BLACK MUSIC

Rock began in the USA in the early 1950s. At that time, 'rhythm and blues' music was very popular with black Americans. 'R & B' was a mixture of black religious music ('gospel') and jazz. It had strong rhythms that you could dance to and simple, fast lyrics.

ROCK 'N' ROLL

Noticing the success of R & B music, white musicians started to copy the same style. By the mid 1950s, this new white R & B music, called 'rock 'n' roll', had become very popular. Singers like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley attracted millions of teenage fans. Their music was fast and loud. Many older people thought that rock 'n' roll was very dangerous. By the early 1960s, even rock 'n' roll had become old-fashioned. Many of the songs had begun to sound the same. It was at that time that a new group from England became popular: The Beatles.

The BEATLES

The Beatles first started by singing American style songs, but they soon developed their own style, with more complicated melodies. They also introduced different instruments, such as the Indian sitar. Groups like The Beatles had a very important influence on the style of popular music. By the early 1970s, rock 'n' roll had developed into a new form of music. Electronic had replaced the amplified guitars and drums of rock 'n' roll. 'Rock' had arrived. 

ROCK TODAY

Rock music has continued to change and develop. It has combined with music from different parts of the world. Today, there are hundreds of different types of rock music, and almost every country has its own form of rock. There is 'heavy metal' which is extremely loud with hard rhythms, 'reggae', from Jamaica, that combines rock with jazz and Latin rhythms, 'rap' that developed on the streets of New York, 'disco' a type of soft rock music for dancing, 'Afro-rock' that combines rock with African rhythms, 'Mex-rock', which combines rock with traditional Mexican melodies...and many, many more.