All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America



This is a really good book on how what was popularly called "Rock 'N' Roll", was really race music, which is Rhythm & Blues.

Here aresome quotes from the book:

P.35: "In the South, rock 'n' roll became a lightning rod for die-hard segregationists who associated the music-and and African Americans-with depraved beliefs and behavior. In pursuit of profit they...exploited black peformers, bleached the music and promoted white rock 'n' rollers."

P.23: ""Rock 'n' roll," then, was not, as (Alan) Freed later claimed, an "inspiration flash" that later came to him as a "colorful and dynamic" description of the "rolling, surging beat of the music." Nor did he use the phrase to eliminate the racial stigma of "rhythm and blues." Whether or not Freed consciously sought "to cultivate a broader audience" for the music-that is precisely what happened. With a sale of forth thousand record in the late '40's an R&B hit might reach the Top Ten; a rock 'n' roll smash would sell over a million." "As it entered popular discourse, rock 'n' roll was a social construction and not a musical conception. It was at large, what DJs and record producers andperformers said it was."

P.30: "By instinct more than design, Elvis contributed to the agitation about race relations during the 1950s. In public, and in the South, he acknowledged his indebtedness to the music of African Americans. "The colored folks been singing and playing it [rock 'n' roll] just like I'm doing now, man, for more years than I know," he told the Charlotte Observer in 1956."They played it like that in the shanties and in their juke joints and nobody paid it no mind until I goosed it up. I got it from them.""

P.162: "Across the United States-and Europe-rock 'n' roll still had the capacity to agitate, motivate, and arouse. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and dozens of other British musicians-whose explosion into the American market would be known as the British Invasion-cut their musical teeth on (Chuck) Berry, (Buddy)Holly, (Elvis) Presley, (Jerry Lee) Lewis and Little Richard. In fact, historian Alice Echols argues the British Invaders "conquered America with her very own music-early rock 'n' roll, hard-driving R&B, and the blues.' Many of their early recordings were note-for-note versions of rock 'n' roll classics."

I hope this is enough to entice music lovers to buy this book, I really would like to discuss this book a little more in this topic. It is really worth reading, because after reading this book one will even understand how Hip-Hop is undergoing a similar situation in reference to its racial stigmas.

Go ahead and discuss. Interesting. RUN DMC are the only rap group to declare themselves the kings of rock.

There are a few Hip Rockers out and about still... even Bob Marley was toppa toppa on the guitar. Redemption song could beclassed as blues.

DMX loves his dark rock stuff, did a tune with that manson guy.

Canibus is another especially with his tune, ''Rip Rock'' more or less about taking it back.

Mos Def has his new album, ''The new danger'' rapping over some rock rifs, wicked album, reccomend it. Also on his ''black on both sides'' album hes got a tune dissing elvis who 'aint got no soul because, chuck berry is rock and roll'... Not trying to diss but he dosen't F' with, limp biscuit.

Anti up - Mobb Deep. niceone.gif

Busta plays with a bit of rock in a few of his earlier albums.

Nas - Bridging the gap.

Swear Jay-Z has a few rocky blues tunes as well, not sure though.

There are quite a few artists who take it back, not long before it becomes a genre unto itself I recon, heard it before... Hip Rock or something, Hip Hop with the beats, rappingand all that with rock/blues music. The europeans just can't get it right with the drums and all that.

Outrage when Layren Hill won a rock award for her album. lol. Of course Jimmy Hendrix is on another level... the genre hasn't gone anywhere since he set the level.Neverliked rockbut I found one of his LPs, dropped it and.... Amazing. Caught me off guard so I had a while confusing the crackers on my street blaring Jimmy Hendrix .lol. Blur andOasis aren't too bad I have to admit. John Lennon was wack, stupid crackers always hyping him but his solo stuff all sounds the same, well hyped he is/was. Imagine was his best tune.

Swear theres more artists but I'm slightly hung over and pissed cause some girl played me for a chump the other night.

