Searching For The First Rock And Roll Song

Series produced by Jamie Dell'Apa

Series image
Image by: Regular Listener, J.T. Lindross, From Finland 

We, the rock and roll generation, have never found our self-defining first rock and roll song. Host Jamie Dell'Apa presents music and musicians you've never heard from the small regional record companies who pioneered rock and roll. Songs that could have been the first rock and roll song. Songs that fill the gap in understanding where we came from and who we are.

Searching For The First Rock and Roll Song features records coveted by collectors from the era when rock and roll was emerging but hadn't yet settled on a definition of itself. Music from before rock and roll was domesticated into a commercial music industry. When country and western sounded like swing, pop music sounded like rockabilly, rockabilly sounded like rhythm and blues, and doo wop sounded like girl groups and all those musics sounded an awful lot like what we now call, “rock and roll”.

Not a hits, oldies, or “history of” radio show. it's all the songs that influenced our now-legendary musicians who are regularly featured in all those hits, oldies, and “history of” radio shows.

Hosted by WWOZ in New Orleans for the last 18 years, the show is carried by a dozen stations.

P.S. We never find the first rock and roll song. Just like our journey through life, the search is the joy. Finding the final destination in life or music is something to continually delay until after next week's episode.
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Searching For The First Rock and Roll Song features records coveted by collectors from the era when rock and roll was emerging but hadn't yet settled on a definition of itself. Music from before rock and roll was domesticated into a commercial music industry. When country and western sounded like swing, pop music sounded like rockabilly, rockabilly sounded like rhythm and blues, and doo wop sounded like girl groups and all those musics sounded an awful lot like what we now call, “rock and roll”.Not a hits, oldies, or “history of” radio show. it's all the songs that influenced our now-legendary musicians who are regularly featured in all those hits, oldies, and “history of” radio shows. Hosted by WWOZ in New Orleans for the last 18 years, the show is carried by a dozen stations. ... Show full description


654 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Fletcher Smith
After airing well over 40,000 potential first rock and roll songs over the last 16 years, we find that the first rock and roll song has more to do ...

Bought by KCHU, KFCF FM, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KPRG, WQCS and more


  • Added: Jun 20, 2022
  • Length: 03:00:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Tracey Dey
The conjoinment of music to dance is assumed but before rock and roll, it was big band swing with musicians like Artie Shaw filling huge arenas wit...

Bought by Delmarva Public Media, KCHU, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], WYAP, KFCF FM and more


  • Added: Jun 09, 2022
  • Length: 04:17:17
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Monte Easter in Los Angeles 1990
It's always an audio history of the first rock and roll records focusing on the pioneers instead of the tired old "hits." It's perfect for public ...

Bought by KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], Prairie Public, KFCF FM, and KPRG


  • Added: Jun 03, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:01
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Rhythm Rockers
This weeks searches are in vocal group harmony bands, boleros, and girl groups. Not Motown or Phil Spector girl groups because we present "Music y...

Bought by KCHU, KPRG, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KFCF FM, Prairie Public and more


  • Added: May 24, 2022
  • Length: 04:14:43
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Eddie Seacrest and the Rollin Rockets
Thoughts on "group harmony" as a category of music (including "doo wop" and the wide range of group vocals with instrumentation). This music was e...

Bought by KPRG, KFCF FM, Prairie Public, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], and WQCS


  • Added: May 19, 2022
  • Length: 04:04:55
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Boyd Bennett And His Rockets
Theater musicals tell a long story frequently interrupted by songs and dancing. Radio musicals are long series of songs interrupted by my idiotic...

Bought by KCHU, KFCF FM, and KPRG


  • Added: Jun 16, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:00
  • Purchases: 3

  • Added: May 12, 2022
  • Length: 02:56:57
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Eddie Dugosh
Tonight we talk to the first time listener to explore their feelings on hearing music they've never heard by musicians they've never heard of yet t...

Bought by KPRG, KFCF FM, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], Prairie Public, and WQCS


  • Added: May 04, 2022
  • Length: 02:56:56
  • Purchases: 5
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The bottomless pit of my music library includes a handful of songs from 1963 Austria that are indistinguishable from the best of American rock and ...

Bought by KFCF FM, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KPRG, Prairie Public, WQCS and more


  • Added: Apr 25, 2022
  • Length: 02:56:57
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Chellos
The "teenage angst" song is the standard issue rock and roll song but there is also the "teenage understanding" song that offers lyrics reflecting ...

Bought by KPRG, KFCF FM, KPRG, Prairie Public, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio] and more


  • Added: Apr 18, 2022
  • Length: 04:40:39
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Roddy Jackson Then
Defining the first rock and roll song has been passionately argued because to find "the first rock and roll song" requires ignoring tons of music t...

Bought by KPRG, KCHU, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KFCF FM, KPRG and more


  • Added: Apr 11, 2022
  • Length: 02:56:28
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Bobby Page and the Riff Raffs
An inspired, heartfelt show. Based around an essay on radio as art and art as both a personal way of making a better life and civilization's savio...

Bought by KPRG, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], WQCS, KPRG, Prairie Public and more


  • Added: Apr 05, 2022
  • Length: 04:55:05
  • Purchases: 6
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85 songs you've never heard but could have been titled, "the first rock and roll song" featuring musicians you've never heard of. This show ignore...

Bought by KCHU, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KFCF FM, WQCS, Prairie Public and more


  • Added: Mar 31, 2022
  • Length: 02:56:57
  • Purchases: 6
Piece image
Where we search for the first rock and roll song, is where autocracies die and "hits" are a distraction. All the music you've never heard by music...

Bought by Prairie Public, KFCF FM, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KPRG, and WQCS


  • Added: Mar 23, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:07
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Azzurri the Bachelorette
Hi, I'm Jim Lange and this is the Dating Game for dogs. In the post-WWII world, this music that was later called "Rock and Roll" was simply popula...

Bought by WQCS, Prairie Public, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KPRG, KFCF FM and more


  • Added: Mar 15, 2022
  • Length: 02:56:45
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Eddie Seacrest and the Rollin Rockets
There's a half dozen popular myths defining the first rock and roll record but every week we feature 85 songs you've never heard any and all of the...

Bought by KCHU, KFCF FM, KPRG, Prairie Public, WQCS and more


  • Added: Mar 06, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:02
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Los Crazy Boys
The great rock drummer Sandy Nelson sound like a very traditional swing drummer and Glen Campbell sounds like a primitive surf band as our perspect...

Bought by KCHU, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KPRG, Prairie Public, KFCF FM and more


  • Added: Feb 27, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:07
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Norman Thrasher of the Royal Serenaders Cuts Loose
We feature the very first rock and roll songs but only those you've never heard by musicians you've never heard of because by removing the overwhel...

Bought by KPRG, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KPRG, Prairie Public, and WQCS


  • Added: Feb 21, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:06
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Monarchs
We feature the first rock and roll songs that you've never heard by musicians you've never heard of because public radio can ignore the overwhelmin...

Bought by KPRG, KFCF FM, Prairie Public, WQCS, and KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio]


  • Added: Feb 14, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:01
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Lou Reed before he was "Lou Reed"
Every week, another 85 songs you've never heard as we search for the heart and soul that later was declared "rock and roll." Fact is, there was no...

Bought by Prairie Public, KFCF FM, KPRG, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], WQCS and more


  • Added: Feb 08, 2022
  • Length: 02:57:02
  • Purchases: 6