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Ever since Little Richard, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry began crooning tunes with a different sound, the history of rock music has been marching forward. Different than anything that had come before it, rock mixed racy lyrics with loud, but soulful music to create something so distinct it earned its own moniker.

As the history of this musical form continues to be written, remember the basic genre is classified by the use of the guitar. Whether it’s hard rock, country rock, classic rock, punk rock or beyond, rock and roll involves guitars and lots of them. Acoustic or electric doesn’t necessarily matter, but a lead role in the music does (with a few exceptions).

Rock and roll history is often said to have gotten its first page in the 1950s when “Rocket 88″ was released. Little Richard, Elvis, Ray Charles and Chuck Berry all wrote their own pages during this decade. With songs such as “Rock Around The Clock,” “Love Me Tender,” “School Day” and more hitting the charts, the road was paved for such artists as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis to make their debuts on the scene.

The dancing rock of the 50s gave way to the more “radical” rock of the ’60s. Here a generation of youth found their voice in war protest songs and peace rally music. Elvis remained a mainstay during this decade, but other big names also made the scene. The likes of Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys, Frank Zappa and The Monkees were popular during the ’60s. The Beatles revolutionized rock music when they made their American invasion in 1964.

The 1970s saw a continuation of the themes of the ’60s with the addition of disco and other influences. Van Halen became a big name during this decade and legends Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison all met their ends during the 1970s. Greats from the ’50s and ’60s continued to rock during this decade as well.

The 1980s are perhaps best known for their heavy metal hair bands. Contrary to popular belief, this music was and remains more than just “noise.” Many musicians of this era were classically trained and know their stuff. Big moments during this decade include the death of John Lennon, the end of the band Wings, the creation of “We Are The World,” and Michael Jackson’s massive hit record “Thriller.” The more soulful sounds of Billy Joel were also a mainstay during this decade. Bands such as Journey, Def Leppard and the Scorpions made it big during this era in rock.

The 1990s saw the creation of boy bands and some serious recognition for rockers when the Hall of Fame opened in Cleveland. Musicians to hit the charts with a bang during this decade included Madonna, Kurt Cobain, Boyz II Men, Alanis Morissette and more. Heavy metal continued, but other sounds made their ways onto the airwaves as well.

With hard rock, classic, punk, pop and more still major players in the music scene, this genre is showing no signs of going away. It’s plain to see rock and roll “will never die.”

The immediate origins of rock and roll lie in the late 1940s and early 1950s through a mixing of the genres of blues, country, R&B, folk and gospel music. Alan Freed, a disc jockey based in Cleveland, Ohio is generally credited with first using the phrase rock and roll in 1951, though the phrase was in constant use at time in lyrics of R&B songs of the time. The phrase rocking and rolling has its origins in slang for dancing or having sex. Many early rock and roll hits were re-writes of earlier R&B or blues songs. Black music was still taboo on radio stations, so producers and artists began making white versions of black music. In 1955, Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock became the first rock and roll song to top the charts. The song became one of the biggest hits in history, and hordes of teenagers began flocking to hear Haley and his band The Comets. Blues would continue to inspire rock for decades with great acts like Cream, The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin drawing their inspiration from musicians like Robert Johnson and Skip James. Rock and Roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes and language. It also appeared at a time when racial tensions were coming to a head in the United States, the music contributed to the civil rights movement as both black and white teenagers followed the music. It was a fresh sound which spawned fresh ideas and approaches which paved the way for the swinging sixties.

“Rock and roll is sexual energy expressed in sound”

It all started with “Elvis the Pelvis”. Why do you think all the girls started fainting all over this country when they heard Elvis’ voice for the first time? It was because nobody had ever heard a man sing something like “All Shook Up” and it shook them to the core. Being sexy like that just came naturally for Elvis and the girls picked up on it immediately like some kind of sexual email was being sent directly into their brains! Other rock and roll stars followed in Elvis’ steps very quickly. Jerry Lee Lewis knew what to do and he got himself into a great big ball of fire with his underage lover. Chuck Berry was another natural, and he also created some serious trouble simply because he was black and the white girls went for him big time. I think that may have been the first time that the pathetic and hung up white male population had to deal with the racial sex issue at this level.

Then The Beatles exploded. It was the Elvis phenomenon again except that all The Beatles really did was sing like gods, shake their mop top heads around and look adorable, and thousands of girls got wet panties at the very same time. The effect was enhanced by their memorable simple love songs because those young girls who were coming of age and dreaming about falling in love connected on the emotional level too. At first all they needed to write was “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Please Please Me” and millions of girls wanted to please them and hold something of theirs. The sexual message in their music was often very subtle but Ringo’s driving beat made them want to get up and shake it all around.

Mick Jagger was another natural, just like Elvis. Right from the beginning, “The Lips” knew how to give and get Satisfaction and he followed that up with a long series of balls to the wall hits with strong sexual messages like “Play with Fire, “Live With Me” and the all time classic musical expression of sex, “Going Home”. Strangely enough, it wasn’t Mick who actually got all the girls into bed, it was Bill Wyman, the Stones’ bass player. In his autobiographical book Bill told all, and his groupies totaled in the thousands. He never made it clear in his book exactly why that happened to him and not the same way to Mick who must have gotten and still be getting whoever he really wants to have. But it did happen and all Bill ever did was stand there completely still and play his bass guitar looking sort of sad and forlorn. There simply has to be a logical explanation for Bill’s success, and I think I know what it is. (Don’t ask, I won’t tell).

Not much needs to be said about that most powerful sexual dynamo, Jim Morrison, who told all the girls to “Come on Baby Light My Fire” and before fainting dead away, they did whatever he wanted them to do. I’m not sure how many net surfers understand what “Back Door Man” is all about but the song itself says “the men don’t know but little girls understand”. Enough said on that one.

And then came Jimi Hendrix. The pun is intended. Jimi had to have been the sexiest black musician of all time and few girls didn’t want to be his “Foxy Lady”. They actually used to line up outside his dressing room backstage and Jimi would come out and choose one or more at a time. He was another one who simply couldn’t help himself, although he did understand exactly what he was doing and why. Later on in his career he stopped his sexy performance on purpose because he was a serious musician who wanted people to appreciate his playing and his songwriting for being as creative as it was. He felt that his sex show was getting in the way of that kind of appreciation so after the Experience broke up, he pretty much stood still playing with his eyes shut because he didn’t even want to see the girls out there anymore.

I believe the best example of sexual energy expressed in sound is Led Zeppelin. Whenever they played live Jimmy Page seemed to stagger around the stage as if he was drunk, but he wasn’t drunk. It was just that the hurricane of sexual force that blew out of his amp was too much for even Jimmy to withstand. Now I’m sure that most people are aware that rhythmically beating drums awaken the sexual forces. Africans were despised and envied by white people because of the sexual way they danced to their own drum music. John Bonham, who was unquestionably the best rock and roll drummer who ever walked the face of this planet, pounded his drums with such power that Led Zep’s sexual energy increased dramatically. Irresistible sexual energy in their music is only one of the many good reasons why I say that Led Zeppelin is the #1 Rock and Roll Band of All Time.