Origins of rock and roll that inspired Alan Freed to coin the phrase "rock and roll" to refer to the music he played. Freed first started playing the music in 1951, and by 1953 the phrase "rock and roll" was becoming used much more widely to market the music beyond its initial black audience. The practitioners of the music were young black artists, appealing to the post-war community's need for excitement, dancing and increasing social freedoms, but the music also became very attractive to white teenagers. As well as "rocking" rhythm and blues songs, such as the massively successful and influential "Rocket 88" recorded by
The History of Rock and Roll contents The History of Rock and Roll contents The History of Rock and Roll is a radio documentary on rock and roll music, originally syndicated in 1969, and again in 1978 and 1981. It is currently distributed as a 2 1/2 minute short feature on internet networks. This list below reflects the contents of the more widely heard 1978 version of "The History of Rock & Roll". The "time sweep" is a 53-minute collage of number one hits from the Rock & Roll era. The original 1969 "History of Rock and Roll" timesweep closed with the final measures of the Beatles'