Development of rock and roll part 3 - 1947-1949

"Everybody started callin' my music rock and roll, but it wasn't anything but the same rhythm and blues I'd been playin' down in New Orleans."

- Fat Domino

Development of Rock and Roll – part 3 – 1947-1949

Playlist for part 3 linked at the bottom of this post.

I have one question for all of you. I’d like to hear you speak your piece about ANYTHING that comes to mind as we go through this project and listen to some great old music along the way, but there is one question.

It is to be applied to each song as you listen. Answer for me, if you would, “Is this song rock and roll?”

The best part of that is that we might just have different answers along the way!  Now, when it comes to THIS list, part one, I doubt many, if any songs could be called “rock and roll”, but damn, a couple of them come close in here, and I want to know from YOU! The first time you hear a song in these lists that causes you to think “This one. This is rock and roll.” Let me know it! Let me know what about it that makes you feel that spirit!

I have no particular historical events to discuss as it relates to the music, but just to make a few QUICK points about the background of the years from 1947-1949.

1946 US–USSR Joint Commission on the formation of a Korean Government reaches an impasse. The Joint Commission is dissolved as the Cold War begins.

1946 the “Third Klan” is established in a ceremony at Stone Mountain, GA.

In the US, the post war years brought an increasing number of strikes. With the war over, and an intact United States able to produce in ways that much of Asia and Europe would be unable to for years to come, there was a renewed push for better working conditions. The economy may have been on top, but workers’ rights, having been on hold through the war years, was now a forefront issue.

On May 15, 1948 a day after Israel declares independence from the British mandate, the Arab-Israeli war begins.

On June 24^th, 1948 the Soviet Union begins is blockade of Berlin.

On July 12, 1948 the Democratic National Convention for the 1948 presidential election begins. Truman is nominated for reelection. The party adopts a campaign plank for civil rights. Dozens of delegates representing southern states walk out.

On July 17, 1948, the defecting party members form the ‘The Democratic States’ Rights Party’ (aka, the Dixiecrats), Strom Thurmond is nominated, they run on a platform of maintaining segregation, ultimately winning four states in the election.

July 26, 1948 Truman issues executive order 9981 desegregating the United States military.

Now, in some of the comments of one of my teaser posts on this project, I mused over why it would take so long for rock and roll to become the phenomenon if would ultimately become, if as I postulated, it had existed for years. One of the commentators mentioned racism. As yet, although I can find no direct correlation but it was something that hung over the nation. We’ve already talked about how the color barrier on the charts was something of a myth in the previous decades. If it was a barrier at all, it was a damn porous one. I have to imagine that the stigma of buying a record labeled a ‘race record’ prevented some young fans from exposing themselves to the music. And yet, musicians of all sorts still appeared on US and the R&B charts, only … the safer, older styles of music. This new music was still pretty raw, pretty gritty, and getting grittier.

So, it the reason because of racism or musical styles that are too new? I think the answer is “Yes.”

My mind considers how out of touch charts, especially the US charts, critics and awards are when it comes to new music. 1989 was the first year that the grammy’s had categories for rap and heavy metal. Rap had been a phenomenon for ten years by that point. DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince won for “Parents Just Don’t Understand”. Now, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff are vastly talented, but they won out over LL Cool J, Kool Moe Dee, Salt-n-Pepa, and N.W.A. (not even nominated), so it’s hard to imagine they understood rap at the time. What’s more, the awarding of that event wouldn’t be televised causing Smith, Jeff, and a number of other rap artists to boycott the event.

As for metal, heavy metal had been established NINETEEN years earlier. Finally, metal fans would be getting recognition and Metallica was heavily favored. Would they award it to Metallica, or the new up and comers Jane’s Addiction? Naturally, the award went to … Jethro Tull.

Being a teen in the 80s, I remember the stigma against both rap and heavy metal and the awful things people said of it then. Aw heck, in my sheltered youth I probably said a few of those things too. And of course, I remember the PMRC.

But let’s consider just a few more things about the fans themselves in the late 40s-early 50s.

This was the silent generation. One of the smallest demographic generations sandwiched between the greatest generation and the baby boomers. They would go on to become the parents of generation x.

If you were a teenager, you were born at the height of the depression. While still a child your father, your uncles, and your older brothers went off to war for years. For far too many, their close older male relatives would never return. And for many their mothers were gone into the workforce pulling swing shift at the factories. They grew up in a world of privation and global destruction and now were living in the shadow of the atom bomb and the next red scare.

