The 1950s

Relive the birth of rock and roll with articles exploring 1950s music culture, pioneers, and the revolutionary sounds that changed popular music forever.

All About Gig Package Tours

For many years, well into the 1960s, in fact, rock'n'roll followed the time-honoured tradition of the package tour to play to audiences around Britain (it wa...

All About The Impresarios

There were many who tried to make quick money from the rock boom in Britain, not just as performers, but managing acts and organising tours - which was where...

American Rock Stars in The UK

Although Britain had its own rock stars in the 1950s, there was a definite hunger for the authentic American sound. Since the early 1950s American bluesmen a...

Cliff Richard

Cliff - one word is all you need. He's been a star in British music longer than anyone, an icon that transcends generations and who's sold millions of record...

Early British Rockers

By 1956, American rock'n'roll had gained a foothold and fans in Britain. Skiffle was fine, but rock had power and literally, electricity. It was inevitable t...

Lonnie Donegan

He ushered in the rock'n'roll era in Britain and he was the King of Skiffle. He influenced an entire generation of musicians as his hit Rock Island Line insp...

Rock 'n' Roll on TV

It might seem strange at this remove, but in the late 1950s there was a surprising amount of rock on television. The medium was still new, and there was a ne...

Skiffle, Music of the Fifties

For anyone who grew up during the 1950s, or anyone familiar with the music of the time, the term "skiffle" can bring a nostalgic sigh. Long before punk, it w...

The First British Rock Record

Like its American counterpart, British rock'n'roll started in 1954 and one record began it all, as did Elvis with "That's All Right." But unlike the States,...

The Soho Scene & British Rock

Soho has long had a reputation as the bohemian area of London, sometimes seedy, sometimes artistic. It's certainly long been a magnet to those a little outsi...