Rock and roll emerged in the mid-1950s. The genre combined elements of African American genres such as R&B, blues, and gospel, and in a few years reached wider audiences across America, and later, the world.
Elvis Presley is arguably the greatest ambassador of rock 'n' roll music in history. He helped the genre cross over to mainstream white teenage audiences and helped spread the genre across the globe. But being a genre with its roots in Black music, many musicians came before him. In this gallery, we remember and celebrate them.
Click on to get to know the black artists who shaped rock 'n' roll before Elvis.