almanacofsleep (August 29, 2008 at 7:39 pm)

Its Rock'n'Roll so it doen't have to have guitar, I mean you wouldn't say Little Richard wasn't Rock'n'Roll, but yeah once Rock droped the n'Roll part during the 60s it did become more guitar driven.

RSPM (August 29, 2008 at 7:35 pm)

Yup almanacofsleep but, rock = guitar. It's 100% boogie woogie r&b with the backbeat. I still consider this one of the 1st, because of it's popularity tho, (not only to the masses but, to other musicians as well). The guitar is in there, just not, front and center.

luvureally (August 28, 2008 at 5:31 am)

Of course they are European instruments. It just speaks to the genius of a people who came here with nothing and used what was available to them to create new genres of music. The music was built on the polyrhythms & call & response in African music and influences found in their new land. It was the descendants of the African captives who put these styles together to create these new genres. They used the "European" instruments to create what has become known as American music.

12Zwolf (August 28, 2008 at 4:53 am)

Irish Music is the foundation of the musical complexities/instrumentation's of Rock-a-Billy, Rhythm-and-Blues, Dixieland Jazz, and Rock-and-Roll. Consider that pianos, saxophones, valve trumpets, slide trombone, drum-kits, harmonica, and electronic instrumentation/recording are nowhere to be found in ancient Africa, including Egyptian culture; John Lomax recordings of so-called folk-songs, now in the Smithsonian collection, preserves the facts I'm referring to. Cheers Valkyrie Ziege Mourne

luvureally (August 28, 2008 at 1:41 am)

The connection to r&b escapes me.

rashidfassad (August 26, 2008 at 10:58 pm)

"True, but that's because they didn't know what to call it at the time." Depends on the time period you're talking about. With the split of the original R&B, I do think by the early 60's there was a clear racial split even though you still had Whites like the Righteous Bros. that had a very Black soul music sound and you had Chubby Checker with a very White Rock n' Roll sound.

EarlSnohomish (August 26, 2008 at 10:45 pm)

To me, in a nutshell, R&B is aimed at adults in style, while rock 'n' roll is directed more at teens. Does that make any sense?

rashidfassad (August 26, 2008 at 10:40 pm)

"True, but that's because they didn't know what to call it at the time." Exactly what happened with R&B back in the late '40's and early '50's. That music had many different names, R&B and Rock n' Roll only being two at certain points during that time.

EarlSnohomish (August 26, 2008 at 10:32 pm)

"At first it was; remember, the Talking Heads and Patti Smith were considered punk acts in the beginning even though they sounded nothing like the Sex Pistols or the Clash." True, but that's because they didn't know what to call it at the time.

rashidfassad (August 26, 2008 at 9:06 pm)

(cont.) Of course, the Chuck Berry branch was more attractive to the White kids that Alan Freed was selling the music to, so that that's how that branch became known as R&R.