New Seniors

Welcome to the Birth of Rock & Roll video extravaganza. We scoured through scores of videos, so you don’t have to, in order to present the best performances of the original artists, singing their original hits that made rock what it was and still is: the coolest music ever!

In the summer of 1954, we were innocents looking for our identity. Rock and Roll blasted onto the scene and gave us the escape we craved. Many artists were our age, the lyrics were about young love and having fun, and the sound was out of this world. Sixty-odd years later these songs continue to move us — and the whole world.

Keep your eye on NewSeniors.com for more great shows like this. It’s all part of the New Seniors Music Collection.

Turn up the volume. Snap your fingers. Tap your feet. Sing along. Or, just kick back and enjoy the Birth of Rock & Roll, Part One.

Bill Haley: Rock Around the Clock

In April 1954, Bill Haley recorded the song that would become the anthem for restless fifties youth, and is widely considered the song that brought Rock & Roll into mainstream culture in the United States and around the world. This clip is from the Ted Steel show on WOR-TV, New York (1955).

Elvis Presley: Heartbreak Hotel

Presley’s first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel,” recorded in Nashville and released in January 1956, was a number one hit and propelled him into the American national music consciousness. It was the best selling single that year.

Elvis Presley: Hound Dog

On June 5, 1956, Elvis appeared on the Milton Berle Show and caused a huge sensation with his performance of this song. Be sure to watch the entire performance because it is unique. This performance was a month before Elvis recorded “Hound Dog” on the flip side was “Don’t Be Cruel.” Both sides of the record became number one hits. It was the first single to top all three extant Billboard charts: pop, county & western, and rhythm & blues.

Buddy Holly: Peggy Sue

Buddy Holly & the Crickets perform Peggy Sue on the Arthur Murray Party TV Show, December 29, 1957. Comments by show host Kathryn Murray set a tone that shows how radical this new “Rock & Roll” music seemed at the time. Notice how still all of the young people in the background remain throughout the song. For us here at New Seniors, we had to get up and dance when we watched this one!

Jerry Lee Lewis: Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On

Jerry Lee Lewis recorded this song May 27, 1957 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. The song was a hit on the pop, country and R&B charts. As a pianist, “The Killer” Jerry Lee Lewis always complained because he had to sit down during his shows. Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash suggested he stand up. Jerry Lee accepted their advice. So he started to kick the chairs, jump on the keyboards and even to burn pianos.

Fats Domino: Blueberry Hill

“Blueberry Hill” was an international hit in 1956 for Fats Domino, and has become a Rock & Roll standard. It reached number two, for three weeks on the Billboard Top 40 charts, becoming his biggest pop hit, and spent eight non-consecutive weeks at number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart. “Blueberry Hill” sold more than 5 million copies worldwide in 1956-57. Big surprise: “Blueberry Hill” was first recorded by Gene Autry in 1941 for the film The Singing Hill.

Fats Domino: Ain’t That a Shame?

This clip is from the 1956 film Shake, Rattle & Rock!. Written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, the song was recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Imperial Records and released in 1955.

“Ain’t That a Shame” was a hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached number one on the “Black Singles” chart and climbed to ten on the “Pop Singles” chart. The song gained national fame after being re-recorded by white recording artist Pat Boone.

Little Richard: Long Tall Sally

“Long Tall Sally” was recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956. It reached the top spot on the Billboard rhythm and blues chart, staying at the top for six of 19 weeks, while peaking at number six on the pop chart. It received the Cash Box Triple Crown Award in 1956. Gonna have some fun tonight!

Chuck Berry: Maybelline

“Maybellene” was Chuck Berry’s first single release and his first hit. It was released in July 1955 as a single on Chess Records. “Maybellene” is considered one of the pioneering Rock & Roll singles: Rolling Stone magazine wrote, “Rock & Roll guitar starts here.” The record is an early instance of the complete rock and roll package: youthful subject matter, small guitar-driven combo, clear diction, and an atmosphere of unrelenting excitement. Berry was the first African American single artist to reach the top ten on the Billboard list with a rock and roll single. This video clip is from a French TV show.

Danny & the Juniors: Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay

Danny & The Juniors were a quartet from Philadelphia. They are sometimes erroneously referred to an Italian-American band, but lead singer Danny Rapp was actually of Irish extraction. Rock and roll is here to stay, it will never die!

Click here for The Birth of Rock & Roll 1954-1959, Part Two

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