Bill Haley officially made the new genre “rock” music when his song “(Were Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” appeared in the movie Blackboard Jungle in 1955, breaking rock into the mainstream (Kallen, 2012, 14). Although Haley is credited for bringing rock to mainstream, other black artists such as B.B. King, Little Milton, Howling Wolf, and Ike Turner were the true pioneers of the rock music style but were not as popular because of their race. After the success of Haley, a Memphis studio owner, Sam Phillips was desperately looking for a rock artist that could become mainstream, Sam had previously recorded for other talented black artists but their music wasn’t getting as much attention because of racial prejudice. Phillips’ dream of promoting a rock musician became true when a young man named Elvis Presley recorded a demo in his studio in 1954 (Kallen, 2012, 18).
Captain Beefheart and the Velvet Underground also created a different kind of rock music within rock music, a different paradigm within the new paradigm, one that will influence alternative musicians for decades. More than musical giants like Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, humble musicians like Captain Beefheart, the Velvet Underground and the Red Crayola may be the true heroes of the 1960s. A black man named Chuck Berry started rock music in 1955. It was during a time when all the young people wanted Rhythm. The music industry began to realize that racial issues and prejudice wouldn’t change the fact the kids wanted blues and rock.
Some of the first rock and roll singers were Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, etc. The years of transition were during the late fifties and early sixties. Music has dramatically changed over the years. From Motown to hard rock to heavy metal, rock and roll has become the most popular genre of music. Expanding the boundaries of rock and roll during the 1960’s included music such as soul, surf, folk, and rock.
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones had the biggest impact on rock music and shaped the music styles and styles of the bands that came after them. There were many bands that tried to follow in the footsteps of The Beatles with more of a music style that was influenced by earlier pop music. These bands had the same type of vocals that The Beatles had and acted like The Beatles acted. Other bands tried to follow in the footsteps of The Rolling Stones using more of a blues influence in their music. They were the original bad boy boy band.
Many artists have been influenced by the heart-wrenching power of rock music. Most people that enjoy rock music do not know how rock started. It is a genre that has evolved over the years. Rock and roll was built on the foundation of jazz, blues, country, and folk music. The Les Paul electric guitar was also a big contributor in music not just rock.
On the other hand, in the 50s when rock and roll was building a foundation for itself, I believe that cover songs were a bad thing. First, I would like to explain why I believe that cover songs are now a good thing. “Behind Blue Eyes” covered by Limp Bizkit is a song that I would have never heard had it not been covered. The Who originally recorded this song in 1971. Limp Bizkit is an alternative band that many younger people have great interest in.
Although classic rock and alternative originated in different eras, their birth was a result of musical revolution. The birth of classic rock was in the late 1950s to early 1960s, in which bands attempted to create new sounds apart from the common jazz music and rockabilly. Artists and bands were influenced by rock ‘n’ roll that was so popular in the 1950s. Artists like Buddy Holly, a famous rockabilly musician, and Elvis Presley, known as the king of rock n roll, were two of the greatest influences for classic rock artists. In fact, the controversy that appeared on stage of several of these artists, were what sparked what was known as “the teenage rebellion” in the 1950s, which contributed greatly in innovating rock music, resulting in classic rock in the 1960s.
Rock and roll was born in the late 1950s. Primary influenced from southern artists like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley, this new genre of music though admonished by many became popular among the younger listeners. During this time period, rock was primarily played in jukeboxes and clubs, but when introduced to the radio, became popular amongst the listeners and became an enormous success. The success continued throughout the 1960s when the main genres of rock were established. Bands like The Rolling Stones,The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin changed the music scene in Britain.
One of the greatest psychedelic rock bands in the United States would be the Grateful Dead. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_rock) Early heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple attracted large audiences though they were still criticized by the majority of the public. Most bands of heavy metal created a thick sound, with high amplified distortion, and there extended guitar solos, and there overall loudness. In the middle of the 1970s Judas Priest helped Mainstream Heavy Metal by taking out its blues influences. Motorhead introduced a punk rock subgenre with an increased playing speed.
Fleetwood struggled with many of their problems, but won a Platinum and Grammy award for their music, and got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, making Fleetwood Mac one of the most emotional and one one of the greatest bands of the 20th century. Most people think Fleetwood Mac is a Rock and Roll band, but that’s not how they started. Fleetwood didn’t start as a rock and roll band, they actually started as a blues band (Lowe, 2004). They were originally a blues band, but a bit later in their career they changed into a rock and roll band. Jeremy