Like my 11-year-old son, some of you are probably too young to have any even remotely direct experience with rock ‘n roll from the 1950s, but that doesn’t mean you can’t shed some light on this topic. Over the weekend we were playing an 18-song Buddy Holly Greatest Hits album in the car. My boys have liked this CD the couple of times they’ve heard it in the past, and it’s good summertime music, not to mention simply great music (perhaps by whatever standards we might define great).
Our oldest boy was amazed at how many of Holly’s songs he knew from movies, commercials, and the like. “I can’t believe how many great songs he made,” he kept saying, “almost every song was a huge hit!”
He wanted to know more about Holly, eventually arriving at this core question: “I don’t get it, why is Elvis more famous than him? I don’t see what’s so great about Elvis.”
It was a tough question to handle on the spot like that. Elvis is King, right? I love Elvis, but not including the pathos of Fat Elvis, which was too much to explain to an 11 year old, Buddy Holly may have produced a stronger run of songs during the ’50s. “Elvis’ early singles are really exciting,” I told him, “plus he was more handsome and drove the kids wild.”
I handed him the Holly CD and had him look at the photos of Buddy and the Crickets. “Whoa,” he chuckled, “now I see where Elvis Costello got his Look!” (My wife quickly added, “You know, he was kind of handsome!”)
This all got me thinking, Who are Rock Town Hall’s Top 5 Rock ‘n Roll Artists from the ’50s? I ask us to discipline ourselves and refrain from throwing acknowledged blues artists (eg, Muddy Waters) and other ‘tweeners (eg, Louis Prima – I’m looking your way, HVB!) into the mix. Rock ‘n roll. This could include, as the genre is usually defined, vocal groups, such as The Platters. But no Muddy Waters, no Hank Williams, no Louis Prima, no jazz. Got it?
I’m not thinking all that clearly this morning and could be leaving out somebody obvious, but I’d say Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry lee Lewis, Buddy Holly.
Is Fats Domino a tweener? If not I’ll pick him. If so I’ll go with Little Richard while waiting to recall who else I might be forgetting.
The first Elvis’ greatest hits, by the way, stacks up against that Buddy Holly hits record, and there’s a lot more worthwhile Elvis out there.
Fats Domino is a rock ‘n roll artist. So is Little Richard. If you’re reading this, Hrrundi, Louis Prima is not.
Why am *I* getting the Louis Prima hairy eyeball? I don’t consider the guy “rock” at all!
To the issue at hand: don’t we have to set some rules for what being a “top” artist is? If you mean “Most Popular,” then you get one set of answers. “Most Legendary,” a few others. Don’t even get me started on “Most Influential.” Sorry to rain on your simplicity parade, Mod, but this is not a question you can just throw out there. Put that lab coat back on, tamp the pipe a few times, and explain yourself better!
I think a more useful issue to examine (if only to explain things better to your young charge) would be: who’s better — Buddy Holly or Elvis Presley? Now *that* would spark some useful jaw-rattling!
Hrrundi, my apologies if I had you confused with a Louis Prima showoff type. I may have been thinking of The Great 48.
A Holly-Presley debate is crucial in this thread, yes. By RTH determining the Top 5, I’m asking for us to RANK the Top 5 in order of greatness, that is, the Top 5 Greatest Rock ‘n Rollers of the 1950s. At some point we’ll be confronted with serious issues when ranking, say, Elvis vs Holly. Then, we can only hope that jaws will rattle!
Oh, and by “Top 5 Greatest…” I mean “Most Greatest” – not some after-the-fact trace of influence on John Mellencamp. I mean artists who, when confronted head on, are clearly the most greatest of their class.
Elvis
Buddy Holly
Chuck Berry
Fats Domino
Tie: Little Richard/Jerry Lee Lewis
Andyr, I’m surprised that Dion didn’t make your Top 5.
