I love the tangents the internet sends you off at sometimes. I was skimming through Flipboard on my iPad the other day and come across a piece on Mental Floss, 5 Candidates for the First Rock ‘n’ Roll Song, which makes a good case for the likes of bluesman’s Arthur (Big Boy) Crudup’s 1946 song ‘That’s All Right Mama’ (later a hit for some skinny white kid .. Presley or someone) and Jimmy Preston’s ‘Rock This Joint’ (1949).
Before I knew I was off on a Google hunt and came across a review in The Guardian of ‘The First Rock And Roll Record’, a 3-CD box set that traces rock’s roots back even further to the 1930s and 1920s and includes a ton of stuff I’d never heard of, let alone listened to.
Check out the Guardian piece which includes links to many of the set’s tracks and YouTube clips. There’s also an excellent page on Wikipedia, the Origins of rock and roll, with links aplenty to send you off on numerous paths of discovery.
Now, where’s that “Buy” button ….
Breezeblog 