1950s in music 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. 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 a specifically rock and roll style of playing of such exponents as Chuck Berry, Link Wray, and Scotty Moore. Chuck Berry, who is considered to be one
Rock & Roll Band record contract before their first live gig." Billy Baker of the "Boston Globe" called "Rock and Roll Band" "one of the biggest rock anthems of the 1970s." Scott Tady of "Beaver County Times" described "Rock and Roll Band," "Smokin'" and Boston's first four singles as having "helped set the foundation for classic-rock radio." "Boston Globe"'s Sarah Rodman credited "Rock and Roll Band" as one of the songs that helped drive sales of "Boston" to over 17 million copies. "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide" called "Rock and Roll Band" a "cleaned-up boogey ["sic"] crowd pleaser..." Jamie Reno of "San Diego"