[78-L] Frosty the Snowman

[Cary Ginell]

The Big Band era did not end in 1942. It was still the dominant form of popular music until at least the late '40s. I would put the big bands' last gasp at the 1948 Petrillo ban, but Chuck Cecil's Swingin' Years takes it as far as "Rock Around the Clock," which really put the final kabosh on it. 

As for "Sh-Boom," it's a common mistake to say that was a rock 'n' roll record. It was not. It helped usher in doo-wop as a major sub-genre since it was the first R&B song in that style that "crossed over" (i.e. having a white group - the Crewcuts - cover the original black version by the Chords). In my opinion, the first rock 'n' roll record had to be a white cover of a black record in the jump/R&B style that was prevalent then. I know that there are as many opinions on this as there are records, but for my money, it was Bill Haley's 1951 cover (Holiday) of Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88" (Chess). Brenston's record is given credit as the first rock 'n' roll record by many pseudo-historians, but this was an R&B boogie record. It took a white hillbilly artist covering it that gave black music the credibility it needed to cross over. That's what Elvis became famous for 3 years later, but Haley was the first to do it. OK, I'll duck now while everyone chimes in.

Cary Ginell


> Two fairly simple facts! First, after the c.1942 demise of the "big band
> era," the record industry had NO useful idea of what would be the next
> big thing! "Rock'n'roll" was just starting to emerge; beyond that, we
> were given innumerable attempts at "dialect" ("Oh, Mein Papa" et al)
> as well as meaningless attempts to create "standards" ("Tennessee
> Waltz," "Shrimp Boats," usw.!)
> 
> Second, "Rudolph..." suggested there was a HUGE untapped market
> for Christmas/holiday tunes! The theoretical audience was the "under
> 6" group...or. more accurately, the parents thereof...?!
> 
> Fortunately for almost ALL of us, 1954 and "Sh-Boom" suddenly
> brought in a whole NEW musical style...!
> 
> Steven C. Barr
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