Rock’n’Roll

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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1973–present) A hard-rocking quintet whose no frills approach garnered them a huge following, AC/DC were formed in Sydney in 1973 by expatriate Scottish brothers Angus and Malcolm Young (both guitar). Bon Scott became lead singer in 1974. After two Antipodes-only albums, the band moved to America where their fifth album for Atlantic Records, Highway To Hell (1979), produced by Mutt Lange, established them in the big league, selling over six ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1940–2003) London-born Terence Nelhams sang in skiffle group The Worried Men, before changing his name at UK TV guru Jack Good’s suggestion. After early flops, arranger John Barry provided string backing for 1959’s UK No. 1 ‘What Do You Want’, while 1960’s follow-up ‘Poor Me’ also topped the chart, and Faith accumulated 22 more hits by 1966. In 1972, he discovered Leo Sayer, and in 1974, starred with David Essex ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Founder, Atlantic Records, 1923–2006) Ertegun came to the US as son of the Turkish ambassador in 1934 and stayed, founding Atlantic Records in 1947 with brother Nesuhi. Having won the trust of performers with fair contract and royalty dealings, he actively pursued the crossover market in the 1950s, selling black music by Ray Charles and others to a white audience who previously only bought bland cover versions of it. He developed ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Disc jockey, 1922–65) Freed, the DJ who gave rock’n’roll its name, fronted Moondog’s Rock’n’Roll Party at Cleveland’s WJW radio station, where he programmed mainly black R&B plus some early white rock’n’roll records. His vocal jive delighted his audience, and he also appeared in several early rock’n’roll exploitation movies, including Rock Around The Clock, Rock, Rock, Rock (both 1956) and others. He accepted a songwriting credit on Chuck Berry’s ‘Maybellene’ in exchange ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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Rock guitarist Albert Lee was born in Leominster, Herefordshire in 1943. The son of a musician, Lee started his musical career on piano, but like many of his generation, took up the guitar upon the arrival of rock’n’roll, inspired in particular by Buddy Holly. He played in various bands after leaving school at the age of 16, before becoming lead guitarist with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds. Preferring country to the ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
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AC/DC guitarist Angus Young – all five feet two inches of him – is a larger-than-life figure. Rising up from working-class Scottish roots to become the heart and soul of one of the greatest rock’n’roll bands of all time, Young, with his schoolboy outfit and Gibson SG in hand, has become the definitive rock-guitar icon. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in March 1955, Young moved to Australia with his family in the ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
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(Founder, Motown Records, b. 1929) Gordy co-wrote Jackie Wilson’s ‘Reet Petite’ in 1957 while working on Detroit’s Ford assembly line and started Motown in 1959 with an $800 loan, creating a factory-like hit-making process. Gordy scouted talented Detroit performers and matched them to equally talented in-house writers and producers. He fostered a family atmosphere of (mostly) friendly rivalry, which earned him the nickname Pops. Gordy exercised strict control of Motown’s output. The ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1911–85) Big Joe Turner’s tenure as ‘Boss of the Blues’ is dominated by one song, ‘Shake, Rattle And Roll’, which became an early rock’n’roll anthem as recorded by white artists Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. But Turner’s long career and legacy of R&B hits includes boogies like ‘Roll ‘Em Pete’, the seminal blues of ‘Cherry Red’, and rollicking ribald romps like ‘My Gal’s A Jockey’ and ‘Battle Of The Blues’ ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
91 Words Read More

(Instrumental group, 1958–65) Bassist Black helped create the rockabilly sound on Elvis Presley’s Sun recordings and in the singer’s live performances from 1954–58 with guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana. Ironically, Black became better known commercially through a string of instrumental hits with The Bill Black Combo, a group he formed after leaving Presley in a dispute over wages. The Combo’s hits included ‘Smokie’, ‘White Silver Sands’ and ‘Josephine’. Black ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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William John Clifton Haley was born on 6 July 1925 in Highland Park, Detroit, and raised near Chester, Pennsylvania. His parents were both musical, and he got his first proper guitar when he was 13. Even though he was blind in one eye and shy about his disability (he later tried to distract from it with his trademark kiss-curl), he started playing local shows. A Professional Yodeller In his late teens he joined ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1940–83) This fated Liverpudlian was on a par with Cliff Richard as a British Elvis Presley, enjoying 11 Top 10 hits before vanishing into a cabaret netherworld. Though dogged by severe ill health, he resurfaced as a typecast rock’n’roll singer in the 1973 movie That’ll Be The Day. As he may have wished, he died with a record in the charts – 1983’s ‘Devil Or Angel’ – although he was ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
103 Words Read More

A pivotal figure in the transition from blues to rock’n’roll, Bo Diddley was born Elias Bates in McComb, Mississippi in 1928. When he was seven, the family relocated to Chicago, where he took violin lessons before switching to guitar, inspired by John Lee Hooker. He began by playing on street corners, then in the Hipsters. In 1951, he secured a regular gig at the 708 Club in Chicago’s South Side, the ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
390 Words Read More

(Guitar, vocals, 1928–2008) Born Ellas Bates in McComb, Mississippi, Bo Diddley developed his guitar skills and stage persona in Chicago. He had his first guitar by the age of 10. By 1951, at 23, he was a regular in clubs on Chicago’s South Side. By 1955 he was signed to Checker, a spinoff of Chess Records. His debut single was a two-sided gem that featured his compositions ‘Bo Diddley’ and ‘I’m ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Singer-songwriter, 1936–73) Aged 20, New York-born Walden Robert Cassotto’s chart career started with the novelty million-seller, ‘Splish Splash’. Leading The Rinky Dinks, he next charted with ‘Early In The Morning’ (later a hit for Buddy Holly), and in 1957 ‘Queen Of The Hop’ also sold a million. His major breakthrough was 1959’s million-selling ‘Dream Lover’, followed by his Sinatra-esque US/UK No. 1 cover of ‘Mack The Knife’, the first of several ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, b. 1942) Philadelphia-born Robert Ridarelli regularly appeared on Paul Whiteman’s TV talent show, and played with Frankie Avalon in Rocco and The Saints, before signing with the local Cameo label in 1959. His biggest success was 1960’s million-selling US Top 3 hit, ‘Wild One’, although the same year’s ‘Volare’ (US Top 5) has aged better. Probably appreciated more for his good looks than his vocal prowess, Rydell accumulated 30 US ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
89 Words Read More
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