Music history of the United States in the 1950s blues and gospel music; with country and western and Pop. In 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed began playing rhythm and blues music for a multi-racial audience, and is credited with first using the phrase "rock and roll" to describe the music, though the terms "rocking" and "rolling" were being used in boogie-woogie and religious music for decades before that. The 1950s saw the growth in popularity of the electric guitar (developed and popularized by Les Paul). Paul's hit records like "How High the Moon," and "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise," helped lead to the development of
Rock 'n' Roll Rumble of Once as part of a "Winner Winner Come For Dinner" promotion during the preliminary nights. A fire alarm during the finals forced the evacuation of the Once Ballroom during Carissa Johnson's set. Johnson went on to win the Rumble. Rock 'n' Roll Rumble The Rock 'n' Roll Rumble (sometimes stylized "Rock & Roll Rumble"; formerly the "WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble"), begun in 1979, is a Greater Boston "battle of the bands" competition sponsored by WZLX and its local music show Boston Emissions. It remains the longest running event of its kind in the US. Its predecessors were the