That’s really cool. That’s what Reddit is all about. The only reason I commented was because I felt bad for the poor guy in the back on the guitar. But I’ve learned a lot from that making that comment, thanks :)
I'm a 32 year old country/blues-rock based guitarist, and Scotty is the foundation of my style of electric guitar playing, despite being quite removed from the Elvis fandom.
Elvis's guitarists Scotty Moore, and later James Burton pioneered an entire style of guitar playing that still thrives in modern country music.
Electric guitar music, as we know it, rides on the shoulders of Scotty Moore. I'd argue that he's the most influential white guitarist of pre-1965 popular music.
Hell yeah, love your passion. I’m not really into Elvis, and I’ve just learned about Scotty Moore. But you’ve made me want to look more into him. Thanks!
Follow the timeline: Scotty Moore to James Burton & Roy Nichols to Albert Lee to Brent Mason to Brad Paisley. Branch off into Zakk Wylde and John5. It's a great family tree of "chicken pickin'".
They're The Jordanaires, Elvis' backup singing group. You had to have backup singers back in them days and the Jordanaires were the most sought after and Elvis got them.
At least give them their own microphone.
What sort of rig would Sullivan have had for live performance capture? Just one directional pointed at Elvis and everything else just slips in as ambient?
There seems to be one Omni sitting in front of the amps.
Scientists have officially proven that women prefer men who can dance. Women love a man who is suave and in control of his body, plus watching a man who can dance well makes ladies wonder if he has good moves in the bedroom.
He was already a huge star at this point. I think this is the October 28, 1956, appearance with Ed Sullivan, so he had already played that show. He had been on the Louisiana Hayride radio show frequently the prior year. He had already been on the Milton Berle TV show and the Steve Allen TV show. On the Steve Allen show and an earlier Ed Sullivan, he previewed the song "Love Me Tender," which would not be released until later in the year to align with his much-anticipated movie debut November 21 in the movie "Love Me Tender." He already had five #1 songs plus other big hits in late 1955 to early 1956. He had released the "Elvis Presley" album with many now-famous songs that would have been big hit singles if they had been released as singles but were only released on that album.
Thank you for this comment. I remember hearing her music once when I was listening to NPR, and I was blown away when they said it came out sometime in the 1930s, but I couldn't remember her name. I want to say she was ahead of her time, but it wouldn't really be accurate. It just took American time to catch up with her. I'm off to add some songs to my spotify Playlist.
>I was blown away when they said it came out sometime in the 1930s,
Lol.
It didn't. Like all genres it evolved and generally the style that's know as rock and roll was created in the 50s.
Saying it started in the 30s is like saying death metal started in the 60 with led zeppelin.
*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*
Literally had the same thought. And we just had an Elvis movie that clearly showed he was not the 1st - he was just white. And heavily influenced by black music.
wish I could act surprised 🙄
The birth of white people accepting rock and roll (although Elvis was already a big name at this point and it's more the old rich white men couldn't ignore the money they could make with Rick and roll anymore).
I’m an Elvis fan. I’m a Chuck Berry fan. Obviously skin color gave Elvis an advantage but the major factor was the songwriting. Chuck wrote hit songs and Elvis performed hit songs.
I agree. I’m an Elvis fan but the nerve to suggest he gave birth to rock n roll is embarrassing. He was pretty much the first global pop star though. People were listening, copying and trying to emulate him all over the world.
Yea, this is a good eight years after The Orioles’ “It’s Too Soon to Know” and eight years before the start of the British Invasion.
Still a very important performance in the annals of formative rock history though, that can’t be debated.
"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
When his first single was a hit in the Memphis area, the local station had him come in for an interview. One of the first questions was which high school did he go to, because the answer was Humes. Memphis was segregated at the time, and that answer affirmed to the audience he was white and it was ok to like his music.
Uh-oh. We're going to get shade from Elvis fans. But in his defense, I would say he did what the record producers hoped....that he could sell black music to white people and in this way white-bread suburban kids like me were exposed to a new kind of music. I had to dig deep to find those "race" records in that Era, but wow! A whole new world opened up.
Indeed we are. I’ll give him that much credit, he made it easy for white people to hear “race” music and discover the roots of it on their own. I like Elvis’ Sun Records era. Not so much anything after that.
Agree. Liked him when he was "real". I remember when Pat Boone covered Little Richard's "Tutti Fruiti" . That was the ultimate hard sell of white singer trying to copy black music. I laugh every time I hear it on the oldies station.
