And Elvis was the one who would’ve been arguing against his title and credit for “inventing,” the genre. The criticism he’s received for those things are misplaced because they were started and perpetuated by others and he couldn’t control what others say anymore than anyone else; sadly his opinion on the subject has been buried. However one feels on that subject, his talent and abilities should not be taken away from him because anyone who knows his catalog will always repeat three things that set him apart from anyone else: his one of a kind voice, the versatility of his music extends way beyond rock n roll, and the emotional depth with which he sings pierces the heart and makes people feel like he is singing only to them. Elvis isn’t the only great but no one can actually argue against him as one of the greats which covers how he felt and how his peers felt about him so that should be the beginning and end of this ridiculous conversation.
@@gushers7538 Elton John and Frank Sinatra aren’t songwriters either. So what? There a lot of writers who can’t carry a tune. Some singers who don’t play instruments and vice versa. In other cases, some singers who could not dance to save their lives and that’s a category The Beatles put themselves in, saying they all agreed to never make the attempt because they would embarrass themselves. The things these great singers, writers, musicians, dancers can’t do is a commentary on what they can do better than 99% of the rest of us. So stop it because the topic has been exhausted and has no credibility whatsoever.
It existed before him but he brought it into the mainstream and with his style which inspired many greats afterwards and changed the culture of popular music in the world, but rock and roll is ever changing. One artist influences others, who influences others, and they have other influences as well. He is the heart of rock and roll but is not the only one who defined the spirit of the genre. And the music progresses based on whether the public likes it and how creative the artist is.
@@ripj8970 Take a step back.....social times back then most definitely not acceptable to us all today but to use a four-letter expletive to disrespect a young kid that changed the world's music scene forever is bloody disrespectful and you can "cough" as much as you like but without EP others music would not have been listened to! Sad though that is it was at the time a reality! To add... EPs vocals as a rock and roll singer are as unique and unmatched as nobody before or after.
It was born in the South where The French Quarter meets the Latin Quarter, African and country/folk in one place. Rock and Roll is and was never bound to any place and race. In the 60ies the British took over Rock and Roll and today you can find it in Finland, China and the Ivory Coast.
Wrong! Rosetta was a gospel singer but her guitar was all rock n roll. She influenced almost all of the original rock musicians of the early 60’s. Chuck Berry, little Richard, Elvis, all were influenced by Rosetta. Lead belly was blues but not Rosetta. She is to rock what the Ramones are to punk. The difference is that Rosetta was 15-20 years ahead of everyone else.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is, undisputedly, the mother of rock-and-roll. She came from a gospel background, but she invented modern electric-guitar playing. She played the electric guitar as its own distinct instrument, with the first use of distortion, showcasing the expansiveness of that sound. History forgets about her for some reason.
As a life long musician, all I can say to that is damn straight she should get credit, seeing as Chuck Berry used her licks years later, he was s kid when she started out. I never did get these misogynist morons in bands, most of those idiots don't go far and in rock, jazz and funk women are finally playing instruments boys were encouraged to play, the girls got a triangle or a french horn, which is actually quite hard to master. I hate wasting half our talent.
@@vladimirvalenwood3334 Thornton first recorded in 1951. The rock and roll sound was top ten on the national black charts in 1948 and 1949 (e.g. "Boogie At Midnight" Roy Brown).
@@robertrobertJ I'm familiar with her history. Electric guitars became fashionable in music stores in 1936. That's why Zeke Campbell was recording on electric in 1937, for instance. She played gospel electric guitar in the 1940s. That Elvis liked Bill Monroe, e.g., is not an argument that Monroe helped invent rock and roll, which he didn't. "so far ahead of her time its ridiculous" No. She really wasn't. Are you into '30s-'40s music? Do you say Bill Broonzy helped invent rock and roll because he was playing electric guitar on hits in 1939? Bob Wills because he had electric guitar on record in 1935? Did Charlie Christian help invent rock and roll? Slim Gaillard or Oscar Moore, who were playing electric guitar in 1940? Muddy Waters, who was in 1944? The first hit with T-Bone electric was in 1943. Was it rock and roll? Rock and roll was a particular style of music, not just I like this gospel artist so let's pretend she helped invent it.