I’m not sure if Little Richard will make the Top 5 or not, but to me I think he’s far greater than Jerry Lee Lewis.
Fats is an interesting one. I often overlook his greatness. Will need to take it under consideration…
I didn’t realize I was supposed to be ranking the top 5 in order. That’s tough but here goes:
Elvis
Chuck
Fats
Buddy
Jerry Lee
I think an Elvis/Buddy Holly debate would end up being another Stones/Beatles debate. Elvis has more rocking power and Holly more “cool bass parts.” I know which side I’m on.
Elvis
Tunage: 7
Mach Schau: 10
Sex appeal: 10
Commercial/popular appeal: 10
Continuing relevance: 9
Buddy Holly
Tunage: 10
Mach Schau: 7
Sex appeal: 7
Commercial/popular appeal: 7
Continuing relevance: 9
Chuck Berry
Tunage: 10
Mach Schau: 9
Sex appeal: 5
Commercial/popular appeal: 7
Continuing relevance: 8
Little Richard
Tunage: 8
Mach Schau: 10
Sex appeal: 5
Commercial/popular appeal: 8
Continuing relevance: 5
Fats Domino
Tunage: 8
Mach Schau: 6
Sex appeal: 4
Commercial/popular appeal: 7
Continuing relevance: 5
I’d like to “tie” Holly and Presley, but that would run counter to the spirit of the challenge. Elvis’ sheer Rock Power and undeniably greater “influence” factor pushes him past the more consistent, more perenially pop-friendly Holly.
I have spoken.
HVB
Do I win the “Most Rockin’ Breakfast Cereal” award for Geekiness, or what?
Not mentioned yet but certainly worthy of consideration:
Bo Diddley
The Everly Brothers
Eddie Cochran
Roy Orbison
Ray Charles
Link Wray
Sammy, you might convince me that Orbison deserves Fats’ place on my list, but the rest of those guys are either of questionabls rockularity (Ray Charles, undoubtedly of mammoth Greatness), or are also rans in this contest.
For the record:
Roy Orbison
Tunage: 10
Mach Schau: 3
Sex appeal: 2
Commercial/popular appeal: 8
Continuing relevance: 9
Orbison was the world’s first Loser Rock guy.
Orbison deserves Fat’s place without a doubt. AND Jerry Lee Lewis deserves Little Richard’s place on your list as well.
And, of course, Bo Diddley deserves Buddy Holly’s place. But let’s not open old wounds and instead simply accept my opinion as the fact that it is.
Bo Diddley
Tunage: 8
Mach Schau: 11
Sex appeal: 11
Commercial/popular appeal: 8
Continuing relevance: 10
Hrrundi, your methodology is most helpful. I will be sure to rely on it. Stay tuned for the Most Rockin’ Breakfast Cereal of the Month award winner announcement later this afternoon.
Sammy, thanks for those other suggestions. Much to consider.
I think it makes perfect sense that a boy who hasn’t reached puberty yet would not be able to understand Elvis.
BigSteve, that is a *very* good point!
Roy Orbison does not belong on a list of the greatest rock & roll artists of the fifties. His only records of note released during the 50s were Ooby Dooby and Rock House, which were/are of relatively minor quality and historical importance.
Orbison’s run of great records begins in 1960 with Only the Lonely, culminating in 1964’s Oh Pretty Woman, after which he’s running on fumes.
I don’t think of Dion as a “50’s artist” – at least for this discussion as many of his hits came out in the earely 60’s. Plus, it could be said, that Doo-Wop is not included as a rock and roll genre.
Where do the Coasters or Drifters fit into this? Are they R&R?
I’m surprised Gene Vincent’s name hasn’t come up yet.
BigSteve, that is *another* very good point!
Buddy Holly may be somewhat geeky looking in retrospect, but my mom assures me he that was a hottie, and all the girls in Watkins Glen thought he was all dat. He wasn’t Elvis supernova hot but he had it going on.
