Who REALLY did invent rock and roll?

Question

Of course, we all say that Elvis Presley is the king, but I HONESTLY think we owe it all to Chuck Berry. Chuck had that extra thing, I just don't think Elvis matches up.. I mean we owe him too.. but Chuck Berry is the king.
Your Thoughts?

Ya, I know that rock'n roll really did come from blues and jazz, and the whole boogie thing, and even country, but I mean the artists.

Answer 1

Elvis was good, but in my opinion a tad overrated. Chuck was the guitarist of the 1950s, and while Elvis was good and helped spread the genre (which began to die around 1975, with the advent of punk and was completely gone ten years later) we do owe it all to Chuck Berry.

Answer 2

To determine who "invented" rock n roll, you first need to define it. There was music similar to rock n roll as early as the 1930s, albeit those artists (and those singles from those artists) were anomalies.

Rock isn't as Blues based as people claim. Yes, it has roots in Blues, but also Boogie Woogie, Cabaret, Western Swing, Gospel, etc...

It's just a matter of when you say rhythm and blues became rock n roll... when it officially crossed the line from one to the other for good... for more than a small accident. I'd say that happened in a definitive and calculated fashion (ie: more than an accidental single) with Fats Domino in the late 1940s. *That's* rock n roll. And I'd say the pop phenomena/all encompassing media explosion happened in 1954 with Bill Haley. Elvis doesn't factor in anywhere... he didn't *invent* anything. He just happened to become the poster-boy for it, which is cool in itself.

Chuck Berry... he didn't really come in until the middle of it all... he wasn't even on the radar until 1955/56.

Answer 3

Alan Freed, from Cleveland, Ohio, came up with the term rock-n-roll at around 1952. In 1955, the first big rock n roll hit that started it all was Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & The Comets. Afterwards, a lot of artists such as Elvis and Chuck Berry made a lot of hits, and it still goes on 50 years later.

Answer 4

I thought the same as you , Chuck Berry. Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis also come to mind but it was around before all these guys I think they made it more popular but didn't invent it.
I 'm not sure but it seems you really want to know who people think is the real king of rock and roll?
If that's the case I would say Elvis just because of his enormous popularity but though I love Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, my favourite because I like more of his songs than the others is Buddy Holly

Answer 5

Chuck Berry

Answer 6

I prefer chuck as well, but rock slowly evolved, it's like seeing a slow fade from red to blue and pointing out exactly when it turns blue. It's impossible, there's too much purpely blue that could be called blue based on opinion. But we all know that somewhere along the line some blues guys (who were great) tweaked the formula a little bit and rock 'n' roll was the result.

Sorry once it's past sleepy time my analogies make less and less sense.

Answer 7

Actually, Elvis Presley DID NOT invent Rock and Roll, he just emphasized it with more moving and some words... The real creator of Rock and Roll was Sam Phillips.

Answer 8

Rock 'N' Roll was influenced by Blues. Elvis did help advance things, but Blues artists started it really.

Answer 9

It could be Bill Haley & The Comets. After all, he was a country music performer who is credited with having the first #1 rock & roll song ever. The song was "Rock Around The Clock".

Answer 10

Actually, many music historians trace the "invention" of rock to the 1951 song, "Rocket 88," penned by Ike Turner.