Rock Music, DRA-MAM
Are you ready to rock out? Rock music originated in the United States in the 1950s, and by the '90s its impact was apparent on a global scale. Rock became the most inclusive of musical genres; if other kinds of music—e.g., classical, jazz, easy listening, country, folk, etc.—are marketed as minority interests, rock defines the musical mainstream. Rock's origins lie in rock and roll, a new form of American popular music in the 1950s that was personified early on by Elvis Presley. Other successful rock singers, musicians, and groups include Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, Courtney Love, Bob Dylan, and Patti Smith.
Rock Music Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Drake, Nick
Nick Drake was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for emotive vocals, sombre lyrics, and rich melodies.......
Dylan, Bob
Bob Dylan is an American singer and songwriter who moved from folk to rock music in the 1960s, infusing the lyrics......
Eagles, the
the Eagles, American band that cultivated country rock as the reigning style and sensibility of white youth in......
Earle, Steve
Steve Earle is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who bridged the genres of rock and country music.......
emo
emo, subgenre of punk rock music that arose in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1980s. Guy Picciotto (who was later......
Etheridge, Melissa
Melissa Etheridge is an American musician known for her raspy-voiced rock-and-roll singing. She also was noted......
Everly Brothers, the
the Everly Brothers, immensely popular American rock-and-roll duo, consisting of Don Everly (b. February 1, 1937,......
Factory Records: Manchester’s 24-Hour Party People
Factory Records emerged in the punk moment of the late 1970s and was the heart of Manchester’s music scene until......
Fagen, Donald
Donald Fagen is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and keyboardist of......
Fantasy Records: Cosmo’s Factory
Fantasy was founded as a jazz label in San Francisco in 1949 by brothers Sol and Max Weiss. Their artists included......
Fariña, Mimi
Mimi Fariña was an American folk singer and social activist who, with her first husband, Richard Fariña, helped......
Fariña, Richard
Richard Fariña was an American folk singer and novelist who, with his wife, Mimi Fariña, played a significant role......
Flamingos, the
the Flamingos, American doo-wop vocal group of the 1950s noted for their tight, pristine harmonies. The principal......
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac, British blues band that evolved into the hugely popular Anglo-American pop-rock group whose 1977......
Flying Burrito Brothers, The
The Flying Burrito Brothers, American popular musical group of the late 1960s and ’70s that was one of the chief......
folk rock
folk rock, hybrid musical style that emerged in the United States and Britain in the mid-1960s. As the American......
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters, American alternative rock band, one of the world’s most popular rock bands of the 21st century. Foo......
Four Seasons, the
the Four Seasons, American rock-and-roll group that was among the best-selling recording artists of the early and......
Four Tops, the
the Four Tops, American vocal group that was one of Motown’s most popular acts in the 1960s. The Four Tops formed......
Francis, Connie
Connie Francis was an American singer and actress whose recordings in the 1950s and ’60s encompassed country, rock......
Fugazi
Fugazi, American hardcore punk band known as much for its anticorporate politics as for its intense, dynamic music.......
Gabriel, Peter
Peter Gabriel is a British musician who was the lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis before embarking......
Gang of Four
Gang of Four, British rock group known for its Marxist politics and danceable fusion of rock and funk. The principal......
Gaye, Marvin
Marvin Gaye was an American soul singer-songwriter-producer who, to a large extent, ushered in the era of artist-controlled......
Geldof, Bob
Bob Geldof is an Irish rock musician and philanthropic activist who formed the Boomtown Rats in the 1970s. He founded......
Genesis
Genesis, British progressive rock group noted for its atmospheric sound in the 1970s and extremely popular albums......
Gilmour, David
David Gilmour is a British musician best known for being the lead guitarist and singer for the British rock band......
girl groups
girl groups, primarily American female vocal groups popular from the early to the mid-1960s, the period between......
glam rock
glam rock, musical movement that began in Britain in the early 1970s and celebrated the spectacle of the rock star......
Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead, American rock band that was the incarnation of the improvisational psychedelic music that flowered......
Green Day
Green Day, American rock band that infused the raw power of punk with a melodic pop sensibility and lyrics that......
Grohl, Dave
Dave Grohl is an American musician best known as the founder and lead singer of the alternative rock band Foo Fighters......
grunge
grunge, genre of rock music that flourished in the late 1980s and early ’90s and spawned a particular style of......
Guess Who, the
the Guess Who, Canadian rock group that was the most successful band in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s......
Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses, American band that invigorated late 1980s heavy metal music with its raw energy. The group’s best-known......
Haley, Bill
Bill Haley was an American singer and songwriter considered by many to be the father of rock and roll, thanks to......
Hallyday, Johnny
Johnny Hallyday was a French rock singer and actor whose powerful vocals and prolific career spanning more than......
Hammond, John
John Hammond was an American record producer, promoter, talent scout, and music critic who discovered and promoted......
Hancock, Herbie
Herbie Hancock is an American keyboard player, songwriter, and bandleader. He is a prolific recording artist who......
hardcore punk
hardcore punk, a genre of punk music defined by its speed and intensity, aggressive sound, and DIY (do-it-yourself)......
Harris, Emmylou
Emmylou Harris is an American singer and songwriter who ranged effortlessly among folk, pop, rock, and country-and-western......
Harrison, George
George Harrison was a British musician, singer, and songwriter, who gained fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles,......
Harry, Debbie
Debbie Harry is an American singer-songwriter who fronts the new wave band Blondie, which gained prominence in......
Harvey, PJ
PJ Harvey is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist whose mythically pitched, fanatically intense recordings......
Heart
Heart, American rock band formed in 1974 and led by sisters Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson. Heart sold millions of......
Heavy metal
Heavy metal, genre of rock and roll music that includes a group of related styles—from thrash metal to deathcore—that......
