Rulers of Rock 'n' Roll

12" Wooden Ruler made in U.S.A. from American-grown basswood. Disk jockey Alan Freed at radio station WJW in Cleveland, Ohio, popularized the term Rock and Roll in 1954, although he probably didn’t invent it. The term refers to a style of popular music that originated in the United States and is typified by a dance rhythm with an accentuated backbeat. Later on, in the 1960’s, the genre evolved and is from then on often simply called “rock music”. Our ruler celebrates the full range of rock ‘n’ roll, but with a heavy emphasis on the musicians of the mid- and late 1950’s and early 1960’s. In those early days the lead instrument was often the piano, as exemplified by Fats Domino, with his boogie-woogie style of playing. Fats sold 65 million records, more than any other 1950’s rock and roll musician except Elvis Presley. A bit later, a couple of rockabilly guitarists, Bill Haley and Carl Perkins, made their mark, and the guitar became the star. African-American musicians in this period in