Birth of Rock & Roll
There are many candidates for the title of the first rock and roll record, but it is arguable whether any such thing exists. Like all forms of music, the roots of "rock and roll" are deep and wide.
But it is clear that rock and roll developed during the period between 1916 – when the words "rockin' and rollin'" were first heard together on record – and 1956, by which time "rock and roll" had become an international musical and social phenomenon.
“ Rock 'n' roll was an evolutionary process – we just looked around and it was here... To name any one record as the first would make any of us look a fool.
Billy Vera, Foreword to "What Was The First Rock'n'Roll Record", Jim Dawson and Steve Propes, 1992.
More precisely, in musical and social terms, rock and roll was born in the USA during the late 1940s and early 1950s. During that time, processes of active cross-fertilisation took place between country and western music (predominantly played and heard by white people), swing music, and rhythm and blues, which itself comprised a variety of genres (including, for example, jump blues, Chicago blues, and doo-wop) and was predominantly played and heard by black people.
These processes of exchange and mixing were fuelled by shared experiences in the Second World War, and by the spread of radio, and records.
Several records of this period have been most frequently cited by different authorities as "the first rock’n’roll record". These include :
Wynonie Harris' "Good Rockin' Tonight" (1947)
"Rock The Joint" – either the original 1949 version by Jimmy Preston, or the 1952 version by Bill Haley
"Rocket 88" - again, either Jackie Brenston's original (with Ike Turner) or Bill Haley's cover, both in 1951
Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" (1954)
Elvis Presley's "That's All Right (Mama)" (1954)
However, there are many other candidates, and many of the threads which together made up rock and roll music can be traced back to much earlier precursor records.
The book "What was the first rock'n'roll record" by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes discusses 50 contenders, from Illinois Jacquet's "Blues, Part 2" (1944) to Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956), without reaching a definitive conclusion.
In 2004, debate was sparked between fans of Elvis as well as many in the music business who claimed "That's All Right Mama" was the first rock and roll song, and those who feel the proper claimant should be Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" — both songs celebrating their 50th anniversaries in that year.
Rolling Stone Magazine took the controversial step of unilaterally declaring Elvis' song the first rock and roll recording.
Elvis himself would not have agreed. In his book Race, Rock and Elvis, Michael T. Bertrand quotes him on the subject:
“ A lot of people seem to think I started this business, but rock 'n' roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Let's face it, I can't sing like Fats Domino can. I know that."
From Wikipedia