Top Ten "Fathers" of Rock & Roll
Rock and Roll had it's beginnings in the 50s. There were many who could be considered to be the "Fathers of Rock and Roll".
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. He died on 18 March 2017. Elvis himself said that he only wished he could write a song like Chuck Berry. Literally, anybody and everybody associated with rock (and pop music in general) since the '50s can be traced back to Chuck Berry. John Lennon said, "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."
Elvis was easily more popular, but I'd argue that Chuck left a much bigger impact musically. No one can claim to have invented rock 'n' roll, but Chuck Berry comes the closest.
Chuck Berry is the father, and then comes the king. Jimi Hendrix will be next.
Even though whoever wrote this has all the album and publication facts, back in that time most mainstream radio stations and studio producers were not trying to support black people making music. Most of them stole the rhythm and flow by putting their own lyrics on music that was already playing in juke joints, on street corners, and in churches years before these men were trying to figure out if music was a good choice in life. Facts.
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined... read more When Elvis recorded his SUN sessions, he really invented a new style. When you listen to these records, they have the ability to make you forget all others, to banish the gentrified pop that came in its wake, as well as the raggle-taggle blues that came before it. These records are one of those things that just can't be argued with, a pop-cultural milestone of huge importance.
Elvis was the major teen breakthrough, the universal hero, a symbol of teenage rebellion. In this way, without even trying, he became one of the people who have radically affected the way that people live and think. This was new, fresh, nervous cutting music that exploded all over the place. But above all, it was the sexiest thing that anyone had ever heard or seen. Elvis is really the trigger of Rock and Roll and therefore rightfully proclaimed as the King of Rock and Roll.
Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was a rising star when a tragic plane crash struck him down at age 22... read more Buddy Holly was definitely the "Father of Rock and Roll." He was a huge influence on many musicians around the world and had a lasting effect on music. Not to mention, he was a brilliant singer who didn't need any vocal enhancements and tricks that so many musicians these days use to make themselves sound better.
Buddy wrote all of his own songs, sang his own music with no vocal enhancing tricks, and was an amazing talent by playing lead guitar while the Crickets provided the background vocals and music. If anyone should be considered the Father of Rock and Roll, in my eyes at least, it definitely has to be Buddy Holly!
Roy Kelton Orbison, professionally known as Roy Orbison, nicknamed Big O, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and musician, mostly known for his complex voice and for hits such as, "Oh, Pretty Woman". The originator of the rock ballad. He wrote most of his own material. Elvis said Roy had the greatest voice in the world, and Elvis was the king, so... Listen to Roy on YouTube and you'll see why.
He actually recorded many upbeat rockabilly songs while at Sun Records. Later on, he focused more on ballads and pop.
Richard Wayne Penniman, known by his stage name, Little Richard, was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is widely regarded to be one of the most influential rock musicians of all time. I was there to hear Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Chuck Berry got all the press, but the true Father of Rock and Roll is Little Richard.
He preceded Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and Elvis in breaking out into rock and roll. He was a big influence on John Lennon.
So different, so cool, so original. I heard his religious album, which shows how versatile the guy really is.
Bill Haley and the Comets were the best and first Rock and Roll band with their hit Rock Around the Clock in 1953. It was the theme song used in the movie Blackboard Jungle. Crazy Man, Crazy was another hit, and Shake, Rattle and Roll sold a million copies in 1954. I still remember his great performance at Festival Hall Brisbane, Queensland, in 1957.
As a former Comet, I say Bill Haley is the one that brought Rock and Roll to the mainstream of American life. The others mentioned here mostly rode his coattails into the mainstream of acceptance.
Jerry Lee Lewis (1935 - 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and pianist, often known by his nickname, The Killer. He has been described as "rock and roll's first great wild man." A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in... read more Jerry Lee Lewis is playing on Beale St. in Memphis on New Year's Eve. That's Jerry Lee Lewis in Memphis, New Year's Eve 2017. Only 125 tickets are available. 125! The Killer has been playing up and down the Mississippi since the late '40s. He is the undisputed King of Rock 'n' Roll. This is not a commercial! It's just an insane phenomenon!
The Killer himself proclaimed he played the Devil's music. And he was incredibly good at pumping that piano!
He once lit his piano on fire. If we're talking about the rock 'n' roll attitude, Jerry Lee is where that comes from.
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generations of musicians... read more Maybe more of a grandfather of rock and roll. I just want to see him get the credit he deserves.
He sold his soul to the Devil so rock and roll could be born! He's #1!
The man sells his soul for rock and roll and he gets number 9!
To belt 'em out, like the Stones, began in the nightclubs and taverns of Kansas City when Big Joe (the Rock) and his pianist Pete Johnson (the Roll) needed to compete with cross-town likes of Count Basie or Lester Young and all the others there at the time. Beginning about 1930, the two collaborated for twenty years. Two of my favorite hits performed by Big Joe are Boogie Woogie Country Girl and Flip Flop and Fly.
Big Joe Turner in KC was the first with "Shake, Rattle and Roll." Then across the state of Missouri, Chuck Berry came along as the second Rock and Roller. Then the rest of the nation followed in Missouri's footsteps.
