Roots of Rock

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(Piano, vocals, 1927–80) Milburn was a Houston pianist whose rollicking piano-playing and versatile singing was a major influence on Fats Domino and others. Milburn’s first hit was the 1948 party classic ‘Chicken Shack Boogie’. Milburn could croon a soulful ballad, but made a bigger impact with horn-driven material such as ‘Roomin’ House Boogie’ and ‘Sax Shack Boogie’, along with several songs about liquor like ‘Thinking And Drinking’ and the much-covered ‘One ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1894–1937) Bessie Smith was the first blues recording star during the form’s initial heyday in the ‘jazz age’ of the 1920s. A protégé of the great Ma Rainey, Smith and her booming, sorrowful voice took the East Coast by storm in stage shows in the 1920s. Signed to Columbia Records, she scored with ‘Downhearted Blues’, ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out’ and others. Smith died in a car ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Guitar, vocals, 1893–1958) A powerful guitarist and prolific composer, Big Bill Broonzy linked the Mississippi delta blues of Robert Johnson with the electrified Chicago sound of Muddy Waters and others. Broonzy was recognized early on by the nascent folk music movement in the 1940s. Underappreciated in America, he gained a wide following in Europe through live performances and made lasting impressions on guitarists like George Harrison and Eric Clapton, who recorded ...

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
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(Vocals, 1926–84) Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton had a big, no-nonsense voice perfect for the blues, yet she was able to manage only one big R&B hit with a song that soon became associated with Elvis Presley, leaving her original version in the dust. Thornton’s recording of ‘Hound Dog’ topped Billboard’s R&B chart for seven weeks in 1953. Thornton would record and perform into the 1970s, but never achieve similar success. Styles ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(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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(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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(Bandleader, fiddle, 1905–75) Between 1929 and 1931 Bob Wills assembled his first western-swing band, The Light Crust Doughboys, later rechristened The Texas Playboys. By 1940, with its hit single ‘New San Antonio Rose’, it was filling concert halls across the country. The band’s biggest hit, ‘New Spanish Two Step’, spent 16 weeks at No. 1. The hit ‘Faded Love’ became a standard. Wills bucked traditions to fuse two genres and create ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1932–72) McPhatter was among the first singers to make the transition from gospel singer to R&B and pop star, and his emotional singing set the stage for vocalists like Jackie Wilson and Smokey Robinson. McPhatter started out with Billy Ward’s Dominoes, and left in 1953 to form and lead The Drifters. His Drifters hits included ‘Money Honey’ and ‘Honey Love’. During a successful solo career, he recorded his biggest hit, ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1924–63) Dinah Washington influenced countless R&B and jazz singers, including Nancy Wilson and Esther Phillips. Born Ruth Lee Jones, the young singer moved quickly from her gospel roots to become a pro pianist, big band singer with Lionel Hampton and jazz and blues solo artist. After Washington’s ‘What A Diff’rence A Day Makes’ became a major national hit, she stuck with a formula of orchestrated pop. An accidental overdose killed ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1914–99) Hank Snow ran away from his Canadian home at 12 to join the Merchant Marine. Wanderlust would inform his great ‘travelling’ songs, ‘I’m Movin’ On’ and ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’. A disciple of Jimmie Rodgers, Snow would bill himself as the Yodelling Ranger, until his developing baritone made him better suited for ballads like ‘Hello Love’, a hit when Snow was 60. Snow’s songs about the road would influence Johnny ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Singer-songwriter, 1923–53) Insofar as rock has been shaped by country music, it has been shaped by Hank Williams. Williams, a superstar at 25 and dead at 29, set standards for popular as well as country music, and was a virtual hit songwriting machine. Yet, like several young rock stars who followed him, he was unable to manage stardom and drifted into alcoholism and addiction. Williams started out performing around his native Alabama. ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Guitar, vocals, 1910–76) Howlin’ Wolf was born Chester Burnett in West Point, Mississippi, and learned the blues from Charley Patton and harmonica from Sonny Boy Williamson, who married his half-sister. After the Army, he began performing around West Memphis, Arkansas, wowing fans with his aggressive vocals and newfangled electric guitar. Promoting himself on local radio, he was heard by Sam Phillips, who cut Wolf’s first sides at Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service. ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Saxophone, vocals, 1930–79) Jackie Brenston recorded arguably the first rock’n’roll record with 1951’s ‘Rocket 88’, an R&B boogie that featured Ike Turner’s Kings Of Rhythm, of which Brenston was a member. ‘Rocket 88’ (by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats) stayed at the top of the R&B charts for over a month, but Brenston never recaptured the energy on later recordings. He remained with Turner’s group until 1962, and then left ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1897–1933) Jimmie Rodgers, ‘The Singing Brakeman’, struggled against poor health and the rigours of the road to forge a new American folk music that would influence country music for generations. Rodgers wrote songs like ‘T.B. Blues’, ‘Travelin’ Blues’, ‘Train Whistle Blues’ and his 13 ‘blue yodels’. Rodgers’ voice and inherent honesty attracted legions of listeners. Rodgers developed his guitar-playing and lyrics during 10 years working on southern and western railroads. Despite ...

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