Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger!!!
I don't think anyone would argue that Elvis "invented" rock 'n' roll and there is no doubt rock 'n' roll was conceived by black Americans and grew from the slaves singing in the fields.
At a time when black music was looked down upon by white people, it took a white artist to break it to a mass, world wide audience. It seems to be widely accepted that the 5th July, 1954 was the day black culture met white culture and rock 'n' roll exploded into the world and the genre was "born".
It may have been popularised, watered down rock 'n' roll but it was still a pivotal point in music history.
Diane