ROCK & ROLL: RENEGADES {EPISODE 1} (TV)
Summary
Episode one of this ten-part documentary miniseries which traces the origins and history of rock and roll music from the late 1940s to the present. Interviews with artists and record executives, and performance footage are included throughout the program. Episode one, "Renegades," examines the origins of rock and roll. Events covered in this part include: the initial encounter with, and appreciation of, rhythm and blues music by white teenagers in the South; disc jockey Alan Freed coining the term "rock and roll" to describe the unique new sound; how Antoine "Fats" Domino sold over thirty million records in the 1950s alone; how Little Richard introduced the shock element into rock and roll via his outrageous style; the creation of Sun Records by record producer Sam Phillips, who signed artists such as B.B. King and Ike Turner; Phillips's discovery of an eighteen-year old truck driver from Memphis, Tennessee, named Elvis Presley; Presley's love of gospel and hillbilly sounds as expressed through his music; Presley's first recording, "That's All Right, Mama," and its initial airplay; the creation of a new sound coming out of Chicago by such artists as Muddy Waters and Chester "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett; Bo Diddley being discovered in Chicago because of the unique sound he made with an electric guitar; how Chuck Berry, who grew up listening to white music and came out of the black Chicago sound, integrated the two kinds of music in his songs; how white organizations in the South protested against rock and roll because of black musicians' popularity in white neighborhoods; Presley's early television appearances and his escalating popularity; how, after Phillips lost Presley to a larger company, he discovered a piano player named Jerry Lee Lewis; the numerous events that nearly killed rock and roll, including Little Richard's renounciation of music for the church, Elvis Presley's enlisting in the army, the blacklist of Jerry Lee Lewis because of his marriage to his thirteen-year-old cousin, Chuck Berry's arrest for transporting a teenage girl across state lines, the tragic death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson in a plane crash, and the death of Eddie Cochran in a car accident. Includes interviews with the following individuals, among others: disc jockeys William "Hoss" Allen and Rufus Thomas describe how rock and roll spread; the owner of J&M Studio, Cosimo Matassa, and writer/producer Dave Bartholomew talk about creating music in the segregated areas of New Orleans; Little Richard discusses his career and his outrageous image; the founder of Sun Records, Sam Phillips, comments on having black and white musicians in the same studio; musician Ike Turner recalls what it was like working for Phillips; musician Scotty Moore talks about performing with Elvis Presley; Chess Records founders Marshall and Phil Chess analyze the Chicago sound; Bo Diddley talks about his career and how he first started playing guitar; piano player Johnnie Johnson reminisces about working with Chuck Berry; Berry talks about his upbringing and his career; musician D.J. Fontana recalls doing television performances with Presley; and Jerry Lee Lewis describes his career and his first meeting with Phillips.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: September 24, 1995 Sunday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:56:48
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:43061
- GENRE: Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Arts documentaries; Music - Analysis, appreciation; Rock music
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1995
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Elizabeth Deane … Executive Producer
- David Espar … Senior Producer, Director, Writer
- Hugh Thomson … Producer
- Sharon P. Davis … Associate Producer
- Liev Schreiber … Narrator
- Penniman, Richard "Little Richard" … Performer, Guest
- Ike Turner … Performer, Guest
- Bo Diddley … Performer, Guest
- Johnnie Johnson … Performer, Guest
- Chuck Berry … Performer, Guest
- Jerry Lee Lewis … Performer, Guest
- Robbie Robertson … Guest
- Allen, William "Hoss" … Guest
- Rufus Thomas … Guest
- Cosimo Matassa … Guest
- Dave Bartholomew … Guest
- Tyler, Alvin "Red" … Guest
- Earl Palmer … Guest
- Lloyd Price … Guest
- Sam Phillips … Guest
- Scotty Moore … Guest
- Jack Clement … Guest
- Paul Burlison … Guest
- Marshall Chess … Guest
- Phil Chess … Guest
- D.J. Fontana … Guest
- Eddie Cochran
- Domino, Antoine "Fats"
- Buddy Holly
- Elvis Presley
- Richardson, J.P. "The Big Bopper"
- Ritchie Valens