American Pie

There are several reasons why one would say the ‘50s era of rock and roll ended.  In 1959 Jerry Lee Lewis, as mentioned before, married his 13-year-old cousin, Little Richard retired to become a preacher in 1957, and Chuck Berry was arrested.  But one of the most significant days was February 3, 1959.  February 3, 1959 was the “Day the Music Died,” as put by Don McLean.

Rock and rollers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper were all killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.  Buddy Holly, along with his new backing band, toured with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.  After a gig, the conditions on the tour bus were very poor, as the bus had no heat.  Holly decided to get a plane, where the Big Bopper took a place on the warm plane because of the flu, and Ritchie Valens won his seat on the plane by a coin toss against Tommy Allsup (a member of Holly’s backing band).  From inclement weather, the plane crashed and the three rock and rollers and the pilot were killed.

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In the song “American Pie” by Don McLean, he says, “But February made me shiver / With every paper I’d deliver / Bad news on the doorstep / I couldn’t take one more step,” and he continues with, “I can’t remember if I cried / When I read about his widowed bride / But something touched me deep inside / The day the music died.”  Anyone who was alive when this happened can agree that it was a tragic day, especially in rock and roll.  That was the day the music died.  The era of early rock and roll was officially over with the tragedy.  Three men who had brought nothing but happiness and identity to rock and roll and what rock and roll would later become.  They may not have been around long, but their presences contributed to what rock and roll is today.

And with this, the beginning era of rock and roll ended.  But rock and roll would continue with the teen idol in 1959 and then with the first wave of the British Invasion in 1964.

The Beatles photographed by Bob Bonis

The Rolling Stones photographed by Dezo Hoffmann

Peggy Sue

I have definitely talked about Buddy Holly before, but he was a pioneer of rock and roll, so I'll talk about him again.

Unfortunately, the “King of Rock and Roll” to me, did not last long enough in the music industry to obtain that title. Buddy Holly (despite dying so early into his life and career) did make a difference in the world of rock and roll. He wrote his own music and was the first to use advanced techniques in the studio. He, along with Berry, Lewis, and Domino, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

He learned how to play the guitar, piano, and the fiddle at a young age, and after high school, he formed the Western and Bop Band, a country group. Holly was soon signed by Decca and released singles with the band name, Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes. Then, in 1957, he got a new band that he called the Crickets. Their song “That’ll Be the Day” immediately got them a contract with Coral and Brunswick labels.

When he split from the band in 1958, he did some solo work, which is sometimes easy to distinguish from his work with the Crickets because his solo work sometimes involved an orchestra – the Crickets only used their instruments. His songs with the Crickets became Number Ones quickly because of their upbeat rock and roll sound.

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"Peggy Sue" was released in 1957 by Buddy Holly - The Crickets weren't acknowledged on the single.  Joe B. Mauldin and Jerry Allison, however, were known to be on the track.  Even though Buddy Holly had so many successful songs, people think this one is his best.  

Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On

Here's to another rock and roll pioneer.  Jerry Lee Lewis was probably the first reckless rock and roller.  Inducted in 1986, he at that point had sold millions upon millions of singles and records.  Known for his scandalous lyrics, Lewis also developed a reputation after marrying his 13-year-old cousin in 1958.  That was the point where his career faltered a little bit.

But aside from his troubled past, Jerry Lee Lewis began loving music at a young age.  At eight he started to play the piano based on the music he heard around him.  Boogie-woogie, R&B and Delta blues were his influences in music.  In 1956, he traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to audition for Sun Records.  Rock and roll greats Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison were all a part of the record-breaking label.

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Lewis recorded "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" with Sun Records in 1957.  The song was originally written by Dave "Curlee" Williams and James Faye "Roll" Hall.  The song was first recorded in 1955 by Big Maybelle for Okeh Records.  It was Lewis' idea to add the "boogie piano" with complements by J.M. Van Eaton playing the drums with a lot of energy.

Blue Monday

Also considered a pioneer of rock and roll music, Fats Domino, a native of New Orleans, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, as well. He played a huge role in the transition from R&B to rock and roll. In fact, Fats Domino sold more records than any rock artist from the ‘50s except Elvis Presley. He scored more hit records than Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Buddy Holly combined, and he made it on the Billboard charts over 100 times. He started playing in the New Orleans music scene in the mid-40s, and was signed by Dave Bartholomew in 1949 to Imperial Records.

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"Blue Monday" was not originally by Fats Domino.  The song was written by Bartholomew and was recorded in 1954 by Smiley Lewis, a New Orleans native like Domino.  Later versions of the song have credited both Bartholomew and Domino as co-writers, even though Fats had no part in the writing of the song.

Johnny B. Goode

Chuck Berry is considered to be one of the pioneers of rock and roll.  Berry, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, is described as being the “poet laureate” of rock and roll.  He was born out of R&B and country and gave it identity.  Basically, he refined rhythm and blues into the elements that made rock and roll one of individuality.

His perfectly matched lyrics and music helped shape rock and roll for decades, and his works have been covered by other great rock and roll artists such as Electric Light Orchestra, The Rolling Stones, and the Beatles.  His songs were aimed for teenagers, the intended targets of the rock and roll genre.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame states, “In all essential ways, he understood the power of rock and roll – how it worked, what it was about and who it was for.”

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"Johnny B. Goode" was released in early 1958 under the label of Chess, but was written by Chuck years earlier in 1955.  A recording of the song was on the Voyager Golden Record, a record that was placed on the Voyager spacecraft as a representation of rock and roll music.

Rock Around the Clock

Rock and Roll was a major turning point in the music industry. New artists like Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Gene Vincent helped pave the road to the biggest genre of music ever known to this point. The genre was created with influences of blues and country, along with technological advances such as the electric guitar, amplifier, microphone, and the 45 rpm record. This was also around the time the transistor radio was invented, and car radios became more popular, as well. This meant listening to music anywhere became a lot easier and more practical. It was also the first time teenagers could have music of their own, so rock and roll immediately became the coolest genre, thanks to the younger generation.

The year was 1955 when rock and roll really took off. “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets is said to be the starting point of rock and roll.

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With this post, the next few days will be all about the first pioneers of rock and roll, so all of the artists will be from 1955-1958.  Bill Haley & His Comets weren't really considered to be pioneers of rock music.  The hit song (which went on to be the theme song of the television show Happy Days) was more of a starting point for the new genre about to take over America.