What is "rock and roll"

also rock 'n' roll, 1954 in reference to a specific style of popular music, from rock (v.2) + roll (v.). The verbal phrase had been a Black English euphemism for "sexual intercourse," used in popular dance music lyrics and song titles since at least the 1930s.

n. 1 A genre of popular music that evolved in the 1950s from a combination of rhythm and blues and country music, characterized by electric guitars, strong rhythms, and youth-oriented lyrics. 2 A style of vigorous dancing associated with this genre of music. 3 An intangible feeling, philosophy, belief or allegiance relating to rock music (generally from the 1970s–1980s), and heavy metal bearing certain elements of this music, pertaining to unbridled enthusiasm, cynical regard for certain Christian and authoritarian bodies, and attitudes befitting some degree of youthful debauchery. This meaning is sometimes used as an exclamation, in describing traits of certain people, and so on. 4 (context Cockney rhyming slang English) dole. 5 (Military slang, US) The full automatic fire capability selection on a selective fire weapon. vb. 1 To play #Noun music. 2 (context slang euphemistic English) To have sex. 3 To start, commence, begin, get moving.

n. a genre of popular music originating in the 1950s; a blend of Black rhythm-and-blues with White country-and-western; "rock is a generic term for the range of styles that evolved out of rock'n'roll." [syn: rock 'n' roll, rock'n'roll, rock-and-roll, rock, rock music]

Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll or rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, from a combination of African-American genres such as blues, boogie-woogie, jump blues, jazz, and gospel music, together with Western swing and country music. While elements of rock and roll can be heard in blues records from the 1920s and in country records of the 1930s, the genre did not acquire its name until the 1950s.

"Rock and roll" can refer either to the first wave of music that originated in the US in the 1950s prior to its development into " rock music", or more broadly to rock music and culture. For the purpose of differentiation, this article deals with the first definition.

In the earliest rock and roll styles of the late 1940s and early 1950s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar in the middle to late 1950s. The beat is essentially a blues rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, the latter almost always provided by a snare drum. Classic rock and roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), a double bass or string bass or (after the mid-1950s) an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit.

Beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and on television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. In addition, rock and roll may have contributed to the civil rights movement because both African-American and white American teens enjoyed the music. It went on to spawn various genres, often without the initially characteristic backbeat, that are now more commonly called simply "rock music" or "rock".

"Rock and Roll" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was first released as the second track from the band's fourth album in 1971, with a guest appearance by The Rolling Stones pianist Ian Stewart.

Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Rock and roll or Rock n' roll may also refer to:

Acrobatic Rock'n'Roll is a very athletic, competitive form of dance that originated from lindy hop. Unlike lindy hop, however, it is a choreographed dance designed for performance. It is danced by both couples and groups, either all-female or four to eight couples together. This is normally a very fast and physically demanding dance.

Foghat is the second album, as well as the second self-titled album by the band Foghat. It was released in March 1973, and is generally known by fans as Rock and Roll, because of its cover picture depicting a rock and bread roll.

Rock and Roll , is a 1993 album by Hong Kong rock band Beyond. This was the last album before the band's late vocalist, Wong Ka Kui died after an accident while filming in Japan.

"Rock & Roll" is a song by American singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson, and the first single released from his major-label debut album Sounds Like This. The song was used in the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, and was included in the soundtrack. It was also used as the song to end the final episode of 2008 series of Packed to the Rafters, and was included in the Platinum selling soundtrack. The music video was released in early 2008.

"Rock and Roll" (also known as "The Hey Song") is a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track reflecting on the history of the genre, and Part 2 is a mostly instrumental piece. Both parts were popular in Britain, and the single went to No. 2 on the British charts. In concert, Glitter merged both into one performance. It is Glitter's only US top 10 hit for him.

In the UK, "Rock and Roll" was one of over 25 hit singles for Glitter. In the US, the instrumental portion (Part 2) attracted most of the attention; it hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The US mono 45, which is mixed different from the LP, clocks in at 3:10, while it runs 2:58 on the US LP. In France, "Part 1" was the successful side, reaching No. 1.

It was also in North America that the "Part 2" became popularly associated with sport, as a number of professional teams adopted the song for use during games— primarily to signify scores and wins.

Rock and Roll is a compilation album by the Australian band The Mark of Cain. It was released in 1996 by Australian label rooArt and featured remixes of tracks from their previous three albums Ill at Ease, The Unclaimed Prize and Battlesick and a re-recorded version of "Hindsight" that was used on the soundtrack of the Australian film Idiot Box. As explained on the inside of the booklet: "the remixes presented here... have been mixed the intention that each of the artists involved place their own personal musical interpretation on the chosen song and mix it accordingly". "The Contender" was remixed by Paul Mac, "Interloper" by Franz Treichler of The Young Gods, "You Let Me Down" and "Pointman" by Justin Broadrick and "R&R" by B(if)tek. The title of the album refers to the military slang for full automatic fire.