A fan of both country and western music and rhythm and blues, Chuck Berry came to Chicago to record with Chess Records on the advice of Muddy Waters. Berry’s 1955 hit “Maybelline” was followed by a string of crossover hits, including “Johnny B. Goode.” Beginning with one of Berry’s trademark guitar riffs, the song tells the story of a young country boy who is destined to be a big star, because he can “play the guitar like ringing a bell.” Notably, the song steers clear of any suggestive language, eliminating an obstacle that kept many rhythm and blues hits off mainstream pop radio until white artists re-recorded them in cleaned-up cover versions. Berry was happy to write about typical topics in teenager life (school, dancing, parents), though he is perhaps most admired for the clever wordplay found in many of his lyrics. “Johnny B. Goode” became a classic and was covered by guitar-oriented acts from the Beatles to Johnny Winter. Photo Credit: John Tefteller at BluesImages.com

Levittown, New York, 1954.In the 1950s, the explosion of new car sales and the construction of interstate highways made suburbs like Levittown more accessible than ever. For many, the American dream—your own home and car, plenty of space, and peace and quiet—was to be found in suburbia. Photo Credit: Bettman/Corbis

Racial segregation was one of the most divisive issues of the 1950s. This picture’s original caption says it best: “9/4/1957—Little Rock, AR: Arkansas National Guardsmen turn away Elizabeth Eckford, a Negro Girl, as she attempts to enter Central High School here, Sept. 4th. The troops stopped eight Negro students from entering the school. The soldiers, called out to prevent the desegregation of the school because it might set off rioting between Negroes and whites, stopped the students in defiance of a federal judge’s order that the school was to be integrated.” President Eisenhower eventually sent troops in to enforce the judge’s order and integrate the school. Photo Credit: Bettman/Corbis

In the mid 1950s, several films helped establish the image of restless and rebellious youth that soon would become associated with rock and roll. Directed by László Benedek, The Wild One (1953, top) starred Marlon Brando as the charismatic and troubled leader of a motorcycle gang. James Dean also played a troubled youngster in Rebel Without a Cause (1955, middle), later that year becoming a legend after his untimely death in an automobile accident. In 1955, Blackboard Jungle (bottom, starring, from left, Vic Morrow, Sidney Poitier, and Glenn Ford) gave rise to adult concerns when teenage viewers got rowdy as the song “Rock Around the Clock” was played in the film. Photo Credit:The Wild One 1953 László Benedek Stanley Kramer Productions Distributor: Columbia Pictures

In the mid 1950s, several films helped establish the image of restless and rebellious youth that soon would become associated with rock and roll. Directed by László Benedek, The Wild One (1953, top) starred Marlon Brando as the charismatic and troubled leader of a motorcycle gang. James Dean also played a troubled youngster in Rebel Without a Cause (1955, middle), later that year becoming a legend after his untimely death in an automobile accident. In 1955, Blackboard Jungle (bottom, starring, from left, Vic Morrow, Sidney Poitier, and Glenn Ford) gave rise to adult concerns when teenage viewers got rowdy as the song “Rock Around the Clock” was played in the film. Photo Credit: Rebel Without a Cause 1955 Nicholas Ray Warner Brothers

In the mid 1950s, several films helped establish the image of restless and rebellious youth that soon would become associated with rock and roll. Directed by László Benedek, The Wild One (1953, top) starred Marlon Brando as the charismatic and troubled leader of a motorcycle gang. James Dean also played a troubled youngster in Rebel Without a Cause (1955, middle), later that year becoming a legend after his untimely death in an automobile accident. In 1955, Blackboard Jungle (bottom, starring, from left, Vic Morrow, Sidney Poitier, and Glenn Ford) gave rise to adult concerns when teenage viewers got rowdy as the song “Rock Around the Clock” was played in the film. Photo Credit: Blackboard Jungle 1955 Richard Brooks Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Starting out playing rhythm and blues records on a Cleveland-area radio station late at night, Alan Freed was to become one of the most important disc jockeys in the early years of rock music. After moving his show to New York in 1954, he dubbed it The Rock and Roll Party and took credit for giving the new style its name. While in Cleveland, Freed began to promote rhythm and blues shows for what he thought was his African American listening audience, but soon white teens who had also tuned in his show began to attend these events. Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Based in New Orleans, Fats Domino had a series of rhythm and blues hits before crossing over onto the pop charts. His easygoing style is characterized by rolling triplets in the piano and a smooth vocal delivery. Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

