The History of Rock 'n' Roll

The History of Rock 'n' Roll

Major artists that helped shape rock   music as we know it

Introduction

The purpose of the creation of this paper is that everyone can relate to rock music and of course because it's my favorite. The lyrics are beautiful the notes simply brilliant. Some people like Mozart I like rock are as simple as that.

It is my intension to provide you with true facts and dates so that you can draw your own conclusions about this kind of music and I truly hope you can keep an open mind.

I'll point out the up 414x236e s and downs of a rock artist, the dangers that surround one and the recognition that one receives. The way to stardom is not paved with pink flowers like any artist they had to work hard to get to where they wanted.  When you think of rock you think about laud music ready to perforate your ears, but that's not pretty accurate. It all started in the 50s at first it was consider to be forbidden music because it was first created by the black population that is why at first it was called black music. Black folks on the colonies in America developed this kind of music to released themselves from the hard work day they. Rock was their break a chance for them to be their selves and not slaves. Evidently the white folk's fond rock music to be disgraceful an act of pure violence and band it. That was in the age when kkk klans ruled America struggled with segregation. Evidently as the old saying goes ,rules are made to be broken and that's how the rock mania started.

In the early 50s black music was captured all of America, the vibe, the lyrics and the pure soul of it made it so loveable that even white people started playing it. Evan in the age of segregation Elvis Presley took a big leap of faith and won evidently because now after so long he is the richest dead man because of rock music.

Rock meant a way of expressing yourself, your sorrows your regrets your way to tell your story .The lyrics were an expression of your soul that way it was calls soul music.

Rock music has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll and rockabilly, which evolved from blues, country music and other influences. According to the All Music Guide, "In its purest form, Rock & Roll has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody. Early rock & roll drew from a variety of sources, primarily blues, R&B, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk. All of these influences combined in a simple, blues based song structure that was fast, danceable, and catchy."

This type of music evolved drastically in the late 1960s, rock music was blended with folk music to create folk rock, blues to create blues-rock and with jazz, to create jazz-rock fusion. In the 1970s, rock incorporated influences from soul, funk, and Latin music. Also in the 1970s, rock developed a number of subgenres, such as soft rock, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock, and punk rock. Rock subgenres that emerged in the 1980s included synth-rock, hardcore punk and alternative rock. In the 1990s, rock subgenres included grunge, Britpop, indie rock, and nu metal.

Now the man cu helped shape rock music as we know it is Alan Freed.

Chapter # 1 one man, one vision

One man, one vision

We can all thank Alan Freed if it wasn't for him we might have never had rock music to began with because Alan Freed was the first disc jockey and concert producer of rock and roll even dough he was white he promoted black music (that's who rock'n'roll music was called).In attempt of trying to understand him, let's see a bit of his legacy and the only way to go is by following his footsteps right from the beginning. Albert James Freed was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1922 of a Welsh mother and Lithuanian born father. In 1933 when Freed was twelve his family moved to Salem, Ohio. He attended Salem High School during which time he formed a band known as the Sultans of Swing, in which he played trombone.   His ambition was to one day to become a bandleader, but an ear infection ended that possibility. In college, he developed an interest in radio, and following World War II he landed a job at number of small stations. Among them were WKST (1942) in New Castle, Pennsylvania, sports casting at WKBN (1942) and WAKR (1945) where he became a local favorite, playing hot jazz and pop recordings. On July 11, 1951, calling himself "Moondog," Freed went on the air and became among the first to program rhythm and blues for a white teenage audience. Due to the prejudices of the times Freed began calling the rhythm and blues records he played Rock "n" Roll. What is ironic that term Freed was using to make rhythm and blues more acceptable to a white audience was slang for sex in the black community. In 1951 a black vocal group The Dominoes recorded "Sixty Minute Man" which was a (#1 R&B and #17 pop) hit. The lyrics were highly suggestive and used rock and roll in the lyrics. Freed began using the term a month later and most likely was inspired by this song and that is how the rock'n'roll phenomenon took off. From that point, Freed decided to name his show Moondog's Rock 'n' Roll Party.  Even in the age of segregation he manage to appeal to both black and white teenagers and that's why in1954 Freed moved his show to WINS radio in NY. Within months the show was #1.   Freed began staging revues at Brooklyn Paramount where he often could be found on stage gyrating.  Freed appeared in a number of rock and roll movies such as  Don't Knock The Rock,  Rock Around The Clock, and  Rock, Rock, Rock.  It is no wonder that after a short period of time movie companies approached him. Freed appeared in a number of pioneering rock and roll motion pictures during this period. These films were often welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm by teenagers because they brought visual depictions of their favorite American acts to the big screen, years before music videos would present the same sort of image on the small television screen. One side effect of these movies shown before mass audiences was that they sometimes presented an excuse for thugs to turn a fun event into a riot, in which cinemas in both West Germany and the United Kingdom were trashed. Freed appeared in several motion pictures that presented many of the big musical acts of his day, including:

