Real Life Floating House, Inspired by Up

I vote for Chuck Berry's Maybelline as the first Rock'n'Roll song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RAfxiyMKAk

But ok, that "That's All Right" song is VERY Rock'n'roll.

>may contain the first guitar solo break

Whaaa? 1946? That's just a bizarre thing to say for a song recorded so late in the history of recorded guitar solos. Roy Smeck, Eddie Lang, and other early jazz guys were recording solo breaks way, way, way before that, as were blues guys like Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Since Rock and Roll is one of those loose terms where there will never be final agreement on the definition, it's just semantics what the first Rock and Roll song is.

I concur, "That's All Right" was a landmark record at Sun Studios, but was first ripped by Carl Perkins there. At least that's what I gleaned from Jarmusch's Mystery Train.

The drums are playing a swing beat.

Sorry to be so critical, but the article by Farrier is misleading and a bit of a white wash.

Crudup's "That's Alright Mama" was an up-tempo Delta Blues song. (Rockabilly had not arrived on the scene in '47).

Elvis' version (1954) was Rock & Roll, but it was predated on the Billboard charts by Bill Haley's "Crazy Man Crazy" (1953 #12).

More likely candidates include "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston & The Delta Cats. (Ike Turner wrote the song and was lead musician with Jackie on sax and vocal. Sam Phillips produced the session.)

Also, there's a strong case to me made for the even earlier (1947) "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Wynonie Harris.

But, in reality, Rock & Roll was an evolutionary process rather than a revolutionary process, so there is always room for debate over the first line crosser.

And finally, Farrier's definition of Rock and Roll left out it's most common useage: Negro slang for having sex.