by Lynda Kohn

Created on: February 06, 2011

First, there is some controversy what the original rock and roll recording was.  One of the main issues is how to distinguish from rhythm and blues and rock and roll.  By the way before the early 50s,  what we now recognize as R&B was known as race records.  The reason being the songs were exclusively recorded by African Americans.  The term Race records sounds racist, and by today's standards it was.  However, please remember this was a  different era.   This was just post World War Two.  The US was joyful the war was over and there was peace in the land.  This was  the time of Hitler and Tojo's defeat and before the Korean conflict.  It was the time of Harry S. Truman and prosperity.  Even blacks whose been constantly economically inferior to whites could enjoy themselves.  One of the prominent groups during this period was "Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five"  He is not to be confused with  French actor of the same name. (Louie Jor DAN). This Louis Jordan was noted mostly for novelty songs with an infectious, happy sound.  His songs included a jump beat that made his listeners want to jump up  and wildly dance to his music.  One of his songs "Let the Good Times Roll" was recorded by quite a few artists". One of the most popular versions was 1956 Shirley and Lee's.

During this time there was a  group called the Ravens.  They named themselves that as a self promotion.  The group claimed "People were ravin' about their sound.  This group ushered in the bird group era.  Some of these were the Cardinals, the Meadowlarks who later became the Larks,  the Swallows, the Wrens etc. Robins became the novelty songs act, the Coasters. One group the Orioles  was one of the earliest with a release in 1948 of "Its Too Soon to Know"  a bluesy, rhythm and blues number.  Their song in 1953 Crying in the Chapel, a rather lugubrious number was later recorded by Elvis Presley. More on him later.  One other bird group was the Crows, their super smash hit was "Gee". Gee was  so big a recording company was named after it.   It was believed by some popular music historian to be the initial rock and roll song.  While it did possess a rock and roll beat, the fact is there was a song with such a beat, recorded two years earlier. Its name was "Rocket  88" It was sung by Jackie Brenston.  It was written and

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