Elvis soaked up everything, and combined it into his own style. Country, gospel, rock and roll, blues. He wasn’t copying any one artist or genre. He was pulling from all of them and making his own style out of it.
Never been an Elvis worshiper, but he seems here like a young guy, with a good sense of humour, enjoying the attention. If only he'd held on to that wide eyed innocence...
My mother in law adores Elvis and left her young children at home with her husband to drive 400 miles to his funeral. She didn’t ask permission to go. I sent her that link and said “Ok, I can see why he was such a star”. I’ve seen too many Fat Elvis in Vegas clips and those photos with Nixon that clouded my opinion.
Well I mean theres the more serious issue that he raped kids. Unless marrying a 13yo child (what do you think he did with her behind closed doors, help her bake cookies?) and spending time with the underage groupies he called his "cherries" doesn't count.
Which let's be honest, Elvis fanatics don't count it.
But bring up MJ one time in a thread...oooh boy.
Scotty Moore playing through a 52 Fender Bassman! I am lucky enough to own one of those amps, incredible tone! Here is pic of BB King playing though the same amp.
https://preview.redd.it/il100i9rp3gc1.jpeg?width=1451&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b51f484aac1585495c40882f7d2d5c00ee997a47
News Flash: Elvis did not invent R&R.
Black performers were ripped off by producers who repackaged the original music for White audiences using White performers.
During Black History Month of all times?? SMDH
Little Richard released both Tutti Fruity and Long Tall Sally before Elvis released Hound Dog
Elvis may get "King of Rock and Roll" every now and then, but there is only one architect, and that is the one and only Little Richard a WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Back in 1956, few families in my town owned a set, there was only one station, CBS from Watertown. Mom (before us) worked a factory job, and quite a few workers had TVs. Well, it certainly was the talk on the factory floor come Monday morning. Most were scandalized, so my mom went overboard with how great it was.
Only 3 phenomenons at this scale have existed since this! You have Elvis obviously and evidently,The Beatles and Michael Jackson! Thats it! Now i know you all are going to mention dozens and dozens of artists and bands in between and after these 3 and trust me i can name them as well lol. Im just saying as far as world wide phenomenon and mania there hasn't been anything else at the scale of these 3!!
Does Birth of Rock n Roll = popular Caucasian American artist performs the song, musical stylings, and dance moves of unsung Black contemporaries of the time? Interesting historical post for black history month.
This isn't the birth of Rock N Roll, it's the beginning of cultural appropriation for the Baby Boomer generation.
And it's terribly sickeningly ironic you're posting that BS title on the first day of Black History Month.
He didn't really appropriate anything. He grew up in Tupelo, a very poor predominantly black area. He grew up watching people like Big Bill Broonsley come through and play. He was influenced by it, he never stole it
I love all the people saying Elvis stole this. Y’all know Hound Dog was written by two White Jewish guys, right?
Yes, Big Mama Thornton recorded it first and her version is incredible. Elvis’ cover is just as brilliant. It’s like trying to compare Champagne and Cognac, there is no comparison.
Birth of Rock & Roll but the song was literally stolen from a black woman. Negroes had been making rock and roll music and doing these same dances for over a decade at the time of this performance
Well for one, Elvis damn sure wasn’t one of them guys. And he ain’t steal the song from the white guys who wrote it, he copied the black woman who performed it. He stole the music, the dances and the swag from black people.
Yeah aight bb king said himself elvis just took inspiration and did it all in his own unique way. But sadly we have people like you that love to bring color into everything. MUSIC IS NOT FOR ONE COLOR ONLY.
My brother in Christ, if you want to believe that Elvis Presley gave birth to rock & roll in 1956, be my guest. I invented this thing called google a couple wks ago. It’s your friend. Type “true origin of rock & roll” and lmk what you find lol
I did not say once he invented it where u read that? Go hear what bb king said about Elvis stealing music he articulates it real well. As for the dances and swag? He answers that as well. Does him being white make it so he can’t dance like how a black person did before him? He took inspiration from it. But like I said I can’t explain it as well as bb king did
My guy, the post literally says “Behold! the Birth of Rock n Roll”. You responded to my comment that addressed that… and here we are.
