I noted with eager anticipation your article in Saturday’s Echo advertised as “Who would be in your greatest rock and roll band?”
Unfortunately when I read the article I realised that your contributors had made the common mistake of confusing rock and roll with rock music.
Virtually every artist selected has a pedigree in rock (John Bonham, Johnny Marr, Bruce Springsteen), Soul (Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye), Blues (Stevie Ray Vaughn) or pure Pop (Debbie Harry, Glen Tilbrook, Queen).
It is highly doubtful that any of the selected artists have ever played pure rock and roll, with the possible exceptions of Shakin’ Stevens and Jimmy Page as a session musician in the early 1960s!
Rock and roll originated from swing, jitterbug and blues, evolving through artists such as Bill Haley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, (early) Presley, the Beatles, Cliff, Eddie Cochran, Billy Fury and then their more modern successors – Dave Edmunds and Shakin’ Stevens.
Geoff Smith (Roll and Roll musician), address supplied, Poole
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