Friday, June 19, 2020

Rock And Roll - Part 4

OR WOULD THAT BE ROCK AND ROLL (and RAP?!?!)

You son of a bitch!
Thanks for making me cry tears into my Cinnamon Toast Crunch this morning!
Old Rivers always does that to me.
Thank God you didn't post O.C. Smith's "Daddy's Little Man," too.
I'd be a basket case!
Thank you
Steve Sarley
THE OUTDOORS EXPERIENCE
Host of the WeFishASA podcast at www.wefishasa.com
Weekly by-lined columnist - Northwest Herald, Lake County Journal and other Shaw Media newspapers
By-lined column appearing bi-weekly in Illinois Outdoor News 
 

kk:
1956 - Does this song qualify as first rap recording?
The Cadets, Stranded in the Jungle - YouTube
FB
You know, the more I think about it, I'm not sure ANY of these '50's and '60's songs technically qualify as rap ... they all tell a story, are presented in a fun, upbeat, positive way, lacking of any violence using intelligible lyrics, and not a single word is bleeped out!  I don't find that to be the case with ANY of the authentic rap tunes of the past 30 years!  (kk)     

Hi there, folks,
I’ll take Mike’s challenge.
>>>What was the first popular RAP "hit" record?  I know what you're thinking ...  too new, doesn't belong here.  But I beg to differ. In fact, the tune I'm thinking of has a kind of rock 'n roll flavor to it … and was popular during the Haley / Presley era.  (Mike)
I'm going to guess that you're probably thinking of the song The All American Boy, which was really recorded by Bobby Bare but, because of a mislabeled tape, the artist was shown on the record label as Bill Parsons.
That's my guess for what it's worth, going by what you said about this song being in the Haley / Presley era.
Sam Ward
Good guess ... but you'll find the correct answer below.  (kk)     

Good morning!
Enjoyed Wednesday's entries quite a bit.  The Stuff Smith tune was a great candidate!
I'm curious to see how many people come up with a "First Rap Hit Record".  It's not an easy answer but, having been a fan of this artist for 60 years, he's the first person who comes to mind. 

Ready?  
"Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus (1956). 
It was #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Also, a follow-up tune by Norvus, which I think is much better, is "The Fang" (I don't think it charted). It's a killer, with a similar "Rap" feel and tempo as "Transfusion."  
My vote for first "hit record"?   Dunno.  My red corpsuckles are in mass confusion.  ;-) 
Mike
 

kk …
From Ron Smith's book:  6/12/1954 - "ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK" is originally released … to no success . The following year its a # 1 hit because of "BLACKBOARD JUNGLE."  (You mentioned this at the start of our first Rock & Roll record discussion.)
A quick note to Freddy "BOOM BOOM" Cannon ...
I listened to that Hank Williams song you were talking about. I think you're wrong ... sounds strictly Country to me.
(Don't get mad at me, Freddy … I bought some of your sketches … they’re hanging in my hallway!)
I think that guy who said Elvis shouldn't have gone in the Army when he was drafted is 100 % wrong. It was a brilliant move.
If Elvis somehow avoided going into the Army, here's what you would have heard:
My son - father - husband - brother – boyfriend had to serve when THEY were drafted. Why does Elvis get to sing instead of being one of the guys?
Does he think he's better than we are?
In the long run, it made him more popular than before, if that's even possible.
Everybody expected him to somehow avoid the draft. He proved them wrong.
As far as the Elvis movies, it was a perfect formula. Teenagers go to the movies and hear all the songs.  Soundtrack albums are released (with millions sold.)  Then they release a few album cuts as 45's ... more #1 Hits, more millions sold.
Nobody expected these movies to win Academy Awards.
Final Recap:
GRANDFATHER OF R & R = Chuck Berry
FATHER OF R & R = Bill Haley
KING OF ROCK & ROLL = ELVIS
FB
I think what Freddy Cannon means is that Hank Williams’ “Move It On Over” is virtually note for note the same melody as “Rock Around The Clock.”   Listen to it again with that thought in mind and I think you’ll see that it is.
Hank’s song came out three years earlier … but he was strictly country at the time and not crossing over to the pop charts - so the Rock and Roll audience never really heard it.  (Keep in mind, too, that in 1951, there WAS no Rock And Roll audience … because the phenomena hadn’t started to spread yet!)
25 years later it became Classic Rock “must play” track for George Thorogood ... as the rockin’ party song that it really is.  (kk)  

Alan Freed was well aware of the fact that the phrase "rock 'n' roll" was not only not his invention but was already in the public domain -- thanks to hits by Wynonie Harris and others from before Alan achieved his DJ fame.  That's why, in 1957, Freed tried to change the name of the music to a term he could trademark and own: "The Big Beat."  Fats Domino helped out by recording and scoring a hit with the title theme from the movie "The Big Beat."  While Fats' single was a modest success, the term "The Big Beat" never even came close to replacing "rock 'n' roll."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKgsZFkyArE
Gary Theroux
"The History of Rock 'n' Roll"

I'm never sure why this song “Rock And Roll” by The Boswell Sister even comes up. It's not describing Rock and Roll as the music. It's talking about the Rocking and Rolling of the Sea. It doesn't even belong on the list IMO.
Bill

Hi Kent,
After you mentioned in Forgotten Hits about the Boswell Sisters having the first Rock n' Roll record in 1934, I made it a point to catch the Boswell Sisters’ show at the Sunnyvale Rest Home last evening!  They had their caps on backwards, had a shit-pile of tats, and were dropping the F-bomb every third word … it wasn't pretty. 
There's only two sisters in the group now, as the third is in rehab.  But the two are still going strong with 35,000 likes on Facebook and 110,000 Twitter followers, but they were more than a little pissed as their record company just dropped them after 86 years and 100,000,000 units sold.
Sound familiar?  By the way, they said when they were kids they used to listen to Keith Richards when he was touring with Benny Goodman!
All kidding aside, I never understood how Garth Brooks got off the hook with "Ain't Going Down Until The Sun Comes Up" having heard Bob Seger's version of "Get Out Of Denver" years earlier!
Don't waste your time trying to find out what was the first Rock n' Roll record … as sure as when you will think you have it nailed down, somebody will tell you were wrong, and you'll start getting Russian bots!  Ah, for the simpler days when Keith Richards was doing shots and getting shit-faced with Benny Goodman!
I hope my computer doesn't test positive for a virus as the screen will be very hard to read when it’s six feet away! 
I miss the good old days when the Lone Ranger was the only one wearing a mask!  Nowadays with everyone wearing a mask, it's hard to tell who is the one that just held up the convenience store!
Peace,
Tim Kiley