The origin of rock and roll dates back to the late 1940s and early 1950s, through a mixing of a number of genres, including blues, country, R&B, folk and gospel music. A disc jockey from Cleveland, Ohio, Alan Freed is being credited for the first one to use the phrase rock and roll in the year 1951. The phrase rocking and rolling usually means dancing or having sex. There are many early rock and roll hits which were re-writes of earlier R&B or blues songs.

Black music was prohibited on radio stations, and this made producers and artists to look for white versions of black music. In the year 1955, Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock happened to be the first rock and roll song to top the charts. It was one of the biggest hits in history. Blues has been an inspiration and will continue to inspire rock music, with great acts like Cream, The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. Musicians like Robert Johnson and Skip James have always been inspired by blues.

Rock and Roll has its great influence on lifestyles, fashion, attitudes and language. Since it appeared at a time when racial tensions were coming to a head in the United States, it contributed a lot to the civil rights movement as both black and white teenagers followed the music.