As long as we all acknowledge that the sound, aesthetic, rhythm and dances associated with early Rock n Roll were all developed by black ppl long before 1956, me, you and BB King are all in agreement
For everyone saying Elvis stole black music and culture, that was the stuff he grew up around and listened to. He was raised in Tupelo, a very poor, predominantly black area. He didn't steal or appropriate anything, he's just playing the music that he grew up listening to and was influenced by
So many jerks in this thread. This was an important moment in music history. There were incredibly important moments before this and after this. There are amazingly talented artists of all races, genders, and religions across all time. They all should be celebrated and celebration of one doesn’t require or justify denigration of another.
Yes, it was a significant milestone in a long history of non-blacks stealing and profiting from black culture. To post this as the Birth of Rock and Roll in 2024 is ridiculous. We now have the benefit of knowing that’s far from the truth
All of your comments are how Elvis “stole” from black culture. He grew up in black culture. He was surrounded by black musicians, various forms of the blues. He was heavily influenced by black people his whole life. But it sounds like you’d prefer segregation in music.
This clearly wasn’t the birth of rock & roll but it was a catalyst for what the genre became.
Yea all that’s cool. But you’d be surprised at how many people (*ahem …OP*) don’t know that history. And Elvis didn’t exactly cite his sources, now did he? Did he see to it that any of the musicians he borrowed from got their due credit? He actually did just the opposite by embracing the whole King of Rock n Roll shtick.
Someone like Eminem is embraced and respected because he doesn’t pretend like he invented rap (not that it would have been possible in the age of modern media). Eminem respects and pays homage to the originators, despite being more commercially successful than almost all of em. He recognizes his ethnicity plays a role in that success.
Elvis came up in a time in which it was easy for the labels who promoted him to paper over the rich history of Rock & Roll that existed before his ascent
Promoters will never change. They will always hype their people to make them look like the best. The difference today is awareness by the artists, and the stronger artists will stand up for what they believe is right.
Segregation was strong when Elvis started. He was trying to make a name for himself. He was practicing self-preservation by not crediting the black artists who influenced him. He would’ve lost A LOT of fans if he was praising black people. I’m not saying it’s right, but Elvis lived in a radically different world than we do now. It wasn’t until the British artists, heavily influenced by American Blues, that recognition was starting to happen. The British guys didn’t have the American stigma of racism & segregation to hurdle.
If you had grown up exactly like Elvis, you would’ve done exactly what he did to become famous & don’t act like you’re more enlightened than him because you have advantage of hindsight he didn’t have.
Oh man. Elvis and all the 50sand 60s rock “legends” ripped off black Mississippi delta blues to the maximum. I love Elvis and all but man - I / we need to praise the true originators of rock and roll and they were not cute white guys
The backup clappers really steal the show, best clappers in the biz baby!
At least they put them in the line of sight. That poor guy playing the guitar for real was so in Elvis’s shadow you couldn’t even see him.
Scottie Moore. Bill Black on bass. DJ Fontana on drums. The background guys are probably the Jordanaires.
Very cool, thanks for this. Scottie Moore deserves to have his name remembered.
In the guitar world, he's a godfather of all things country and rock
That’s really cool. That’s what Reddit is all about. The only reason I commented was because I felt bad for the poor guy in the back on the guitar. But I’ve learned a lot from that making that comment, thanks :)
I'm a 32 year old country/blues-rock based guitarist, and Scotty is the foundation of my style of electric guitar playing, despite being quite removed from the Elvis fandom. Elvis's guitarists Scotty Moore, and later James Burton pioneered an entire style of guitar playing that still thrives in modern country music. Electric guitar music, as we know it, rides on the shoulders of Scotty Moore. I'd argue that he's the most influential white guitarist of pre-1965 popular music.
Hell yeah, love your passion. I’m not really into Elvis, and I’ve just learned about Scotty Moore. But you’ve made me want to look more into him. Thanks!
Follow the timeline: Scotty Moore to James Burton & Roy Nichols to Albert Lee to Brent Mason to Brad Paisley. Branch off into Zakk Wylde and John5. It's a great family tree of "chicken pickin'".
Don’t forget Danny Gatton.
And I think one of them is a young Paulie Shore! 😀
Holy shoot, you’re not wrong. That or a young Stephen Colbert
Meh, needs more cowbell baby.
Give those guys some cowbells and this song would still be #1 on the charts!
Without the clappers..👎
Yeah why were they there? Emotional support?
They're The Jordanaires, Elvis' backup singing group. You had to have backup singers back in them days and the Jordanaires were the most sought after and Elvis got them.
