Roots & Rock 'n' Roll

Where it began: the blues and country that fused into rock 'n' roll, and the first stars — Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis — who lit the fuse in the 1950s.

Part of Rock

29 moments in this segment.

1. 1951-03-05 — Jackie Brenston — Rocket 88. Often called the first rock 'n' roll record, cut at Sam Phillips's Memphis studio in 1951.
2. 1953-02-01 — Big Mama Thornton — Hound Dog. The blues shouter's 1953 original that Elvis would later make a phenomenon.
3. 1954-01-01 — Muddy Waters — Hoochie Coochie Man. Chicago blues, and Muddy Waters, gave rock its electric backbone.
4. 1954-05-20 — Bill Haley — Rock Around the Clock. The song that took rock 'n' roll to number one and into the movies in 1955.
5. 1955-03-02 — Bo Diddley — Bo Diddley. Bo Diddley's signature beat became one of rock's foundational rhythms in 1955.
6. 1955-07-30 — Chuck Berry — Maybellene. Chuck Berry's 1955 debut fused country and blues into the blueprint for rock guitar.
7. 1955-11-01 — Little Richard — Tutti Frutti. Little Richard's explosive 1955 single announced rock 'n' roll at full volume.
8. 1956-01-01 — Carl Perkins — Blue Suede Shoes. Carl Perkins wrote and first cut the rockabilly classic before Elvis made it famous.
9. 1956-01-27 — Elvis Presley — Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis's first RCA single made him a national sensation in 1956.
10. 1956-05-01 — Gene Vincent — Be-Bop-A-Lula. Gene Vincent's 1956 rockabilly classic was pure early rock 'n' roll swagger.
11. 1956-05-01 — Chuck Berry — Roll Over Beethoven. Chuck Berry's call to arms against the classical canon became a rock 'n' roll manifesto.
12. 1956-07-01 — Fats Domino — Blueberry Hill. Fats Domino carried New Orleans R&B into the rock 'n' roll mainstream.
13. 1956-09-01 — Little Richard — Long Tall Sally. Little Richard's frantic 1956 shouter is one of rock's foundational recordings.
14. 1956-09-09 — Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show. Elvis's 1956 TV appearances, filmed from the waist up, scandalized and electrified America.
15. 1957-01-01 — Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The 'Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll' brought gospel and electric guitar together years ahead of everyone.
16. 1957-05-01 — The Everly Brothers — Bye Bye Love. The Everly Brothers' close harmonies shaped everyone from the Beatles to Simon & Garfunkel.
17. 1957-05-27 — Buddy Holly — Peggy Sue. Buddy Holly and the Crickets shaped the template of the self-contained rock band.
18. 1957-09-24 — Elvis Presley — Jailhouse Rock. The 1957 film number cemented Elvis as rock 'n' roll's first true icon.
19. 1957-11-01 — Jerry Lee Lewis — Great Balls of Fire. Jerry Lee Lewis pounded the piano into rock 'n' roll history in 1957.
20. 1958-01-01 — Chuck Berry — Sweet Little Sixteen. Another Chuck Berry blueprint that the Beach Boys would borrow for Surfin' USA.
21. 1958-01-01 — Duane Eddy — Rebel-Rouser. Duane Eddy's twangy guitar instrumentals shaped the sound of the electric guitar.
22. 1958-03-31 — Chuck Berry — Johnny B. Goode. The definitive rock 'n' roll song and guitar intro, released in 1958.
23. 1958-04-01 — Link Wray — Rumble. Link Wray's 1958 instrumental invented the power chord and the distorted guitar.
24. 1958-08-11 — Eddie Cochran — Summertime Blues. Eddie Cochran's 1958 teen anthem influenced a generation of rockers.
25. 1958-10-01 — Ritchie Valens — La Bamba. Ritchie Valens fused rock 'n' roll with Mexican folk before his death at 17.
26. 1960-07-01 — The Ventures — Walk, Don't Run. The Ventures made instrumental surf-rock a global phenomenon.
27. 1962-01-01 — Dick Dale — Misirlou. Dick Dale's reverb-drenched surf guitar reverberated all the way to Pulp Fiction.
28. 1964-08-01 — Roy Orbison — Oh, Pretty Woman. Roy Orbison's operatic voice gave early rock some of its most dramatic songs.
29. 1969-08-26 — Elvis Presley — Suspicious Minds. Elvis's 1969 comeback single proved rock 'n' roll's first king could still reign.