The Roots of Rock: 20 Throwback Photos That Show the Rise of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the ’50s
The 1950s saw rock ‘n’ roll burst onto the scene and change music forever. From Elvis Presley’s hip-shaking performances that scandalized parents and drove teens wild to Chuck Berry’s epic guitar riffs that set the stage ablaze, the ’50s gave birth to a new generation of stars that took jukeboxes and radio airwaves by storm.
With every snare crack and wailing guitar, rock ‘n’ roll smashed barriers — racial, social, and musical — while proving that a backbeat and a rebellious attitude could change the world. Here are 20 pictures that showcase the rise of rock ‘n’ in the ’50s and beyond.
1. Elvis Presley Brings His Signature Hip-Shaking Moves to the Stage
2. ‘Elvis Presley Fans Witnessing Him on Stage During the Mid-1950s’
3. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star Buddy Holly Performs for Fans in California, 1959
4. Another Fan Loses Her Mind While Watching the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Do His Thing
5. ‘1950’s Old School Jukebox’
6. ‘Chuck Berry Struts His Signature ‘Duck Walk’ While Playing His Gibson Guitar in Hollywood, California’
7. ‘Roll Over Elvis, This Guy Was the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll!’
8. Presley Shares a Backstage Laugh With R&B Star Brook Benton
9. ‘Teenagers at a Rock ‘n’ Roll Dance in the 50’s’
10. Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneer Little Richard Lights Up the Stage With His Signature High-Energy Piano Playing and Electrifying Persona
11. The Beatles Share a Backstage Moment With Little Richard in Hamburg, Germany, 1950s
12. ‘Bill Haley and the Comets and LaVern Baker at the Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, 1956’
13. ‘Teenage Boy Dancing in the Audience at a Performance by Bill Haley and the Comets at the Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, 1956’
14. Chuck Berry Shares the Stage With Jerry Lee Lewis
15. ‘Elvis Presley and June Juanico in the 1950s’
16. Elvis Presley Signs Autographs Surrounded by a Sea of Fans, 1956
17. Chuck Berry Showing Off His Signature Style and Guitar Swagger
18. ‘Teenagers at an Elvis Presley Rock Concert in Philadelphia, 1957’
19. ‘Dancing to Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1950s’
20. Elvis Presley Performs to Adoring fans in his Hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, on September 26, 1956
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