Rock Around the Clock featuring Alan Freed, Bill Haley & His Comets The Platters Freddie Bell and the Bellboys Lisa Gaye

Rock, Rock, Rock featuring Alan Freed, Chuck Berry Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Johnny Burnette La Vern Baker The Flamingos The Moonglows Mr. Rock and Roll featuring Alan Freed, Lionel Hampton Ferlin Husky, Frankie Lymon, Little Richard, Brook Benton, Chuck Berry, Clyde McPhatter, La Vern Baker, Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Don't Knock the Rock featuring Alan Freed, Alan Dale Little Richard and the Upsetters, Bill Haley and His Comets, The Treniers Dave Appell and His Applejacks Go, Johnny Go! Featuring Alan Freed, Jimmy Clanton, Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, The Flamingos, Jackie Wilson, The Cadillac's, Sandy Stewart, Jo Ann Campbell, Harvey Fuqua.

It was at the height of Fred's career at the beginning of his new television series that various individuals decided to use Freed as a scapegoat for all that was wrong with the recorded music industry. His show, The Big Beat (which predated American Bandstand), on ABC, was suddenly canceled after an episode in which Frankie Lymon of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers was seen dancing with a white girl. This 'event' struck people, because they didn't get the show, which was about presenting all sorts of bands and when they played the audience would get up and dance. The idea of a black boy dancing with a white girl was repulsing to parents and that's way the show was canceled. In 1958, Freed faced controversy in Boston when he told the audience, "The police don't want you to have fun." As a result, Freed was arrested and charged with inciting to riot. Freed's career ended when accusations were made that he had accepted payola, or accepted bribes from record companies to play specific records. There was also the conflict of interest that he had taken songwriting co-credits (most notably on Chuck Berry's "Maybellene

"), which entitled him to receive part of a song's royalties. Freed could help increase these royalties by heavily promoting the record on his own popular radio show. After a legal action, Freed's name disappeared from the credits. Freed lost his own show on the radio station WINS; then he was fired from the station altogether. In , payola was made illegal. In , Freed pled guilty to two charges of commercial bribery, for which he received a fine and a suspended sentence. In March 15, 1964 Freed was indicted by a federal grand jury for tax evasion. The IRS claimed that Freed owed $37,920 tax on unreported of $56, 652, that brought Freed to be poor, unemployed and unemployable.

As far as his family goes he married the beautiful Betty Lou Bean in 1943, they both were 21 years old at the time. As aspect the marriage didn't last long but they had 2 children Alana Freed and Lance Freed. When the Freeds divorced, the custody of the children was awarded to Betty Lou. After a year from the divorce, Alan remarried with Marjorie J. Hess and had another two children Sieglinde Freed and Alan Freed, Jr., unfortunaly this marriage didn't last either.

I think it is safe to say that his passion for rock'n'roll destroyed his family life and lucky 3-th marriage with Inga L. Bolingwhom, to whom he stayed married until his death on January 20, 1965. Alan Freed died in a Palm Springs, California hospital in from liver cirrhosis brought on by alcoholism. He was only 43 years old. Freed was initially interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York; his ashes were later moved to their present location at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 21, 2002. In 1986 Freed was among the original inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. In 1991 a comprehensive biography, Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock & Roll was published. That same year, Freed received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Freed truly loved rock and roll, claimed to have never have played a record he didn't like and never forgot where the music came from. However, he was a flawed man who claimed songwriting credits that weren't his, paid performers on his tours very little and associated with questionable individuals. He was a person addicted to alcohol and drugs that eventually turned him to pieces, those closest to him swear he died of a broken heart. But nonetheless he was the man who coined the phrase Rock n Roll and helped shape the future of popular music...

