The American South the birthplace of Rock & Roll?

[Strike For The South]

I think it was with the likes of Elvis Jerry lee Johnny Cash in the 50s really provided a base for it and later allowed bands like Skynard and the Eagels to be sucsesful

[Major Robert Dump]

You have a point, except I hated Elvis the man and Skynard will forever be tainted for me because of wife-beater t-shirts and mullets.

I would be more inclined to say it started in Britain and SOLD in america, with white kids being the number one consumer of the music. I would also say it sold more in the north than the south.

Perhaps you meant "american rock"

[IrishMike]

Rock sold more in the north than in the south..... Me thinks this is crazy talk. But yeah Original American Rock, is southern rock, unless you wanna talk about that crazy San Fran scene down there in the 60's. Plus when one things southern rock, how can one forget the Allman Brothers band.

[Major Robert Dump]

North has more population, North has more suburbs and suburbs means bored spoiled kids who spend their parents disposabel income. Perhaps it was born in the south, but like it or not the Northeast and american West have long been the trendsetters when it comes to the country, even more so then than now.

I think we need to establish what we mean by "rock and roll" to find common ground here. You can't compare bands like the Stones to Skynard, or Elvis to the Eagles, or Jerry Lee to the Doors.

Early Rock and Roll IMO was bubble gum music meant to sell for the radio -- teens in particular -- with most songs not lasting over 3 minutes verse chorus verse chorus hook chorus.

[Samurai Waki]

..interesting question. True, Elvis did open the door to "Rock n' Roll" actually he pretty much coined the phrase, however, should his music today be more associated with rock or with country? I think he, and some of his other contemporaries such as Johnny Cash would be considered more "country" than "Rock", and the reason being is Nashville (which is where Mr. Elvis was born, and where he began his career) is considered the birthplace of country, and not Rock. Not only that, Elvis wasn't the inventor of Rock and Roll, he only gave it a voice, it's far more likely that Rock was invented by Jazz, and Blues musicians during the late 30s and 40s, but was never recognised because by and large, these groups were Black, and living in a segregated country. I think, Rock has a rather ubiquitous birth, being born in the slums of cities like New Orleans, Nashville, Chicago, New York City, and LA. However, Elvis did give rock a voice and a name, something it didn't have before.
The 'real' inventor of the sound as what we now know as Rock and Roll is generally considered Jimi Hendrix, a Black/Cherokee native of Canada. Who showed up on the Rock scene during 64' and 65', alongside the Beatles, who were also considered Rock and Roll, but being obviously a different sound then Elvis as well. So... the question still remains, was Rock as we know it, invented in the South by a Southern Man with an Easy Going Voice, by the lads from Liverpool, or from Jimi James and Blue Flames? well, it can only be surmised, that Rock and Roll isn't one single sound, but a broad scope of sounds under the same category. Elvis, and Mr. Cash gave birth to Rock and Rollers like Skynard, Steppin' Wolf, and Bob Seger. Whilst The Beatles gave birth to Rock and Rollers like the Guess Who, BTO, and Blue Oyster Cult. Mr Hendrix however set in motion the sound of Rock that we still listen to today, bands such as Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, KISS, and Aerosmith, The Eagles, Journey, Nirvana and So so so many more. However, during the '80s there was a cultural revolution that came seemingly out of nowhere, known as the Punk Revolution, and with it an entirely different sound, and attitude, it was angrier, and heavier, but its roots still lie mostly with Hendrix and his offspring. Rock is more simply put, a reverberation of sounds, and until the late 80's-early 90's, most Rock was unique to the band, until the inevitable corporate take overs which followed. So now Rock as we hear it is manufactured, and mostly dull, and borrowed. But the sound still owes so much, to the Jazz expirimenters of the 30s, Elvis, The Beatles, and Hendrix in all about equal porportions.

Peace!

[monkian]

I think the American South is the birthplace of rock 'n' roll purely because its heavily infleunced by black/slave music.

I believe the first thing a record producer asked when he heard Elvis was

'is he black ?'

Though I'm not the first king of controversy/ I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley, to do Black Music so selfishly/ and use it to get myself wealthy

Eminem

[Strike For The South]

You are thinking to much along the lines of modern rock which was heavily influneced by the british invasion of the 60s (another baby boomer mishap) That is still 10-15 years after these guys. Rock was first made by blending black R&B with Redneck bluegrass

[IrishMike]

Yeah I got you and your message strike. I think your right man, Elvis laid the way open for the rock with them crazy hips of his.

[Adrian II]

You are thinking to much along the lines of modern rock which was heavily influneced by the british invasion of the 60s (another baby boomer mishap) That is still 10-15 years after these guys. Rock was first made by blending black R&B with Redneck bluegrass

As far as I know its roots are certainly in the South, mostly in blues and (other) black jazz. We can talk all day about forerunners and firsts, but the whole thing started with syncopation and we all know where that came from. Mix that with traditional white immigrant folk music (Irish through German through Italian) and the elements are there.

BTW On the radio I heard someone mention a unique piece of classical music from about 1860-70 that used syncopation. I don't remember the title or the composer. Can anybody help me?

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

If anybody likes Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins etc. and has listened to all of their early music, you will realise that there is some incredible hillbilly sounds in rock'n'roll.

And the Johnny Burnette Trio are far, far better than early Elvis too (he apparently wanted to join them before he got started on his own), people should check them out.

[KukriKhan]

As far as I know its roots are certainly in the South, mostly in blues and (other) black jazz. We can talk all day about forerunners and firsts, but the whole thing started with syncopation and we all know where that came from. Mix that with traditional white immigrant folk music (Irish through German through Italian) and the elements are there.

BTW On the radio I heard someone mention a unique piece of classical music from about 1860-70 that used syncopation. I don't remember the title or the composer. Can anybody help me?

Maybe you're thinking of Stephen Foster http://www.pitt.edu/~amerimus/foster.htm
who employed "Ethiopian" beats and rythms in his popular music.

Rock 'n Roll started as Afro-Carib slave music, made homogenized by white composers looking for new sounds. So I guess one could say the "american south" (waaay south, including the caribbean) was its birthplace.

[solypsist]

school 'em, Kukri.

[Adrian II]

Maybe you're thinking of Stephen Foster http://www.pitt.edu/~amerimus/foster.htm
who employed "Ethiopian" beats and rythms in his popular music.

I looked it up myself and Beethoven gets all the credit for using syncopation in the last movement of his 9th.

Well well, hey hey
Wadda ya say
I never looked at B. that way
   (AdrianII, December 2005)