Rock Music

Rock became mainly the music of the young. They understood its beat and sound. Its lyrics spoke to them. By the early 1960’s, rock had spread across the Atlantic to England. New groups began to emerge there as well. The one that rapidly became most popular was made up of four boys from the industrial port city of Liverpool, on England’s west coast. Calling themselves the Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr had been playing together since 1962. At first they did songs by other composers. But John and Paul soon began to write the Beatles’ songs. By 1964, when the Beatles were introduced to U.S. audiences, they had revolutionized pop music. For more information see Beatles, The.

Rock in the 1960’s

In the mid-1960’s, rock music began to be influenced by certain new and surprising forces. Folk rock brought the gentler sounds of folk ballads into rock. Bob Dylan is generally acknowledged to have sparked folk rock when his song “Mr. Tambourine Man,” recorded by the Byrds, became a tremendous hit. This was followed by the release of Dylan’s own album, Bringing It All Back Home. Other folk rock artists included Donovan and the Mamas and the Papas.

Among black musicians, the 1960’s brought about a polishing and speeding up of old rhythm and blues forms. The Supremes, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder were among the best and most popular of soul music artists.

Major British groups confirmed their earlier promise by producing mature, reflective music. These groups included the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who. In the United States, bands on the West Coast, such as the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane (later Jefferson Starship), were influenced by the free-form techniques of jazz.

In the 1960’s, too, young people began to think of themselves as a new and different generation because they were the first to grow up with rock and roll. Rock concerts and festivals–such as the one in Woodstock, New York, in 1969–were part of this trend.

Rock went into musical theater with such shows as Hair (1968) and Jesus Christ, Superstar (1971). Rock musicians also became interested in experimental music, notably electronic music, and in the sound language of modern composers. Rock was moving in new directions. There was no longer any way of telling what was rock except by the community it served.

Rock Today

The 1970’s were a time of tremendous expansion within the rock industry. Rock became a very big business. It earned more money annually than any other form of entertainment, including the film industry. One reason was that the number of rock music fans grew larger all the time. People who were originally excited by it in the 1950’s and 1960’s continued to buy records and attend concerts. Their children, in turn, were also attracted to this music of youth.

Until the 1970’s, a rock performer would have been proud to earn a “gold record.” This was an album that sold 500,000 copies or earned $1 million in sales. Today a performer can also earn a platinum record when a record sells 1 million copies. A multi-platinum record is earned when 2 million or more copies are sold. Among performers who have earned multi-platinum records are Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna.

The late 1970’s saw the rise of disco, an offshoot of the soul music of the 1960’s. It had a steady, almost mechanical beat that was easy to dance to. The most important instrument in the development of disco was the electronic synthesizer.

The increasing sophistication of rock music sparked a cry of protest within the rock world itself. Many struggling rock bands believed that the smoothness and polish of modern recording techniques had drained rock of much of its vigor and daring.

These musicians formed rock bands that rejected extensive musical knowledge and elaborate equipment. Their music was harsh and direct in sound. It became known as punk music. Punk, in turn, inspired other musical styles, which together were called new wave. The new music was played by such English bands as the Clash and the Police, and by U.S. groups such as the Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads.

The rise of music videos in the 1980’s added another dimension to rock music. They provided a way for new artists to win almost instant recognition. Other trends of 1980’s and 1990’s rock included increasing interest in the music of other cultures and the emergence of “alternative” rock. This was played by younger bands united mainly by their rejection of the commercialism of mainstream rock.

Rock’s energy, its expression of the concerns of young people, and its ability to speak through many musical forms make it a living part of our musical world.