Now let me have the honor of presenting an important brithis rock band, please bow your head for The Queen

Chapter #2 Queen

Queen are an English rock band formed in 1971 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. Evan dough it took several years to get to this formation, the chemistry between these 4 was incredibly and in 73 they signed with Emi and relased their first album entailed Queen. The album was received well by critics it was said "their debut album is superb'.

The second album Queen II was released in 1974 IT REACHED NUMBER 5 ON THE Brith album charts, giving the band their first hit. 'Seven seas of rhye'. Despite the success in the UK, in US the album sales were pretty low.

The band hit the jackpot with album nr 3 'sheer heart attack' released in 74. The album reached number two in the United Kingdom, sold well throughout Europe, and went gold in the United States. It gave the band their first real taste of success .The album was a masterpiece it contained hits like Killer queen and Now I'm here .On this album the band played with a lot of musical genres like heavy metal ,ballads and ragtime. The single "Killer Queen" reached number two on the British charts, and became their first U.S. hit, reaching number twelve in the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits and also Freddie was presented with an Ivor Novello Award by the Songwriters Guild for this song

1975 was a year of concerts for queen. They toured the US, headlining for the first time, and played in Canada for the first time. Also at this time they changed their manager Jim Beach, and welcomed aboard Elton John's manager, John Reid, who accepted the position and in April and because of him, the band toured Japan for the first time. Some people say that queen chose John Reid because of his sexual orientation which was gay also like Freddie.

Later that year the band recorded and released A Night at the Opera. At the time, it was the most expensive album ever produced. Like its predecessor, the album features diverse musical styles and experimentation with stereo sound. The album was very successful in Britain, and went triple platinum in the United States. The major hit on the album was "Somebody to Love", a gospel-inspired song in which Mercury, May, and Taylor multi-tracked their voices to make a 100-voice gospel choir. The song went to number two in the United Kingdom, and number thirteen on the U.S. singles chart.

By now Queen were known and loved through the world ,they even succeeded to make a record of attendance in one of their most famous gigs, a 1976 free concert in Hyde Park, London with 150,000 people confirmed in the audience. The album News of the World was released a year later. It contained many songs tailor-made for live performance, including "We Will Rock You" and the rock ballad "We Are the Champions", both of which reached number four in the United States and became enduring international sports anthems and The band's first live album, Live Killers, was released in 1979; it went platinum twice in the United States. They also released the very successful single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", a song done in the memory of Elvis Presley. The song made the top 10 in many countries, and was the band's first number one single in the United States. In 1981, Queen became the first major rock band to play in South American stadiums. Queen played to a total audience of 479,000 people on their South American tour, including five shows in Argentina. In October 1981, Queen performed for more than 150,000 fans at Monterrey and Puebla Mexico.

Also in 1981, Queen worked with David Bowie on the single "Under Pressure". The first-time collaboration with another artist was spontaneous, as Bowie happened to drop by the studio while Queen was recording. Both parties were pleased with the result but Bowie did not play the song live for several years. The song was extremely successful, reaching number one in Britain.

After working steadily for over ten years, Queen decided that they would not perform any live shows in 1983. During this time, they recorded a new album, and several members of the band explored side projects and solo work. May released a mini-album entitled Star Fleet Project, on which he collaborated with Eddie Van Helen. Freddie Mercury collaborated with a computer musician composer but the project was canceled due to creative differences.

The band started touring again the fowling year and on July 13, at Live Aid, held at Wembley, Queen performed some of their greatest hits in what has been considered their best performance to date. In early 1986, Queen recorded the album A Kind of Magic, containing several songs written for the Russell Mulcahy film Highlander. The album was very successful, producing a string of hits including the title track "A Kind of Magic", which contains the key lyrics 'There can be only one', a reference to the movie's plot; "Friends Will Be Friends", "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "Universe". Later that year, Queen went on a sold-out tour (the band's largest) in support of A Kind of Magic, The Magic Tour's highlight was at Wembley Stadium in London. The show sold out within two hours and over 120,000 fans packed the park for what proved to be Queen's final live performance with Mercury. More than 1 million people saw Queen on the tour - 400,000 in the United Kingdom alone, a record at the time.

