Episode 7: Wynonie Harris and “Good Rockin’ Tonight”

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 7: Wynonie Harris and "Good Rockin' Tonight"
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Wynonie Harris

Welcome to episode seven of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we’re looking at Wynonie Harris and “Good Rockin’ Tonight”

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Episode 5: Rosetta Tharpe and “This Train”

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 5: Rosetta Tharpe and "This Train"
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Welcome to episode five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we’re looking at Sister Rosetta Tharpe and “This Train”

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Episode 4: “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” by Louis Jordan

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 4: "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" by Louis Jordan
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Welcome to episode four of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we’re looking at Louis Jordan and “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie”

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Episode 3: “Ida Red” by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 3: "Ida Red" by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys
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Welcome to episode three of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we’re looking at Bob Wills and “Ida Red”.

Continue reading “Episode 3: “Ida Red” by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys”

Episode 2: “Roll ‘Em Pete” by Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 2: "Roll 'Em Pete" by Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson
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Big Joe Turner

Here’s the second episode, on “Roll ‘Em Pete” by Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson. One erratum before we continue — in the episode, I say that “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” follows a particular formula common in hokum songs. That’s not actually true for the original version — it is true for Bill Haley’s cover version, and Elvis’ and the versions after them, but in Joe Turner’s version the part we now know as the chorus didn’t come in until near the end. Sorry about the mistake.

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