# Origins of rock and roll TV special, approx. 1980 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2017, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784 "2017-09-20T04:02:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/1 "2017-09-20T04:02:48Z")
I’m hoping to find this show so I can watch it, but my poor search strategy isn’t yielding anything yet. It was on network TV, before cable. Could not have been earlier than 1977 [ETA: 1976?], could not have been later than 1983. Likely was very close to 1980. It aired in the winter (I remember snow on the ground). The subject matter was the origin of rock and roll music. I have no clue as to the actual title. I’m pretty sure it was a single-episode special, not part of a series. I expect it was one or two hours long. Quite close to the beginning it talked about Hank Williams. That’s as far as I got before having to leave. I’d imagine Hank was about 5 minutes in, could have been a bit less, virtually certain it was before the 10 minute mark. I was surprised and intrigued that Hank was being tied to rock, but I didn’t get to see the rest of the show. I’d be grateful for any help in tracking it down. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/2 "2017-09-20T04:33:19Z")
“Heroes of Rock N Roll”, aired on ABC on February 9, 1979. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/3 "2017-09-20T15:22:19Z")
Boy, the time is right and the subject matter is in the ballpark, but it just doesn’t seem to have Hank. So thank you for that, but I don’t believe it’s the one I remember. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/4 "2017-09-20T16:01:50Z")
Was Jeff Bridges the host? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/5 "2017-09-20T17:45:50Z")
I know it doesn’t quite match your memory, but [_The Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1422553/?ref_=ttco_co_tt) was a documentary series consisting of 6 one-hour episodes that aired in 1980 and/or 1981. I can’t find a lot of information about it. IMDb lists only the narrator and hosts but surely they must have used a lot of archival footage that isn’t credited there. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/6 "2017-09-20T18:30:47Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Was Jeff Bridges the host? I have no recollection of that whatsoever. The only individual, and really the only thing at all about the show, that I recall is Hank. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/7 "2017-09-20T20:08:12Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Boy, the time is right and the subject matter is in the ballpark, but it just doesn’t seem to have Hank. So thank you for that, but I don’t believe it’s the one I remember. I didn’t find him skimming through all the clips on YouTube, but according to [this](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/02/09/rampant-romp-through-rock-n-rollheroes-of-rock-n-roll-a-generation-of-music-in-two-hoursa-generation-of-music-in-62-acts-100-songs/ec599b27-38de-400a-b97a-fa74a36eae7e/?utm_term=.b77ac199f10e) contemporary article in the Washington Post, Hank is in there. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rock-and-roll-tv-special-approx-1980/796784/8 "2017-09-21T00:27:37Z")
I remember one in 1984 (a little past) your end date called “Super Night of Rock n Roll”. Kind of touched on history with various performers old (Franki Valli) and new (X).