In the early 1950s, rock ‘n roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States. It mostly resembled the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s which also developed from earlier blues. It is also known to be influenced by gospel, country and western, and swing music.

In modern times, we are mostly used to the term Rock Music, which in turn is just another word for rock ‘n roll. Rock ‘n roll has many different sub-genres in its works. Much different gospel, blues, and swing recordings used the phrase ‘rocking and rolling’ before the term rock ‘n roll was used.

In 1951, Alan Freed, a disc jockey based in Cleveland, started playing rock ‘n roll music and popularized the term of ‘’rock ‘n roll’’. He was the first mainstream disc jockey and concert producer to frequently play and promote the rock and roll genre. The first rock ‘n roll albums can be traced back to the 1940s by music and rock ‘n roll purists.

Alan Freed has been regarded by many as the creator of the term rock ‘n roll and received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 1991. He is respected in many ways by rock ‘n roll and music overall by fighting racism in the music genre of blues and rock ‘n roll.

The first time in history that the word rock was used to describe music or an artist can be traced back to 1938 when Metronome Magazine stated that ”Harry James Rocks”. By the 1940s, the term ”rock ‘n roll” was used by record review Billboard journalist and columnist, Maurie Redeker.