A consummate showman, Chuck Berry decided early on that he would write and perform songs that didn’t need to have the words changed to be appropriate for white radio. Berry’s attention to lyrics provided a model for many songwriters who followed, as did his lead-guitar bursts. Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Richard Penniman (Little Richard) was the most flamboyant figure in rock’s first years, as can be seen from the position of his legs in this picture. Little Richard had a string of crossover hits before quitting rock music for a time to enter the ministry. Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Fueled by the success of “Rock Around the Clock,” Bill Haley and His Comets became one of the first successful white acts in rock and roll. The band’s roots in country swing are noticeable in this picture by the presence of the accordion and steel guitar—hardly rock and roll instruments in the 1950s! Photo Credit: Bettman/Corbis

If Elvis Presley seemed dangerous to middle-class parents, Pat Boone was the alternative. Boone’s cover versions of songs by Fats Domino and Little Richard outperformed the originals on the pop charts, and together with his other hit records made him one of the top-grossing pop artists of the second half of the decade. Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Referred to early in his career as “The Hillbilly Cat,” Elvis Presley became one of the biggest stars in show business when RCA bought his contract from Sun Records. The young Elvis was handsome, sexy, and dangerous, and this was enough to scandalize some parents and cause Ed Sullivan to order cameras to show Presley only from the chest up when the singer appeared on his television variety show in 1956. Photo Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

When Elvis (center in background, choosing his uniform from clothing bins) was drafted into the U.S. Army, many predicted his career would be over. Elvis’s manager, Tom Parker (second from right, talking to two RCA executives), calculated that military service would help show that Presley was a good, upstanding American boy and position the singer closer to the center of the entertainment business mainstream. Presley recorded several records before he shipped out to boot camp, and these singles were released while he was away, keeping his career alive until his return. Photo Credit: Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

After Elvis left RCA, Sam Phillips invested in a number of other artists, including the blonde-haired, piano banging Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis enjoyed a string of hits until being chased briefly from the business when reporters learned that his wife was only fourteen. Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Hailing from Lubbock, Texas, Buddy Holly blended country twang with R&B rhythm to become an important songwriter and performer during rock’s first wave. Shown here with the Crickets, Holly died in a plane crash in February 1959—an event singer-songwriter Don McLean would later describe as “the day the music died.” Photo Credit: BBC/Redferns

The U.S. government hearings into payola in the radio business became the undoing of many in radio, including Alan Freed. However, Dick Clark (center) emerged from the investigation relatively unscathed and went on to become one of the most powerful figures in pop-music broadcasting. Photo Credit: Bettman/Corbis

The Birth and First Flourishing of Rock and Roll chapter 2

Levittown, New York, 1954

Desegregation, Little Rock, AR, 1957

The Rise of Youth Culture in the 1950s Pop culture devoted exclusively to teenagers Political stability and affluence Normalcy Rebellion against conservatism Worries about juvenile delinquency “Rock Around the Clock”

The Wild One, Marlon Brando

Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean

Blackboard Jungle

Radio and Records Rise of the Disc Jockey Radios become inexpensive Rock-oriented radio shows The Moondog Show Cleveland Alan Freed Red, Hot, and Blue Memphis Dewey Phillips

