by peur evol

Created on: January 05, 2007   Last Updated: April 01, 2007

This is by no means a complete or comprehensive list of all 1950s rock stars, but it should serve as a useful primer for persons wishing to explore the origins of rock-n-roll. As a further help, I've included post '50s successors.
1) Chuck Berry- the original showman. Of course his greatest hits are a permanent staple of oldies FM radio, but Chuck's real claim to fame was in live performances.He knew how to work a crowd. If at all possible find one of his live albums or archival footage of him. Compare with anybody, Chuck is the ultimate granddaddy of every rocker.

2) Link Wray- the original guitar god. Master of the instrumental form, ol' Link kept your grandparents' booties shakin'. Truly the first one to take an extended solo and run away with it. Compare to Steve Vai or Joe Satriani.
3) Little Richard- the original ego. Flashy, flamboyant, opinionated; if he was female he'd be the original diva. Never one to shy away from shameless self-promotion, he brought the attitude into the genre. Compare with KISS or Prince.
4) Buddy Holly- the tragic romantic. Not just tragic because he died, Buddy's music had recurring themes of heartbreak. Also the original geek. Before his death he began to experiment with orchestral rock, something the Beatles would later perfect. Compare with WEEZER.
5) Carl Perkins- the original understatement. Not larger than life, Carl's success was in simple lyrics and simple accompaniments that spoke to the common man. Compare with Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty.
6) Elvis Presley- the original hyped up teen dream. Need i say more? Everybody knows the King, right? Compare to any boy-band or American Idol winner.
7) the Coasters- the original comedians. With lyrics primarily provided by songwriting team Lieber/Stoller, they managed to answer Frank Zappa's question (does humor belong in music?) years before he ever asked it. Compare to Weird AL or CAKE.
8) Johnny Cash- the original southern rocker. At all times Johnny straddled the fence between country and rock. He also freely experimented with spoken word, comedy, spiritual, and folk. It's very hard to find a contemporary to Mr. Cash, but you can believe LYNYRD SKYNYRD owes a lot to him.
9) Pat Boone- the original christian rocker. Okay, (grumble,grumble) christian rock is an acceptable form, just don't ever tell anyone that I told you that. Compare to (what else?) christian rock.
10)Ritchie Valens- the original latino rocker. His career was very, very brief, but he paved the way for SANTANA.

Okay, there's 10 pioneers for your studying pleasure. Now go listen and get some perspective already.

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