F'in flirtfor ages and then tell me you're pregnant, stupid &*£$" "£$%^&$£ look after some next mans &%^&^$% pickney &$%^&" !"$£$%$"%:X

Easy there angry dude. lol but seriously there is some rock that has a lot of black influence in it. White Stripes for example.

The dude that is the lead singer of Bloc party isa brother as well. And Will Smith's missus is in a punk band. I'm sure there are more. Although rock and roll is not pure black music, it's black influences have been overlooked and whitewashed- look at jazz and soon you'll see hip hop is going in the same direction. I nearly had a fit when I read a discussion on a hip hop board populated by mainly white people if 'white hip hop is much better than black hip hop'

confused3

Certain people allways trying to figure out if something like that is better. It doesnt make sense. If you like it you do and if you dont you dont. Something is better for me and to me than you. The same goes for different races.

Trust me.

When you get an ear for music you can her the soul in an artists voice... europeans just haven't got it. They can hit all the notes but theres a devoid of emotion, of feeling there.

Christina Agulira triesand over does it completely... and theres that Joss Stone.

No No No No No.

Not being funny because I'm on a black website but listen to those artists and then listen to some soul music and you'll hear what they're trying for, after a while, if you can't already you'll be able to hear it in other artists.... Faggots got more soul than most europeans and thats no lie.

When you look at rock music its the complete opposite. Listen to African American rock which is derived from blues as mentioned and theres feeling, it'll promote a mood, an atmosphere then do the same... listen to european rock music and see where they'vetaken it. Straight to death metal and literal devil worship, calm - angry type tunes. Some of their stuff is ok that 'white stripes' aren't too bad but for real they lack a whole heap when it comes to music.

From dubplate reggae to Jungle which looses its soul and becomes Drum and Bass to techno.

I mean Sting and the poilce... ''Message in a bottle!?''- ''Roxanne!?'' blatant rock reggae... Hes doing ye olde music now... an album of music from the middle ages like the Robin hood typedays .lol.

In hip hop they'll bring out CDs with the origional tracks on it played next to the new one or a DJ will drop it and mess around with them both, but the europeans don't.... at all. I'd like to hear a Jamerioqui CD mix with the sampled hits nextto his tracks.

Hip Hop is fading but I got the impressiongroups are pushing white artists like Timberlake... Pussy cat dolls.... that one from Blackeyed peas and others just to make more money. Premier is even producing for Christina Agulira now. Some are making hits for the fasion insustry types like Pharell and Jay Z, ''Change clothes! Change clothes!'' :?With videos for distinctly european markets... taking the Afro out of American as it were, cultureless shopping music.

Jazz is pretty much dead... not that I listen to it to be honest don't hear about any Jazz awards being given out for anything... let alone soul or any other genre.

Oh yeah.... anyone heard any Trip Hop? Thats a new one.

book sounds interesting well worth a read

i will put that on my christmas to me list

Forgotthis was the book reviewroom.

More and more much of hip hop is sounding like old rock n roll.

More song samples are coming from rock songs.

Most of todays hip hop is really singing be its not Whitney Houston like. Thus came the MC instead of just a rapper.

The rapper Dominoe admitted it. Remember him?

Music is put in the current categories to keep the public under control and to know or control who does or like what.

If its electric guitar based and White artists its called Rock. If they are Black itmaybe called R&B. If its really really electric guitar based its called hard rock. If the artists wear face paint, have weird hair, and bang their instruments its punk rock.

If its electric guitar based and White artists its called Rock. If they are Black itmaybe called R&B. If its really really electric guitar based its called hard rock. If the artists wear face paint, have weird hair, and bang their instruments its punk rock.


Good point.

Gotta love that, ''Urban'' music. lol.

I agree di yurugus are trying to kick out of our music and repackage it.

Reggaeton, hip hop & r&b are prime examples

also there was an article in the new nation like 18 moths 2 years ago that dealt with the issues

I believe the title was '' Are black people being kicked out of black music ? ''