@@shimondias3224 when the beatles 1st arrived in USA they were asked who are your heroes are they Elvis etc Oh no no no replied JOHN they are hogwash our heroes are CHUCK BERRY Muddy WATERS .......ELVIS was NEXUS a CONDONIT to get rock and roll to whites remember its orgins was race MUSIC enter ELVIS because america was not ready for white kids to listen ESPECIALLY WHITE GIRLS tO a BLACK MAN.........ELVIS had all the Black moves styles a good looks to get black music ......xcellent performer GREAT SINGER.......IRONICALLY is only GRAMMY was a GOSPEL SONG recording
Guys, you really need to honour Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who was the real pioneer of rock n' roll, and influenced Chuck Berry, Elvis and everyone that came later on.
"was the real pioneer of rock n' roll" No, the pioneers of rock and roll were people like Wynonie Harris, Wild Bill Moore, and Roy Brown. Tharpe was a great gospel artist.
Yep, no one has traced anyone on rock and roll recordings made before mid-1949 (such as "Rock And Roll" by Wild Bill Moore, "Rock The Joint" by Jimmy Preston, and "Man Eater" by Jay McNeely), singer or instrumentalist, who wasn't black.
@LostItt The true origin of these instruments is Middle Eastern. Because Europeans modified the instruments later and then another community eventually used them for creating other styles of music does not make the manufacturers responsible.
@LostItt The instruments used for their music only exist because of Middle Eastern influences. I'm just throwing your argument back at you. You have to agree that the Middle East then played a role in Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern music, but I feel like you'll be reluctant to do so.
Chuck Berry, in terms of musical influence, really is the number 1. Elvis may have popularized rock and roll, Chuck Berry wrote it and everybody copied it. Make no mistake, Berry borrowed much from others, but he is the one managed to glue it together.
sam autio nope elvis was original in his style charisma persona and musical style he didnt copy chuck they came out around the same time. Elvis was country western and rock and roll so was chuck. Chuck borrowed songs from rockabilly/country western groups and changed the lyrics
sam autio creating music isnt what being an artist is all about plenty of people create terrible music that doesnt put them above a guy like elvis , he wrote many of his own songs and recorded many songs that were written for him that doesn’t mean anyone that didnt do that is somehow above him
Switch numbers 1 and 2, and you'll have it about right. From the Beatles to the Stones to Bruce Springsteen to Depeche Mode to the Beach Boys to the Grateful Dead exists one enormous commonality: All of them, and virtually everyone in between, cut their teeth playing the music of Chuck Berry. So did my pick for number 2, for that matter. Chuck Berry is a unique figure who continues today to influence virtually anybody who has picked up a guitar.
But, Jones actually did focus on R&R in his early years. In interviews, he explains how he had all of the records from Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis (who emulated in his stage act....he also is personal friends with JLL to this day). Jones originally wanted to be a R&R star, but as fate often does, things did not exactly work out that way.
To be honest, I posted my comments after listening to a Tom Jones interview where he stated his early desire to be a rock and roll star. That came from the fact that he, as a young man, had collected American recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc. The "life" part of my comments refer to the fact that Jones' career did not go that way because his management recognized his abilities tended to be different than what might be needed to achieve success merely in the rock and roll genre. If you have issue with what I stated, you need to take it up with Tom Jones himself. I would not dispute the fact that he can belt out some mean rock and roll. Guest appearances by people like Jerry Lee Lewis on his TV show also bear that out.
1. Chuck Berry. 2. Fats Domino. 3. Little Richard. 4. Etta James. 5. Elvis Presley. 6. Bo Diddley 7. Buddy Holly. 8. Eddie Cochran. 9. Jerry Lee Lewis. 10. Carl Perkins.
Elvis was all at once a tenor, a baritone and a bass, the most unusual voice I've ever heard' (Gregory Sandows, Music Professor at Columbia University)
"We're Gonna Rock" Wild Bill Moore 1947 (#3 R&B) "Good Rocking Tonight" Wynonie Harris 1947 (#1 R&B) "Rock And Roll" Wild Bill Moore 1948 "Man Eater" Jay McNeely 1948 "Hole In The Wall" Albennie Jones with Sam Price and his Rockin' Rhythm 1949 "Rock The Joint" Jimmy Preston 1949 (#6 R&B) "Rock That Boogie" Jimmy Smith 1949 "Boogie At Midnight" Roy Brown 1949 (#3 R&B) "Butcher Pete" Roy Brown 1949 "Rockin' All Day" Jimmy McCracklin 1949 "All She Wants To Do Is Rock" Wynonie Harris 1949 (#1 R&B) "Little Red Hen" Johnny Otis 1949 "Jump And Shout" Erline "Rock And Roll" Harris 1949 "Oh Babe" Kay Starr 1950 (#7 pop)
@@naimsguitarandoutdooradven1261 Naim, Chuck began recording in 1955, far too late to be the "father" of rock and roll. Even if you just take "Rock Around The Clock" by Haley, that was 1954.