I can’t put Fats Domino in my Top 5 of the 50’s. No way.
It’s gotta be:
1. Elvis – I am not a fan, but isn’t he like Jesus popular?
2. Chuck Berry – Thank you for spawning Keith Richards!
3. Buddy Holly – Had he not died, with all his ideas and his grasp of what could be done in a studio, would there have even been a British Invasion?
4. The Coasters – 56 to 59 they were all over the Top Ten.
5. Little Richard – The dude invented Rock N Roll. I’ve heard him say it a million times. How can the inventor not be included?
Does Carl Perkins count?
Nevermind – I re-read Mr Mod’s instructions. So The Drifters would be included if so chosen
The Driftrs biggest records were in the 60s, but the question of who is R&B and who is R&R is thorny. I agree that Ray Charles doesn’t count as rock & Roll, but Fats Domino himself described his music as rhythm & blues, even though he clearly benefited from being marketed to rock & rollers. And what about Hank Ballard?
Little Richard and Chuck Berry definitely rock hard enough to get counted in the rock & roll camp.
Steve, that’s why I asked about Fats originally, because he’s a bit on the borderline. But because of that he also has several advantages; one, there’s the sheer rocking power of his early singles, then there’s the later, more restrained pop work. So he can rock harder than Elvis and craft songs like Buddy.
Yes, the issue of the 50s crossing over into the 60s is a bother here. Are we talking about the totality of these musicians work or just their 50s output? Holly, who only has 50s output, looms larger if Dec 31, 1959 is the cutoff date.
Oh, and I think Gene Vincent’s name hasn’t come up because he just ain’t good enough to make anybody’s Top Five, much as I like some of his songs.
I’ll withdraw Orbison based on the technicality mentioned above.
But Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins can suck it.
Cochran was the king of Rockabilly.
2K- Nice to see another non-fan of Elvis aboard. HR- I also nodded my head seeing your “7” for Elvis tunage.
Thanks for re-reading the guidelines, Andyr.
Of course Perkins counts, Mockcarr!
BigSteve, excellent points re: puberty and Orbison. I was considering placing the Everly Brothers in my top 5, but for simmilar reasons I’ll leave them off. A number of their best songs run into the ’60s.
Now let me test out a few of my candidates, using HVB’s scale.
Elvis
Tunage: 7
Mach Schau: 10
Sex appeal: 10
Commercial/popular appeal: 10
Continuing relevance: 9
Buddy Holly
Tunage: 10
Mach Schau: 8
Sex appeal: 6
Commercial/popular appeal: 9
Continuing relevance: 10
Chuck Berry
Tunage: 8
Mach Schau: 8
Sex appeal: 2
Commercial/popular appeal: 9
Continuing relevance: 10
Little Richard
Tunage: 7
Mach Schau: 10
Sex appeal: 9
Commercial/popular appeal: 7
Continuing relevance: 5
Fats Domino
Tunage: 6
Mach Schau: 6
Sex appeal: 5
Commercial/popular appeal: 7
Continuing relevance: 2
The Coasters
Tunage: 7
Mach Schau: 9
Sex appeal: 4
Commercial/popular appeal: 6
Continuing relevance: 6
Jerry Lee Lewis
Tunage: 5
Mach Schau: 10
Sex appeal: 6
Commercial/popular appeal: 7
Continuing relevance: 6
Bo Diddley
Tunage: 7
Mach Schau: 9
Sex appeal: 1
Commercial/popular appeal: 6
Continuing relevance: 8
MY CONCLUSIONS:
1. Buddy Holly: He opened the door for the greater possibilities of rock ‘n roll as a contemplative form of music, not just a soundtrack for acting out teen angst.
2. Elvis: Along with Chuck Berry, he first defined the true objectives of the genre before The Rolling Stones released “Satisfaction”, thereby establishing rock’s true objectives to this day.