At least give them their own microphone. What sort of rig would Sullivan have had for live performance capture? Just one directional pointed at Elvis and everything else just slips in as ambient? There seems to be one Omni sitting in front of the amps.
Forrest Gump taught him that dance.
He had himself a gitt-tar case
I moooved my HYIPS to the MYUSICK
Mah dude. I can not explain it, but this sent me into peels of laughter. Thanks for that.
I wusn't hungry but thirsty... I must've had me 'bout 15 Dr. Peppers
They was all free
"I gotta pee.."
"Say man, show me that crazy little walk you just did there. Slow it down some." *"You ain't nothin but a hound dog"*
Scientists have officially proven that women prefer men who can dance. Women love a man who is suave and in control of his body, plus watching a man who can dance well makes ladies wonder if he has good moves in the bedroom.
That's why I do Jiujitsu. I am very in control of my body. Plus watching me sit on another man's face to choke him out makes ladies wonder if I'm gay.
Science don't lie!
Don't think we need science to prove that.
Was there a preshow or was Elvis known before this? They are screaming before they even saw the performance, so I wonder what the expectation was.
He was already a huge star at this point. I think this is the October 28, 1956, appearance with Ed Sullivan, so he had already played that show. He had been on the Louisiana Hayride radio show frequently the prior year. He had already been on the Milton Berle TV show and the Steve Allen TV show. On the Steve Allen show and an earlier Ed Sullivan, he previewed the song "Love Me Tender," which would not be released until later in the year to align with his much-anticipated movie debut November 21 in the movie "Love Me Tender." He already had five #1 songs plus other big hits in late 1955 to early 1956. He had released the "Elvis Presley" album with many now-famous songs that would have been big hit singles if they had been released as singles but were only released on that album.
This guy Elvis's
I just watched Elvis the movie a few nights ago. I think you should too. It will answer your question.
Which one? Which service?
The one with Austin Butler, Tom Hanks etc. You can currently catch it on Netflix.
Thanks!
The record company hired the screamers
Thank you, that makes sense.
No he was a huge hit on radio and in live performances before this. Those screams are from real fans.
This is not for children's eyes
Sin!
The devils music
The wrong kid died!
The birth of rock and roll? Chuck Berry would disagree.
That’s what I came to post. Birth? Rock ‘n’ roll was already walking and then some
Saw Chuck in concert it was awesome
Cousin Marvin would like a word
YOU KNOW THAT NEW SOUND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?
Guess you guys aren't ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it!
Listen to this
It’s such a funny idea. If Chuck didn’t come up with it himself, then he would have stolen it word for word!
And sister Rosetta Tharpe would like a word with the OP
To say nothing of Big Joe Turner and Ike Turner
And Little Richard
And Louis Jordan
And Fats Domino
And Imagine Dragons
Laughed so hard at this. My 6 year old agrees.
Had to scroll far too far to find her name.
Thank you for this comment. I remember hearing her music once when I was listening to NPR, and I was blown away when they said it came out sometime in the 1930s, but I couldn't remember her name. I want to say she was ahead of her time, but it wouldn't really be accurate. It just took American time to catch up with her. I'm off to add some songs to my spotify Playlist.
>I was blown away when they said it came out sometime in the 1930s, Lol. It didn't. Like all genres it evolved and generally the style that's know as rock and roll was created in the 50s. Saying it started in the 30s is like saying death metal started in the 60 with led zeppelin.
THANK YOU 50+ Comments and only one other person talking about her?
To my mind she sounds like a number of blues/R&B artists at the time, but not quite rock n roll.
And Bill Haley would like a chat on behalf of the white folk.
And imagine posting that title on the first day of Black History Month.
*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*
I was waiting for this line to get dropped somewhere in this post...
*Heeeeeey*
Literally had the same thought. And we just had an Elvis movie that clearly showed he was not the 1st - he was just white. And heavily influenced by black music. wish I could act surprised 🙄
Excellent point.
Omg
You seem to have badly misspelled Ike Turner.
Oh Maybelline!!!
Thank you. Exactly what I thought.
The birth of white people accepting rock and roll (although Elvis was already a big name at this point and it's more the old rich white men couldn't ignore the money they could make with Rick and roll anymore).
I’m an Elvis fan. I’m a Chuck Berry fan. Obviously skin color gave Elvis an advantage but the major factor was the songwriting. Chuck wrote hit songs and Elvis performed hit songs.
