The Advent Of Rock Music

By Author: Christian Wilson
Total Articles: 52
Comment this article

Rock music, in one form or another, has been around for years. Many pin point the 1950s as the advent of rock with the emergence of Elvis Presley. Though not performing ‘rock' as we know it, Presley is credited as being a pioneer as rock and roll.

Presley's ‘new' music caused a stir amongst the music industry and outrage amongst some parents as his risqué dance moves left many in shock.

In the 60s rock music evolved further when four lads form Liverpool came to the fore. The Beatles are one of the most successful bands of all time and in the 1960s Beatlemania gripped the world!

The 1970s saw the advent of two subgenres of rock - glam rock and punk rock. Both had their roots firmly in rock music but they were very different form each other. Punk rock was about rebellion and anarchy with bands like the Sex Pistols at the fore front of the movement.

Glam rock was more experimental and saw the like of David Bowie lead the way. Make up, glitter and platforms were the style of choice.

By the 1980s rock had evolved even further. One of the main forms of rock in the 1980s was soft rock. ...
... Power ballads were en vogue and big hair was the order of the day. Bands like Chicago and Mr Mister were setting the tone.

There was also a darker, more aggressive rock on the scene with bands like Black Sabbath gaining coverage.

Towards the end of the decade we saw more American rock bands - particularly shoe-gaze rock bands - come into the scene. The term shoe-gaze was coined from the way the lead singer of such bands would perform on stage, usually staring at his feet!

The 1990s saw indie rock take the spotlight. While pop was dominating much of the charts, Brit pop - a form of indie rock emerged and fierce chart battles ensued.

Grunge rock was also big in the 1990s with bands like Nirvana reaching the top of the charts.

2000s saw indie rock back on top as Arctic Monkeys from the UK and Kings of Leon from the US continue to dominate the music industry.

A rock band usually includes one or more guitarists, a drummer and a bassist along with a lead singer. This can change though for example the rock band Keane originally had no guitarists but for the most part this format is followed.

Rock music is one of the biggest and most successful genres of music in the history of the music industry and if recent record sales are anything to go by it shows little sign of giving up that claim.