Rock ’N’ Roll

Rock ’N’ Roll Rock ’n’ roll originated from a number of other traditions and genres. From jazz came swing rhythm, walking bass lines, the use of drums and horns, and the idea of improvising soloists. The electric guitar was first used in jazz and Western swing (a jazz-influenced form of country). The nonsense syllables used by rock ’n’ roll vocal groups—the dom-bi-doo-bi’s and diddley-bop-bop’s—find a precedent in jazz scat singing. And in their approach to arrangements, some of the earliest…