1951
A DJ from Cleveland Ohio,
Alan Freed, is credited for coining the phrase �rock and roll�, referring to
the newest style of music brought to the airwaves during that time.� One of the records played was Roy Brown�s
�Good Rocking Tonight�, making the first ostensible reference to sex through
music.
1952
Alan �Moondog�
Freed organizes the first rock and roll concert in Cleveland called the �Moondog
Coronation Ball�. The audience and the performers were mixed in race and the
evening ended after one song almost ended in a riot.
1954
Elvis Presley
begins recording and performing the hit titled �That�s Alright Mama�, a
rock/country-western fusion known as rockabilly.� His unique vocals and instrumental sounds
earned him the title the �King of Rock �N Roll�, and Elvis became known as the
first teen idol and most famous musical celebrity to date.
1958
American rock influences The
United Kingdom, and a new group called Cliff Richards and the Drifters was
formed.� Racial barriers weren�t as much
trouble in The U.K., and teens quickly embraced the new style of music known as
The British Invasion (1964-1969).�
Richards is credited for the ideas of a �lead guitarist� and �electric
bass guitar�, which would pave the way for other British groups like The
Beatles.
Early 1960�s
Rockabilly
hits the West Coast and transforms into a mostly instrumental version infused
with vocal harmonies, referred to as �surf music�.� This music features more heavily played
guitar, thus influencing modern heavy metal later on.� Popular artists in this era were The Beach
Boys and Jan and Dean.
1964
The Beatles make an appearance
on �The Ed Sullivan Show�, making TV history for rock and roll.� Other British bands followed suit, including
The Rolling Stones, The Animals, and The Who, introducing an edgier sound to
British Rock.
1965
Bob Dylan releases the tune
�Like a Rolling Stone� to mainstream radio.�
With over 6 minutes of playing time and intense poetic contents, this
would forever change all preconceived notions of what radio music should sound
like.�
Mid-1960�s
The Rolling Stones are credited
with being the first band to do away with band uniforms.� The lead to longer, untamed hairstyles,
radical clothing changes, and a more �wild� look compared to previous bands that
had a more �clean-cut� appearance.
Late 1960�s
As a reaction to the Vietnam
war, drugs, and social injustices, a new wave of music called psychedellic rock is ushered in.� Artists like The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Jefferson
Airplane play a large roll in changing the sound of music with dramatic guitar
riffs and electronic sounds.� The British
had their own versions of this music style, as featured by the popular group
Pink Floyd.� The culmination of this
style of music was brought to fruition by the mass gathering for peace and love
through music at the famous three-day gathering called Woodstock.
1970�s
Transition from 60�s psychadelic styles became more sexually charged, creating a
metamorphosis into a more free form of music in the 80�s.� Blues-rock bands were formed, including Cream
and Led Zepplin, who would later influence heavy
metal bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.� These bands were ruled by the heavy guitar
sounds and stunning on-stage performances.
1973-1981
A new dance-style of music,
influenced by earlier funk bands of the early 1970�s, began to emerge called
disco.� Popular groups such as K.C and
the Sunshine Band, The O�Jays, The Bee Gees, Barry
White, and Gloria Gaynor topped the charts with their
versions of the disco beat.� The style
created a need for disco clubs nation-wide, including the famous Studio 54, and
a new need for teens to gather together for a more sexually charged style of
dance, as featured in 1977�s Saturday Night Fever.� The trend wouldn�t last long as people became
increasingly upset at the loss of more classic rock sounds. The anti-disco
movement culminated in the disco demolition riot in Chicago during the summer of 1979.
1980�s
New pop groups emerged on the
scene, like Van Halen, Queen, The Go-Go�s, and Michael Jackson.�
These artists became more mainstream in music,
appealing to a wider variety of people.�
Some of these were the ever famous �hair bands�, such as Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, and Ratt, whose sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle began to
sway public opinion of the bands� normal behaviors.� Rock and roll became more of a lifesyle as well as a musical style.� Many current music channels today report on
many bands� quick climax to fame, only to come crashing down due to substance
abuse, lawsuits, and the consequences of over spending.
1990�s
New alternative rock groups
like Pearl Jam and Nirvana emerged on the scene, completely wiping out former
hair bands with their more mellow, depressed sounds of
reality-based lyrics called grunge.� In
1994, the leader of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, fatally shot himself, leaving a wife
and daughter behind. �In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur
was shot and killed in Las Vegas.� Shortly after, in March of 1997, Christopher
Wallace (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls
or The Notorious B.I.G.) was shot in Los
Angeles.� Both
parties had succumbed to gang violence and east coast/west coast feuds, resulting
in the death of two artists.
Early 2000
The music industry takes on the
major music-sharing company Napster in an effort to
permanently ban music piracy.� They win,
forming the group RIAA, and for the first time pitting the public against the
very artists they idolize.� Shortly after
that, American Idol debuts, allowing the general public to choose from a
variety of artists of their discretion.
2004
Sean Combs, also knows as Puff
Daddy, P. Diddy etc., begins the �Vote or Die�
campaign, enlisting several musicians and celebrities to stand and vote in the
very divided election of that year.� He
will use his position of power in the music industry to have an influence on
the young Americans in the nation to vote their opinions.� However, in the wake of the election, several
of his recruits for the cause never even registered to voice their
opinions.�
