During the 1950s, African and white musicians lived closely together and melded their music styles. This combination of European instruments with African musical traditions gave rise to rock ‘n’ roll.
This form of music addressed contemporary events and challenged conventional ideas, yet many parents were alarmed at its rebellious spirit and aggressive energy.
The 1950s
In the fifties rock was an explosive social and musical force. A cross-cultural phenomenon, rock overcame bland, mass-market pop disposables to shock major recording companies into sudden action. Ghetto storefront hucksters like Sam Phillips in Memphis and Gary Chess in Chicago became capable of propelling small artists onto popular charts for the first time; Fats Domino, Little Richard and Chuck Berry led by Sam Phillips brought R&B, hillbilly music and swing jazz influences into mainstream major label charts via aggressive infiltration techniques used by big spending major labels to maintain control.
Black artists and traditions combined with white country and western to produce what became rock and roll, an influential genre which had a lasting effect on young people worldwide. Rebellious and subversive, it challenged authority of parents and older generations while creating an opportunity to unify disparate youth subcultures. Stanley Cohen, a sociologist and criminologist, coined the term “moral panic” to refer to this new form of cultural unrest which caused respectable people in society to panic over something they didn’t understand or approve of; media capitalized on this phenomenon and ran wild with it; by the late 1950s Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper had died in a plane crash and Elvis Presley joined the military and disappeared for some time amidst this unrest.
The 1960s
The 1960s witnessed rock music‘s dominance of popular music charts. Rockabilly stars gradually gave way to new vocal groups which eventually evolved into bands that combined charismatic performers with songwriting talents from behind-the-scene production teams.
In the early 60s, African American culture witnessed an unprecedented explosion of rhythm and blues as an alternative form of expression that challenged existing social norms such as segregation between races. Music also began connecting to other cultural movements such as civil rights activism and hippie counterculture ethos which promoted peace while resisting government oppression.
Bob Dylan emerged as an artist during the folk revival era with powerful yet thoughtful lyrics that explored these issues, with his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde often considered the precursor of roots rock music.
Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles all provided soulful voices to rock music during this decade. Additionally, regional music scenes emerged across the US with surf music originating in Southern California and Brill Building sounds emanating from New York thanks to producers like Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound production technique; other producer/songwriters included Gerry Goffin & Carole King duo Holland & Dozier team as well as Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller as producer/songwriters.
The 1970s
The 1970s was an extraordinary era for rock music. Bands began experimenting with various melodies and instruments – such as distortion – while female performers and bands became an important trend during this era. Their influence could be felt throughout rock culture today.
Led Zeppelin was one of the most beloved rock groups of its era, making waves first in England before expanding across to America. Their first two albums proved popular; however, their third and fourth releases established them as one of the greatest bands ever known to humanity with hits like “Black Dog” and “Stairway to Heaven” cementing Led Zeppelin as one of history’s most influential rock groups.
Notable 1970s rock groups include Talking Heads and Devo, both new wave acts that explored distinctive sounds and lyrics.
Aerosmith was another iconic band during this era, led by Steven Tyler and producing several hits that remain timeless to this day.
The 1980s
The 1980s gave rise to a new musical style known as New Wave, popularized by bands such as Duran Duran, Blondie and Billy Idol. They also marked the beginning of Glam Metal-era hard rock bands like Kiss, Aerosmith and Def Leppard becoming iconic stars of their respective fields. New Wave music featured more pop-influenced sounds; music videos also made artists more influential than ever.
College rock was one of the defining genres of this decade, dating back to R.E.M’s groundbreaking work in the 1960s. This subgenre combined folky rhythms with more offbeat post-punk sensibility – this led to numerous artists such as Camper Van Beethoven, the Gin Blossoms, Cracker and Hootie and the Blowfish finding success within it.