John R. "Johnny" Cash (1932-2003) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and author, who was widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. He died of... read more
The Newcomers
Elias McDaniel, known as Bo Diddley, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and music producer who played a key role in the transition from blues to rock and roll. Dr. Bo Diddley took Chicago blues and gave it a rock and roll beat. When the Beatles landed in NYC, they asked, Is there a chance we can see Bo Diddley?
He trained them all by teaching them his new lick. He even built a special guitar to produce that unique sound.
Edward Raymond "Eddie" Cochran (October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American musician. Rock and roll pioneer, he was only 21 years old when he died in a car crash... read more Eddie Cochran was a real rocker of the fifties, a rebellious type of James Dean figure, with sexual arrogance. Most of all, his music and lyrics are still being adopted by contemporary standards. He conveyed the teenage rebel in its most direct form, expressing frustration at the impositions of the older generation, particularly parents and employers, the excitement of adolescent sex, and the arrogance of newfound confidence contrasted with the uncertain tenderness of "real love" experienced for the first time.
He sang about all these matters with genuine expression. All these emotions - excitement, uncertainty, frustration, anger, tenderness - can be heard in his music, in the way he played the guitar, and the way he sang. He had a big following in the UK, and while on tour there in 1960, he died in a car crash. One of the greatest rockers of the fifties was gone. Luckily, he left us his amazing music and will always be remembered.
Antoine "Fats" Domino, Jr. was a French Creole pianist and singer-songwriter. He released five gold records before 1955 and had 35 hit records in the U.S. Top 40. He died on October 25, 2017. Can't believe he's not in the Top Ten list! His earliest recordings, going back to 1949, are very much rock and roll before it was a recognized genre. From the period 1955-1962, he was second only to Elvis Presley in record sales.
Vincent Eugene Craddock, known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. He had one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time, Be-Bop-a-Lula.
Jimi Hendrix (born November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970) was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most... read more
He is the best rock and roller in the world, and he is my idol. I don't think this world will ever forget the name "Jimi Hendrix."
He is by far the greatest guitarist of all time. He literally invented rock.
Greatest guitar player who ever lived. We probably won't see anybody like him ever again.
Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted eight months, as it abruptly ended when he died (aged 17) in... read more
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The group comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of the 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular... read more It's stunning to me when some naive Gen Z folks fail to recognize how original The Beatles were. This band set a new standard for rock that kicked off 30 years of what is now called "classic rock." They were the first of a revolutionary musical generation. No other band or musician (all original music) has influenced our culture the way The Beatles did.
They changed the face of popular music forever.
McKinley Morganfield, known by his stage name Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician who is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". It's funny because all of the white people forget that Rock 'n' Roll was considered race music (Black, Urban) and was created by African-Americans only. Just like jazz and blues before it, not one of the white artists named above had anything to do with the creation of the art form. Yes, they helped popularize it because the music gatekeepers hand-picked the faces of white artists they thought would be marketable and provided tons of resources not afforded to Black artists of that time. History will not be rewritten to make these people bigger than they are. The artists listed above stole or borrowed their entire style from the "true" forefathers. SMH, these forums disgust me.
Muddy Waters is a Chicago Blues legend and helped influence the first Rock 'n' Rollers.
Alan Freed coined the term "Rock 'n' Roll," and people who say that Chuck Berry did it are incorrect. Chuck Berry began his career after the first "Rock 'n' Roll" song was released in 1951 by Jackie Brenston, named "Rocket 88." Chuck Berry's first hit, "Maybellene," was released in 1955.
Bill Haley and His Comets made "Rock 'n' Roll" popular with "Rock Around the Clock." Elvis was the king, but he was not the first to sing "Rock 'n' Roll." Buddy Holly was one of the world's most talented artists, but his career started in 1956. Buddy Holly was the father of "Rock Music," not "Rock 'n' Roll" music.
In my opinion, Jackie Brenston was the first to sing "Rock 'n' Roll," but he didn't have good hits. The first "Rock 'n' Roll" hit was "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets. I give credit to Alan Freed because he was the one who had the power to create a whole new music term. None of the "Rock 'n' Roll" singers we know today would have known "Rock 'n' Roll" if it were not for him.
Jackie Brenston heard what Freed was doing and made a song. Later, in 1953, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, and others came and made that kind of music too. So, in my opinion, Alan Freed deserves credit for coining the term "Rock 'n' Roll."
Ray Charles Robinson, professionally known as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer.
Izear Luster "Ike" Turner, Jr. was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. A huge jerk, but he made the very first rock and roll record, "Rocket 88," long before he met Tina.
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5th September 1946 - 24th November 1991) was a Zanzibari-born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter and record producer, known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the British rock band Queen. He also became known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave... read more Excuse me? Why isn't this amazing man here?
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, and poet best remembered as the lead singer of the Doors.
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and director. He is well known for being the lead singer of Thirty Seconds to Mars. There is no contest. He is the best.
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and artist who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. A brilliant songwriter in general.