# Rock n' Roll and Top Hats **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2005, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337 "2005-12-06T11:55:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/1 "2005-12-06T11:55:57Z")
Who was the earliest known rock/pop musician to sport a top hat as part of their costume worn while performing their rockular duties? Screaming Jay Hawkins? Bob Dylan? Captain Beefheart? Dr John? Anyone have any ideas? mm ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/2 "2005-12-06T11:57:30Z")
I think it was Abe Lincoln in the Presidents of the United States of America who first popularized it. šŸ˜› Ok, I donā€™t know. Time to make room for people with actual information for you. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/3 "2005-12-06T12:02:13Z")
Slash from Gunsā€™nā€™Roses is certainly one of the more well known, though Iā€™m sure not the first. Iā€™ll shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/4 "2005-12-06T12:37:00Z")
Jerry Garcia did, though Iā€™m not sure how that compares to the others in the time line. He didnā€™t always wear it, but in the '60ā€™s he did often. THough I bet a lot did in the '60ā€™s ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/5 "2005-12-06T13:18:10Z")
I have video clips of Alice Cooper wearing a tophat from way back before the Pretties For You albumā€¦around 67 or 68 I believe. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/6 "2005-12-07T05:31:54Z")
You do?! Donā€™t tell me, ā€œToronto Rock Revivalā€ right? Anything much before that would have to be a bootleg - maybe the Cheetah Club? (Off to SickthingsUK for more info.) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/7 "2005-12-07T05:39:43Z")
Nobody wore tophats better than the Residents. But then that was more Reich and Roll. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/8 "2005-12-07T05:47:25Z")
Iā€™ve seen pictures of Fats Domino in a top hat. Thatā€™s pretty far back. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/9 "2005-12-07T06:18:52Z")
Screaming Lord Sutch had a penchant for toppers: [this picture](http://freespace.virgin.net/line.design/forts/radio_sutch.htm) seems to date from 1964, which would make him an early contender - as well as putting him at least 30 years before Marilyn Manson in the make-up and shock horror stakes. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/10 "2005-12-07T08:19:45Z")
> [@zoogirl](#): > > (Off to SickthingsUK for more info.) I went and asked if anyone knew when Alice started wearing the hat. Okay, so far the best guess over there is around 1972, the ā€œSchoolā€™s Outā€ era. Sounds about right to me, at least as a regular thing. ---
**Author:** ![who\_me\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/87869e/32.png) [@who\_me\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/who_me_2)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-n-roll-and-top-hats/334337/11 "2005-12-07T09:10:14Z")
waiā€™ a minuā€™. ainā€™tchall fergettinā€™ ā€˜bouā€™ **lilā€™ Richard**?