Rock and Roll's Birth Place - Hamburg Germany
Rock & Roll is American but Rock's Origins are in Germany
Aug 25, 2009
Rock and Roll by almost everyone’s account is a uniquely American creation, what with Elvis, Chuck Berry, Do-Wop and scores of other performers, who could not think that? But many of these performers came from the crooner school. That changed in Hamburg Germany in 1959.
Bing, Frank and Elvis
Throughout the 20th century there were many entertainers that were very popular such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. They were popular with the girls; they made them swoon and scream and want to be with them.
Boys liked them because their girl friends would respond to the songs if they played them. It was a natural thing. It was a crooner thing. The entertainers would sing about love and romance, and heartache or heartbreak. They were backed by big bands that were very popular; or later as in the case of Elvis by guitar and drum players in the country-western mold. They were entertainers. But they were all crooners.
Europeans also liked American rock and roll, or what was considered rock and roll. Chuck Berry, Little Richards, Fats Domino, the blues, jazz, and even folk and country. But in Germany things were changing. This was a time after the war when kids were now coming of age.
They had seen the ravages of war and were now trying to set up their own lives that were separate from those events. The kids, now in their 20’s were trying to set their own brand of life and entertainment. Night clubs with raucous bands were starting to take center stage. They wanted something different. The goody-goody two step of American rock and roll was too tame for the young anxious Germans. Enter the British group, the Beatles.
The Beatles 1959-1962
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliff, and Pete Best were playing in Hamburg, Germany at various night clubs. The work was long and arduous. For over three years the Beatles performed nightly 8 to 10 hours per gig. Their style changed as they grew more confident, as their musical ability improved.
They responded to the audience and the audience responded to them. 10 hours of playing on stage meant that there was a lot of ad-libbing and improvisation. It is said that they spent thousands of hours to become musical professionals. Song standards were changed, tempos modified, new guitar rifts were made up to provide innovation. The Beatles learned to be entertainers; but not crooners. The German audience did not want Perry Como or even Duke Ellington. They wanted something different.
When the Beatles returned to England in 1962 they were different than other rock bands. They already had developed their own style. They were writing their own songs and their look was different. They had created their own culture.
It was no accident that between 1963 and 1964 other British Music groups were imitating the Beatles, not just the rock band aspect but the culture that went with it. It was a raucous culture; even the group names said it: The Animals, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks. The crooning days of Rock and Roll were over. The Hamburg experience had transformed Rock and Roll. Forever.
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