Big Blog no. 1: American Roots Music

Rock 'N' Roll

For decades, Rock and Roll has been one of the most admirable and praiseworthy types of music in the world. Overtime, it has changed and evolved with generations of artists. In many ways, it has been inspirational to people of all ages, races, and social standings. Like all types of music, Rock and Roll has its own origin story. The music industry was first really disrupted by a man named Sam Phillips. Phillips was born, in 1923, in a small place in Alabama called Lovelace Community, and he never planned on starting a record company. His father was a flagman on a railroad bridge over the Tennessee River. So you can see that there is not a history of involvement with the music industry in this family. Even with that being said, Phillips got his start in radio, working in Decatur and Nashville, and he finally made it to Memphis in 1945. Making it to Memphis was a very exciting goal for Phillips by this time. By the time of January, 1950, Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service, in a tiny place on Union Avenue, in the heart of the Memphis music scene. His slogan was "We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime". It was his dream to help aspiring musicians to create their own records and put their creations out into the world. He would listen to their music no questions asked, and help them. Phillips hated formulas and how each song that was "popular" sounded so similar and generic. By the time it was 1958, Phillips was the first to record Elvis, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison. Despite his commercial successes, Phillips continued losing artists to major record labels, like Columbia and RCA Victor. Around 1960 he decided to give up producing. As a wealthy man, he disappeared from the music scene for almost 20 years. He reemerged after those 20 years and devoted some time to creating new radio stations and what not. He died a legend in 2003. Many people label Sam Phillips as the "Man who invented Rock and Roll". 

Some major hits Phillips produced: "Mystery Train", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Folsom Prison Blues", "I Walk the Line", "Ooby-Dooby", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On", "Great Balls of Fire". 

Now that we know how Rock and Roll was emerged into modern society, let's look at its roots and how it evolved into what it is today. There is a general consensus that Rock and Roll arose in the Southern region of the United States. This region of the United States produced most of the major early rock and roll acts-- through the meeting of various influences that embodied a merge of African music tradition with European instrumentation. There was a "cultural collision" occurring, and it commenced far before the 20th century. From the time African Americans were enslaved to the time that they were free, they were making music and inspiring other musical styles. Eventually, their tradition was embedded into modern music with European influence to start a style which is now known as Rock and Roll. The immediate roots of rock and roll lay in the "Rhythm and Blues" genre. Back then it was called "race music", and "country music"of the 1940s and 1950s. Some significant influences were jazz, blues, gospel, country, and folk. Commentators have opposing views of which forms were most important and which music was labeled and re-branded for a white market, or new hybrid of black and white forms. 

I am so glad this type of music came to be! When we think of Rock and Roll now, we think of classic bands like "Motley Crue", "ACDC", "Guns 'n' Roses", "Aerosmith", "Def Leppard", "Rolling Stones", and many more. These are some of my personal favorite bands! Their music is so inspirational and awesome to me. :)

Works Cited:

Menand, L., 2021. The Real History Of Rock And Roll. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: <https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/16/the-elvic-oracle> [Accessed 24 January 2021].

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Rock And Roll. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll#:~:text=The%20immediate%20roots%20of%20rock,gospel%2C%20country%2C%20and%20folk.> [Accessed 24 January 2021].

2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5HKlQ6nGM> [Accessed 24 January 2021].

Kot, G., 2021. Review: 'Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'N' Roll' By Peter Guralnick. [online] chicagotribune.com. Available at: <https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/ct-prj-sam-phillips-peter-guralnick-20151112-column.html> [Accessed 24 January 2021].

2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrOemQaEJGU> [Accessed 24 January 2021].