"Rock and Roll Band" is a song written by
Tom Scholz and first released by the
rock band Boston on the band's
eponymous debut album. It is one of six songs Scholz worked on in his basement in 1974 and 1975 before Boston got its record contract, five of which eventually appeared on the
Boston album. The "Rock and Roll Band" demo was finished in 1974, along with three of the six. However, Scholz had begun writing the song years earlier, in the early 1970s. The drum parts of this and other early Boston songs were developed by
Jim Masdea, but this is the only song on the
Boston album on which Masdea plays drums. Scholz plays
clavinet and all the
guitar parts, including
bass guitar, and
Brad Delp sings the vocals. Boston would consistently open with "Rock and Roll Band" while playing at live concerts.