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200 Greatest "Roots of Rock" Songs
of the 1940s

Criteria: These songs were selected and ranked based on their influence and importance in leading to the emergence of rock 'n' roll as a genre unto itself, and also on each song's initial popularity, lasting popularity and impact. If there were two or more versions of a song that were fairly equal in significance then each artist is listed in that song's slot. (Artists in parenthesis are the vocalist for that recording)

Last Updated: 2021-09-17
Newly added names are in  Red 
Roots of Rock Songs 1940s
  1. Good Rockin' Tonight - Wynonie Harris
  2. It's Too Soon To Know - Orioles
  3. Caldonia - Louis Jordan
  4. The Honeydripper - Joe Liggins
  5. Choo Choo Ch'Boogie - Louis Jordan
  6. Straighten Up And Fly Right - King Cole Trio
  7. Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
  8. Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Stick McGhee & His Buddies
  9. Saturday Night Fish Fry - Louis Jordan
10. Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop - Lionel Hampton
11. Till Then - Mills Brothers
12. Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well - Lucky Millinder (Wynonie Harris)
13. Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens - Louis Jordan
14. Chicken-Shack Boogie - Amos Milburn
15. The Hucklebuck - Paul Williams
16. Merry Christmas Baby - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown)
17. Tomorrow Night - Lonnie Johnson
18. Let The Good Times Roll - Louis Jordan
19. Move It On Over - Hank Williams
20. Cherry Red Blues - Cootie Williams (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson)
21. Blues In The Night - Jimmie Lunceford
22. God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday
23. Get Your Kicks On Route 66 - King Cole Trio
24. Flying Home - Lionel Hampton featuring Illinois Jacquet
25. Drifting Blues - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown)
26. Walking The Floor Over You - Ernest Tubb
27. Boogie Chillen' - John Lee Hooker
28. The Christmas Song - King Cole Trio
29. G.I. Jive - Louis Jordan
30. Call It Stormy Monday - T-Bone Walker
31. I'll Get Along Somehow - Larry Darnell
32. Buzz Me - Louis Jordan
33. Confessin' The Blues - Jay McShann (Walter Brown)
34. Jack, You're Dead - Louis Jordan
35. Honky Tonkin' - Hank Williams
36. Don't Cry, Baby - Erskine Hawkins (Jimmy Mitchelle)
37. Fine Brown Frame - Nellie Lutcher
38. Romance In The Dark - Lil Green
39. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams
40. Ol' Man River - Ravens
41. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire - Ink Spots
42. Blues Stay Away From Me - Delmore Brothers
43. New San Antonio Rose - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
44. Ain't That Just Like A Woman - Louis Jordan
45. Ain't Nobody's Business - Jimmy Witherspoon
46. For You My Love - Larry Darnell
47. Pistol Packin' Mama - Al Dexter & His Troopers
48. White Christmas - Ravens
49. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - Orioles
50. Blue Moon Of Kentucky - Bill Monroe
51. The Deacon's Hop - Big Jay McNeely
52. King Size Papa - Julia Lee
53. That's My Desire - Frankie Laine / Hadda Brooks
54. Boogie Woogie Blue Plate - Louis Jordan
55. Open The Door Richard - Dusty Fletcher / Jack McVea / Louis Jordan
56. Long Gone - Sonny Thompson
57. Tippin' In - Erskine Hawkins
58. Long John Blues - Dinah Washington
59. Bewildered - Amos Milburn / Red Miller Trio
60. Good Rockin' Tonight - Roy Brown
61. Shout, Sister, Shout - Lucky Millinder (Sister Rosetta Tharpe)
62. Tell Me So - Orioles
63. Trouble Blues - Charles Brown
64. I Wonder - Private Cecil Gant / Roosevelt Sykes
65. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town - Louis Jordan / Jimmie Lunceford
66. All She Wants To Do Is Rock - Wynonie Harris
67. Rockin' At Midnight - Roy Brown
68. See See Rider Blues - Bea Booze
69. I Almost Lost My Mind - Ivory Joe Hunter
70. When Things Go Wrong With You - Tampa Red
71. Cow Cow Boogie - Ella Fitzgerald & the Ink Spots / Freddie Slack (Ella Mae Morse)
72. Why Don't You Do Right? - Lil Green / Benny Goodman (Peggy Lee)
73. Move On Up A Little Higher - Mahalia Jackson
74. Pretty Mama Blues - Ivory Joe Hunter
75. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby - Louis Jordan
76. Rock The Joint - Jimmy Preston
77. Sweet Georgia Brown - Brother Bones
78. Run, Joe - Louis Jordan
79. Boogie At Midnight - Roy Brown
80. That's All Right - Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
81. Strange Things Happening - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
82. Stormy Monday Blues - Earl Hines (Billy Eckstine)
83. R.M. Blues - Roy Milton & His Solid Senders
84. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It - Hank Williams
85. Be-Baba-Leba - Helen Humes
86. Blues For The Red Boy - Todd Rhodes
87. Tennessee Saturday Night - Red Foley
88. Blow Top Blues - Lionel Hampton (Dinah Washington)
89. Snatch And Grab It - Julia Lee
90. Corn Bread - Hal Singer
91. So Glad You're Mine - Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
92. Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me - Bullmoose Jackson
93. The House Of Blue Lights - Freddie Slack (Ella Mae Morse)
94. (I Feel Like) Going Home - Muddy Waters
95. Junker Blues - Champion Jack Dupree
96. Long About Midnight - Roy Brown
97. That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch - Buddy Johnson (Ella Johnson)
98. Shake The Boogie - Sonny Boy Williamson
99. S.K. Blues - Pete Johnson (Joe Turner)
100. We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll - Wild Bill Moore

