Big Blue Huddle

For all of you old rock and rollers. Who is the first rock and roll star to record with a full orchestra?

Bill

 Are you asking to know, or do you know and are asking if we know?

I am an old doo-wop guy. Many of the 'older' groups, like the Drifters used to record with a full orchestra and that goes back to the later 50's, if this is something you are inquiring about. I'm sure there were other groups, like the Platters that also recorded with a full orchestra.
Who was the 1st, gosh, who knows? I do know there is an equal argument as to which was the 1st ever rock and roll song. There are many who say a song called "Rocket 88" was the first rock and roll song ever recorded and then others say it was "60 Minute Man'. Since those groups and most others didn't have their own instruments, they used outside music, probably from orchestras.

If you know, I'd be happy to know myself.

I was thinking maybe the Moody Blues, but the more I thought about it, the more I think the Beatles...probably in their song, "A Day in the Life"

Truth is...I haven't a clue. I think it's more common now, then back in the 60's where it was likely used first. Songs like Coldplay's, "Viva la Vida", or Damn Yankees, "High Enough"...those two jump out at me off the top of my head. Shinedown uses some orchestra's instruments (a lot actually), mostly violins and cellos throughout the background in his songs, used primarily to soften the harshness of pure rock. A full-blown symphony orchestra is pretty rare, unless it's a live performance celebrating a previous recording that was a past hit...IMO
 

No idea, but looking forward to the answer though.

I don't have a definitive answer. I remember when the Beatles got a lot of credit when they started using an orchestra on their albums. Maybe Sgt. Pepper. But I  knew that others before them had used orchestras. A Google search left me no more sure than when I started looking. One post said that The Skyliners used one on "Since I don't have you"  That was recorded in 1958. I  thought it may have been Buddy Holly when he recorded "True Love Ways" also recorded in 1958. That's all that I  know about it.

Bill

As I said previously, I know theDrifters used an orchestra when they recorded many of their hits, and that was late 50s and early 60's.

From Wikipedia

When Atlantic decided to send the new Drifters into the studio, Ertegun and Wexler were too busy to produce the sessions, so they hired Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had been successful producing the Coasters. With Leiber and Stoller producing, this new lineup—widely considered the "true" golden age of the group—released several singles with King on lead that became chart hits. "There Goes My Baby",[17] the first commercial rock-and-roll recording to include a string orchestra, was a top-10 hit, and number 193 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. "Dance with Me" followed and then "This Magic Moment"[17] (number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960). "Save the Last Dance for Me" reached number one on the U.S. pop charts and number two in the UK. It was followed by "I Count the Tears". This version of the Drifters was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000 as Ben E. King and the Drifters. The write-up indicates an award primarily as a tribute to Ben E. King with a nod to his time in the Drifters, only one of five paragraphs being exclusively devoted to the Drifters, although Charlie Thomas was also cited by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame's induction of the original Drifters, which technically was only through 1958).

Again there seems to be different answers to the question. There goes my baby was recorded by the Drifters in 1959. Buddy Holly recorded True love ways in 1958. So I suppose the answer depends on who you believe.

Bill

According to Chat AI.

The first rock and roll star to record with an orchestra is often considered to be Elvis Presley. In 1962, he recorded the song "Can't Help Falling in Love," which featured orchestral arrangements. This marked a significant moment in music history, blending rock and roll with orchestral elements and showcasing the versatility of the genre.

Quote from: Ed Vette on August 14, 2024, 09:17:55 PMAccording to Chat AI.

The first rock and roll star to record with an orchestra is often considered to be Elvis Presley. In 1962, he recorded the song "Can't Help Falling in Love," which featured orchestral arrangements. This marked a significant moment in music history, blending rock and roll with orchestral elements and showcasing the versatility of the genre.

That's wrong.  I know that Buddy Holly recorded "True love ways" in 1958. One of my favorite Buddy Holly songs.

Bill

Not trying to hijack this topic, but we go to these outdoor concerts in the NY area. Last night we went to see the almost original 'Elegants' who sang Little Star. The reason I brought it up as during the concert they did a tribute to Buddy Holly, and said they performed with him a week before he boarded that plane and perished. They weren't supposed to fly with him, but it really got to them, as basically young kids, meeting and singing with Holly, and a week later he was gone.

Buddy Holly was a musical genius. He had an amazing number of hits and was only 22 when he died in the plane crash. I  have several of his songs on my Playlist. Also have seen the play "Buddy" a number of times. I suppose it is a reflection of being an old fart!

Bill

I have a HOF question,  not meaning to hijack your thread.

How in the heck is Neil Sedaka not in the HOF  ???

Quote from: Giant Obsession on August 17, 2024, 07:29:10 AMI have a HOF question,  not meaning to hijack your thread.

How in the heck is Neil Sedaka not in the HOF  ???

R&R HOF is a joke. It's run by clowns who use their own preferences only, totally ignoring sales, popularity, number of hits, and especially, whether the inductees have anything whatsoever to do with "Rock". If Sedaka didn't make it, it's because the "Lords of Rock and Roll" (the committee behind closed doors making HOF decisions) didn't care for him or had a personal beef with someone

A bigger travesty, IMHO, is the snubbing of Tommy James and the Shondells, and Three Dog Night. No rock group sold more records in '68 and '69 than those two groups - and that includes the Beatles in those years...maybe you've heard of them

James had 14 hits, none bigger than "I Think We're Alone Now", and "Crystal Blue Persuasion". So popular that James' no.1 hit "Mony, Mony" was copied by Billy Idol, which made him a star. And Joan Jett (R&RHOF) also copied James with her hit "Crimson and Clover"...but I digress. Three Dog Night ran off a dozen hits and have been snubbed - makes no sense at all

Yet, Willie Nelson is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and never played a rock lick in his life...and then there's all the rappers who have been inducted to the R&R HOF...duh 

A movie/documentary I highly recommend is "Muscle Shoals"  It is about a small recording studio in Louisiana. Amazing group of famous people who recorded there. It can be found on Tubi I think.

Bill

 Many feel th

Quote from: Giant Obsession on August 17, 2024, 07:29:10 AMI have a HOF question,  not meaning to hijack your thread.

How in the heck is Neil Sedaka not in the HOF  ???

Many feel the same way about Johnny Maestro--first of the Crests and then of the Brooklyn Bridge. Many have said he had the best voice they had ever heard.