Oldies Mixtape 102: The Roots Of Rock

The Roots Of Rock

Determining the first rock and roll song depends a lot on what your definition of "rock and roll" is. The following 25 songs, presented in more or less chronological form (by year, anyway) represent the first rumbling of rock, from all fronts. Let the music flow through your iPod or other music player and decide for yourself. (Click the song title to see if the song is available for download and to hear a sample clip; download the songs here or through your own provider, and make yourself a cool playlist or legally burned CD.)

1. Wynonie Harris, "Good Rocking Tonight" (1948)
   There are other songs before and after this R&B smash that contain elements later used in rock, but this was the first big hit to mix gospel and blues so boldly.
2. Arthur Smith and the Crackerjacks, "Guitar Boogie" (1948)
   A million-selling instrumental that proved an important step in the creation of rockabilly; also the first big hit featuring electric guitar.
3. Stick McGhee and his Buddies, "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (1949)
   A favorite of Jerry Lee Lewis, who didn't have to change it much to fit his parameters. Enough said.
4. Jimmy Preston, "Rock The Joint" (1949)
   Bill Haley later crossed over with it, but this R&B hit was a seminal early "rock" song in both form and function.
5. Fats Domino, "The Fat Man" (1949)
   An old boogie called "Junker's Blues," transformed into the birth of Crescent City R&B (an important subgenre of rock that remained virtually unchanged in the Fifties).
6. Louis Jordan, "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (1949)
   The first R&B smash where you can hear the elements of rock come into place: the use of the word, the bop with an accentuated beat, the guitar lines.
7. Johnnie Ray with the Four Lads, "Cry" (1951)
   After Sinatra and before Elvis, Ray was the teen idol, and this ballad bears striking resemblances to the blues-inflected vocal group hits that would come later.
8. Billy Ward and the Dominoes, "Sixty Minute Man" (1951)
   An early doo-wop classic so ahead of its time that it's routinely dropped in among rock hits recorded five and six years later. Also blue enough to be banned.
9. Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, "Rocket 88" (1951)
   Ike Turner records what Sam Phillips later claimed was the first rock record; it's about cars, which helps, but Jordan was already jumping harder.
10. The Treniers, "Go! Go! Go!" (1951)
    Another important milestone in doo-wop history.
11. Les Paul and Mary Ford, "How High The Moon" (1951)
    Jazz guitarist Paul helped invent many of rock guitar's solo moves on this jumped-up treatment of an old standard.
12. The Clovers, "One Mint Julep" (1952)
    A fantastic melody and a signpost that R&B was going more pop. Later made famous in Ray Charles' jazzy instrumental version.
13. Lloyd Price, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (1952)
    The next step in raw New Orleans R&B... Elvis, when he covered it, barely changed it, which should tell you a lot.
14. Bill Haley and his Comets, "Crazy, Man, Crazy" (1953)
    That's right -- Haley was already well-known on the pop charts before "Rock Around The Clock." This original is the best example of his early work in mixing Western Swing and R&B.
15. Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, "Money Honey" (1953)
    A tremendous influence on all the doo-wop that was to come. Frankie Lymon is unthinkable without it.
16. The Crows, "Gee" (1953)
    More up-tempo and poppier than its earlier doo-wop counterparts, a sign that something was happening.
17. Elvis Presley, "That's All Right (Mama)" (1954)
    Once considered the first rock song by many, it still holds fair claim due to its absolutely seamless mixture of country and blues.
18. Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, "Work With Me, Annie" (1954)
    The band that would later create "The Twist" scored an important (and scandalous) hit with this slower, groovier, heavier take on rhythm and blues.
19. The Penguins, "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" (1954)
    Doo-wop's first big crossover ballad, and indistinguishable from what came after it.
20. Big Joe Turner, "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954)
    Turner's hard-hitting swing influenced many a rock and roller, Bill Haley only being the most obvious. The naughty lyrics stay intact here.
21. The Chords, "Sh-Boom" (1954)
    As John Waters' Cry-Baby points out, the Crew Cuts' more popular cover of this classic was also more bland. By a long shot.
22. LaVern Baker and the Gliders, "Tweedle Dee" (1954)
    The missing link between blues mamas of the postwar era and the girl groups of the early Sixties.
23. Ray Charles, "I've Got A Woman" (1954)
    Before Elvis had even gone national, the Genius was already pointing the way to soul with this revamped, secularized gospel number. (Also the influence for Kanye West's "Gold Digger.")
24. Johnny Ace, "Pledging My Love" (1954)
    A simply gorgeous ballad that set the tone for many shimmering Fifties rock romances to come; also a landmark in swamp-pop.
25. Bill Haley and his Comets, "Rock Around the Clock" (1954)
    Released in '54 but not a hit until over a year later, this song -- itself a product of several years of rewrites -- kicked off the rock and roll craze for good.