101. I Can't Be Satisfied - Muddy Waters
102. Baby Please Don't Go - Big Joe Williams
103. Down The Road A Piece - Will Bradley / Amos Milburn
104. Jimmy's Blues - Count Basie (Jimmy Rushing)
105. Got A Right To Cry - Joe Liggins
106. Midnight Special - Leadbelly (Golden Gate Quartet)
107. Key To The Highway - Big Bill Broonzy
108. Since I Fell For You - Paul Gayten (Annie Laurie) / Buddy & Ella Johnson
109. I Love You, Yes I Do - Bullmoose Jackson
110. I Want To Be Loved - Savannah Churchill
111. Let's Have A Ball - Jack Dupree Trio
112. Evil Gal Blues - Lionel Hampton (Dinah Washington)
113. Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin' - Delta Rhythm Boys
114. Jole Blon - Harry Choates / Moon Mullican
115. Kidney Stew Blues - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
116. Rock Me, Mama - Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
117. Sneaky Pete - Bullmoose Jackson
118. Take It And Git - Andy Kirk
119. You Always Hurt The One You Love - Mills Brothers
120. Cadillac Boogie - Jimmy Liggins
121. A Little Bird Told Me - Paula Watson
122. Riders In The Sky - Vaughn Monroe
123. Mule Train - Frankie Laine / Tennessee Ernie Ford
124. My Heart Belongs To You - Arbee Stidham
125. Messin' Around - Memphis Slim
126. Blues After Hours - Pee Wee Crayton
127. 3 X 7 = 21 - Jewel King
128. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
129. Up Above My Head, I Hear Music In The Air - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
130. Hop, Skip And Jump - Roy Milton
131. West Side Baby - T-Bone Walker / Dinah Washington
132. Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar - Will Bradley
133. I Know Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well - Bullmoose Jackson
134. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke (That Cigarette) - Tex Williams
135. Step It Up And Go - Blind Boy Fuller
136. Somebody's Gotta Go - Cootie Williams (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson)
137. Guitar Boogie - Arthur Smith
138. Hurry, Hurry - Benny Carter (Savannah Churchill)
139. Old Maid Boogie - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
140. Boogie Blues - Gene Krupa (Anita O'Day)
141. That Lucky Old Sun - Frankie Laine
142. Rag Mop - Johnnie Lee Wills
143. Lollipop Mama - Wynonie Harris
144. Miss Fanny Brown - Roy Brown
145. So Long - Ruth Brown
146. Country Boy - Dave Bartholomew
147. Sweet Black Angel - Robert Nighthawk
148. Five Guys Named Moe - Louis Jordan
149. My Gal's A Jockey - Joe Turner
150. Worried Life Blues - Big Maceo
151. There's Good Blues Tonight - Lucky Millinder (Anisteen Allen)
152. New Orleans Blues - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown)
153. I Miss You So - Cats And The Fiddle
154. For Sentimental Reasons - King Cole Trio
155. Don't You Lie To Me - Tampa Red
156. Beware, Brother, Beware - Louis Jordan
157. Let Me Play With Your Poodle - Tampa Red
158. Mop Mop - Louis Jordan
159. Sally Zu-Zazz - Joe Turner
160. Am I Asking Too Much - Dinah Washington
161. Reet Petite And Gone - Louis Jordan
162. Three O'Clock Blues - Lowell Fulson
163. I Want A Bowlegged Woman - Bullmoose Jackson
164. Voo-it!! Voo-it!! - Blues Woman (Marion Abernathy)
165. Baby, Get Lost - Dinah Washington
166. Sittin' On It All The Time - Wynonie Harris
167. Roomin' House Boogie - Amos Milburn
168. Blues At Sunrise - Ivory Joe Hunter
169. Grandma Plays The Numbers - Wynonie Harris
170. Pot Likker - Todd Rhodes
171. When My Man Comes Home - Buddy & Ella Johnson
172. Paper Doll - Mills Brothers
173. The Gypsy - Ink Spots
174. Texarkana Baby - Eddy Arnold
175. Sneakin' Around - Rudy Render
176. Roly-Poly - Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
177. Born To Lose - Ted Daffan (Leon Seago)
178. Wynonie's Blues - Wynonie Harris
179. That Chick's Too Young To Fry - Louis Jordan
180. Texas Hop - Pee Wee Crayton
181. Cocaine Blues - Roy Hogsed
182. Gloria - Mills Brothers / Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown)
183. Hold Me, Baby - Amos Milburn
184. Broken Hearted - Eddie Williams (Floyd Dixon)
185. Mind Your Own Business - Hank Williams
186. Solo Flight - Benny Goodman (Charlie Christian)
187. Deacon Jones - Louis Jordan
188. Corrine, Corrina - Joe Turner
189. Sail On Boogie - T-Bone Walker
190. Rusty Dusty Blues - Count Basie (JImmy Rushing)
191. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You - King Cole Trio
192. Harlem Nocturne - Johnny Otis
193. Mardi Gras - Joe Lutcher
194. Mr. Five By Five - Freddie Slack
195. Swingin' The Boogie - Hadda Brooks
196. Texas And Pacific - Louis Jordan
197. Write Me A Letter - Ravens
198. You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Gone) - Lowell Fulson
199. (It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas - Orioles
200. Irene - Leadbelly
Good Rockin' Tonight

It's Too Soon To Know

Caldonia by Louis Jordan

The Honeydripper

Lovesick Blues

Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee

Saturday Night Fish Fry

Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop

The Hucklebuck

Merry Christmas Baby

Route 66

Boogie Chillin




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