terms 'rock' and 'roll' were used together and separately mostly by the African-Americans whose connotation could be interpreted as partying down, carrying on and/or having sex. Three songs of the 1920s that rocked/rolled include Trixie Smith's tune "My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)", Lil Johnson's "Rock That Thing" and "Rock Me Mama" by Ikey Robinson. Thus, from these roaring Blues' artists, inspiration for the term Rock and Roll was spawned. 

  

By the 1930s, the term carried with it a distinct rhythmic beat. Swinging into the 30s found Victor Records capturing Duke Ellington's "Rockin' in Rhythm" in 1931. The Boswell Sisters recorded a song titled "Rock and Roll" in the 1934 United Artists flick Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round. In 1939, Buddy Jones recorded "Rockin' Rollin' Mama" (String), in which he soulfully shouted, "I love the way you rock and roll!" 

   

It was while Swinging in the 40s that the flames of rockin' and rollin' got hotter and hotter. In 1948, Wynonie Harris recording "Good Rockin' Tonight (King) became a #1 hit even though an earlier version by Roy Brown (Deluxe, 1947) had ranked at #13 of the Billboard R&B chart. It was all uphill from there with more R&B tunes working "rock" or "roll" into their titles, even a little boogie. Having orginated much earlier, boogie-woogie showed its dance face becoming popular in the late 30s and early 40s.

Check out these tunes:

#1 "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Wynonie Harris

#5 "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" by Louis Jordan

#14 "Chicken Shack Boogie" by Amos Milburn

#18 "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan

#27 "Boogie Chillen'" by John Lee Hooker

#54 "Boogie Woogie Blue Plate" by Louis Jordan

#60 "Good Rocking Tonight" by Roy Brown

#66 "All She Wants to do is Rock" by Wynonie Harris

#67 "Rockin' at Midnight" by Roy Brown

#71 "Cow Cow Boogie" by Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots 

#76 "Rock the Joint" by Jimmie Preston

#79 "Boogie at Midnight" by Roy Brown

#98 "Shake the Boogie" by Sonny Boy Williamson

#100 "We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll" by Wild Bill Moore

All this time you may have thought Rock and Roll, Rock & Roll, Rock 'n' Roll, Rockin' and Rollin' were only attributed to the decade of the 50s. Have some fun! Ask a family member or friend, even a stranger, when rock and roll originated and from what music genre it evolved.

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times. . .