One of the most contentious questions in American pop culture revolves around who should get the credit for inventing rock ‘n roll music. Rolling Stone magazine helped propagate the myth that the genre was invented by Elvis Presley in 1954. As you might imagine, the real story is a bit more complicated. Tune in and find out how dirty jokes, “moondoggers”, and a sexy fat man all play a role in the story.

 

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Works Cited

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Blue Monday Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Paw Prints, 2008.

Gillet, Ch M. de. The Sound of the City the Rise of Rock and Roll. Da Capo, 1996.

Guralnick, Peter. Sam Phillips: the Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll. Back Bay Books, 2016.

Lewis, Randy. “Fats Domino Put the Joy in Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2017, beta.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-fats-domino-appreciation-20171025-story.html.

McKeen, William. Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay: an Anthology. W.W. Norton, 2000.

Newfield, Jack. “Who Really Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Who Really Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll – The New York Sun, www.nysun.com/arts/who-really-invented-rock-n-roll/2037/.

Palmer, Robert. “The Church of the Sonic Guitar.” Present Tense, 1992, pp. 13–37., doi:10.1215/9780822382225-002.

Palmer, Robert. Rock & Roll: an Unruly History. Harmony Books, 1995.

Press, The Associated. “No Black Artists on Rock ‘n’ Roll Cans.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Aug. 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/us/no-black-artists-on-rock-n-roll-cans.html.

“Roll Over, Ike Turner.” Texas Monthly, 6 Nov. 2014, www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/roll-over-ike-turner/.