3. Chuck Berry: The guy’s lyrics both helped establish the aforementioned objectives of the genre AND, along with Holly’s work, further opened the door to rock as a contemplative, intellectual form of music.
4. Little Richard: He set the bar for rock’s ability to provide 100% pure adreneline, as the marketers for the movie Point Break might put it, and showmanship. He first pushed rock to its most purely conceptual level.
5. The Coasters: Through their interpretations of the music of Lieber and Stoller, they along with Chuck Berry, expanded rock’s narrative capabilities.
On second thought, re: Orbison, I would like to dispute the cutoff date of 12/31/59.
Rock and roll didn’t, for all intents and purposes, come into existence until the mid-50s.
I consider “50s rock and roll” as everything pre-British invasion.
So are we talking about the actual decade of the 50s or what, I think most people consider “50s rock and roll”?
In a survey I would bet the overwhelming number of respondents would consider Orbison a “50s” artist as opposed to a “60s” artist.
Little Richard, sex appeal= 9?!
I guess…if you’re tutti-frutti.
Bullshit. Roy Orbison was in no way a 50s artist. Even besides the point that — as BigSteve noted — he released little during the ’50s proper, his biggest hit “Oh Pretty Woman” post-dates the British Invasion. Orbison is in all ways a 60s artist.
And if you can’t see a difference between the pop hits of, say, 1957 and 1962, you’re not trying very hard.
1. Elvis
2. Buddy
3. Coasters
4. Fats
5. Little Richard
Sammy, Little Richard’s sexuality is undeniable and undiscriminating. I know it may frighten you Marshall Crenshaw lovers.
My problem with Little Richard is that his recordings are just a little too brittle and shrill in comparison to Jerry Lee Lewis. Those things make his music a bit annoying at times.
I know what you mean, Mwall, but Little Richard’s calling in rock was to be annoying. Don’t tell me you’re a closet Marshall Crenshaw fan!
Jerry Lee Lewis may have been best suited for country music, where he would land in the ’60s. As XTC and The Stranglers used punk rock as a convenient launching point, I think Jerry Lee lucked into the whole rock ‘n roll thing.
Shades of my stint as G-Mod two years ago in RTH v1 when I tried to establish The Canon of Rock & Roll. When the dust settles here, I’ll have to go searching for the results of that attempt at windmill tilting.
My votes go to Elvis, Buddy, Chuck, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee.
And whether you want to consider him ’50s, 60s, or anything else, Roy Orbison gets my vote for one of the (if not THE) most overrated artists of all time. A great voice (at least that’s what I constantly read so it must be that it’s just not MY definition of a great voice) and a handful of memorable tunes. Couldn’t we say the same thing about Gary Puckett?
I think it’s pretty clear that Jerry’s best music was the rock and roll material. I like his country songs well enough, but they don’t really compare to the greats of their era.
I can hear the difference between 57 and 62 but I can also hear the difference between 52 and 57. Or 64 and 66 or…
The breaking down of musical genres by decade is as arbitrary, as is the Christian based calendar of which we refer. (Actually its Gregorian but I digress.)
Do the rock muses only descend with their bags of chord progressions and pedal effects on January 1 of each decade?
Mod- I’m not a Crenshaw fan but I’m really surprised that you arent’ give your heavy McCartney-Mick Jones tendencies.
No, but when you’re dealing with something as arbitrary and pointless as this list — hell, this entire website — you need convenient parameters.
If we’re not limiting this list to music actually recorded in the 50s, I nominate Sha Na Na.
I’ve been following along for some time. Pretty good discussion you get going here most days, but today you’ve hit an all-time low in terms of obviousness. Why not just call in Dick Clark and Alan Freed to settle any debates. Following the requisit payola, of course.
Here are some real rock ‘n roll trailblazers, without whom your same old song and dance men would have been driving trucks, cutting hair, or jerkin’ soda fountains.
