It’s impossible to point to an exact moment or song when what became known as Rock n’ Roll emerged, but it happened in the early to mid-1950s in the United States and was a fusion of genres including rhythm and blues, gospel, and country music. Key figures included the likes of Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, and the new music form took off like wildfire, especially among young people, in some ways driven by the growing availability of television.
Dr. Clay Motley received his PhD in the history of American Literature but over time found himself drawn to music and its history, particularly Blues and early Rock n’ Roll. These days Dr. Motely is Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University. Last week he was the featured speaker for the university’s Provost’s Seminar Series & Naples Discussion Group. The title of his talk was ‘The History of Rock n’ Roll’ so we brought him by the studio to chat about music and how this artform that took over the world came to be.
Guest:
Dr. Clay Motley, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University
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