Golden age of RnR 1955-65... who luvs it?

I do! Give me Doo-Wop, rockabilly, girl groups, brit invasion motown etc any day over 'rock' music!

Rock-n-roll at it's best let's you escape your troubles, not dwell on 'em. Cars, girls and saturday night is where its at daddy-o!

 

My sentiments exactly!!! And luckily, I am old enough to have lived it. And now, miss it. Where is my time machine?! Take me back to coolsville! The Eternal Rock A Billy.

Hey, just in case you've missed it -- check out the movie "American Graffiti". Where were you in '62? This movie is dead on in chronicling the time period.

 

YEAH!!! VERY jealous of you!! But I was lucky enough to be a kid in the 70s and relive the Golden Age on AM radio... it is still my fave... you just cannot match the MAGIC!!!

I've seen American Graffiti many times, though not recently. The Soundtrack is fantastic!!! It doesn't matter if it's 1957, '77, or '07, the greaser is always the coolest daddy-o on the scene! Gonna watch it again ASAP.

'Slicked back hair... blues suede shoes... V8 car.... and tatoos... I'm a ROCKER!!!' and I always will be!!!!

Hey anytime you wanna talk Golden Age you just shoot, ok!! I'm all ears!!

 

Yes, I stretched the 50s into the 70s too, listening to KLOK AM in the South San Francisco Bay Area. I was in my 20s.

But I like other stuff too. My tastes are very eclectic.

I'm very big on 50s-60s Country & Western.

Most liberal, snobbish, rockers always reject and purposely over look and diminish County's contribution to the creation of Rock and Roll. Why do they think it was called Rock A Billy, like Hill Billy, before they called it Rock and Roll. Country was just as influential, and contributed just as much to the creation of RnR as did Jazz, and the Blues. IE, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Brenda Lee, Wanda Jackson, Carl Perkins, and a long list of others. Buddy Holley called his music Country Bop!

I'm also into, late 60s and 70s Country Rock, like Eagles, Marshall Tucker, Pure Prairie League, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Commander Cody, The Band, Gram Parsons, etc. I roadied for 2 local Country Rock groups in th 70s.

Also, a lot of 60s-70s Classic Rock. [not all, I'm particular about what I like]

And, some 80s Punk, Techno pop.

There is very little current music that I like. Doesn't mean It's bad. Just means I don't connect with it. I keep hoping something new that I'll like better will come along soon. That may be a waste of my mental energies.

Any way, if you want to talk more about 50s R n R, you can PM me if you'd like.

 

Country was such a huge influence in the development of RnR. Completely essential. Seems like all of the original rockabilly stars got their start in C&W.

Yeah I like all kinds of different stuff too, but nothing gets me going like first wave RnR. The passion of doo-wop, the energy of rockabilly, the drama of girl groups... They all had charisma, swagger and style to burn! And oh how cool the dancing was!! Damn I wish I was a cool rockin' daddy from '62.

I could recommend some post-Golden Age bands to you that managed to capture that first wave magic if you're interested. Post '60's though, the magic was the exception not the rule IMO.

I'm guessing as a GP fan that you like the Flying Burrito Bros, I really like them too. A great example of country/rock-n-roll.

Totally with ya on connecting with new music. It just feels so soulless to me. Really glad to meet someone who loves that early RnR like me. Cheers!

 

Always open to connecting with new first wave retro-rockers. Let's see your list. Bet The Rock A Billy Rebels and Robert Gordon are on it. If not, add them.

And yes -- a Flying Burrito Brothers fan!!! Also, Asleep at The Wheel. And early country rock Linda Ronstadt [Rock Me on The Water]. I had such a crush on her!

See ya later alligator!

 

Finally,some fans of Motown and Phil Spector's wall of sound (the ronettes,the crystals)

 

Jerry Lee ,Fats Domino ,Shirelles, the other girl groups and little Richard were tops with me.They were a big change from Eddie Fisher,Dick Contino and big bands.Walked in a store the other day and heard "Earthangel".Man,I could smell my girl friends neck from dances long gone.

 

I really love all this bands...
Bill Haley & His Comets,Fats Domino, Buddy Knox,The Big Bopper, Bob & Dick Sherman,The Clovers, The Skyliners, The Del-Vikings, The Flamingos,The Platters, Buddy Holly,Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, Del Shannon,Carl Perkins,Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard,Cliff Richard,Jackie Brenston, The Five Keys,The Cardinals, the Duprees...

And some of my fav. motown artist: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Marvelettes ,The Supremes ,The Temptations ,Marvin Gaye ,The Velvelettes ,Four Tops ,Gladys Knight & the Pips...and yeah The Isley Brothers

And like PSYCHEDELICA MAN said The Ronettes, The Crystals,The Righteous Brothers,The Alley Cats,Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans,Gene Pitney,The Teddy Bears and Ray Peterson( i love Corrina, Corrina )

 

YEAH!!!! What a fantastic group of artists listed here in this thread.

And yeah I'm a big Robert Gordon fan (and Blasters and Levi Dexter and Stray Cats!) but the Rock A Billy Rebels I am not familiar with! You can bet that I'll be checking 'em out as soon as I have the dough.

Thanks to all for giving me that feeling that 'I am not the only one!' Afterwhile Crocodiles!

 

That's Ray Campi and The Rock A Billy Rebels [early-mid 70s] After Ray left, became The Rebels [late 70s]. Later Rollin' Collin Winski went solo. Check his album Rock Therapy. Another member went solo. Jumpin' Jerry [Sikorski?], a little sketchy about his last name after all these years. They were semi popular with the early Punks, and often shared the bill with local Punk groups. Seems some how the Punks had some reverence for the roots of it all. After all they did wear leather jackets too.

I saw The Rock A Billy Rebels - Rebels live in Santa Cruz CA, and the SF Bay Area about 5 times in the mid-late 70s. Always a good show! They Rocked hard, stayed focused on the roots, and were all over the stage! Collin Winski was so Elvis-esque.

Also, check out a Brit group, Matchbox [late 70s]. Album I have is Rockabilly Rebel -- Sire Records. A little anemic on vocals, but true to the roots and fun.

 

Looking around for Ray Campi and the RaBRs right now. And you bet I love the punks who love first wave RnR (Johnny Thunders is my #1 RnR hero) ... some of 'em expressed outright hatred for it though. The energy is there in a lot of punk, but somehow the magic isn't quite the same. Gotta luv the leather jax and sneers too!

Will check out Matchbox too for sure. Really hooked on the youtubes from the golden age. So many fantastic clips- the way the Isley Bros dance in 'Shout', seeing the Shangri Las in action, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Elvis, Little Richard... and on and on!

 

As one who was 9 in '55 I would like to adjust your time line of the greatest era to '56 thu '67. While '55 was the very start, there were only three or four rock and roll hits. It wasn't till '56 that it exploded onto top 40 radio. Also, while I consider '65 to be the very best year, '66 was a continuation of great groups and hit records while '67 introduced psycadelia which, unfortunately turned to hard rock the next year rendering '67 the last year of rock and roll's golden dozen years IMO.

 

Yeah that makes sense to me. Whatever year it was when they quit singing about yer best girl and saturday night and started singing about crazy psychedelic stuff was the year for sure. '56-'67 works for me.

 

Jimmy Reed,the Coasters,the Drifters and one of my all time favorites--ta-da-Link Wray.