Everything rockin’, rad, and dope we owe to the Black folks who came before us. If it wasn’t for rural blues, southern folk, jazz, and gospel we wouldn’t have R&B, country, pop, or rock music today. These iconic spirits and shout singers of the 50s have inspired me so much.

The first person that comes to mind when considering this is Ruth Brown, the “Queen of R&B”. She is a true visionary in her performance, and her works in R&B music preservation through inspiring the “Rhythm and Blues Foundation” after expressing her concerns for musicians rights regarding fair contracts and royalties. Her powerful, and seductive voice established Atlantic records in the scene after the success of her hit ballad “So Long”. She became one of Atlantic’s most popular artists in the 50’s recording more than 80 songs on the label. The Atlantic’s success was so profoundly impacted by Ruth Brown’s success that they nicknamed it, "The House That Ruth Built".

Ruth Brown’s smooth, seductive, and soulful timbre paired with tasteful vibrato and powerful belt notes make her truly deserving of the title “The Queen of R&B”. Her vocal tone and delivery reminds me so much of modern pop and R&B music today. Even the lyrical content seems like it could be on the top 40 charts today! “Daddy, Daddy”, and “If I Can’t Sell It, I’ll Keep Sittin’ On It” come to mind. Her influential stage performance, and strong vocal delivery has paved the way for the modern pop vocal stars such as Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Lizzo, etc.

Ruth Brown had a true rock n roll spirit. She rebelled against her father by singing more at USO shows and nightclubs than at church. By 17, she ran away finding herself with Jumpin’ Jimmy Brown, a trumpet player who she then married. After playing bars, clubs for over ten years, she gained a reputation in the south for being “more well known than Coca-Cola.”

“If I Can’t Sell It, I’ll Keep Sittin’ On It” - a great example of her captivating stage performance, sarcastic lyrics, and pop sound

“Have A Good Time” - a great example of both her mellow timbre singing, and powerful belt vocals

Lester William Polsfuss or “Les Paul”. From his work on the “log guitar” to crafting one of the first solid body electric guitars, his visions for what the guitar could play like, and sound like, eventually became a precedent set for all future guitar based music. There is no more pure love for the sound of the guitar than the boundless creativity that came from the hands of Les Paul. The man basically invented shredding!

Without Les Paul’s playing style, we wouldn’t have indie, dream pop, shoegaze, prog or metal. He took the idea of a flashy guitar solo, and imprinted it tastefully into nearly every part of his songs. He shows how one can use a guitar to not only drive with rhythmic strumming and chord progressions, but could be used to create atmospheric sounds and even mimic other instruments and vocal melodies. These fast single note licks and sweeping sounds were a staple in Les Paul’s playing style. He also invented the “flange” effect, certain “phaser” effects, as well as perfecting trills, harmonics, and other fretting techniques.

Les Paul also pioneered some of the first “tech staples” of rock music including overdubbing, multi-track recording, and tape delay effects. He then paired up with Ampex to create the first ever 8-track recorder, lovingly nicknamed “The Octopus”. This invention of the first multi-track recorder allowed Les Paul the creative freedom to further his experimental tastes to develop many recording techniques we still use today including double tracking, verispeed, and certain guitar processing effects such as the artificial echo.

“The Best Things In Life Are Free” - love the use of multi-tracked vocal layers here, my favorite part is Mary’s vocal “oh’s” repeating in behind the guitar solo in the middle of the song.

“Song in Blue” - This soaring melody, paired with a fast, driving rhythm, and Les Paul absolutely SHREDDING reminds me a lot of melodic hardcore and metal today

The one and only “Reverend Penniman”, Little Richard is my favorite rock & roll visionary and an absolute legend. His story truly represents the spirit of rock & roll. Little Richard was just 14 when he was found busking outside by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She asked him to open her show in Macon, Georgia after she heard him outside the venue that night. This experience inspired him to pursue a professional career in music.

In the early days, Little Richard was performing with a group called Buster Brown’s Orchestra. It was during this time he got comfortable performing in and out of drag. He was also inspired by club performers in the area, Roy Brown and Billy Wright for their caked up makeup, pencil style mustaches, and flashy stage costumes. These influences would later inspire his signature look.

Little Richard is similar to Elvis in the fact that he brought rock & roll to a wider audience. He was one of the first black artists to “crossover” in the charts. His energetic stage presence, and captivating shout vocals attracted audiences of both races, bringing them together for sexy, fun, and rebellious shows that put the youth into a “frenzy”. He’s one of the only singers from this time that I have seen encourage “call and response shouts from the crowd”, a true rock & roll move that stands the test of time! He is the epitome of what it means to be rock & roll. He really perfected the raw and real on-stage charisma that we know and love in rock music today. Between his finely articulated vocal runs and shouts, flashy showmanship, and rock moves such as kicks, jumps, and spins, he truly influenced every aspect of modern rock music today.

“Tutti Frutti” - A familiar representation of early rock & roll. A great example of his energetic shout vocals and the 12 bar blues influenced structure of the time.

“Lucille” - His finely detailed vocal chops are executed flawlessly here. I love that he’s also standing the entire time!

Bo Diddley pioneered the sound of “grunge” and “surf rock” with his heavy reverb and tremolo style guitar. He also brought to popularity the “Bo Diddley Beat”, an afro-cuban inspired clave rhythm. His “custom sound” was considered quite unusual at the time. His experimental edge makes him very rock & roll! He perfected a bright yet crunchy, round, and resonant sound on his guitar that he nicknamed “The Twang Machine”. These influential reverb-drenched sounds went on to inspire much of the alt rock, surf rock, indie, and grunge sounds we know today.

He was one of the early artists signed to Chess Records, releasing his song “Bo Diddley”, which hit number one on the R&B charts in 1955. Bo Diddley was also a successful crossover artist. Like many of his contemporaries at the time, he successfully won the hearts of a wide audience with his fun and humorous lyrics. He’s known for being an early proprietor of “diss lyrics”, inspiring much of the “diss track” culture we find in modern day hip hop and rap music.

Bo Diddley “Say Man” - The first ever diss track. My fave lyrics are “That chick looked so ugly, she had to sneak up on the glass to get a drink of water.”

Bo Diddley “Bo Diddley” - strong example of his unusual custom guitar sound, strong vocals, and on-stage swagger that truly embodies rock & roll. I also love how the excited young crowd is screaming the whole time!

Rock & Roll Visionaries of the 50s