RUMBLE: The Roots of Rock ‘n Roll Rhythm

 

Rock ‘n Roll Roots Rhythm Are Now Known to Pre Date African American Music

The Rock’ n Roll roots rhythm is based in the Native American musical progression known as RUMBLE. Actually, African American music is part of the evolution of rock ‘n roll. But it is not the sole or earliest contribution to this music as previously believed or documented.

The Three note progression of Rock’n Roll’s Native American DNA
RUMBLE
Less than a decade ago, numerous prestigious documentary sources made public these newly revealed findings. In fact, these sources are documented by public media programs. All of them were published around 2015.

1.RUMBLE: A Documentary on Netflix

Rumble: Rock'n Roll Roots
RUMBLE: Rock ‘n Roll Roots on Netflix


2.Rumble on Imdb

Rock'n Roll origins
RUMBLE: Rock ‘n Roll Roots on Imdb


3.Rumble on PBS

Rock'n Roll origins
Rumble on PBS


4.Rumble on the Guardian

Rock'n Roll Roots
Rumble on The Guardian


5.Rumble on NPR

Rumble on NPR
Rumble on NPR


Wikipedia’s History of Rock’n Roll

Origins of rock’n roll From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Contrary to the above published documentaries, the following quote of rock ‘n rolls history lacks the inclusion of any reference to Native American musical influence on this topic.

ROCK ‘N ROLL: The Popularized Version

“History of rock and roll” redirects here. For the radio program, see The History of Rock and Roll. For the TV program, see The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
“The origins of rock and roll are complex. Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States in the early to mid-1950s. It derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlier blues, the beat-heavy jump blues, boogie woogie, up-tempo jazz, and swing music. It was also influenced by gospel, country and western, and traditional folk music.[1] Rock and roll in turn provided the main basis for the music that, since the mid-1960s, has been generally known simply as rock music.

“The phrase “rocking and rolling” originally described the movement of a ship on the ocean, but it was used by the early 20th century, both to describe a spiritual fervor and as a sexual analogy. Various gospel, blues and swing recordings used the phrase before it became used more frequently – but still intermittently – in the late 1930s and 1940s, principally on recordings and in reviews of what became known as “rhythm and blues” music aimed at black audiences. In 1939 during the April 5th broadcast on “The Fred Allen- Town Hall Tonight- Show” the song “Rock and Roll” appeared as a barber shop quartet lead-in. In May 1942, long before the concept of rock and roll had been defined, a Billboard record review described Sister Rosetta Tharpe vocals on the upbeat blues song “Rock Me”, by Lucky Millinder, as “rock-and-roll spiritual singing”.

“In 1951, Cleveland-based disc jockey Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the term “rock and roll” on mainstream radio.[2] Freed was the first radio disc jockey and concert producer who frequently played and promoted rock and roll.[3] Various recordings that date back to the 1940s have been named as the first rock and roll record, or at least as precursors of the music.[4]

The above quote and the additional musical history that follow are extensive. Actually, I found many familiar names from the African-American genre of American blues and rock ‘n rolls origins. But nowhere in this narrative is credit given to their now known Native American ancestry or birth of this music. For example, there is no mention of Charley Patton, Link Wray, Dockery Farm.
Charley Patton
Charley Patton’s short bio on Wikipedia

Blues DNA

Native Americans Enter the Picture Separate mention of musicians like Charley Patton do appear in his ancestry as, at least partly Native American. But, his musical participation does not go back further than blues history.

In addition to that, he is not credited with music style that led to rock ‘n roll. In direct contrast, all of the videos at the beginning of this blog post do indeed set the record straight. Fortunately, their impact is revealing in addition to paramount.

Dockery Farms
Rarely was it beneficial for Indians to publicize their Native American Ancestry. In fact, there was a horrific prejudice against this. Believe it or not, a person of color was safer passing for black rather than admitting to having Indian ancestry. Actually, the latter would result in an admitted Indian being sent to a reservation.

Fortunately, there was one rare exception to this known as Dockery Farms. This was an agricultural and musical haven for various indigenous people and people of ethnic origins.

Dockery Farms
Dockery Farms

Wikipedia’s History of Rock’n Roll Footnotes

[1] “The roots of rock music”. Rockmusictimeline.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
[2] “Alan Freed”. Britannica. March 4, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2021. Alan Freed did not coin the phrase he popularized it and redefined it. Once slang for sex, it came to mean a new form of music. This music had been around for several years, but…
[3] Bordowitz, Hank (2004). Turning Points in Rock and Roll. New York, New York: Citadel Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-8065-2631-7.
[4] “When was rock’n’roll really born?”. The Guardian. April 16, 2004. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

Future writing in my blog posts will shed light on African American Food History. Based upon the fascinating series High on the Hog. Stay close to this blog for the upcoming post, soon.

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