The first issue

Paul Williams, Crawdaddy Founder, ‘Godfather of Rock Criticism’.

Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. It was the
creation of college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing cultural
influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine
to take rock and roll seriously." Preceding both Rolling Stone and Creem, It is
regarded as the U.S. pioneer of rock journalism and was the training ground for 
many rock writers. The magazine was named after the legendary Crawdaddy
Club in England. In May 2007, Crawdaddy! was re-launched as an online
publication.