Rock music: A historical overview

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Rock is one of the most popular genres in all of music, appealing to the masses for its fire and unpredictability.  However, rock didn’t come from just one source.  Like many other genres of music, it has been molded and has evolved throughout the years.  Today, there are dozens of branches from the main category of rock, such as alternative, hard, classic, blues, and metal. 

There are a number of identifying factors of rock.  It is louder than other forms of music, with electric guitar riffs, toe-tapping basslines, and dynamic drum-led rhythms leading the way. 

In its infancy, rock was called “rock and roll.”  Musicians such as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley have been credited as the progenitors of the genre, who would later go on to influence bands across the Atlantic.  The Rolling Stones were one such band.

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In the ‘60s, the Stones and the Beatles competed for rock supremacy in the United Kingdom, with the Beatles churning out more fan-friendly tunes that kept everyone singing and dancing, while the Rolling Stones performed harder, angrier songs.  Both bands showed just how rock music could be considered music, as the changing times would signify.

In the ‘70s, bands such as Led Zepellin, Queen, and Pink Floyd all made a name for themselves.  Led Zep was heavy and dark in their songwriting, while Queen and Pink Floyd influenced other bands with complex arrangements, for different ends.  Pink Floyd was more psychedelic.  Queen was more pop-ish. 

These were the bands that set the foundation for rock music in the decades to come.

Hi there! I’m Alton Ingram, a lover of everything in rock music. For similar reads, check out this blog.