1950s AMERICAN ROCK’N’ROLL PODCAST
The Rise and Fall of American Rock’n’Roll looks at the golden age of 1950s American rocknroll.
The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show
Rise and Fall of American Rock’n’Roll
This is the podcast of the show originally broadcast on Access North West on 5 November 2018. The complete show, including all the music played in the show.
THE BLOG of 1950s American RocknRoll to accompany this podcast.
RISE AND FALL OF AMERICAN ROCK’N’ROLL
The golden age of rock’n’roll was undoubtedly the second half of the 1950s. However, its roots go back much futher than that.
Rock’n’Roll has its roots in both black and white American music. Elements of gospel, blues, R&B, doo wop, and country, hillbilly and rock-a-billy can all be heard in rock’n’roll.
Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats’ 1951 release Rocket 88, is generally considered to be the first rock’n’roll record. In 1955 Bill Haley and his Comets kick-started rock’n’roll, when Rock Around the Clock played behind the opening credits of the movie Blackboard Jungle.
The golden age of rock’n’roll followed but the first cracks appeared just two-and-half years later. Little Richard was on tour in Australia in 1957, when he had an epiphany, found God and renounced rock’n’roll. After Little Richard left the rock’n’roll scene others followed and the rock’n’roll hits dried up.
By the end of the 1950s rock’n’roll was all-but over. It limped on into the early 1960s but the times were definitely a-changin’. Elvis famously reinvented himself as a movie star in the 1960s. Ironically the 1960s beat and R&B groups revitalised the careers of many of the blues, R&B and rock’n’roll stars.
But the golden age of rock’n’roll – will live – forever
ACCESS NORTH WEST
This podcast was first broadcast on The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show, Access North West
The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show is on Access North West monthly.
It’s on the first Monday of every month at 10.00am (UK). The show is repeated on the Wednesday of that week at 7.00pm (UK). It is further repeated on the other Mondays and Wednesdays at the same times throughout the month.
ABOUT THE ROCK’N’ROLL UNRAVELLED SHOW
We’ll be looking at how rock’n’roll came about. It’s development into rock music in the mid-1960s the array of rock genres in the late 1960s and ‘70s. Blues, R&B, rock’n’roll, rock, prog, folk rock, country rock, psychedelia, glam, early metal, punk, new wave… they will all find their way into the shows. Plus artists and bands some well known, some more on the cult side. Stories behind classic singles and albums, record labels, venues, gigs… Not forgetting the people behind the scenes, managers, promoters, writers, Svengalis – the people who made it all happen.
If it’s relevant to the music of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s I’ll be talking about it.
There will be some great music, some you’ll recognise and some that you might well be hearing for the first time.
Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
Rock’n’Roll Unravelled – THE BOOK
Derek Shelmerdine is the author of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled.
RocknRoll Unravelled tells the story of rock’n’roll from its roots up until mid-1970s punk. Not just the story of the music but also the external events which influenced it, such as the Vietnam War and Civil Rights struggle.
TO BUY Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
FOR ALL PODCASTS
For all of Derek Shelmerdine‘s Podcasts.
