Antedating of "Rock and Roll"

[Shapiro, Fred]

rock and roll (OED, s.v. rock 'n' roll n. 2., July 1954)

1954 _Variety_ 13 Jan. 67/4 (Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive)  Harlem's head house holds an athletic, satisfying bill, topped by recently risen thrush Faye Adams ... Both male vocalists, Mr. Stringbean (see New Acts) and Al Savage, do nothing more than complement Morris and crew in their separate renditiions.  Savage opens up with a hot rock 'n' roll piece which for a second only he holds with his thin pipes, but by the second upbeat he comes through simply as another instrument in the band.

Fred Shapiro

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