If you could ask 6 musicians to explain Rock and Roll to you?

[Averageman]

Who would they be?
Chuck Berry, because it all started with Chuck and he was as good as he ever was until he died.
Elvis, because he was M'F'ing Elvis.
And here's where it gets tricky....
Do you go with a White Band early, or are you going to be honest and say;
Bo Diddley? Because Bo Diddley was the king of the ring.
Then you have further consternation with;
James Brown or Al Green or WTF The Beatles?

Then it only gets crazier.

[titsonritz]

Just don't ask Bon Scott who said, "I wouldn't know the first thing about music." but he also said "It keeps you fit - the alcohol, nasty women, sweat on stage, bad food - it's all very good for you."

[Straight Shooter]

1. Hendricks
2 Nugent
3. Jagger
4. Eddie V.H.
5. Bonham
6. Gilmore

[SteyrAUG]

I don't need it explained and I'd probably disagree with many of the explanations.

What it means to me vs. what it means to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles or whoever are probably completely different things because I'm not trying to innovate, understand or define.

I can understand talent, influences and things like that but what moves me isn't going to be what motivated and drove those guys. Now if I was a recording artist, then maybe I'd be inclined to have that conversation.

[TexHill]

Rock-n-Roll can trace its roots straight to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Clapton and Richards have both stated that they copied her guitar technique.

[TomMcC]

I might go back even further, since a lot of the rock greats were influenced quite a lot by the blues.

Willie Dixon
Muddy
Howlin'
B.B
Albert King
John Lee

[GH41]

I'd ask them what drug contributed most to their success? Having the resources to employee their personal Dr. Feelgood doesn't always work out.

[THCDDM4]

I wouldn’t waste my time discussing this with any musician. I’d rather pull out and axe and Jam instead- much more to be learned about Rock’n’roll by experiencing it together.

[SteyrAUG]

I might go back even further, since a lot of the rock greats were influenced quite a lot by the blues.

Willie Dixon
Muddy
Howlin'
B.B
Albert King
John Lee

Yep, I don't think any form of music can trace it's roots to single source. There are obviously primary influences and without a doubt early R&B drove rock n roll.

Even recent music styles such as rap and hip hop go much farther back than the 1975 origins most people credit with being the first. There were rhyming r&b DJs going back to the 1950s even if it probably doesn't qualify as a new music style. It was both founded on disco instrumentals and at the same time a rejection of disco while also being a sub genre of R&B.

[soulezoo]

Guess I would ask Glen Campbell, Chet Atkins, Roy Clark and Jerry Reed