Alan Freed http://youtu.be/8BhIz-xYGCU

Radio and Records Rise of the Disc Jockey Black DJs became more numerous during the 1950s The Rock and Roll Party New York, syndicated Alan Freed

Radio and Records Aggressive Marketing Record companies use radio to market records Participation of DJs is crucial Jukeboxes Payola used to overcome dominance by majors

Crossover and Covers Charts developed to show trends to businesspeople Cashbox Billboard Three parallel charts according to marketing Crossover, records appearing on more than one chart

The First Rock and Rollers Cross Over Fats Domino Imperial Records Among the first rockers to consistently cross over Thirty-seven Top 40 singles, 1955–1963 Warm, friendly image

Fats Domino

The First Rock and Rollers Cross Over Chuck Berry Chess Records Vocal delivery influenced by country music Writer and performer Story songs Musical influence Simple verse, simple verse-chorus 12-bar blues Two-string boogie-woogie Double stops

http://youtu.be/6ofD9t_sULM Johnny be Good

The First Rock and Rollers Cross Over Little Richard Specialty Records First “wild man” of rock and roll Target for cover artists

Little Richard http://youtu.be/QFq5O2kabQo http://youtu.be/PKRfFEa9PGE

The First Rock and Rollers Cross Over Whitening rhythm and blues Replacing references to sexuality with references to dancing Bill Haley “Rock Around the Clock” “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” Pat Boone “Ain’t That a Shame” “Tutti Frutti”

Bill Haley and His Comets http://youtu.be/LQweaS328bc

Pat Boone

The First Rock and Rollers Cross Over Cover versions Some black performers resented covers Copied arrangements Replaced original version on the charts Reduced crossover potential Historical precedent Song is unit of trade Norms of 1955 recording industry Stylistic differences

The Rise of Elvis Presley Sun Records First demo, 1953 First proper session, July 1954 “That’s All Right (Mama)” Rhythm and blues lineage “Blue Moon of Kentucky” Bluegrass lineage Early radio Red, Hot, and Blue Grand Ole Opry Louisiana Hayride

The Rise of Elvis Presley RCA Records Phillips takes $35K buyout First single, early 1956 “Heartbreak Hotel” three-way crossover hit Television Ed Sullivan, Toast of the Town Importance of major label involvement with rock

Elvis Presley http://youtu.be/gj0Rz-uP4Mk

The Rise of Elvis Presley Elvis’s material Song selector, not writer Rockabilly Most without drums Acoustic bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar “Slapback echo”

Elvis drafted into U.S. Army

The Rise of Elvis Presley U.S. Army, 1958–1960 Stationed in Germany Return performance hosted by Sinatra Change to song stylist

Rockabilly Sun Records Carl Perkins Johnny Cash Jerry Lee Lewis Gene Vincent Eddie Cochran Brenda Lee

Jerry Lee Lewis

Rockabilly Buddy Holly One of the first major figured in rock to have rhythm and blues and country and western influences Decca sessions go badly, 1956 Brunswick and Coral Records “That’ll Be the Day,” 1957 Vocal hiccups Influence as a songwriter Direct, happy, positive lyrics Adventurous formal design Wide stylistic range

Buddy Holly with the Crickets

The Day the Music Died Little Richard called to ministry, 1957 Elvis drafted, 1957 Jerry Lee Lewis marries thirteen-year-old cousin, 1958 Plane crash, 1959 Buddy Holly Big Bopper Ritchie Valens Chuck Berry charged with violation of the Mann Act, 1959

The Day the Music Died Payola investigations, 1959 Attack on DJs as “gatekeepers” Struggle between BMI and ASCAP Opponents of rock felt that it was forced on listeners FCC and FTC DJs didn’t acknowledge and declare gifts

The Day the Music Died Payola investigations, 1959 High-profile subjects Alan Freed Resisted hearings Driven out of music business Dick Clark Cooperated with hearings Forced to divest conflicts of interest

Dick Clark and Alan Freed