the words rock and roll were first used when

'Was Ike Turner's 'Rocket 88' the first Rock & Roll song?'. Ga CH ga CHOO ga CH ga CHOO ga CH ga CHOO ga CH ga CHOO It first became popular in R&B around 1949. It's simply an 8-to-the-bar boogie woogie rhythm, but with a heavy 'back beat,' which means an accent, usually by a snare drum, on the 4th and 8th beats. The defining characteristic in rock and roll is the rhythm. There were dozens more in 1950 and hundreds in 1951, so anybody who says Rocket 88 was the first just hasn't seen this web site! (And hasn't bought the Hoy Hoy CD's!). There were several records cut in 1949 which have the rock and roll beat and qualify as rock and roll. Perhaps it was 'The Fat Man' by Fats Domino, or 'Rock The Joint' by Jimmy Preston, or 'Rockin' At Midnight' by Roy Brown. The actual 'first rock and roll record' was probably cut in 1949, and was one of the many hard-rocking R&B numbers cut that year. Rocket 88 was a typical rock and roll / R&B number for its day. There is nothing unique or different about this record, and the idea that this was the first rock and roll record is just one of the pieces of misinformation that has been repeated so often for so many years that it has entered the realm of mythology. Although it may have been the first record from Phillips' studio that he considered to be 'rock 'n roll,' there were many rock and roll records before this one. '.when people started asking the question, 'What was the first rock 'n' roll record?,' Phillips claimed this track was the first, and since Phillips had become famous by then for being the man who discovered Elvis Presley, his vote was given credibility among people who were unfamiliar with early R&B, and to this day, the tradition has stuck. This comes from an Ike Turner site (connected to via Alan's link):

Thanks for that link Alan, essential reading for anyone who wants to explore the issue. Several years later, Ike's piano introduction was copied note for note by Little Richard on 'Lucille'.ĭo we have to pick one song? No, but it will be fun to talk about it. It formed a prototype for hundreds of other rock and roll records in musical style and lineup, and even had a car theme. It was also one of the first genuine rockers to be re-recorded by a white imitator with Bill Haley.

Perhaps the strongest claim this song has for being the first is that 'Rocket 88' was one of the first R & B records to cross over and get noticed by whites. Ike Turner didn't set out for a new sound. Sam Phillips liked the sound and used it. The guitar sound was accidental, caused (so legend has it) by a damaged speaker. The sound had a raw quality to it, aided by an early example of distorted guitar.

Ike worked from familiar material (R & B) and emphasized the back beat. Written by Ike Turner and recorded by his band, the Kings of Rhythm, at Sun Studio in 1951, 'Rocket 88' was perhaps the first rock and roll song. Was Ike's Rocket 88, the first rock song?

The words rock and roll were first used when