The (Possible) Origin of Rock 'n' Roll
Did rock 'n' roll emerge from traveling tent shows in the early 20th century?
In Part 5 of the Roots of Cool series, I discussed minstrel shows, an early form of live entertainment in America. Below, we’ll look at a specific minstrel show that may have birthed what became rock ‘n’ roll.
I’ve been watching music documentaries as part of my research for this project. In my mind, coolness and vibes are linked to the evolution of American music in the 20th century, and these documentaries are a treasure trove of fascinating stories and people.
One documentary that stood out is The Last Waltz, which covers The Band's farewell show in 1976. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, includes interviews with band members between performances. During these interviews, I came to admire Levon Helm and his smooth brand of Southern coolness.
Helm, born in Arkansas, was the drummer and one of three singers in The Band. In the interviews with Scorsese, Helm and bandmate Robbie Robertson discuss the origins of rock ‘n’ roll.
Tent Shows and the Midnight Rambles
The story they tell is about a traveling tent show called Rabbit Foot Minstrels. This show played in the South between 1900 and 1959 and featured all Black performers. The shows included comedy skits along with blues and ragtime.
After the normal show was over, the show sold tickets to the “Midnight Ramble,” which wasn’t for families or kids. This was where the performers could let loose.
Helm describes the scene:
From the video:
The songs would get a little bit juicier, the jokes would get a little funnier, and the prettiest dancer would really get down and shake it a few times. A lot of the rock ‘n’ roll duck walks and steps and moves came from that.
Bandmate Robbie Robertson continues:
Robertson in the video:
So when you see Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley really shaking it up, it didn’t come out of nowhere, it didn’t come out of the air. It was the local entertainment that everybody was going to see. So when they exposed it to the rest of the world, it was like this unknown beast that had come out of the grotesque of music that the devil had sent.
You could imagine young people in the 1930s or 40s experiencing a midnight ramble and feeling like they had experienced something new and formative. It’s impossible to know the exact origin of rock ‘n’ roll, but this seems plausible.
Before his death in 2012, Helm hosted his own midnight rambles at his barn in Woodstock, New York.
More on Walcott’s Rabbit’s Foot Minstrels
Unlike the racist minstrels of the 1800s, which featured white actors in blackface, this show was owned, operated, and performed by African Americans starting in 1900. The owner, Pat Chappelle, made The Rabbit’s Foot Show a cultural force.
In 1902 Chappelle stated that he had:
"…accomplished what no other Negro has done – he has successfully run a Negro show without the help of a single white man."
When he died in 1911, Fred Swift Wolcott, a white man, took over and renamed the show F. S. Wolcott’s Rabbit’s Foot Minstrels. This new show continued to feature only Black performers until it ended in 1959.
Read Series 1 of the Vibes Project: The Roots of Cool