On November 23rd, Freddie announced to the world that he had AIDS. Just the next day, his fight was over, and he died peacefully at his home surrounded by friends and family. The world was in shock. Freddie had kept his illness very private, and only those closest to him had been aware of just how close to the end he really was. Fans from all over the world sent flowers and cards, and many even traveled to London to be at Freddie's house. Cremation service was held three days after his death, with family and close friends in attendance. The service was conducted in the Zoroastrian faith that Freddie's parents followed. As a tribute to Freddie, and to raise funds for the Terence Higgins Trust to continue the fight against AIDS - as Freddie's last wishes requested - Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are The Days Of Our Lives was released as a double A-sided single on December 9, 1991. It entered the UK chart at Number One, where it remained for five weeks, raising over one million pounds for the AIDS charity.

At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005, with Paul Rodgers . Brian May's website also stated that Rodgers would be 'featured with' Queen as Queen + Paul Rodgers, not replacing the late Freddie Mercury. The retired Deacon would not be participating. And so the show must go on...

Queen + Paul Rodgers embarked on a full scale tour of North America in March 2006. This was the first time the band had toured North American since the Hot Space tour in 1982. Though the tour had its ups and downs overall it was a success for the band. In late 2006 Brian May announced plans for Queen + Paul Rodgers to enter the studio to start work on an album. As of May 2007 the band have completed around 9 tracks and have written around 12 - 13 tracks for the album. It is tentatively scheduled to be released before the end of 2007.

In conclusion their music influenced artists to come and people from all over the globe. Their songs or sections of their songs are featured in many films like: The Girl Next Door , The Mighty Ducks How High Happy Feet Cheaper By The Dozen 2 Larry, The and many others.

For the next chapter we have another royalty

Chapter # 3 the King

The King

Elvis Aaron Presley born on January 8 in 1935 was an American singer and musician and actor .He is a cultural icon for the American people and not only and often known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King". Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an up tempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular-and controversial-as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock". Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop.

Initial music influences came through his family's attendance at the Assembly of God, a Pentecostal Holiness church. Rolling Stone wrote: "Gospel pervaded Elvis' character and was a defining and enduring influence all of his days and you can clearly hear the powerful gospel influences in the song 'Amazing Grace'. Memphis (The Kings birthplace) had a strong tradition of blues music and Presley went to blues as well as hillbilly venues. Many of his future recordings were inspired by local African American composers and recording artists, including Arthur Crud up Rufus Thomas and King. Some people blamed him for stealing the black music. When "That's All Right" was played, many listeners were sure Presley must be black, and most white disc-jockeys wouldn't play his Sun singles. However, black disc-jockeys didn't want anything to do with a record made by a white man. To some, Presley had undoubtedly "stolen" or at least "derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s." Some black entertainers, notably Jackie Wilson, countered, "A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man's music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.

In 1954, he began his singing career with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis. In late 1955, his recording contract was sold to RCA Victor. By 1956, he was an international sensation. With a sound and style that uniquely combined his diverse musical influences and blurred and challenged the social and racial barriers of the time. Presley's sound proved hard to categorize, he ushered in a whole new era of American music and popular culture. Presley was becoming popular nationwide and teenagers flocked to his concerts. Scotty Moore recalled: "He'd start out, 'You ain't nothin'. To many adults, the singer was "the first rock symbol of teenage rebellion. ... They did not like him, and condemned him as depraved. Anti-Negro prejudice doubtless figured in adult antagonism. Regardless of whether parents were aware of the Negro sexual origins of the phrase 'rock 'n' roll', Presley impressed them as the visual and aural embodiment of sex."

His talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humor endeared him to millions of fans but some even saw Presley as a "definite danger to the security of the United States." His actions and motions were called "a strip-tease with clothes on" or "sexual self-gratification on stage .Cleary they didn't understand him, so in 1957 concerned about his privacy and security he bought Graceland, a mansion with several acres of land

That same year Presley received his draft notice but because he had a contract with Paramount Pictures on the film 'King Creole' The Memphis Draft Board granted Presley a deferment to finish it. On March 24 , he was inducted as US Army private #53310761 and completed basic training at Fort Hood Texas, before being posted to Friedberg Germany with the 3rd Armored Division.

In Germany, a sergeant had introduced Presley to amphetamines ; some people say that was the beginning of the end. In early August 1958, doctors had diagnosed Presley's mother with hepatitis and her condition worsened. Presley was granted emergency leave to visit her, arriving in Memphis on August 12. Two days later, Gladys Presley died of heart failure, aged forty-six. Presley was distraught, "grieving almost constantly" for days. Presley returned to the U.S. on March 2 , and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant on March 5. Recording sessions in March and April yielded some of his best-selling songs-including "It's Now or Never". Although some tracks were up tempo, none could be described as "rock and roll". Most found their way on to an album-Elvis is Back!-described by one critic as "a triumph on every level... It was as if Elvis had... broken down the barriers of genre and prejudice to express everything he heard in all the kinds of music he loved'.

