The First Rock and Roll Record

From 19 forty eight through about 19 51, if you listened to rhythm and blues records at all, you couldn't escape this new rock rase. Record after recor with rock in the title, with a boogy woogi base line, with a back beat and with someone singing about how they were going to rock and roll. We're still six years away from its coming to the notice of the white main stream audience, but all the pieces are there together. Even from the canonical first rock and roll record, jackie brenston's rocket 88, 19 forty eight is when rock and roll first became a cohesive, unified whole. But we've talked before, and will talk again