1) The Rock ‘n Roll Trio (gotta love the sponsor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn124EqSIzs)
2) Jackie Brentson/Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm/Rhythm Kings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfIuDOy4huQ&feature=related)
3) Buddy Holly (the real deal among that Mount Rushmore of ’50s rockers you laud)
4) Carl Perkins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlsLSc9dVAQ&feature=related)
5) Ricky Nelson (his early singles are highly underrated, with the top-notch guitarist working in rock ‘n roll at the time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSeFxLjQ890)
Only on an uber-nerd site like this one could folks put the comedo-rock stylings of the Coasters in the top five for 1950s rock. *Please* enlighten us with the deep, pithy reasons why, so that we may spew soda pop out of our collective nostrils.
There’s a lot more going on in the music of The Coasters than meets the belly-laugh, HVB. Their songs speak in ways most artists could not yet master at that time – and they have kick-ass rhythms. I’d say both Motown writers like Smokey Robinson and H-D-H as well as Bob Dylan owe equal debts to their work. I’d bet even Prince, ZZ Top, and ELO owe more than you think to their legacy.
Oh, come ON, Larry — welcome aboard and all that, but… Johnny Burnette?! Eddie Cochran shat pieces of Johnny Burnette out in his stool every morning — and even *Eddie* don’t make my list!
You WRONG, bwah!
Welcome aboard Larry. You make some…interesting suggestions, but I wonder if you’re seeing the forest for the trees. For instance, beside having James Burton in his band, how could you rank Ricky Nelson ahead of almost any other artist who’d been mentioned, despite their popularity or the obviousness of their nomination for the RTH Top 5 of the ’50s?
The role of the guitar in rock will gain prominence in the 1960’s. James Burton and the Rock ‘n Roll Trio will have a greater impact on the development of rock than any piano player, so that clears a few spots from the start. Piano players are nearly as irrelevant as sax players by the mid-60’s. That partly explains my inclusion of Ricky Nelson. You can have your Eddie Cochoran, hrrundivbakshi. His music’s all right but his Hollywood sellout work traded on stereotypes that would hinder rock’s development:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTpxJC4AAJ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me86Z1MEZVQ&feature=related
True, but Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and (to a lesser extent) Fats Domino are being considered, I’d argue, for their work as “frontmen,” for their star presence, cult of personality even. I’d argue that’s more important than six-string prowess, since most guitar virtuosos lacking stage presence and mach schau only find fame in places such as Rock Town Hall.
Anyone going for Larry’s leftfield nominations? I think I see what he’s getting at, but I’m seeing no reason to move around any of my top 5.
Regardless of order at this time, it seems safe to say that Elvis, Buddy, and Chuck are making the cut. What do we do with Fats, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, and The Coasters? We have determined that Gene Vincent is not cutting it, right?
Frankly, I’ve got the Coasters standing in for the LA R&B scene as a whole, much as how when I say “Elvis” I really mean “Sun Records” and when I say “Buddy” I mean “scion of all that is right and holy about the closest thing I have to a hometown.”
I doubt there’s anyone on this list who loves Rick Nelson as much as I do and still I’d have a hard time putting him in the top 5. He put out a lot of fantastic material – they’ll set you back a lot of money but I think the two Bear Family boxes sets would be a revelation to anyone who listens to them – in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, he always had great musicians, and he truly was the single artist who made rock & roll okay for mass consumption thru the Ozzie & Harriet Show. And he had a true rock & roll heart. If I believe that Roy Orbison is vastly over-rated, I’m even more fervent in believing that Rick is underrated.