"We wouldn't have rock and roll or God Damn Elvis without Chuck Berry." Wrong. When Berry began recording for Chess in 1955, Presley had already recorded rock and roll in 1954, Fats Domino in 1953 ("Please Don't Leave Me"), the Jackson Brothers in 1952 ("We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight"), etc.
Joseph Scott Still Rock N Roll was a music genre created by Afro Americans. Otis Blackwell being one of the greatest Rock N Roll song writer (ask Elvis Presley) and performer....
Elvis considered Fats Domino as “The King of Rick n Roll”! But if you look at the most influential singular artist in the Rock n Roll Era, it is very hard to disregard the overwhelming shadow Elvis Presley casts not only on the landscape of music, but also on culture globally! ☮️🖖🏽
Chuck Berry should have definitely been No1 on this list..He was the REAL King of Rock N' Roll...I love Elvis as well but damn, give Chuck Berry his rightful No 1 spot.
Name one rock and roll singer who sings with chucks lame as whiteified voice. You can't because Chuck Berrys records didn't have all the ingredients for rock. Little Richard didn't have s guitar until 1960. Elvis records defined the line up, the approach to vocal, and the sound of Rock all in one.
Fart loud indeed. Richard had five different guitarists on _Here's Little Richard_ alone in 1957. Lots of rock and roll didn't have a guitar. For instance, no one said Jerry Lee Lewis shouldn't perform and record rock and roll that didn't have a guitarist because no one thought it. "Elvis records defined the line up" No, the completely normal lineup in rock and roll during 1953-1955 (such as "Please Don't Leave Me" Fats Domino 1953 and "Honey Hush" Big Joe Turner 1953) included having a drummer, which Elvis only started doing on his records in 1955.
Sister Rosetta Thorpe is the true beginning of rock and roll, Elvis was cool and a good entertainer, but not the true king the kings are the ones who he studied and INSPIRED him as well as Buddy Holly , Rolling Stones and many others. My favorite song by Buddy Holly was fade away purely a BO DIDDLEY rhythm. If it had not been for. Muddy waters, Howling Wolf,Lightning Hopkins, Elmore James, Rosetta Thorpe and so many other ORIGINALS where would your rock and roll come from??!! BACH OR BEETHOVEN?? THE BEATLES MADE A SONG CALLED ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN, MAKE WAY FOR ROCK AND ROLL!! shout out to the ORIGINALS. I love rock and roll Thank you. I am 67 years old was not born yesterday.
Donald. The Beatles were hardly originals when Chuck Berry wrote 'Roll over Beethoven' in 1956? The Beatles didn't record their version of it until 1963. I also totally agree with some on here. Why NO Gene Vincent & the Bluecaps or Eddie Cochran.
@@stephenhickinson3270 I never said the BEATLES were ORIGINALS. I already named the ORIGINALS. They were inspired by the same ORIGINALS as everyone else in the world of Rock and Roll.
I was a charter member of the Bill Haley fan club back in '55, it was the beginning, my first concert in a theatre in Chicago was Chuck Berry, awesome...but one of my real favorites was Fats Domino, his voice was awesome. I still (I'm 80) love double beat music. I play the old DVDs in my vehicle (I call it my driving music) It was a very special time, and I was lucky enough to have a mother that knew that and always told us (5 of us) "if you like it, enjoy it, it's yours" we had the most open minded mother in the world back in the 50's.
Little Richard has the best voice in rock in roll. Sister Rosetta Tharpe needs an honourable mention. Without her, most of this list wouldn’t be possible. If any of it
Eddie was the one who created the whole sound with his unique skill to "bend" a note all the way... everyone, literally, everyone later used this technique to play some good music. Real shame he died so young, otherwise nobody would ever know of Elvis
Elvis is so versatile he really has something for everybody.. he sang everything R&R, gospel, country etc … most of these legends had somewhat the same style in their songs.. Elvis is the only one u can listen to for hours w/o getting bored cuz each song is different than the other.
