Rock Music Transformed Our World
Once upon a time, before Rock arrived on the scene, music was classified by the culture or location that inspired. There were Polish Polkas, Spanish Sambas , Argentine Tangos, Irish Jiggs , and inside the US, mainly because of our ethnic diversity, there was music taking on the Rock sound inside each of the many ethnicities. Louis Prima is an instance. He began out as a Jazz trumpet player, in the 30s, as well as the New Orleans trumpet player Louis Armstrong, who's, by the way, within the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. By the 50s, obtaining moved via R&B, Prima arrived with an Italian-Rock song, Come On-A My House, together with the now familiar backbeat that is decidedly Rock, though the lyric style is not common in Rock. An ethnic classification for this song might have been Italian-Rock. Louis Armstrong, originally a Jazz and Blues musician, was classified using the new Rock musicians coming out of the South, a place classification. Memphis is Rock's hometown. During these early years prior to Rock had a name, it was simply an outgrowth of Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Country, and probably some influences no one even remembers.
Inside the early 50s each of the separate genres, had been playing their music using Rock sounds, Country singers added Rock beats to their broken hearts, calling it Rockabilly, Cajun music became Zydeco , British music became Skiffle, classed as Roots-Rock. These innovations eventually developed into the many variations of Rock we have today. Rock is really beyond the concept of genre. There are Soft Rock ballads, love songs, intense progressive sound experiences like Stan Kenton's contributions, songs with thoughtful lyrics, some with political messages and all are considered Rock.
Since of all this crazy variety, radio DJs had an awful time announcing songs; they didn't know what to call them. Then, finally, Moondog, a DJ at WXEL in Cleveland, came up using the term Rock 'n Roll, and Rock was officially a musical. Moondog's real name was Alan Freed. Freed's live Rock 'n Roll shows were packed with people and drew national attention. The first Moondog Coronation Ball was on March 21, 1952. Some consider Cleveland, and not Memphis, to be the home of Rock since of Freed's promotional activities there and for the reason that it is the home of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It seems Rock just can't be pinned down to particulars.
Elvis Presley recorded the song That's All Right on July 5, 1954, it is thought, by some people, to be the song that started out the Rock 'n Roll craze. That is so firmly believed by some that in July 2004, 1,500 radio stations played the song, simultaneously via satellite, to commemorate its 50th anniversary. This could be debated but it would be futile to try to settle on a precise beginning for a phenomenon like Rock, as far as anyone knows there has never been another phenomenon like it. This would be a study for a Cultural Anthropologist. It's a result of the musical passion of many people.
Inside the end, the wide acceptance of Rock has actually changed the way we classify music. It is now classified by the musical properties that are most common inside the style. The top four are Pop/Rock, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Folk.
