Critic's Notebook

Elvis? Roy Brown? Big Joe Turner?

Tomorrow some will celebrate the recording of Elvis's first single as the birth of rock 'n' roll. But 50 years later, the debate over who started it all rages on.

By Steve Morse

Globe Staff / July 4, 2004

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The marketing arm of the rock 'n' roll business is trying to rewrite history. BMG Records, which distributes the Elvis Presley catalog, has decreed July 5, 1954, as rock's birth date -- making tomorrow the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll. What's so special about that spot on the calendar? Elvis recorded his first single, "That's All Right," on that ... (Full Article: 1253 Words)