When one thinks of rock icons, legends like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and The Beatles come to mind. These artists shaped the future of the genre, and their influence is palpable: Not only have generations of musicians imitated these trailblazers’ styles and covered their songs, but there has been a myriad of documentaries and biopics about their life and work—especially in recent years. However, even the most famous and transformative rock acts were inspired by their predecessors, and these early rock and roll stars are rarely addressed in films and popular histories.

The sad irony of this exclusion is that early rock artists often dealt with marginalization all their lives. Not only were they pioneering a radical new form of music, but many were also women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals fighting for success amid rampant discrimination. Ahead, the stories of these oft-neglected kings and queens of rock and roll who inspired the likes of Little Richard, Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones, and countless others. In these trailblazers’ stories are the roots of modern rock music and even fandom culture.

10

Tommy Steele

Before Frankie Avalon and The Beatles became teenage heartthrobs, the world had Tommy Steele. The London native was discovered at a coffee bar and went on to perform hits such as “Singing the Blues” and “Rock with the Caveman,” which topped charts in the United Kingdom and beyond. With his clean-cut looks and youthful charm, he set the stage for future teen idols. Indeed, his managers targeted the teen girl demographic by setting up publicity stunts at debutante balls and television appearances—strategies that generations of boy bands would later imitate.

But unlike other teen stars of the era like Frankie Lymon, Steele didn’t have his career cut short by tragedy. In the 1960s, he pivoted to acting, starring in shows on Broadway and the West End as well as in several films. He remains active as an author and sculptor, and was knighted in 2020 for his contributions to entertainment and his charitable endeavors.

9

Ruth Brown

Before Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday, there was Ruth Brown. Born to a sharecropper family in Virginia, she grew up sneaking out at night to hear shows and eventually began singing onstage herself. After performing in a handful of short-lived groups, including a duo with her then-husband, she was discovered by Duke Ellington and signed with Atlantic Records.

It was one of the best decisions the label ever made: Brown is now credited with having built Atlantic Records, touring extensively throughout the 1950s and ‘60s after the runaway success of her hits “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” and “Lucky Lips.” She admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that she was “one of the few female artists that made appearances in the deep South. Every place that there was a stage, no matter what the economic situation was, even in the midst of the worst period of segregation—I was always there.” She was so dedicated to performing that she even found herself changing clothes in the backs of cars after being denied dressing rooms in white-only venues.

8

Wanda Jackson

At the start of her career, Wanda Jackson stayed close to her Oklahoma roots by releasing country hits like “You Can’t Have My Love,” a duet with Billy Gray that broke the Country Top Ten. It wasn’t until Elvis himself suggested she transition to rock music that Jackson finally made the jump—and it certainly paid off.

Jackson’s powerful, gritty voice seemed made for rockabilly music, leading her to capture global attention with her 1960 single “Let’s Have a Party.” She charted thirty times during her twenty-year career and lived to see herself dubbed the “Queen of Rockabilly” and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. The contrast between her glamorous stage presence and her edgy vocals has influenced generations of musicians, from Shania Twain to Heart and even Hole’s Courtney Love. In sum, Jackson helped redefine what it means to be a woman in music.

7

Richard Berry

Richard Berry may have been popular in the 1950s, but his impact on music is still being felt today. Born in Louisiana but raised in Los Angeles, Berry was exposed to a wide variety of music from a young age and was influenced by Frank Sinatra and Chuck Berry as well as Caribbean genres like cha-cha and calypso. These diverse inspirations led him to write the 1957 song “Louie, Louie,” which has since been hailed as the first punk song. Its elusive lyrics, which fail to follow any linear narrative, famously attracted the attention of the FBI, which thought the lyrics contained a secret message.

While Berry penned the track, The Kingsmen popularized it in 1963. It has since been covered by Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Black Flag, Tom Petty, Ike & Tina Turner, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and countless others. While Berry still receives minimal attention for his original blueprint, it remains the ultimate playbook for contemporary rock and punk.

6

Johnny Otis

Johnny Otis was more than just a musician. He was a bandleader, advocate, and producer who helped integrate American music amid segregation. Born in Vallejo, California, Otis was the son of Greek immigrants but grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood in Berkeley. This experience made him an ardent civil rights advocate who refused to participate in segregation, aligning himself with the African American community in his personal and professional life.