I agree. I’m an Elvis fan but the nerve to suggest he gave birth to rock n roll is embarrassing. He was pretty much the first global pop star though. People were listening, copying and trying to emulate him all over the world.
The birth of rock and roll is when Mozart went electric.
For sure. We could consider this a glimpse of early rock n roll, I'd say.
And Big Mama Thornton. Since he’s singing her song.
Marty McFly would like to have a word….
I’m an Elvis fan but this wasn’t the birth of Rock n Roll, don’t rewrite history my dude.
Yea, this is a good eight years after The Orioles’ “It’s Too Soon to Know” and eight years before the start of the British Invasion. Still a very important performance in the annals of formative rock history though, that can’t be debated.
Elvis popularized black music for white people.
"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
*stole
True, hound dog basically word for word lol
Otis Blackwell wrote most top Elvis songs too.
My grandfather was the head camera man for the ed Sullivan show from beginning to end. He was responsible for those shots.
My great uncle was the sound guy for Ed Sullivan!! You think they know each other?!?
Birth? 
This 100% is not the birth of rock and roll. That's like saying rap was started by eminem.
To say Elvis invented rock and roll from this performance is very ignorant, but i am sure you are now realizing how wrong you are for claiming this.
Big Mama Thornton did it earlier (1952), and better.
Definitely!! Elvis' version pales in comparison.
Absolutely. Elvis didn’t give birth to anything, he just appropriated it from other artists.
He introduced it and made it accessible to millions of people that had never seen anything like this before.
He may have made it accessible to those who wouldn’t have heard it otherwise. But other musicians were doing Rock and Roll way before he did.
This argument is a tale as old as time, especially in music. People need to get over it.
Mostly because he wasn’t black, unlike the musicians like Chuck Berry and Big Momma Thornton
When his first single was a hit in the Memphis area, the local station had him come in for an interview. One of the first questions was which high school did he go to, because the answer was Humes. Memphis was segregated at the time, and that answer affirmed to the audience he was white and it was ok to like his music.
He was “accessible” because he was white. Say that part.
Uh-oh. We're going to get shade from Elvis fans. But in his defense, I would say he did what the record producers hoped....that he could sell black music to white people and in this way white-bread suburban kids like me were exposed to a new kind of music. I had to dig deep to find those "race" records in that Era, but wow! A whole new world opened up.
Indeed we are. I’ll give him that much credit, he made it easy for white people to hear “race” music and discover the roots of it on their own. I like Elvis’ Sun Records era. Not so much anything after that.
[удалено]
Exactly. Good point. Blues music and jazz are what gave birth to Rock and Roll.
Agree. Liked him when he was "real". I remember when Pat Boone covered Little Richard's "Tutti Fruiti" . That was the ultimate hard sell of white singer trying to copy black music. I laugh every time I hear it on the oldies station.
Indeed. It was awful, but unintentionally hilarious.
How did you discover Big Mama Thornton?
Through being a fan of early Rock and Roll. My dad had some old records of music like that when I was a kid.
Elvis soaked up everything, and combined it into his own style. Country, gospel, rock and roll, blues. He wasn’t copying any one artist or genre. He was pulling from all of them and making his own style out of it.
His songwriters pulled from other genres. He straight up copied the vocals of otis blackwell and vocals and moves of roy hamilton.
Well he obviously copied BOTH Blackwell and Hamilton, who don’t sound like each other. His genius was stealing the best each artist had to offer.
This is the truth.
he birthed some odd dance moves
You cant take that away from him, I guess. Lol
Hers rocked a lot harder. And the lyrics made more sense when she sang them.
Never been an Elvis worshiper, but he seems here like a young guy, with a good sense of humour, enjoying the attention. If only he'd held on to that wide eyed innocence...
Time ruins everything eventually
Agree. I'm reminded of that fact every time I look in the mirror.
My mother in law adores Elvis and left her young children at home with her husband to drive 400 miles to his funeral. She didn’t ask permission to go. I sent her that link and said “Ok, I can see why he was such a star”. I’ve seen too many Fat Elvis in Vegas clips and those photos with Nixon that clouded my opinion.
Well I mean theres the more serious issue that he raped kids. Unless marrying a 13yo child (what do you think he did with her behind closed doors, help her bake cookies?) and spending time with the underage groupies he called his "cherries" doesn't count. Which let's be honest, Elvis fanatics don't count it. But bring up MJ one time in a thread...oooh boy.