The 1980s witnessed a remarkable comeback of pop-style country, popularized by performers like Kenny Rogers, T.G. Sheppard, Eddie Rabbitt and Anne Murray. Urban Cowboy’s success served to boost this trend further; John Travolta and Debra Winger made guest appearances. Hard rock/heavy metal was also revived through bands like AC/DC, Van Halen, Aerosmith Queen Def Leppard as well as bass guitarist virtuosi such as Geddy Lee from Rush (Rush), Billy Sheehan from KISS (KISS), and Cliff Burton from Metallica who all experienced surges in popularity during this decade.
The 1990s
The 1990s witnessed a new generation of rock bands. U2 led this charge, producing radio-friendly tunes with chunky guitar chords and Bono singing about peace and love; other groups took it in more experimental directions: Boston saw Pixies, Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jr; Minneapolis witnessed Replacements and Husker Du; New York produced Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth while Los Angeles gave birth to Nirvana Soundgarden Pavement as well as Fugazi and Shudder to Think – two groups that still perform today!
As the decade progressed, a generation of young children was emerging and beginning to recognize their own struggles through music. Folk singers such as Bob Dylan who sang about poverty and injustice became their heroes while white artists like Chuck Berry created new possibilities by breaking down racial boundaries by performing rhythm and blues with white bands were revered figures for them as musical heroes.
Punk rock brought the next major transformation. It pushed the boundaries of what you could expect from rock bands; featuring loud, fast and hard-edged sounds with political undertones that carried loud, fast messages. Punk gave rise to many subgenres of rock music (no wave, Sex Pistols, Ramones), Texas-influenced psychedelic sounds in California as well as “hardcore” bands in New York (Misfits), Washington DC (Black Flag X and Dead Kennedys), Texas-influenced psychedelic sounds in Texas psychedelic sounds as well as Texas-influenced psychedelic sounds from Texas and California as well as psychedelic sounds emanating from Texas- California and Texas-influenced bands that played to their audiences instead of their audiences’. Punk also marked its transition away from rock’s hedonistic energy towards intellectualism – giving birth to progressive rock; taking away its hedonistic energy while replacing it with intellectualism – that left much less room for its proponents than its proponents in its ranks (the Ramones, The Sex Pistols and Ramones being among others) becoming diverse than ever before with progressive rock taking away rock’s hedonistic energy instead replacing it with hermetic intellectualism; giving rise to progressive-rock, which took away rock’s hedonistic energy by replacing it.
The 2000s
Rock music at the turn of the millennium had never been more diverse. Where once there had been orchestral walls of sound created by Phil Spector or harmony-rich surf fantasies from Beach Boys had given way to styles from grunge and nu-metal, it allowed bands more creative freedom than ever.
Rage Against the Machine transformed grunge music with their raw energy and innovative recording techniques that set them apart from other bands of their genre. Their emotive lyrics and low guitar tunings stood out among peers and became iconic.
Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ album stood in stark contrast to hit factory albums; yet due to its lack of radio-friendly singles became one of their most acclaimed works. Their distinct sounds gave their music true personality – something many modern bands lack.
Modest Mouse spent most of the 1990s toiling away in relative obscurity until their album, “Good News for People Who Hate Bad News,” hit big. Their unique blend of indie rock with pop punk influences helped capture an audience; OK Go’s viral music videos revolutionized how bands promoted themselves online.
The 2010s
In the 2010s, rock music faced an uphill struggle. Due to streaming platforms and label decisions to focus their marketing and promotional efforts on hip-hop genres such as hip-hop rap or R&B instead of other genres (such as rock or other forms), leading them to struggle. Physical album sales also fell off considerably.
Despite these challenges, new bands emerged and found success during the 2010s. One such band was British band Arctic Monkeys, whose distinctive sound helped define this decade.
Kings of Leon were another American band that blended country influences with pop sensibilities to create an eclectic sound. Albums like Only By the Night and Mechanical Bull showcased this band’s ability to combine soaring vocals, anthemic melodies, and twangy riffs into an engaging whole.
Arcade Fire was known for their unique blend of Indie rock with other genres like Funk, soul, dance music and electronica, creating danceable rhythms and emotive lyrics, featuring accordions, mandolins, hurdy-gurdies and violins among their array of instruments.