1956, following his rise to stardom in the rock and roll musical arena, singer Elvis Presley launched a parallel career as a film actor, beginning with the musical western film, Love Me Tender (although he had previously appeared in an unreleased 1955 production, The Pied Piper of Cleveland). The majority of Presley's films were of the musical-comedy genre (examples include Loving You and Blue Hawaii) with poor scripting and similar plotlines, although he also appeared in dramatic films with musical interludes (examples include Jailhouse Rock and King Creole). He also made two non-musical films, both westerns: Flaming Star and Charro, although he still performed at least one song in each. By the mid-1960s, Presley's career was primarily focused on film production, with virtually his only releases of new material during this time being soundtrack recordings. His 1960s films and soundtracks grossed some $280 million and was one of the highest paid actors during that period. Following the 1969 production, Change of Habit, Presley shifted his career back to recording and touring and his remaining film appearances were in two concert films/documentaries in the early 1970's, although Presley reportedly continued to consider dramatic movie roles. In 1969, Presley made record-breaking appearances in Las Vegas. He then toured across the U.S. up to his death, with many of the 1,145 concerts setting venue attendance records. He also had hit singles in many countries

Elvis met Pricilla Beaulieu for the first time in Germany in the 60's when she was only fourteen ,they later married on May 1 , in Las Vegas and had a daughter Lisa Marie, how was born nine months later. The wedding took place in a private ceremony amongst a small group of family and friends at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, just after 9:30 AM. A press conference and breakfast reception follow. The couple honeymoon for a few days in Palm Springs after that returning to Memphis. They had a second wedding reception in the trophy room at Graceland to accommodate family and friends who were not in Las Vegas for the wedding. Their marriage lasted only five years because of his alleged promiscuity with other women and his drug addiction. The Presley's separated on February 23 , agreeing to share custody of their daughter. After his divorce in 1973, Presley became increasingly isolated and overweight, with prescription drugs affecting his health, mood and his stage act. By now Presley had "no motivation to lose his extra poundage... he became self-conscious... his self-confidence before the audience declined.

On December 21 , Presley met with President Richard Nixon at the White House (Presley arrived with a gift-a handgun. It was accepted but not presented for security reasons). Presley somewhat bizarrely wanted to express his patriotism, his contempt for the hippie drug culture and his wish to be appointed a "Federal Agent at Large". He also wished to obtain a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge to add to similar items he had begun collecting. He offered to "infiltrate hippie groups" and claimed that The Beatles had "made their money, and then gone back to England where they fomented anti-American feeling.

In 1971, Presley was named 'One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation' by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). That summer, the City of Memphis named part of Highway 51 South "Elvis Presley Boulevard", and he won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that presents Grammy awards).Presley won three competitive Grammy awards for his gospel recordings: How Great Thou Art (album and live recording of the title track) and for the album He Touched Me. He had fourteen nominations during his career. However, "Elvis has never been adequately appreciated by those who give the Grammies."

Presley's decline continued. A journalist recalled: "Elvis Presley had become a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self... he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts. Presley's final performance was in Indianapolis at the Market Square Arena, on June 26

Another tour was scheduled to begin August 17 , but at Graceland the day before, Presley was found on the floor of his bathroom by fiancée, Ginger Alden. According to the medical investigator, Presley had "stumbled or crawled several feet before he died." He was officially pronounced dead at 3:30 pm at the Baptist Memorial Hospital.

At his funeral, hundreds of thousands of fans, the press and celebrities line the streets and many hoped to see the open casket in Graceland. Among the mourners were Ann-Margret (who had remained close to Presley) and his ex-wife. U.S. President Jimmy Carter issued a statement.

Presley was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, next to his mother. After an attempt to steal the body, his-and his mother's-remains were reburied at Graceland in the Meditation Gardens.

In 2002 Forbes magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning deceased celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate during the preceding year. In mid-2006, top place was taken by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain after the sale of his song catalogue, but Presley reclaimed the top spot in 2007.

In conclusion there is no drought that Elvis 'The King' Presley had put his fingerprint on rock music his legacy is unquestionable the biggest one and we have him to thank for the memorable phrase "Thank you very much" , he was a symbol for people all over the