The history of rock’n’roll, as told in the songs of Elvis Presley, Little Richard and others

More from this Series

• Johnny B. Goode — Chuck Berry’s 1958 hit celebrated his own rise to fame

  Admired and covered by bands such as The Beatles, the track found new audiences thanks to ‘Back to the Future’

  
• How Not Fade Away inspired a young Mick Jagger to form his own band

  Buddy Holly’s 1957 hit was based on the African ‘juba’ beat popularised by Bo Diddley

  
• Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’: a breakthrough hit haunted by darkness

  The singer’s old label boss called the song ‘a morbid mess’, but it shot to number one in the US

  
• Summertime Blues — Eddie Cochran’s 1958 hit channelled teenage disaffection

  The track has been the subject of some strange and heavy cover versions

  
• The Train Kept A-Rollin’ — how a faulty amp helped create the sound of rock music

  Tiny Bradshaw’s 1951 track might have vanished but for a brutal, distorted version by The Rock and Roll Trio

  
• You Never Can Tell — Chuck Berry’s lyrical genius shines through in his 1964 hit