We're only discussing Rock & Roll Pioneers, some would argue Elvis got dragged away from Rock and Roll Far too early and should have kept Rocking like Chuck Berry...
The rock and roll era was full of great singers and I enjoyed them all...all singers and teen idols were creative and contributed to the mix that became rock and roll...Elvis is the godfather and the engine that help spread rock and roll worldly... Elvis was pure good old boy with special unique voice that the world fell in love with.....carl Perkins wrote blue suede shoes, he was a good singer and super guitarists , when Elvis sang his song blue suede shoes, the whole world knew about Carl Perkins....Thats is the magic of Elvis....
Even the early says Blues musicians were Women; Rosa Thorpe was a Black Woman, so the chauvinistic critics will never Admin die is the real Queen. Find het on RU-vid and admit Elvis and Chuck and all the other were merely more commercially acceptabel copies!
Jerry lee did a lot more than just dabble in country music - He had several hits on the country music charts following his initial success with Rock. So I would say he is both a rock and a country music artist.
Chuck Berry was great. However great he was, some songs he wrote were very similar. No Particular Plce To Go has the same melody as School Days. In my opinion he is not number 1, but he is a pioneer of rockabilly and rock and roll and deserves to be honored as such. So does Bill Haley.
I love Chuck Berry's music. Saw him live in the '60s - and he killed it. But, no other pop artist of the 1950s had the overwhelming appeal of Elvis Presley. Can't rewrite history. Elvis was The King of Rock 'n' Roll.
The Doctor Well, the.fact is that Chuck is not number 1 and Elvis Presley overshadowed all. That was in spite of being out of action for two years of active duty. Only a record or two were released while he was in the Army. Not only that, Chuck was not as talented as Buddy Holly, Charlie Rich, Hank Ballard, Ray Charles and many others. Chuck Berry was great, his songs are my favorites, but Elvis is KING.
I was under the premise this "top ten" list was based on who was the pioneer of rock and roll. If that's the case the person that "opened the door" to all of the radio stations "hopefully you all remember am radio" and got them to give r&r a try was BILL HALEY.
@@MikeyJMJ I mean by talent. Just because you are popular does not mean you are the best. Adding the the fact that Elvis stole hound dog from big mama Thortan. I know of and know a lot of muscians that are great but don't even have a record.
Nobody had such a big influence on music history like ELVIS PRESLEY! He is the greatest entertainer who has ever seen the light of day! There's probable no musician who wasn't inspired by him. ELVIS change the music, he change the history, the way we thinking, the way we looking, the way we feeling and the way we living. He has open us many doors. He`s the greatest cultural idol of all time.
Nah Elvis was inspired by Bo diddley , little Richard and Chuck Berry. Plus Michael jackson is the most inspirational singer/ artist of all time worldwide. No debating.
"If Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Little Richard are not the first TWO on this list it's trash." No, the people who invented the rock and roll sound in the late '40s included people like Wild Bill Moore (e.g. "Rock And Roll" 1948), Jimmy Preston (e.g. "Rock The Joint" 1949), and Roy Brown (e.g. "Butcher Pete" 1949) and didn't include Rosetta or Richard.
1 chuck Berry 2 Elvis Presley 3 littre Richard 4 fast domino 5 buddy holly 6 Jerry Lee Lewis 7 Bill halley 8 Carl perkins 9 Ritchie valens 10 eddie cochran
Dave Dvorak This one is closer to reality, Fats isn’t 2nd, Chuck Berry should be there and Bill Haley is another honorable mention, Eddie Cochran should take his place on your list.
@@visi2164 I respect your opinion, but Eddie Cochran and Ritchie Valens are both equals and legends. Both are similar in that they did few songs because they both died young but their songs were of quality. Remember that Valen's career only lasted 9 months, but he wrote classics like Let's Go, Ooh my head, Donna. La Bamba is such a legendary and well-known rock song (arguably in the top 15 most famous rock songs of all time)because its one of those songs that almost anyone in the world has heard in their lifetime at least once somewhere without realizing who the singer is, pretty much like We Will Rock You by Queen
A diferença de Elvis pro resto dos cantores do universo e q Elvis pode cantar qualquer música em qualquer tom e ritmo ,e tem a voz mais perfeita entre os cantores
Jimi Hendrix didn't write Hey Joe or Along the watchtower. Do you consider those records by Jimi as being the same "approach" to making music. Writing songs doesn't make the music. The sound and arrangements do.
