Some people talk about wearing their emotions on their sleeves; Tyler one ups the sentiment.

Borrow from the Best The most obvious example of borrowing from the best lies in the evolution of rock and roll itself, which borrowed heavily from rhythm and blues, deeply rooted in black culture. Some even say rock pioneers stole the soul of African American music, which emerged from a culture of suffering and survival to become America’s most unique and globally dominating art form. Elvis was a key innovator who combined soul and gospel, the sounds that surrounded him in his youth, to create a new sound that mainstream culture gobbled up.

The massification of his roots, which stemmed from exposure to black culture and music, divided pop music culture into two eras- “B.E.” and “A.E.”-which not only changed contemporary music but changed cultural values around the world as well.

The transition of blues and soul to rock and roll was not limited to Elvis and Bill Haley; some first movers within minority markets, such as Louis Armstrong, Nat “King” Cole, and Chuck Berry, achieved substantial mass market success. Following a trickle up approach, they broke through the traditional race based market barriers to reach and dazzle mainstream markets. But even rural blues stars like B.B. King achieved greater success because of the massification of his product by the likes of the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. In fact, today, his records sell to more white consumers than African American fans.

Two white singers who helped pave the way for mainstream adoption of B.B. King were Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley. Like Elvis, they listened to black singers such as Charlie & Ray and Jessie and Marvin, duplicating their soul based, close harmony songs so well that they were booked at black oriented clubs. During one of their appearances, one fan yelled to them on stage, “That’s righteous, brothers.” You know how the story goes from here. Millions of records and scads of sold out concerts later, it was clear that fans of all colors had embraced rock and roll sounds derived from the African American culture. Hatfield and Medley were honored as the Righteous Brothers at the 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for their “blue eyed soul” music. At that same induction ceremony, Elton John acknowledged the debt rock and rollers owe to the blues musicians who developed the art form that led to rock and roll’s dominance among global music and culture.

Nonetheless, some artists, such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Fats Domino, began attracting more and more white consumers as fans. Among them were small groups of DJs (today referred to as “on air personalities”) who spun Patti Page, Frank Sinatra, and Pat Boone records in the daytime, but fiddled with their AM receivers at night, listening to music from WLAC and other Southern stations. Though they couldn’t yet broadcast this music, they understood the impact its sound and messages would have on American culture. They became fans who would play an important role in the eventual migration of ethnic music to the mainstream culture, because at that time DJs were gatekeepers of the music world.

As music styles began to blend, so did audiences. Although most country and bluegrass music enthusiasts were white, there were plenty of black listeners who didn’t have access to the few black oriented stations in large cities. Some listened to Grand Ole Opry from Nashville and responded when black performers Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley incorporated a little bit of country or rockabilly into their songs. Likewise, many white GIs listened and danced to R&B and blues in the slightly more integrated environment of World War II. By the 1950s, many key market segments (mainly young people, often living in Southern or Midwestern regions) had developed-the appeal of the music was too universal to remain in the minority culture. In his speech at the 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Elton John acknowledged the contributions of these early R&B performers. He said, “Every person owes their musical heritage to their influence; we owe our heritage to black artists because that was the best music to listen to,” adding sentiments about the influence they had on his career.