Tina Turner, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard, and several other black artists paved the way in rock n' roll before it became a predominantly white genre in the '80s. Keep watching to see how these artists influenced the art of rock! n' roll!
Tetris Kelly:
Most of the rock music you hear today wouldn't exist if it weren't for the black innovators who paved the way. During this Black Music Month, we take a look at some of the pioneering artists who made rock n' roll what it is.
Rock was born in the 1950s, at a time when the United States was as segregated as musical genres. People remember Elvis, whose sound was not white noise; they compared him to African-American R&B singers and covered countless African-American musicians.
Little Richard has been described as the architect of rock n' roll for his dynamic music and electrifying stage presence on the music scene of the mid-1950s. Ike and Tina Turner opened for the Rolling Stones in the late 1960s, who introduced their bold brand of soul-infused rock.
And Sister Rosetta Tharpe is credited with being the godmother of rock n' roll. A queer black woman in the '40s, she forged her sound in a male-dominated industry and wielded a guitar at a level that rivaled them. But by the '80s, rock n' roll had become white music, and most general knowledge of rock history didn't go back any further than the '70s.
Rumors say it may be the third act and a genre that Beyoncé is looking to reclaim.
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