Still, as much as I’d like him to be in that top 5, I can’t see whom I’d move out. Maybe if we were looking at careers past 12/31/59…
First off, I live in the South. I worked at Graceland for some time (that’s another story). I went in as the greatest skeptic old Big E. I was always a Beatles fan. I went back to Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry and Fats. Those guys that directly influenced my beloved Beatles. Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, and the “Sun” crew weren’t as direct, except for, of course, the great Carl Perkins. So, when I traced the music back for The Beatles, I discovered Carl, Buddy, and The Mighty Chuck. It wasn’t until I worked for Elvis that I grasped the magnitude of this performer. He was and is one of the greatest entertainers of all time (even in his “fat” period). Elvis’s greatest mistake was that he’d become a joke and passe, which is almost unforgiveable in the rock world (Beach Boys, anyone?). I get excited when I see those early Elvis performances. I still get jazzed about the ’68 Comeback. I even dig the early Vegas stints. So, yeah, I’m an Elvis fan. I admit it. He surely didn’t invent Rock, he probably wasn’t even the best at it, but he is what he is. He’s Elvis.
Buddy would have likely done exactly what Brian Wilson and The Beatles did in the 60s. He probably would have made the studio the next rock instrument. Buddy was great, no doubt about it, but we’ll never fully know what he could have become. As it stands, he wrote some great songs. Produced some great songs. There is that huge “what if” on Buddy, though. Many would argue that he was turning his back in his rock roots by producing that schmatlzy stuff towards the end. I like it all, anyway.
So, my biases out there in the open, my top five of the fifties:
1. Elvis
2. Buddy
3. The Mighty Chuck (listening to his Chess box set is like listening to the History of Rock).
4. Jerry Lee Lewis–He could have been Elvis.
5. Little Richard–Yep.
I have to give an honorable mention to Sam Phillips. Elvis may not have invented it, but Sam was a pretty important person to the history of the music that we love so much.
I also want to bring up James Brown. I know he didn’t become JAMES BROWN until probably the 60s, but didn’t he make his debut singles in the 50s? James is every bit as important to the history of rock as Elvis and The Beatles. Like Elvis, James became a parody and a joke, which is sad. He’s a really big deal. Elvis had the good fortune to die before he withered to obscurity. E never had the chance to make stupid 80s songs. And he was still young when he died.
TB
But it doesn’t explain your exclusion of Les Paul, for my money the single most influential person in popular music history.
Maybe you could make a better case for Ricky nelson if Elvis and Chuck berry had not already made the guitar as important an instrument as the piano.
I’m going with the same list as TB, but in different order:
1. Elvis
2. Chuck Berry
3. Little Richard
4. Jerry Lee Lewis
5. Buddy Holly
And I admit that I feel like the racial ratio is wrong on my list.
One more thing about Jerry Lee–The man is a total stud. He’s brilliant beyond words. Too bad he’s equally insane. Jerry Lee deserves his place in the top five.
TB
Excellent post, TB! If you ever want to write up your experiences at Graceland, just say the word and we’ll get them on The Main Stage. I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to hear all.
By the way, my reference to Fat Elvis (no quotation marks necessary), was not meant as a cut. I actually think the Elvis the the brilliamt Comeback Special through the early ’70s completes the Elvis picture and adds to the man’s legend and accomplishments. Musically, that’s much of my favorite Elvis. Stylistically too, but that’s my own thing.
I love, by the way, how you weed out the Sun crew, at first, based on your love for the Beatles. I’ve had to fight off a similar experience.
I believe I was the first one today to mention that the Elvis/Buddy split was similar to a Stones/Beatles split. Credit where it’s due, please.
Thanks, Mod. And by no means was I taking offense to Fat Elvis. It is a part of the picture (just like “Living In America” James Brown is a part of his picture). It’s unfortunate that many people only know Fat Elvis. It takes away from the total experience and image of the man.
A friend of mine once tried to distinguish “rock and roll” from “entertainment.” To him, “rock and roll” was something that was born out of the basements and garages across America. It was a do-it-yourself attitude. It was gritty and more experienced. “Entertainment” was trained and taught. It is something that is less from the gutter and more from the brain. Putting on a show. In his eyes, Elvis started out rock and roll and became entetainment what with the movies and Vegas performances. Elvis was so far removed from the experiences of The Stones or Hendrix or Dylan. He was brought into the world of television and movies. Music was almost second-hat. It was a doorway to other things that he did.