Between segregation, a smaller demographic, and the established music industry’s inability to read the trends in music, it’s not surprising to me in the least that it would take a while for rock and roll to hit big. But it would be the silent generation to make that happen. They were the first generation to really ROCK.

We ended part 2 with what I consider to be the first (recorded) true rock and roll song. So maybe the delay was because it was an isolated track? Well, you’ve got to hear this list. Most of this 1947-1949 list (and you notice the span of years is decreasing) is pure rock and roll. What’s more, trust me when I tell you after listening to a LOT of stuff for this project, I could easily make the part 3 song list a hundred songs or more, and a hundred songs or more for each part to follow. For a number of these songs, I don’t even need to go into any depth about the musical elements, you’re gonna HEAR it.

So let’s hear some rock and roll!

Song one:

Move it On Over – Hank Williams – April 21, 1947 (released June, 1947)

There are some claims that this is an early rock and roll song. I’m not quite there with it. But what it is, is Williams first successful single going to number 4 on the country charts. Remember this melody and it may already sound familiar. But rock owes a few more things to it. The fiddle and steel guitar are relegated to the background, the lead guitar has solid rock sensibilities, and drums. This is no longer western swing, this twelve-bar blues song played with a country band that includes drums playing a light but noticeable back beat is straddling the line. Maybe it’s BECAUSE this is more of a walking tempo that the back beat sounds more like a moderate rock rather than a country two-beat. This song contributes to rock and births rockabilly!

Song two:

You Got To Run Me Down – Jazz Gillum – 1947

Gillum is no kid. At 45 years old he’s already got a laundry list of blues credibility including working with Big Bill Broonzy, Big Maceo Merriweather, and Elmore James. For me, this is more of a jump blues tune, but listen to that guitar solo!

Songs three and four:

Good Rocking Tonight – Roy Brown – June 1947 (released 1947)

This song. This song right here. This is an important song, but maybe not Brown’s recording of it. If there are any younger folks listening, you may recognize the voice and style if not the song. The video game series Fallout has a most EXCELLENT soundtrack of great songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and Roy Brown has a couple of tracks on there. If he’s familiar, he’s the guy that sings “Butcher Pete.”

Only … Brown wasn’t a singer. Roy Brown was a song writer and when he wrote this song he knew it was a good one! He took it to Wynonie Harris and offered it to him. Harris turned him down, so that same night he offered it to Cecil Grant, but when Cecil heard Roy sing the song he immediately called the president of DeLux Records and had Brown sing the song to him over the phone. Roy’s song went to number 13 on the R&B chart, and that’s pretty good for an unknown.

Still listening? Good!

Wynonie Harris recorded the song the following year, he went to number one and stayed on the charts for half the year. And with his vocal delivery it is no surprise! I love Roy Brown, but Harris OWNS this song. What’s more? He GREATLY emphasizes the back beat with the hands claps on the track.

Roy’s lyrics are a litany of figures from popular music amongst black audiences and musicians. Sweet Loraine and Sweet Georgia Brown are jazz standards from decades ago. We’ve met Caldonia in part 2 thanks to Mr. Louis Jordan. And Sioux City Sue? She’s from a hugely popular COUNTRY song! Brown also cites two ‘slick’ religious types, Deacon Jones, again from Louis Jordan and Elder Brown from Wynonie Harris himself.

Roy’s lyrics reference two jazz tunes, three jump blues tunes, and a country tune while also referencing the church in a tongue and cheek way. My gods, that’s a history of rock and roll and I might not have even had to trouble myself writing this whole project if folks only understood this song!

Song five:

Rock and Roll – Wild Bill Moore – 1949

This isn’t even Moore’s first rock and roll song! But that back beat is stronger than ever! Really, just tossing this in as another example and I could flood the list with stuff like this!

Song six:

Erline “Rock and Roll” Harris – Rock and Roll Blues – Feb 1949

This was already a signature song for her as a performer, and this being her first recording, DeLux Records credited her as Eline “Rock and Roll” Harris. Damn, but I’m hard pressed to think on a more energetic vocal delivery! Honestly, I love the play between the guitar and sax during the sax solo. This song was a regional hit in the New Orleans area, but HOW? HOW did this not chart nationally???

Song seven:

Hole In the Wall – Albinia Jones – Feb 1949

This is not a fluke. While Erline Harris was recording her song in New Orleans, Albinia Jones was recording this in NYC. Sadly, after a fall on stage in 1950, she retured from the music business. I have to imagine rock and roll would’ve broken earlier had she stayed with it.

