What is the history of considering Rock 'n' Roll to be "the Devil's music"?

Question

Historically, what evidence has been cited in support of the claim that Rock 'n' Roll is the music of Devil? This notion exists in the popular culture, fueled by *Footloose* and half-remembered grade-school history, that there was some form of official religious condemnation of the rock-n-roll form. What's the real scoop? On a related subject, was the interval of the tritone, the diminished fifth, really considered Devilish in the past?

Answer 1

The tritone is considered a dissonance in European music, and earned the nickname "Devil in music" sometimes in the late Middle Ages or early 18th century. As for rock 'n' roll being considered the "Devil's music", this has mainly to do with a music created by African Americans being rejected by white America. The Church has a long history of rejecting certain things and associating them with the Devil – percussions, the organ, etc. – before eventually integrating them.