How did the blues influence rock-and-roll?
Muddy Waters got it right in his song “The Blues had a baby and they named it rock-and-roll”. Rock-and-roll was born out of the blues. The birth of rock-and-roll is generally placed around 1947 or 1948, and is identified by those blues songs that had an even stronger-than-usual rhythm and were especially well-suited for dancing. A great website, “Rock Before Elvis”, documents the birth of rock-and-roll in detail. As the years passed, rock-and-roll musicians began to fully realize their blues roots. More and more often, otherwise forgotten blues songs (and musicians) were revived by rock bands. Many rock songs are nothing more than old blues songs with a more electrified sound and a heavier beat. Musicians who have directly lifted songs from the blues masters include the Beatles, the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many many more. Over the years, many rock stars have sought out those blues masters who wrote all those great old songs because they wanted to