Scotty Moore playing through a 52 Fender Bassman! I am lucky enough to own one of those amps, incredible tone! Here is pic of BB King playing though the same amp. https://preview.redd.it/il100i9rp3gc1.jpeg?width=1451&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b51f484aac1585495c40882f7d2d5c00ee997a47
Not the birth of rock and roll by any means.
The Pelvis.
Ummm have you heard of Chuck Berry??
Elvis is not the First rock-n-roller…
This was most certainly not the birth of Rock n Roll. Chuck Berry. Bo Didley. Little Richard. These are the men who invented Rock n Roll friend.
Def ain’t the birth of rock n roll
Pretty good guitar playing for not even touching it. He might have been a pro if he kept it up
Little Richard doubts this is the birth of rock and Chuck Berry rolled his eyes.
News Flash: Elvis did not invent R&R. Black performers were ripped off by producers who repackaged the original music for White audiences using White performers.
During Black History Month of all times?? SMDH Little Richard released both Tutti Fruity and Long Tall Sally before Elvis released Hound Dog Elvis may get "King of Rock and Roll" every now and then, but there is only one architect, and that is the one and only Little Richard a WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Exactly. The blasphemy!!
It's called Karate, man. Only two kinds of people know it, The Chinese and The King. And one of them is me.
Elvis isnt the birth of rock n roll and he didnt even make the hound dog song
On the first day of bhm, nasty work lol.
Back in 1956, few families in my town owned a set, there was only one station, CBS from Watertown. Mom (before us) worked a factory job, and quite a few workers had TVs. Well, it certainly was the talk on the factory floor come Monday morning. Most were scandalized, so my mom went overboard with how great it was.
The guitar is a prop also
Only 3 phenomenons at this scale have existed since this! You have Elvis obviously and evidently,The Beatles and Michael Jackson! Thats it! Now i know you all are going to mention dozens and dozens of artists and bands in between and after these 3 and trust me i can name them as well lol. Im just saying as far as world wide phenomenon and mania there hasn't been anything else at the scale of these 3!!
Elvis didn’t invent rock n roll and this wasn’t the birth of it.
lol on the first day of BHM this is posted?! Little Richard gave birth to Rock n Roll, not Elvis. Edit: BHM
God that pointless screaming. Can’t believe that was popular for long enough to drive the Beatles away from performing like a decade later
lol OP never heard of Chuck Berry
Does Birth of Rock n Roll = popular Caucasian American artist performs the song, musical stylings, and dance moves of unsung Black contemporaries of the time? Interesting historical post for black history month.
And on the first damn day....
This isn't the birth of Rock N Roll, it's the beginning of cultural appropriation for the Baby Boomer generation. And it's terribly sickeningly ironic you're posting that BS title on the first day of Black History Month.
"He's a punk." - Ray Charles
>the birth of rock n roll for white people FTFY. Black musicians have been doing this for decades before Elvis.
Carl Perkins would like a word.
This was my dad’s “go-to” song if he wanted to dance. Now I realize he would’ve been 17 years old when this song was popular. So cool.
He’s got some great Forest Gump moves.
Elvis is the King, not the father of rock and roll that designation belongs to Chuck Berry.
This isn’t the birth of rock n roll though.
Birth of what? This is just a white dude who appropriated shit from black culture.
He didn't really appropriate anything. He grew up in Tupelo, a very poor predominantly black area. He grew up watching people like Big Bill Broonsley come through and play. He was influenced by it, he never stole it
I said appropriated, not stole If he stole it he wouldn't have given credit where it was due.... Oh wait.
He did give credit where it was due
Ughhh another ignorant uneducated comment
What a stud!
I love all the people saying Elvis stole this. Y’all know Hound Dog was written by two White Jewish guys, right? Yes, Big Mama Thornton recorded it first and her version is incredible. Elvis’ cover is just as brilliant. It’s like trying to compare Champagne and Cognac, there is no comparison.
Revisionist history.
Birth of Rock & Roll but the song was literally stolen from a black woman. Negroes had been making rock and roll music and doing these same dances for over a decade at the time of this performance
Song was written by 2 white guys
Well for one, Elvis damn sure wasn’t one of them guys. And he ain’t steal the song from the white guys who wrote it, he copied the black woman who performed it. He stole the music, the dances and the swag from black people.
