Rock and Roll and Colorful Soul

“White”  musicians in the USA are the mainstream faces of Rock ‘n Roll music. The identities of the artists that actually created Rock music read like nonexistent footnotes. Music history has always been manipulated by deceptive media executives, forcing  historians to stand by and remain relatively silent about the whitewashed narratives being sold and told. Academic research books contain  the truth, but few prime time TV specials highlight the truth like they are supposed to do.  Few realize that Race has always influenced the way musical categories are determined. For example, a “Rhythm & Blues,” song recorded by  a ‘Black’ artist, magically becomes a Rock n’ Roll song, once a Caucasian artist re-records that same song.

A popular trivia question asks, who recorded the first Rock & Roll song? The book, The Emergence of Rock and Roll: Music and the Rise of American Youth Culture, by Mitchell K. Hall, provides the answer to a question that music enthusiasts might want to know.  Hall states how, “In March 1951, a Mississippi rhythm and blues band called Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm … had an appointment to meet with Sam Phillips, owner of the Memphis Recording Service.  Phillips leased the recordings to Chess Records in Chicago, but Chess issued the record as performed by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats. Released in May, “Rocket 88″ was a hit, reaching the top of the Billboard rhythm and blues chart.”  Although the band name and  was listed wrong on the song, “Rocket  88” is widely considered the first Rock & Roll song.   In this case, both artists were “Black Americans,” although the recording was credited to the wrong artist.

There are accounts where other songs (not Ike Turner’s) being called the first Rock & Roll song ever recorded.  James Miller wrote the book, Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977, and stated how, “The occasion was a recording session for a company unknown to most Americans, King. The agent of change was a singer named Wynonie Harris, thirty-two years old, also practically unknown. In most respects, there was nothing noteworthy about the setting, the singer, or his songs. But one of the songs Harris sang on December 28, 1947, “Good Rockin’ Tonight, “would become a best-selling hit …,.”  The truth exists in the details, when discussing the origins of Rock & Roll music. Again, Harris is a “Black American.”

The reason why the song “Good Rockin’ Tonight” was considered to be the first Rock & Roll song is because of the title, and Miller goes on to say that, “Nobody noticed. In December of 1947, the music we now call “rock and roll” hadn’t yet been named, much less invented.”  We can dig deeper and know more about the origins of Rock & Roll.  The song “Good Rockin Tonight” was actually written and first sang by Roy Brown.  The book, The Chitlin’ Circuit: And the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll,” by Preston Lauterbach gives a full account of who Roy Brown  was and that he reportedly recorded a version of “Good Rockin’ Tonight” before Wynonie Harris’ version was released.  Again, Roy Brown was “Black American.” None of these artists are household names and when Rock ‘n Roll is mentioned, these people are not even imagined.

A lot of songs were in contention for being the first Rock & Roll song.  Another song for consideration  comes from,  The Great Book of Rock Trivia: Amazing Trivia, Fun Facts & The History of Rock and Roll, by Bill O’Neill. Look at how, “When Elvis released “That’s All Right Mama” in 1954, one of his idols, Arthur Crudup, had recorded it in 1946.  Elvis Presley looked up to the great Blues musician Arthur Crudup, but the mainstream media never focused on what Elvis said. Mainstream media never created a space where Crudup could regularly perform for mainstream audiences. Other contenders for the title of first rock record include Goree Carter’s “Rock Awhile” (1959), “Good Rocking Tonight,” recorded by both Roy Brown (1947) and Wynonie Harris (1948), and Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Strange Things Happening Every Day,” recorded way back in 1944.”  Depending on the criteria, a lot musician’s are in contention for being the first to record a  Rock & Roll song.

In terms of the song’s title, Roy Brown and Wynonie Harris had the advantage in determining who made the first Rock & Roll song. In terms of style, The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music, by Rolling Stone magazine stated how, “Rocket 88” was an unusually accurate indicator of what some early rock & roll would sound like…By 1952 Haley and his rechristened Comets were recording full-fledged rockers such as “Rock the Joint” in a similar style.” Bill Haley was another artist that recognized what Rock n’ Roll music was and stood firm on the genre in a way that made him an icon of Rock music.  Artists like Elvis Presley did not deny where their influences came from. It was the mainstream media that wrote the narrative and defines the USA.