I don’t know if any of that makes sense.
There aren’t too many Graceland stories to tell, but it did afford me the opportunity for me to meet some important folks from rock history. I got to meet Scotty and DJ. I’ve also met James Burton, Glen Hardin, and Ronnie Tutt. Among others.
TB
Mad props to you as well, Mwall, but TB didn’t go Beatles-Stones, for there is some serious overlap in terms of their influences. He stuck with the Beatles POV. Good stuff to look into, nevertheless.
Jiminy, Hrrundivie, Orbison is Loser Rock? His soaring silver tenor and mean guitar with cool shades are a clarion call to the chinless, the slope-shouldered, the doughy! The man embodies redemption and triumph of the otherwise hermuncular!
I was also thinking of Hank Ballard, Steve. “I’m Gonna Miss You” alone gets him the Pre-James Brown Who Out James Browned James Brown award.
It’s blues but crosses well in many places: Slim Harpo.
In my house, just in terms of number of spins, not “greatness” per se, it’s probably:
Buddy
Elvis
Laverne Baker
Elmore James
Chuck
I know, Laverne… it’s just that one record with Bumble Bee and Voodoo Voodoo, &c.
Carl Perkins
The Cramps
The Misfits
The Ramones
Buck Naked (and the Bare Bottom Boys)
Teenage Pussy From Outer Space dude!
The Cramps and the Misfits can both be combined into one Charlie Feathers reference with the added bonus of 50s relevance.
ok then:
Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Charlie Feathers
Big Mama Thornton
Lonnie Donnigan
Man, Chuck Berry is just getting killed in the sex appeal category. Was it his creepy giant hands?
I’m guessing Cash straddles the ’50s and ’60s too much to get any consideration for this.
Larry’s points interest me in that I’ve had a curious interest in the fall from grace that the saxophone experienced when the guitar took over as the true lead instrument of rock. I’d like to see a study some day of when it officially happened and the sad, lonely and desperate days the sax has since lived through in rock. The piano took the change in leadership much better, and I don’t think it ever hit rock bottom like the sax surely did.
I think the Peeping Tom/14-year-old thing took Berry’s sex appeal down a few notches. Even before anyone knew any of that, though, he seemed to have projected a certain lechery, no matter how attractive some might find that.
I’m late to the game as usual but here’s how I see it:
1. Elvis – Invented it
2. Chuck Berry – Made it about “The Kids” and the good old USA
3. Buddy Holly – Codified it
4. Bo Diddley – Broke it back down again to a single primal chord
5. Everly Brothers – Introduced the harmonies that would impact the next several rounds of innovators.
Also, RIP Buck Naked. Haven’t heard his name in a while but he was a nice guy.
My list is pretty much on par with most listed here, but here they are anyway
1. Elvis Presley
took it public
2. Chuck Berry
the riff
3. Jerry Lee Lewis
the attitude
4. Little Richard
sexual ambiguity
5. Buddy Holly
expanded it
It was (and still is) Berry, CHUCK Berry! The man made Rock and roll. Little Richard sure hit the spot too. The whole Sun Records stable gave the attitude.
Elvis, Berry, Holly, Richard, Perkins
How about a vote tally, Mod? I want to see who gets that coveted fifth position!
I hope the final decision comes down to something more substantial than a vote tally. Think about some of those true pioneers, will ya?
I’ll work up a tally later tonight. I think it’s only right that The People decide – with some statistical interpretation, if necessary.
The results and a full analysis will be posted late tonight. Thanks for your input. I am confident that rock ‘n roll will thank us.
1. Buddy Holly
2. Chuck Berry
3. Little Richard
4. Elvis Presley
5. Jerry Lee Lewis
Enuff said!
Johnny