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Abstract
A distinctly Pentecostal music and worship style has strongly affected rock and roll. This influence has been both indirect, through Pentecostal influence on gospel music, and direct, via a surprising number of rock artists who grew up in or were exposed early to Pentecostal settings. Among those rock and soul artists are many in the highest echelons of rock performance and song writing, including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, B. B. King, James Brown, Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone, Al Green, and many others. One explanation of Pentecostal influence rests on the parallels between Pentecostalism and rock, both of which feature ecstatic music drawing on West African roots.
Notes
1. This and all subsequent mentions of Billboard top forty rankings (including phrases such as “pop top forty” and “top forty hits”) are based on CitationJoel Whitburn's definitive reference work, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 7th edition.
2. See, for example, Robert A. CitationMills (“Musical Prayers” 109–26).
3. This quote is widely attributed to Janet Jackson, but I have been unable to locate the original source.
4. Compare the charts of Pentecostal origins by CitationHollenweger (2) and of rock and soul roots by CitationMaultsby (183). The similarities are noteworthy. Missing on CitationMaultsby's excellent chart are the direct connections between several genres, including gospel and rock. A larger and more detailed representation would certainly show them.