Song eight:

Atlanta Boogie – Tommy Brown – 1949

Brown was playing local gigs in the Atlanta Ga area when he recorded this. This smaller recording with Regent, a subsidy of Savoy Records out of Newark NJ is a rocker! Solid back beat, and a RAW sound!

Song nine:

All She Wants to do is Rock – Wynonie Harris – 1949

Another number one hit on the R&B chart for Harris! But in this one, he’s bringing the implied sex back into the music. She doesn’t want to go anywhere, she wants to stay home and rock and roll all night long.

Song ten:

Rock the Joint – Jimmy Preston – May 1949

This song was directly influenced by Harris’ recording of Good Rocking Tonight and would go to number 6 on the R&B charts. Man, those drums! That energy! And the screachs in the background from the band give it the sound that it might’ve had in a packed club!

Song eleven:

Boogie Chillen’ – John Lee Hooker – Sept 1948 (released Nov 1948)

This is John Lee Hooker’s first single and if the sound of this isn’t making you move even just a little bit, I want you to seriously think of whatever missteps you may have taken in life to render you devoid of a soul.

I don’t consider this rock and roll, nor John Lee Hooker to be a rock and roll musician. But listen (shh … LISTEN!)

That groove. That perfect fusion of rhythm and riff in one instrument, punctuated with higher double stops. One man, one voice, one foot tapping, and one guitar.

This song has literally been cited by rock and roll guitarists for inspiring them to play in the first place. This riff has been described by critic Cub Koda as “the riff that launched a million songs” and I rather think he’s right. This is his 1948 version, of course. I might link his 1959 version in the comments because just the sound of the guitar on that version is so damn good.

Song twelve:

Rock Awhile - Goree Carter – April 1949

Oh, I’ve been WAITING for this song to pop up in the lists! When I first encountered this little know track a few years back, I was stunned. Literally stunned. This is 1949 and it would be a good six years before we’d hear sounds like this again!

Carter was 18 years old when he recorded this, his first single, for a small record label in Houston TX. The song went nowhere. He recorded several singles, none of which are widely known, and then was drafted to go to Korea. When he returned in ’51, his music career was in decline. He’d record a few more unsuccessful singles and wrote a number of other sings, but he said he tore them up in disgust because the record companies didn’t want any of them. He was too ahead of his time. He worked his job, continued to play local gigs around Houston, and even sat in with B.B. King was he was in town. He died in the house he grew up in. He is still fairly unknown even in Houston and has not been recognized by the rock and roll hall of fame.

If you’re listening to this song, I know what you’re thinking. It is not known if Chuck Berry was influenced by Carter or if he had even heard any of his records. But both Berry and Carter cite T-Bone Walker as a direct influence on their guitar playing, and you can HEAR IT! It’s heavier, it’s more distorted, but so much of Berry and Carter’s playing are direct from Walker’s.

I shan’t ever feel any list of early rock and roll is complete again, lest it includes this song.

Song thirteen:

The Fat Man – Antoine “Fats” Domino – Dec 10, 1949 (released Dec 1949)

This is the first single by Fats Domino and it went to number 1 on the R&B charts. The melody and vibe is straight from a 1942 song by Willie Hall called “Junker’s Blues”, a cautionary tale about heroine. Domino’s lyrics are a bit less depressing and maybe that’s the key difference between blues and rock.

Rollicking piano, back beat drums, I’d say you could call it a rock and roll song even if Domino wouldn’t!

But hey, Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward and Motörhead’s Lemmy never thought of themselves as “heavy metal”. Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson eschewed the term “progressive rock”. Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance refuses the term “emo”.

For whatever the reason, Fats Domino would be one of the few from this earliest rock stage to grow famous and produce a number of hits after rock and roll broke big. For that, at least, I’m grateful! Just at work this morning I out on a playlist of Fats Domino in the early AM before coworkers arrived and the phones started ringing. Not only his well known hits, but he’s got a LOT of great songs!

I’ve written this installment pretty quickly and fairly devoid of excruciating details, and I think that is mostly because the music so very much speaks for itself. This is probably my favorite playlist of the bunch (and I’ll change my mind on that by tomorrow, I’m sure), but this list has not only a few old favorites of mine, but what are for me new discoveries!

So what do YOU think on these songs?

I dunno. I’ve might have changed my mind already. Part four will have some BANGERS! 

Part 3 playlist: