African-American Artist's early Contribution to Rock n Roll

Rock and Roll is noted as one of the most controversial music genres in history, sending shockwaves across America. Rock and roll gave the world Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and many others who have gone down as the greatest artists of all time. However, rock and roll is heavily influenced by black music of the 50's, like blues, gospel, jazz, and boogie woogie. Some of the most popular rock songs of the 50s and 60s were written and originally performed by black artists, but, because they received little credit or compensation, we often hear only familiar white covers. All musicians are influenced by other musicians, but throughout music history most musicians worth hearing were influenced by musicians who had a different skin color than them. 

Through this exhibit, we hope to illuminate the vital and revolutionary contributions to the music world, specifically for rock and roll in the 50s and 60s, by black artists who have often gone unheard of and uncredited. We hope that by highlighting the contributions of these black musicians, that we can share the education of Rock and Roll's lineage further than Rock and Roll enthusiasts and music historians, ultimately reaching the common public.