As a young man, Otis also fostered his passion for music, performing as a drummer, singer, and composer in swing orchestras throughout the 1940s. As his star grew, he began discovering talented fellow musicians and supported their nascent careers. Big Mama Thornton, Jackie Wilson, and Little Esther Phillips are just a few of the artists he supported, earning him the moniker “the Godfather of Rhythm and Blues.” He even performed with a few of these artists, drumming and performing backup vocals on Big Mama Thornton’s iconic hit “Hound Dog.” In a beautiful full circle moment, Etta James—who he discovered in the early 1950s—inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

5

LaVern Baker

It seems that Chicago-born LaVern Baker was born for greatness. Her aunt, Merline Johnson, was a celebrated jazz singer, and Baker grew up watching her record music in the studio and perform onstage. From early on, Baker performed as well, getting her start in jazz music before moving into the rhythm and blues music that dominated the Chicago club scene.

But Baker didn’t just imitate the music of her time—she made it her own. From the beginning of her career, she infused R&B with the dance music of the time and was one of the first musicians referred to in the context of the new “rock and roll” genre. A heavy hitter of the 1950s, she was one of the few women included in Alan Freed’s rock and roll programming and even starred in his 1956 movie Rock Rock Rock! Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, Baker’s legacy lives on through the genre’s very existence and through her advocacy for artists’ rights: She took an outspoken stand against record covering, particularly amid the prevalence of white performers playing (and taking credit for) the work of Black singers and songwriters

4

Bill Haley

If you’ve ever seen the beloved 1973 classic American Graffiti, then you’ve heard Bill Haley. His band, Bill Haley & the Comets, was famous in the early 1950s for their song “Rock Around the Clock,” which became an anthem for the era’s flourishing youth culture. Indeed, Haley is often called the “Father of Rock and Roll” and his first single, “Crazy Man Crazy,” is considered by many to be the first true rock song. A true visionary, he melded country, doo wop, pop, and blues into his sound.

While Haley found popularity with “Rock Around the Clock,” “See You Later, Alligator,” “Rocket 88,” and other early hits, his fame dwindled by the end of the decade. A balding, middle-aged man, his image no longer embodied by the youthful spirit of rock music. As a result, he was eclipsed by younger stars such as Elvis Presley and Little Richard. Haley’s legacy lives on, however, with his early hits continuing to define the spirit of the 1950s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

3

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, Arkansas and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Sister Rosetta Tharpe started performing with her mother at a young age. By the time she was four, she was singing and playing guitar in church and, later, with an evangelist music troupe that traveled throughout the U.S. As both her and talent and fame grew, she experimented with jazz and rhythm and blues elements that both nodded to her faith and challenged the then-prevailing conventions of Christian music.

In 1938, Tharpe recorded her music for the first time with Decca Records, releasing “Rock Me,” “That’s All, “The Lonesome Road,” and “My Man and I.” The album sparked the beginning of Tharpe’s reputation as “the Godmother of rock and roll,” with music critic Maurie Orodenker commenting, “It’s Sister Rosetta Tharpe for the rock and roll spiritual singing.” Her work would go on to inspire Elvis, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, and more. Chuck Berry even went so far to say, “My whole career has been one long Sister Rosetta Tharpe impression.” In spite of her influence, Tharpe remains overshadowed by those who drew from her distinctive musical style. She was not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until 2018.

2

Ma Rainey

Ma Rainey, also known as the “Mother of the Blues,” is one of the earliest recorded American blues singers. In the words of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “Whatever you heard before, it was not the blues—because no one else sang the blues like Ma Rainey.” Her soulful contralto made a lasting impact on the blues genre that can be heard through the years in artists like Janis Joplin, Big Mama Thornton, and Amy Winehouse.

Rainey even inspired literary icons like Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, August Wilson. The latter wrote the play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom about her in 1982, which was later adapted into a film in 2020. Rainey has also been recognized as an LGBTQ icon: Songs such as “Prove It on Me Blues” contained direct references to lesbianism, bisexuality, and cross-dressing, prompting women like Angela Davis to call Ma Rainey’s music a “lesbian-affirming” anthem of “defiance and self-worth.”

1

Big Mama Thornton

Ever since Doja Cat sampled Big Mama Thornton in “Vegas,” the latter has experienced a long-overdue resurgence in popularity. Indeed, she was only recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024—nearly 40 years after Elvis Presley, who famously covered her song “Hound Dog,” was inducted. Thornton has also been covered by the likes of Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, and James Taylor, and has inspired countless musicians classic and contemporary, from Tina Turner to the Alabama Shakes.

Willie Mae Thornton, AKA Big Mama Thornton, was born in Alabama but spent much of her early career in Houston, where she helped develop the “Texas blues” style. Soon, she was a regular on the “Chitlin’ Circuit” (a string of venues throughout the South and East where it was considered safe for Black artists to play), making a name for herself with her powerful voice and presence. With sexual lyrics, open lesbianism, and larger-than-life stage presence, Thornton challenged the rigid conventions of femininity and embodied the iconoclasm at the heart of rock and roll. Without her, the entire genre may very well have lacked its rebellious spirit from the start.