Rock-n-roll Accent - spring 2010

A ‘rock ‘n’ roll accent?’ Rhotic and non-rhotic r in rock and roll music

The period of the 1950s and early 1960s was a fertile time for popular music. The genres of rock n’ roll, Soul, and the styles Britpop and rockabilly all began or gained national notice during this time, and the music and singers of this generation continue to influence popular music today: Elvis, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, James Brown, etc. Rock music began in America, and was exported to England, which in turn exported the British Invasion to America, thus augmenting and further popularizing the genre. Since the rock artists of these early days are still so influential today, it is no surprise that their voices and style would be imitated and incorporated by many artists, from their contemporaries to those who could never have heard Buddy Holly or John Lennon at a live concert.

Rock and roll developed out of a confluence of artists from two