It was compared to Chuck Berry. However, Hendrix wrote Little Wing, Purple Haze and others. I absolute recognize interpretiation, but that is not enough to be among geniuses who had that extra writing talent.
Robert Johnson. Arthur "big boy" crudup. Mama Thornton. The list goes on . Thanks to these brilliant black musicians we would never had what is now Rockn"roll so from me a white British man i salute these who made it possible .
There aren't many '50s rock and roll artists who had even heard of Robert Johnson. He was promoted as particularly "important" by his record company from the '60s onwards.
elvis? the man who ripped off carl perkins, johnny cash, chuck berry, bo didley AND little rchard...and you put him on top of the list? you must be out of your fucking minds, watchmojo.
If you forget politics one way or the other, Elvis _in fact_ didn't rip any of those people off. What Carl Perkins did to Rex Griffin when he pretended he'd written "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby" instead of Griffin, and took the money, rip him off, Elvis never did that to anyone.
"Ripped off"? If he was so useless how come he was such big friends with Johnny Cash? And you do know that Cash sang a lot of other people's music too right? Like Kris Kristoffersen's. And what they are talking about here is people who bought the music to the masses. Those who made it famous and no-one did that more than Elvis.
actually, a black artist got less recognition than a white artist that's why the songs were usually sold to white artists! Still happens now, a black person does something and it's either criticised or ignored, a white does something and they are praised (e.g. CORNROWS-not boxer braids- are looked down upon when a black wears it, not every white is obsessed with the so-called 'new' trend just 'cause kardashian wore it. You can't just like/takeover our culture and not defend our rights!) #Racism still exists!My so-called friend 'ewed' at the idea of dreadlocks yet would say Bieber looks hot with dreads!
"actually, a black artist got less recognition than a white artist" Generally speaking, by far. But that's different from claiming Elvis personally ripped people off.
Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Elvis. Are in the same level as far as im concerned, they were all great in different ways. But not only that Buddy Holly is amazing as well, and his writing was way ahead of its time. Overall i love Elvis the most myself, but the others were there at the beginning. And little Richard is considered the architect of Rock"N"Roll, considering he was singing Tutti Fruity years before he recorded it. But they were all great and what the 50's of been with out any of the top boys?.. And Buddys writing skills paved the way for the Beatles. And Jerry Lee Lewis was an amazing musician, and a good screamer. I personally think they had more talent than most of the guys in the 60's. But the Beatles were pure magic as well. Maybe we should try and get a re shuffle in this list lol..
I’d put Jerry lee a little higher then 5 only because he really was the first wild one and he’s also one of the most influential pianists in rock and roll
Buddy Holly's influence on both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, two of the most influential bands in this history of rock and roll actually would make him number one. Both bands had gone on record as saying he was the most influential on them.
Dude that's false Bill Haley produced the first official Rock'n'Roll song. That's why he is the father of Rock'n'Roll You know nothing. The first Rock'N'Roll album got published by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (Unofficially
@@RustingPeace If you want to pick nits . . . however . . . for the first 15-20 years of the genre, damn near EVERY band/rock-pop artist (Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Elvis, et al) recorded a Chuck Berry song . . . he defined it and became a legend and had dozens of hits over the years. Bill Haley . . . when you really look at his career . . . was significant for a very short period of time and certainly nowhere near as influential as Chuck Berry. Chuck Berry was god the father and his two disciples were Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. Bill Haley came and went.
@@jimbarker2987 Definitely one of the forefathers . . . along with Bill Haley . . . but neither defined rock and had the long-lasting influence that Chuck Berry did. And, I would still slot Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis above Ballard and Haley in the hierarchy of rock and roll.
@@Bettinabaltes So was Buddy Holly. Their first recording ever was made in a recording booth, singing That'll Be The Day. Love Me Do was meant to be in the style of Buddy. Paul was/is president of the Buddy Holly Fan Club.
