With the death of Jerry Lee Lewis on October, 28, 2022 we lost the last of the initial inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When Little Richard died on May 9, 2020, we lost one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century.
In 2021, Don Everly of the Everly Brothers passed, as did Lloyd Price. We previously lost Chuck Berry on March 18, 2017. And on Oct. 24, 2017, Fats Domino died at 89. Their deaths got us thinking: How many of the first-generation rock ’n’ rollers are still with us? Certainly, a scroll through the list of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees—particularly those who made it into the first few classes—is sobering. We lost Buddy Holly all the way back in 1959, of course, and since then, Elvis, James Brown, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, Bo Diddley, Roy Orbison and so many others. Each of them left so much behind that future generations will savor.
But the good news is that a few of the founders of the music still walk this Earth. They’re all getting up there in the years, so let’s honor them now. After all, they gave us rock ’n’ roll!
A few criteria: We restricted the list to individuals who made their mark as recording artists under their own names. Hence, folks who are chiefly songwriters, producers, studio musicians, etc.—albeit all-important behind-the-scenes movers and shakers—are not being considered for this mini-survey. Secondly, each artist has to have recorded his/her first hit in the 1950s. And finally, we kept it to artists who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; there are, thankfully, quite a few other worthy elders who qualified for the list.
Here’s our salute to the survivors, in alphabetical order…
Dion (July 18, 1939): If you ask a youngish listener today their favorite song by Dion, chances are they’ll think you’re talking about Celine Dion. No, silly. We’re talking about the single-named guy from Da Bronx (no one ever called him by his last name, DiMucci) who, whether working with his group the Belmonts or on his own, was the picture of cool. He’s even cooler now, mostly playing the blues, his first love. He released a new album in 2024, Girl Friends. The duets collection includes songs with Carlene Carter and Susan Tedeschi. Hits: “Runaround Sue,” “The Wanderer,” “A Teenager in Love,” “Ruby Baby,” “Abraham, Martin and John”
Related: Our feature on “Abraham, Martin and John”
Ronald Isley (May 21, 1941): Along with founding siblings O’Kelly Isley, who died in 1986, and Rudolph, who died in 2023, they were among the most malleable of R&B teams, adapting to the changes in the music as the decades rolled on. There’s still a version of the group in action today, too. Hits: “Shout—Part 1,” “Twist and Shout,” “It’s Your Thing,” “That Lady (Part 1)”
The Isley Brothers’ music is available here.
Wanda Jackson (October 20, 1937): Even today, we still tend to think of the early rockers as guys. And for the most part that’s true. But there were plenty of young women cutting raw, nothing-held-back rockabilly tunes and this Oklahoman was one of the finest. She was actually successful in Japan before she hit here, and when she finally got noticed in her home country in 1960 it was with a two-year old track. She later had much more success in the country field, but those early Wanda Jackson rock ’n’ roll sides for Capitol Records were the real deal. In 2021, at age 83, she released a new studio album, Encore. Hits: “Fujiyama Mama,” “Let’s Have a Party,” “Mean Mean Man,” “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad,” “Honey Bop”
Jackson’s recordings are available here.
Brenda Lee (December 11, 1944): Like fellow Southerner Wanda Jackson, Brenda Lee had to work just a little bit harder to find her way into the male-dominated rock ’n’ roll world. And she, too, later had much greater success in country music. But for several years, she was all over the best-seller charts, with both stone rockers and emotional ballads. In December 2023, Lee set a record when her “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” topped the Hot 100 for the first time ever, 65 years after the song’s debut. Hits: “Sweet Nothin’s,” “I’m Sorry,” “I Want to Be Wanted,” “All Alone Am I”
Lee’s recordings are available here.
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33 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationNo Neil Sedaka????
“…we kept it to artists who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…”
Who gives a shit about the RARHOF. All surviving rockers should be noted…
I totally agree. For example, Connie Francis is still with us but she has yet to be inducted. To hell with the RRHOF. She scored big in the 1950s with a string of hits like “Stupid Cupid”, “Lipstick On Your Collar” and “Who’s Sorry Now?”, then “Where The Boys Are” in 1961. With respect to Brenda Lee, if she can be considered rock and roll, so certainly can Connie Francis.
YES! The RARHOF should have to give up that name since they keep inducting recent artists who do not play r&r. There are so many great R&R artists from the 50s and 60s whom they ignore.
I realise your available space & time are not unlimited, but the named list of departed greats might (should?) have included Gene Vincent & Eddie Cochran
Also, Dick Richards and Joey Ambrose of Bill Haley’s Comets, Jerry Allison of Buddy Holly’s Crickets and Dickie Harrell and Tommy Facenda of Gene Vincent’s Blue Caps, all inducted into the hall of fame in 2012, are still with us.
JI joined Buddy the day after Don’s first anniversary
As great as Dion is, it seems he’s part of the next wave of rockers, more so, than the pioneers of rock. Both stylistically and by chronologically.
You may just as well as asked for Pat Boone. This article is about Rockers…not Teeny Boppers. Just kidding, sort of, but I like Greg’s response that only ROCK and Roll Hall of Famers still with us. (Besides, there are more Best Classic Bands articles to come, plenty of time to wait on fan favorites).
Yesterday Once more
When I was young i listened to the radio
Oh those times made me smile …
Dion DiMucci is still the man with the golden voice. He’s had his ups and downs like everyone else but has come through it as a survivor. He was touring with Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper & Richie Valens and won the coin toss to take the plane that went down but decided to let Bopper take his place. The rest is history. Pure luck that saved and changed Dions life. If he plays in your town, don’t miss his show. He’s still a great songwriter and singer…
I thought that was Waylon Jennings.
There were actually several people in the entourage who drew the lucky card and didn’t get on that plane. Both Dion and Waylon were among them.
According to Waylon Jennings it was him who switched seats and he said there was no coin toss.
I think that Dion took the bus instead of the plane because the plane cost $36 & that was the cost of rent for his parents apartment on Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, where I came from too. ” You talking to me” I still sound like.
Dion is one of the Great singers of any generation. And has maintained a also has grown as a performer. His 2014 album
“New York Is My Home” Is one of the best albums of his genre and Rock n Roll in a very long time, it’s just not main stream, (ugh) today.
Yes, it’s an excellent album! As you said, he continues to move forward with his music while still paying respects to his past.
How about a late 2019 update of this list?
Nothing has changed since we last updated it, as far as we know.
How about Bobby Rydell, Paul Anka & Frankie Avalon???
They’re not first generation. Some might question whether they’re rockers. But thanks for the suggestions.
How about Chubby Checker? His first record came out in 1959, and he is still alive and working. He actually had a chart hit as recently as 2008, and a new single as recently as 2013.
Little Anthony, every bit as much as Dion and the Isley Brothers, should be on your list.
JAMES BURTON.
Ya, James kills it on guitar first playing for Ricky Nelson from his parents tv show, Ozzie & Harriet, to Elvis the Pelvis Presley. James still cooks.
Neil Sedaka hello!
We love him, but he’s more 2nd generation.
Frankie Valli?
He may not be PHYSICALLY with us but Les Paul LIVES ON. I maintain that “How High the Moon” was the first rock & roll record. You can find it now in digital stereo. It’s terrific.
I played the 45 plastic over and over…and over until my father came into my room to protest.
…Jerry Allison is gone now,,august 2022…
What happened to Jimmy Clanton. He was one of the first to play Alan Freed’s first New York show