Hendrix, Jimi
Jimi Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and composer who fused American traditions of blues, jazz,......
Hollies, the
the Hollies, five-piece rock group from Manchester, England, that enjoyed many hits in the 1960s both before and......
Holly, Buddy
Buddy Holly was an American singer and songwriter who produced some of the most distinctive and influential work......
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü, American band of the 1980s that melded pop melodies and lyricism with punk music, helping to set the......
Iggy and the Stooges
Iggy and the Stooges, American rock band, initially active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, that helped define......
Influential Rock Bands
Numerous rock bands have shaken the world and captured the attention of audiences over the years. Whether such......
Ink Spots, the
the Ink Spots, American vocal group prominent in the late 1930s and ’40s. One of the first African-American groups,......
instrumentals
instrumentals, type of popular music performed without a vocalist, in any of several genres but especially prevalent......
Island Records: Chris Blackwell’s Rock and Reggae Circus
Chris Blackwell grew up in Jamaica but was educated in England. He founded Island Records in 1959 in Jamaica, then......
Isley Brothers, the
the Isley Brothers, American rhythm-and-blues and rock band that began recording in the late 1950s and continued......
Jackson, Wanda
Wanda Jackson is an American country singer who also achieved substantial success in rock and roll and earned the......
Jagger, Mick
Mick Jagger is a British musician best known as the flamboyant lead singer of the highly influential rock band......
Jam, the
the Jam, British rock group that emerged at the height of the punk rock movement but whose sound and image were......
James, Elmore
Elmore James was an American blues singer-guitarist noted for the urgent intensity of his singing and guitar playing.......
Jansch, Bert
Bert Jansch was a Scottish-born guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose innovative and influential guitar technique......
Jayhawks, the
the Jayhawks, American roots rock group that was an influential pioneer of the alternative country and Americana......
jazz-rock
jazz-rock, popular musical form in which modern jazz improvisation is accompanied by the bass lines, drumming styles,......
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane, was an American psychedelic rock band best known for its biting political lyrics, soaring harmonies,......
Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia was the singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead, a San Francisco-based group that......
Jesus and Mary Chain, the
the Jesus and Mary Chain, Scottish alternative rock band whose landmark debut album, Psychocandy (1985), mixed......
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American singer and musician whose raucous, three-chord guitar-playing and rebellious image made......
Jocko Henderson
For seven years beginning in the mid-1950s, Douglas (“Jocko”) Henderson commuted daily between Philadelphia, where......
Joel, Billy
Billy Joel is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter in the pop ballad tradition whose numerous hit songs......
John, Elton
Elton John is a British singer, composer, and pianist who became one of the most popular entertainers of the late......
Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers, American soft-rock boy band noted for its combination of optimism, catchy tunes, and cover-boy......
Joplin, Janis
Janis Joplin was an American singer and the premier white female blues vocalist of the 1960s, who dazzled listeners......
Joy Division/New Order
Joy Division/New Order, British rock group who, as Joy Division, refined the external chaos of 1970s punk into......
King Crimson
King Crimson, English rock band known for its bold and uniquely dramatic style and for helping lay the foundation......
Kinks, the
the Kinks, influential 1960s British Invasion group who infused their rhythm-and-blues beginnings with sharp social......
Kiss
Kiss, American rock band, one of the most influential and best-selling rock groups from the 1970s through the early......
Knopfler, Mark
Mark Knopfler is a Scottish guitarist and singer-songwriter, widely known as the front man of the British rock......
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk, German experimental group widely regarded as the godfathers of electronic pop music. The original members......
Kravitz, Lenny
Lenny Kravitz is an American musician known for his unique blend of rock, psychedelia, soul, funk, and hip-hop.......
Larry Lujack
“I’m just plain fantastic—the best damn rock-and-roll DJ of our time or any other time!” wrote Larry Lujack, a......
Laurel Canyon, the Loudest Little Neighborhood of the 1960s and ’70s
Laurel Canyon is a community nestled in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. Unlike other locales, this area is......
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin, British rock band that was extremely popular in the 1970s. Although their musical style was diverse,......
Lee Hazlewood
The inspired use of an empty silo helped put Phoenix, Arizona, on the rock-and-roll map during the late 1950s.......
Lennon, John
John Lennon was a coleader of the revolutionary British rock group the Beatles as well as an author and graphic......
Let It Be
Let It Be, studio album of the revolutionary British rock band the Beatles, the last of 12 albums released by the......
Leto, Jared
Jared Leto is an American actor and musician who won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance......
Lewis, Jerry Lee
Jerry Lee Lewis was an American singer and pianist whose virtuosity, ecstatic performances, and colorful personality......
Linkin Park
Linkin Park, American band known for blending rock, rap, electronic music, and pop. Originating in Agoura Hills,......
Little Anthony and the Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials, American rhythm-and-blues vocal group whose career straddled the eras of doo-wop......
Little Richard
Little Richard was a flamboyant American singer and pianist whose hit songs of the mid-1950s were defining moments......
Love
Love, American rock group formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s that was more popular with critics than with record......
Love, Courtney
Courtney Love is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress best known for her influential rock band......
Lovin’ Spoonful, the
the Lovin’ Spoonful, American folk rock band with a string of hits in the mid 1960s. The original members were......
Lymon, Frankie, and the Teenagers
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, American vocal group popular in the mid-1950s, prime exponents of the doo-wop......
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd, American rock band that rose to prominence during the Southern rock boom of the 1970s on the strength......
Madonna
Madonna is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur whose immense popularity in the 1980s and......
Mamas and the Papas, the
the Mamas and the Papas, American vocal quartet whose intricate harmonies brought them to the forefront of the......