3 Forgotten Old-School Rock Hits From the 50s You Need To Revisit

The 50s may not feel like the decade with the most amazing rock and roll choices. But without that decade, we may not have the genre of music at all. So, let’s be thankful for the era! So much formed and reformed in the 1950s. New sounds and styles and musical lineups were being invented in the moment that would go on to impact the next 75 years of song.

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Here below, we wanted to take a moment to look back on the 50s to remember some songs that many of us might have forgotten. This trio of tracks from that time period is not only totally worth listening to again, but also helped shape what rock and roll would be years and decades later. Indeed, these are three forgotten classic rock hits from the 50s worth hearing again.

“Good Golly, Miss Molly” by Little Richard from ‘Little Richard’ (1956)

You can almost hear the genre coming up through the primordial ooze on this song. Part rhythm and blues, part ragtime, and all style, Little Richard‘s “Good Golly, Miss Molly” demonstrates the beginnings of rock music. It’s not the standard drums, bass, guitar, and lead singer that 50s artists like Buddy Holly would employ. But there would be no Holly without Little Richard. His voice is like a bright neon sign in the darkness, a light so many flocked to and learned from.

“There Goes My Baby” by The Drifters (Single, 1959)

While this song hit no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release, it’s not often thought of today when considering the early rock and roll hits. It’s hard to classify this song in any genre. But it clearly influenced the growth of rock with its bite and musical grip. There is light guitar underneath the track, and you can almost picture younger musicians listening to this tune and figuring out how to turn the vocal sound into an exploding rock tone with electric guitars and big drums. We all stand on the shoulders of someone, and rock artists owe so much to The Drifters in the 50s.

“Shake, Rattle And Roll” by Bill Haley And His Comets (Single, 1954)

A silly song about making breakfast, this track takes from the rhythm and blues tradition in American music and gives it a faster beat and a bit more energy. The chorus itself is enough to inspire a new music genre unto itself. Like the Helen of Troy’s face, which launched 1,000 ships to war, Bill Haley And His Comets launched 1,000 musicians in their wake to pick up the guitar and start writing songs that would go on to change the world.

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