From the beginning, Cliff had many imitators, [perhaps the best known being the American cabaret artiste Elvis Presley.  Elvis modelled his career on Cliff except of course, he didn't go out with Sue Barker.  Elvis died in 1977, just one year after Cliff has invented punk rock.  His last words were, "Does anyone have any more hamburgers and drugs?"

But that's jumping ahead a little.  Let's go back to the brief period of Cliff's life when he and Tommy Steele were negro slaves on an Alabama chain gang.  It was the chance overhearing of all the other slaves singing lots of songs that they'd made up, that led Cliff to invent 'the blues'.

Cliff waited until the evil slave overseer wasn't looking and then whispered to Tommy, 'Pssst! hey, why don't we combine "the blues" with elements of white country music, and call it "rock and roll."'  There was an immediate glint in Tommy's eye as he turned and said, 'Sod off, I'm trying to write Half a Sixpence."

And that's how it all started.

To read more of Rik's brilliant writing, visit the poetry page.   Or go Part 2 of the History of Pop.