Some people believe that Elvis Presley invented rock 'n' roll, but that is not the case. Rock music evolved from multiple genres such as R&B, blues, gospel, and other forms of black music styles. This happened after the migration of a lot of blacks from the South to the North during the 1940s. Some of the early rock 'n' roll artists are Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Two record labels that were really popular for early rock music was Motown and Sun Records. Sun Records was founded by Sam Phillips in February of 1952. It was made famous by artists like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Motown was founded by Berry Gordy, an African American songwriter, on January 12, 1959. It really expanded the crossover market by producing music by black artists for white audiences. It became so popular that it was nicknamed Hitsville USA. Some of the popular artists were Diana Ross, The Supremes, The Temptations, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.