Rock & Roll had its its origins rooted in Blues, Country, Gospel and Folk music. On this page will be found some of the most influential of the pioneers of these genres.
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe, public domain cropped photo
from cover of Eighteen Original Negro Spirituals.
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Woody Guthrie playing a guitar that has a sticker attached reading: This Machine Kills Fascists
from Library of Congress.
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Hank Williams publicity photo for WSM in 1951, Public domain.
Hank Williams (1923-1953) was not the Father of Country Music. But he was country music's first superstar. Though he died at 29, he is the one whom country musicians measure country music by
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Covach, J. R. & Flory, A. (2015). What's that sound?: an introduction to rock and its history. W.W. Norton & Company.
Duncan, D. & Burns, K. (2019). Country music: an illustrated history. Alfred A. Knopf..
Guralnick, P., Santelli, R., & George-Warren, H. (2011). Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: a Musical Journey. HarperCollins e-books.