Rock and Roll: A History, Pt.1

Rock music started in the 40's, when classic blues and country music were integrated with a stronger drum beat, and electric guitars. Immediately, it shocked the adults in the time because of the sexually explicit nature of some of the lyrics. I always want to point out that not all of rock music is "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll". Call me biased, but it's always irritated me when that's only what people think of in regards to this genre. People like Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins laid the groundwork for this incredible genre.

Elvis is largely credited for why this genre became "acceptable" for the white population in the 50's (and even that's stretching it a little). And the Moral Panic was real. Change is not something that people always liked, and Rock music embodied the changing times.

The genre had its first big breakthrough in 1955, when Rock Around The Clock hit No. #1 on the Billboard charts. It's fairly quaint by today's standards (still really good), but it put the genre on the map, and scandalized the conservative adults in the room.

It was also around the 50's that electric guitars were introduced into the rock scene. New technological advances meant that these instruments could add a flair to the genre that couldn't quite be achieved with an acoustic guitar.

However, it wasn't until the 60's that they became a staple in the genre, with artists Jimi Hendricks solidifying the instrument within the genre. It was also in the 60's that the ideas of peace and love were incorporated into the genre.

In this decade, rock music was firmly a part of the collective consciousness. This is when the Beatles and The Rolling Stones entered the charts. A lot of young adults were starting to notice flaws in the system, and rebellion became a theme of that decade. One which rock music has always embodied.

The hippie also movement started taking rock music as their own. I think it was because the rebellious atmosphere was something that they reso ated with, as the hippie movement was also about rebelling against the mainstream. This was best showcased (in my opinion) with Woodstock in 1969. 

Then came the 70's, where I'll pick up this timeline.