Transcript History of Rock

History of Rock
Intersession 2013
The Beginning

Rock and Roll is rock music in its
earliest form.

Rock and Roll is a combination of
blues, country, jazz, and gospel.

Early Rock and Roll music was
characterized by saxophone and
piano, later the electric guitar
became more prevalent.

It is hard to label one song as the
“birth” of Rock and Roll, but two
songs in particular get the most
attention:

“Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston and
“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill
Haley and the Comets”
Chuck Berry
Hail, Hail Rock and Roll!


In 1954, Elvis Presley recorded
a song for his mom at a studio
in Tennessee, almost overnight
he is a sensation.
Also at this time, other
important artists are recording
songs that will become
legendary. Some of these artists
include:






Elvis
Chuck Berry
Little Richard
Carl Perkins
Jerry Lee Lewis
Fats Domino
Buddy Holly
The Day the Music Died

Rock and Roll’s decline was
triggered by a series of
events in the late 1950s.





Little Richard gave up singing
and became a preacher.
Chuck Berry was arrested
Elvis Presley was drafted into
the army.
Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, and
Richie Valens all died in a plane
crash.
Payola Scandal
Buddy Holly
Rock and Roll Travels to England



The Quarrymen

The popularity of rock and
roll music did not reach
England until the late 1950s
and early 1960s.
The music soon exploded
there due to American
artists touring throughout
the U.K.
Groups began to spring up
everywhere and dominated
the British radio stations.
One group in particular
went by the name of the
Quarrymen. Who are they?
British Invasion

The Beatles debuted in the United
States in February of 1964.
 It is estimated that 73 million
people watched the debut that
night.
 Following their debut, in April of
1964 the Beatles held the top five
spots on the Billboard charts.

The Beatles amazing success paved the
way for other British acts to enter the
American music scene during the
1960s.

Some of these acts include: the Kinks,
the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the
Zombies, and the Hollies.
The Rolling Stones
Spotlight: The Beatles

How and why did the Beatles become the
most important band of the 20th century?

The Beatles formed in 1960 in Liverpool,
England.


John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George
Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

They built their reputation through playing
live shows in Liverpool and Hamburg
Germany.
How did
the
Beatles
go from
this,
to…
Their first major hit was a song titled
“Love Me Do”
By 1964 “Beatlemania” had swept up most of the
world.

The Beatles popularity was hurt a
little bit after a controversial comment
by John Lennon in 1965.

Following the backlash they refused to tour
and focused more on working in the studio.
this?
Spotlight: The Beatles

The Beatles studio work quickly
became some of the most groundbreaking in history of music.

The albums that pushed the music
scene in particular are:


Rubber Soul (1965)

Revolver (1966)

Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band
(1967)

White Album (1968)

Abbey Road (1969)
Their incorporation of different
styles of music and advancements
in songwriting and production
changed music forever.
American Music during the British
Invasion (Early 1960s)


The Beach Boys
Although the British invasion
dominated the radio during the
early 1960s, American artists
continued to make important
records.
Music production began to
become very important.

Bob Dylan

The Ronnettes
Phil Spector
More songs were being made to
listen to on an album rather than at
a live show.
Some of the artists that were
important during this period were:
the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, the
“girl groups”, and Phil Spector.
Rock Gets Weird (1965-1972)




During the mid-1960s, artists
began to experiment with
different types of sounds,
instruments, and drugs.
The music began to deal with
heavier subjects like the Vietnam
War and psychedelic experiences.
The Hippie culture became
popular amongst the youth in
America.
Some of the dominant artists of
this time were: Jefferson Airplane,
Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Cream,
the Who, Love, and Santana
Jimi Hendrix
Jefferson Airplane
The Doors
Some Dirty
Hippies
Rock Gets Loud and Bigger
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Queen
Bruce Springsteen

Rock music became the most
dominant form of music by the 1970s,
artists began to sell out huge stadiums
and arenas for concerts.

The music began to get louder and
more ambitious as a result.

Some of the artists that were
important during this period were:

Led Zeppelin

The Who

Pink Floyd

Queen

Rush

Bruce Springsteen

Elton John
Rock Gets Heavy

Heavy Metal can be traced back to the
early 1970s with bands like Black
Sabbath,Van Halen, and Deep Purple.

During the late 1970s young artists
began to rebel against the “emptiness”
of pop music and played faster and
louder. (Metallica and Moterhead)

During the 1980s metal music became
the most popular form of rock music.


It was characterized by big hair and
decadence. (Motley Crue, Poison, Guns
N’ Roses)
At the same time that “hair metal”
was gaining in popularity, other
metal artists played a faster and
heavier form of music. (Slayer,
Anthrax, Pantera)
Motley Crue
Guns N’ Roses
Slayer
Grunge

In the late 1980s, young musicians began to
rebel against the glamour of hair metal and
played a much heavier and dirtier type of
rock music.

Nirvana’s song “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
broke onto the music scene in 1991 and
the band’s popularity exploded along with
similar sounding artists.

Artists who were part of this movement
included:


Pearl Jam

Soundgarden

Alice in Chains

Mudhoney
Sadly, Kurt Cobain killed himself in 1994.
Which triggered a decline in the popularity
of grunge music.
Pearl Jam
Alice in Chains
Alternative Rock (1990s-Present)

Grunge rock influenced nearly every rock
band that followed it.

Many bands have taken the sound created
by bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam and
put their own spin on it. (Bush, Stone
Temple Pilots, Foo Fighters)

During the late 1990’s there was a
movement to combine hip hop and hard
rock. (Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Rage
Against the Machine)

In the early 2000s, many bands sought to
bring back the grunge sound. (Nickelback,
Seether)

Rock music still is one of the top selling
forms of music in the United States. Some
of the main artists of the present include:

Kings of Leon, Black Keys, Muse, Imagine
Dragons)