<P> The phrase rocking and rolling originally described the movement of a ship on the ocean , but it was used by the early twentieth century , both to describe a spiritual fervor and as a sexual analogy . Various gospel , blues and swing recordings used the phrase before it became used more frequently -- but still intermittently -- in the late 1930s and 1940s , principally on recordings and in reviews of what became known as rhythm and blues music aimed at a black audience . In 1951 , Cleveland - based disc jockey Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the term rock and roll to describe it . </P>
<P> The phrase rocking and rolling originally described the movement of a ship on the ocean , but it was used by the early twentieth century , both to describe a spiritual fervor and as a sexual analogy . Various gospel , blues and swing recordings used the phrase before it became used more frequently -- but still intermittently -- in the late 1930s and 1940s , principally on recordings and in reviews of what became known as rhythm and blues music aimed at a black audience . In 1951 , Cleveland - based disc jockey Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the term rock and roll to describe it . </P>
who used the term rock n roll on the radio for the first time
who used the term rock n roll on the radio for the first time
Alan Freed
Alan Freed