Rock 'n' Roll

Hi Puzzlers,

Today’s topic to ponder is Rock ‘n’ Roll. People across the globe have been listening to this music, in one form or another, for decades. Just hearing a few notes from one of your favorite songs can transport you back in time. Let’s take a look at some of the inventions that made it all possible.

Interestingly enough it has been stated that Rock ‘n’ Roll got its start when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. This makes sense, how would people have been able to play records and recordings otherwise. The creation of the phonograph paved for the way for the next major Rock ‘n’ Roll device, the juke box. It was created by the Chicago Automatic Machine & Tool Company in 1915.

Well that clears up the juke box mystery, but what about the term Rock ‘n’Roll? Have you ever wondered where that came from? The answer really surprised me! Note, reader discretion advised, some may find the following offensive. Now you are really curious aren’t you?

The term "rock" and "roll" originated from a black slang for sexual intercourse! Too funny! In 1922, Trixie Smith recorded "My Baby Rocks Me With One Steady Roll". This marked the first appearance of the phrased on a recording, and as they say the rest is history. I guess that also gives us a better understanding as to why some parents were so against this music.

The next great musical recording device was the 78 rpm record which was introduced in 1929. Seventy-Eight’s as they were called would play for four to five minutes per side on a 12 inch disc and three to five on a 10inch. The artist would sing into a horn and the power of their vibrating voice would cut the wax on a master disc. The sound was ultra acoustic.

In 1931 the electric guitar was invented by Adolph Rickenbacker and George Beauchamp. “It was a lap-steel guitar with an electromagnetic pickup in which a current passed through a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet. This created a field that amplified the strings' vibrations.”

Echo-delay, multi-track recording and many other techniques that expand recording possibilities are invented in 1945 by Les Paul. In 1948 Columbia Records introduces the vinyl 12-inch 33-1/3 rpm album. RCA Victor quickly follows suit with the introduction of the 45 rpm Record. The 45 rpm was easier to produce, smaller and cheaper than the fragile 78's. RCA Victor also created a small inexpensive record player to accommodate the new records size and speed.

While all these inventions were being developed, so too, was the sound that would be known as Rhythm and Blues. R & B changed rapidly in the formative years and thus giving birth to a new sound called Rock ‘n’Roll.

I can’t imagine a world without music and I am so happy that the inventions keep making it better and more portable.

Happy Puzzling!