Rock Music: The History Of Rock And Roll

Rock and roll has changed dramatically over the years. Some of the first rock and roll singers were Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, etc. During the years of transition during the late fifties and early sixties, music has dramatically changed over the years. From Motown music to hard rock to heavy metal, rock and roll became the most popular genre of music. Rock and roll is a popular genre because it’s been around since the 1950’s.

The History of Rock As one of the most popular music genres, rock music has grown and expanded to incorporate many styles throughout the years. A rock band usually consists of a vocalist, an acoustic drum kit played with a strong beat, usually a back beat, and features electric and acoustic guitars. From its beginnings in the late 1950s and early 1960s until the present day, rock has changed styles seemingly every decade as new bands become popular because of their unique style of music. Throughout the years rock has influenced our culture and helped shape the world we live in today. Rock and roll was born in the late 1950s.

Heavy metal in the 1980’s is hard to describe. Its static style did not change much from the 1970’s, but the lyrics, image, and theatrics took a step forward. Heavy metal had a huge impact in the 1980’s and there were many successful bands. Van Halen took heavy metal to new heights. After more than two decades of playing sold-out concert halls, selling millions of albums and enduring various lineup changes and solo projects, Van Halen is recognized as one of the most resilient and successful rock bands to emerge from the 1970s and continue into the 1980’s.

The Les Paul electric guitar was also a big contributor in music not just rock. One of the main reasons that rock became so popular was the British Invasion. Groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd were all a part of the growth of rock’s development. Jazz was a big part of the music in the 40’s and the 50’s. They used many of the instruments that eventually were used in rock music.

Rock and roll also called simply “rock” is a form of popular music. Rock has had a social impact on society more than any other type of music. Rock is also one of the most famous music genres not only in the United States but also in the whole world. It began in the late 1940s and early 1950s when blacks and whites were are at the height of segregation. The elements of rock and roll can also be seen in rhythm and blues as far back as the 1920s.

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.

Revolution of Music Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.

The first wave began in 1963 and ended in 1967. The second wave was from 1967-1970. During both waves of the British Invasion, there were many bands that came to America. In the first wave, the most popular bands at the time were the Beatles, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, and the Animals. The later wave included Led Zeppelin, Cream, the Who, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd.

Rock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance craze in the 1950’s to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who don’t follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variation of three chords to a complex chromatic scale combination. It can convey emotions such as love, hate, fear, lust, sadness, joy, disillusion, or a strong sense of reality.

Rock music reached its peak in America or “golden age” in the 1950’s and from there spread to countries all around the world. The United Kingdom and America played key roles in the development of the many sub-cultures of rock some of which have spread to include the fusion genres and different styles of pop rock, blues rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, jazz rock, folk rock, metal, punk rock, glam rock alternative rock, indie rock, and many others. The origins of rock started originally in the South after the end of World War II. While the newly released electric guitar helped musicians create rock music, the new and relatively affordable inventions of the phonograph record and the portable radio exposed rock music to the masses and created a wild frenzy for it. Some of the early greats included Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Little Richard and Fats Domino.