The History of Rock and Roll

American radio documentary about rock and roll music

The History of Rock and Roll was a radio documentary series on Rock and roll music produced by Bill Drake and Gene Chenault. They produced and syndicated different editions of the documentary in 1969, 1978, and 1981. The 48 hour 1969 edition was written by Pete Johnson, with versions narrated by Robert W. Morgan & Humble Harve Miller. The 52 hour 1978 edition was written by Gary Theroux and narrated by Bill Drake.

1969 edition

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1978 edition

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  • I wanted to write about school because most of my audience at the particular time was of a school element.
  • What they call rock and roll now is rhythm and blues: I've been playing for 15 years in New Orleans.
  • Rock and roll music ... is not rhythm and blues music; it's not country and western music; it's not jazz; it's a combination of these things.

Audio sources

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