What is rock’n’roll?
Today, the 36th Class of the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be inducted. We take a look at this year’s inductees, including the Southern California Go-Goes, and the origins of the genre.
The great Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards described his music as “rock and roll: music for the neck down”.
Todd Rundgren, inductee in 2021, said: “I never thought a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland or anywhere was a good idea.”
Anything, and if it’s a good idea, it’s debatable, but over the past 35 years, music stylists such as Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, and Dusty Springfield have been inducted.
It took a few minutes
The term “rock ‘n’ roll” was coined in 1951 by Cleveland radio disc jockey Alan Freed. Freed worked for a large radio station when they only played music by white artists to cater to a white audience.Freed played R&B records by black artists on his show and had great success. In 1951, the record of the year was the single “Sixty Minute Man” by Billy Ward & the Dominoes. The lyrics “I rock ’em, roll’ em all night long” inspired the term “rock ‘n’ roll”. You could say Ward was the original rock ‘n’ roll wonder, as the band no longer peaked in the charts.
Recording setting
Just months before Freed described the music as rock ‘n’ roll, Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner released the song “Rocket 88”. According to an article published on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website, “Rocket 88”, with its backbeat and muffled amplification, is widely regarded as the first rock ‘n’ roll song released.
The youth of the day loved the rhythm and the rest is history. Fast forward to 1985, when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was considering where to build their museum. Officials and residents of Cleveland who have long believed their city was the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll have offered $ 65 million for the effort. The offer was accepted and on September 2, 1995, the museum opened.
Performers become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record.
The First Hall of Fame:
The first class to be inducted in 1986: Chuck BerryJames BrownRay CharlesSam CookeFats DominoThe Everly BrothersBuddy HollyJerry Lee LewisElvis PresleyLittle Richard
Ahmet Ertegun Award, Class of 1986 Alan Freed John Hammond
Early Influences, Class of 1986 Robert Johnson Sam Phillips Jimmie Rodgers Jimmy Yancey
When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame revealed its inductees in 2021, it said it was celebrating the most diverse inductee roster in the organization’s history. They are: Tina TurnerCarole KingThe Go-GoJay-ZFoo FightersTodd Rundgren
Early Influence Award: KraftwerkCharley PattonGil Scott-Heron
Musical Excellence Award: LL Cool J Billy Preston Randy Rhoads
Ahmet Ertegun Award: Clarence Avant
Enter the Hall of Fame
The Go-Go’s will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Drew Barrymore today. It’s been 40 years since Go-Go’s first album was released. The group released three studio albums in the 1980s and another in 2001. The original members are still on tour to celebrate their Hall of Fame induction.
They are the only all-female group who performed their own instruments and wrote their own songs, topping the charts with their debut album. The band was formed in 1978 and their commercial popularity peaked from 1981 to 1985. Their success was fueled by several videos on the new MTV launched in 1981. The band emerged from the Los Angeles punk scene at the late 1970s but was marketed as new wave music.
New wave?
Theo Cateforis, assistant professor of musical history and cultures at Syracuse University, has written a book called “Are We Not New Wave?” and said: “The story of the rise of the new wave is inextricably linked with the music industry and its desire to harness the power of punk in a more acceptable form.”
The term “new wave†doesn’t really apply in today’s world of digital downloads because it has evolved into what is now alternative music.
The five Go-Go’s will help the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame increase the number of female registrants. Of the approximately 351 people inducted in May, about 10% are women.
Motown superstars, The Supremes, were the first all-girl group to be inducted, in 1988. In 1995, Martha and the Vandellas were inducted, and the following year, another large Motown group, The Shirelles, was inducted. of fame “Will You Love Me Tomorrowâ€, were inducted.
The Shirelles were the first all-black, all-girl group to reach No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, in 1960. By the way, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” was co-written by Carole King, who is to be inducted in the Hall of Fame for a second time. King is already present as a songwriter and this year as a performer. King, Tina Turner and Stevie Nicks are the only women to have been elected to the Hall of Fame twice. Go-Go’s are in good company.
Sources: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Associated Press, Billboard, University of Michigan Images from Wikimedia Commons, unless otherwise noted