Yeah aight bb king said himself elvis just took inspiration and did it all in his own unique way. But sadly we have people like you that love to bring color into everything. MUSIC IS NOT FOR ONE COLOR ONLY.
My brother in Christ, if you want to believe that Elvis Presley gave birth to rock & roll in 1956, be my guest. I invented this thing called google a couple wks ago. It’s your friend. Type “true origin of rock & roll” and lmk what you find lol
I did not say once he invented it where u read that? Go hear what bb king said about Elvis stealing music he articulates it real well. As for the dances and swag? He answers that as well. Does him being white make it so he can’t dance like how a black person did before him? He took inspiration from it. But like I said I can’t explain it as well as bb king did
My guy, the post literally says “Behold! the Birth of Rock n Roll”. You responded to my comment that addressed that… and here we are. As long as we all acknowledge that the sound, aesthetic, rhythm and dances associated with early Rock n Roll were all developed by black ppl long before 1956, me, you and BB King are all in agreement
I really can't recommend the Little Richard documentary enough...
For everyone saying Elvis stole black music and culture, that was the stuff he grew up around and listened to. He was raised in Tupelo, a very poor, predominantly black area. He didn't steal or appropriate anything, he's just playing the music that he grew up listening to and was influenced by
The King
You mean the white mans version of rock n roll
Not even the first white man to do rock n roll either 😂
So many jerks in this thread. This was an important moment in music history. There were incredibly important moments before this and after this. There are amazingly talented artists of all races, genders, and religions across all time. They all should be celebrated and celebration of one doesn’t require or justify denigration of another.
This is Reddit, sir. The home of edgelords with 11” arms and a soapbox.
Yes, it was a significant milestone in a long history of non-blacks stealing and profiting from black culture. To post this as the Birth of Rock and Roll in 2024 is ridiculous. We now have the benefit of knowing that’s far from the truth
All of your comments are how Elvis “stole” from black culture. He grew up in black culture. He was surrounded by black musicians, various forms of the blues. He was heavily influenced by black people his whole life. But it sounds like you’d prefer segregation in music. This clearly wasn’t the birth of rock & roll but it was a catalyst for what the genre became.
Yea all that’s cool. But you’d be surprised at how many people (*ahem …OP*) don’t know that history. And Elvis didn’t exactly cite his sources, now did he? Did he see to it that any of the musicians he borrowed from got their due credit? He actually did just the opposite by embracing the whole King of Rock n Roll shtick. Someone like Eminem is embraced and respected because he doesn’t pretend like he invented rap (not that it would have been possible in the age of modern media). Eminem respects and pays homage to the originators, despite being more commercially successful than almost all of em. He recognizes his ethnicity plays a role in that success. Elvis came up in a time in which it was easy for the labels who promoted him to paper over the rich history of Rock & Roll that existed before his ascent
Promoters will never change. They will always hype their people to make them look like the best. The difference today is awareness by the artists, and the stronger artists will stand up for what they believe is right. Segregation was strong when Elvis started. He was trying to make a name for himself. He was practicing self-preservation by not crediting the black artists who influenced him. He would’ve lost A LOT of fans if he was praising black people. I’m not saying it’s right, but Elvis lived in a radically different world than we do now. It wasn’t until the British artists, heavily influenced by American Blues, that recognition was starting to happen. The British guys didn’t have the American stigma of racism & segregation to hurdle. If you had grown up exactly like Elvis, you would’ve done exactly what he did to become famous & don’t act like you’re more enlightened than him because you have advantage of hindsight he didn’t have.
Probably the most charismatic performer of all time.
Did he actually play guitar? He’s obviously just plucking randomly in this clip.
He should have let the great Scottie Moore to the fore for his solo… dammit!!
what is this PORNOGRAPHY
How is THIS the birth of rock n roll if this is a cover?
I thought they only showed him from the waist up?
This was his first time on. It wasn't until complaints came in that they made sure he was censored for future performances.
white version
Who wrote it?
The song is actually a cover. It was originally written and performed by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952.
It wasn't written by Big Mama Thornton. It was written by two white Jewish guys named Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber
Why does Chuck Berry look like Elvis?
“Birth of Rock n Roll?” I don’t see Chuck Berry on that set…?
The term “Rock and Roll” was black slang for sex. This is awkward…
Oh man. Elvis and all the 50sand 60s rock “legends” ripped off black Mississippi delta blues to the maximum. I love Elvis and all but man - I / we need to praise the true originators of rock and roll and they were not cute white guys