The History of Rock: For Big Fans and Little Punks
BUDDY HOLLY Buddy learned how to play the piano and the violin but he was a bit clumsy so his older broth ers taught him guitar ba sics Upon finishing high school he formed a Coun try band Their songs were played on the local radio station and they became Lubbock’s supporting act to bands that came to town to play Buddy’s life changed when he saw Elvis Presley in concert for the first time and later played in a concert headlined by the King of Rock him self he became convert ed to Rock and Roll By 1956 Buddy and his newly named band The Crick ets started to record some songs including one of their biggest hits That’ll Be the Day Buddy wrote and played his own songs which was quite uncom mon because at that time music labels hired com posers and session musi cians His brilliant career was just getting started when a tragic airplane acci dent ended it prematurely It inspired Don McLean’s famous song American Pie debut album 1957 origin Lubbock TX genre Rock and Roll Rockabilly famous songs That’ll Be the Day Peggy Sue Everyday In 2001 she recorded a covers album with Jack White from The White Stripes His black rimmed glasses were his trademark The Beatles were fans of Holly and their name drew inspiration from him the pioneers of rock WANDA JACKSON Wanda got her first guitar when she was 6 Having a Country musician as a father helped her get into music from a tender age She attended live concerts and sang in her church choir By 1956 at the age of 19 she won a talent show and got her own radio show as a prize Music la bels started to get interest ed in Wanda and soon she was playing Country music live with her father wear ing the fancy clothes mom made for her She toured with Elvis and they even dated for a little while The King encouraged her to sing Rock and Roll and boy did Wanda love it Her looks were unique short dresses guitar in her hands and hip-shaking moves In the 50s this was a heresy Wanda was one of the first women to play and sing Rock and Roll and became known as the Rockabilly Queen debut album 1958 origin Maud OK genre Rock and Roll Gospel Country Rockabilly famous songs I Gotta Know Funnel of Love Hard-Headed Woman Let’s Have a Party 8
rock of pioneers the OTHER MUSICIANS be all ears SISTER ROSETTA THARPE Up Above My Head Didn’t It Rain FATS DOMINO Blueberry Hill Ain’t That a Shame BO DIDDLEY I'm a Man Bo Diddley CARL PERKINS Blue Suede Shoes Matchbox THE EVERLY BROTHERS Wake Up Little Susie All I Have to do is Dream RITCHIE VALENS Come On Let’s Go La Bamba Elvis favorite sandwich had peanut butter bacon banana and honey What a hodgepodge ELVIS PRESLEY Elvis Presley fell in love with music at an early age As soon as he finished high school he got a job as a truck driver and saved enough money to record his first songs as a gift to his mother The owner of the label liked his voice so much that he decided to hire him on the spot From that moment on Elvis’s songs became instant hits one after the other He was 23 when he became a film actor which increased his popularity even more His extravagant and bold dance moves at his con certs made the audi ence scream wildly especially girls A lot of musicians had started playing and singing in the same music genre before him but Elvis was the one who made Rock and Roll reach every corner of the US and the rest of the world Elvis Presley is known world wide as the King of Rock and to this day nobody has claimed his title He remains beloved by fans and to this day there are many who believe Elvis hasn’t died debut album 1956 origin Tupelo MS genre Rock and Roll Pop Rockabilly Country Blues Gospel r&b famous songs Jailhouse Rock Love Me Tender All Shook Up Don’t Be Cruel Hound Dog 9
ROCK COWBOYS It’s only fair to ask what are these Country musicians coming from a traditional musical style doing in a book on Rock This type of question will pop up often but the answer is simple Johnny Cash especially was a rebel and his music was simple and direct just like Rock itself Rock isn’t just a music style it’s also an attitude Besides these musicians were and still are admired by a lot of Rock artists JOHNNY CASH Johnny’s musical career started right about the time Rock and Roll was breaking out yet his heart was in Country music At 12 he was already writ ing songs inspired by this traditional style which he heard on the radio He worked in cotton fields and at an automobile plant and also served in the Air Force yet despite the harshness of these jobs he taught himself how to play the guitar and got to record his first songs by 23 He achieved a lot of suc cess but his rebelliousness made him go astray and landed him in prison seven times When free he enjoyed playing in prisons because he em pathized with the inmates He had a deep cavernous voice and a sad humble and dark look which gave him the nickname Man in Black Johnny Johnny Cash knew how to hypnotize himself if you believe that sort of stuff debut album 1956 origin Kingsland AR genre Rock and Roll Country Folk Gospel famous songs I Walk the Line Folsom Prison Blues Ring of Fire 10 Cash was a Rock fan so much so that in the last stage of his career Cash covered several Rock artists Some of them are in this book like The Beatles Bruce Spring steen Nick Cave Depeche Mode Beck and Nine Inch Nails among others Despite having been one of the greatest Country artists of all time Johnny has become a reference in the history of Rock OTHER MUSICIANS be all ears HANK WILLIAMS Hey Good Lookin I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry MERLE HAGGARD Mama Tried Okie from Muskogee THE BAND Up on Cripple Creek The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down EMMYLOU HARRIS Two More Bottles of Wine Tulsa Queen KENNY ROGERS Coward of the County The Gambler EAGLES New Kid in Town Hotel California
cowboys rock the ones he sang himself Willie returned to Texas in the 70s and never stopped writing and singing He is one of the most successful Country composers and musicians At 85 he had al ready released 68 records and was playing between 150 and 200 concerts per year debut album 1962 origin Abbott TX genre Country Blues Jazz famous songs Crazy On the Road Again Pancho and Lefty Funny How Time Slips Away WILLIE NELSON Willie and his older sister were raised by their grand parents who loved music and passed this passion to their grandchildren teach ing them how to play the guitar and piano By 1939 his grandfather gave him his first guitar he was only 6 years old and the follow ing year he started writing songs He enlisted in the Air Force studied agricul ture and worked as a Ra dio DJ but never forgot his passion for Country mu sic In 1960 he moved to Nashville where he start ed writing music for oth er musicians Some of the songs he wrote for them were more successful than Dolly has no children of her own but she does have a very special goddaughter Miley Cyrus A little before his 81st birthday in 2014 Willie showed his great physical shape by winning his fifth degree black belt in GongKwon Yusul a martial art DOLLY PARTON Dolly was born into a big family with a total of 12 siblings Her family was poor but that did not stop her mother who knew how to sing and play the guitar giving Dolly a love for music As with many artists in this book it all started with a guitar only in this case it was even more impressive Dolly built her own guitar when she was seven A year lat er her uncle gave her a real one By 10 she was already playing on radio and tele vision shows and record ed her first song when she was 13 Her career started at 21 she wrote her own lyrics and music and sang her songs but also wrote for others and had hit after hit since then She recorded almost as many records as Willie Nelson and starred in many films She’s over 70 now but is still very active and filled with ideas for new pro jects debut album 1958 origin Locust Ridge TN genre Country famous songs Jolene I Will Always Love You Here You Come Again 9 to 5 Islands in the Stream 11
