Rock And Roll Essay

Rock & Roll is universally agreed upon as a melting pot of musical genres. Originating from the African-American stylings of jazz and blues, as well as western influences of swing and country, Rock & Roll ushered in an era of music midway through the 20th century. Artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley to name a few, bestowed unique characteristics to the art and culture of Rock & Roll. Though this may seem like a harmless statement, there are some who claim Rock & Roll music was outright stolen from black artists. Claims like these are backed up with ideas alleging Rock & Roll is “black” music and Elvis Pressley is the king of Rock & Roll. The contributions of both African-American and Caucasian artists
A large part of the notation that Rock & Roll was stolen from black artists comes from the fact that white artists during Rock & Roll’s emergence covered songs originated by African-American artists. Covering songs was very common in Rock & Roll, and was done in large parts in other genres as well, it was legal. For example, “many R&B songs were covered by white artists on major labels” (Popartuniversity.com). Rock & Roll artists such as Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley also covered songs that were originally released by African-Americans. Presley did however give credit where credit was due. While taking to a reporter Elvis Presley remarked “The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I’m doin’ now, man for more years than I know. They played it like
While Elvis Presley may not have been the originator of Rock & Roll, he was definitely one of the biggest success stories to come out of it. His music and his personality is what set him apart from others in the field. Presley himself never claimed to be the king, this was title bestowed upon him by others. Journalist Helen Kolawole says in her article “For black people, Elvis, more than any other performer, epitomises the theft of their music and dance” (the