Evolution of Rock and Roll

Rock music is not just one type of music; it covers a broad set of subgenres which have similarities, but that are also very different. The genre emerged in the very early 1950s with classic rock and roll becoming popular all over the United States. Classic rock and roll drew influences from blues, country and folk. It was distinguished and characterised by lyrics often about love, politics, and even social issues. The 4/4 time of songs also have a set of verses as well as a familiar chorus. The sound of classic rock was melodic, and the lyrics written often with the influence of the author’s experiences, opinions and thoughts.

Rock and roll became so popular that subgenres and various music types started to emerge, as it took over the United States, as well as other countries. Subgenres emerged and were most commonly a combination of the elements of classic rock, such as heavy guitar sounds, powerful lyrics and catchy rhythms, with other genres, often dependent on the region or cultural influence. Take Britpop for example; this genre combined classic rock with British pop culture influence. Punk rock emerged as more of a movement than a subgenre, featuring a heavy political influence. Rock and roll has, over time, evolved to be so much more than a genre of music and has become a lifestyle.

Interesting Facts About Rock Music

  • Axl Rose, an infamous American rocker, used to smoke cigarettes for a living and made 8 USD doing it. He did this for a clinical study in California.
  • Bono, an Irish rocker famous all over the world, got his name from a hearing aid store.
  • The tongue logo which is known all over the world as the Rolling Stones signature was inspired by an Indian goddess.
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd was named after some of the band’s high school teacher who was notorious for suspending students whose hair was untamed or long.
  • The members of the group Nirvana were all once kicked out of a party for starting a massive food fight.
  • The song ‘Little Wing’ was written in under 150 seconds.
  • Who actually invented and created rock music is debatable. It is often understood that Chuck Barry created rock music. He was a musician in the 1950s, but some believe it was actually a lady named Rosetta Thorpe who invented that classic rock sound.
  • Queen ranked higher than The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other rock legends as the best British rockers of all time.
  • Pink Floyd used all, yes all, of their earnings and profit from the universally popular Dark Side of the Moon album, on different endeavours which ranged from a restaurant to a movie, all of which failed miserably.
  • Before deciding to take up music for a living, Brian May, the talented guitarist of Queen earned his PhD in Astrophysics.