R+P Post 3: Music genres that interest me

I have one main music genre that interest, which is Rock, with that being said there are also many smaller genres that I enjoy; Pop Punk, Alt. Rock, Indie and Brit Pop. On top of this, I have also been heavily impacted and influenced by Jazz, Blues and Soul music.

Below I have created a timeline of eras with significant genre evolutions and changes in the industry that interests me.

1950's - The creation of the Rock & Roll genre


One of the first rock groups ever to come on the music scene was 'Bill Haley & His Comets'. They were considered revolutionary as this rock n' roll genre had never been heard before; in its entirety.

















In 1954, The King of Rock & Roll; Elvis Presley, broke onto the music scene. His unique voice, style and dance moves were revolutionary and ground-breaking. He change the music industry dramatically and 60 years later, his impact on the industry is still significant.

1960's - The Swinging Sixties


On the 14th January 1965, Bob Dylan released 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'. In addition to the song's influence on music, the song was used in what became one of the first "modern" promotional film clips, the forerunner of what later became known as the music video. Although Rolling Stone ranked it 7th in the magazine's October 1993 list of "100 Top Music Videos", the original clip was actually the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film, Dont Look Back, a documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England.




The Supremes released 'A Go-Go' in 1966 and were the first all-female group to reach number 1 in the Billboard 200 Album Charts. This had a huge impact on the music industry as it helped prove that women could make successful music  and as a result opened doors for a lot more female artists.

Motown Records Corporation was also created. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American-owned record label which achieved significant crossover success. Motown and its subsidiary labels were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a small record company: 79 records in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969.

1970's - Dramatic changes in the Rock genre

The 70's were famous for its leap in the rock genre. There were many sub-genres of rock created and the rock industry as a whole was hugely changed and developed.

The hard-rock subgenre was taken to a whole new level by 1973's Kiss. They were one of the first bands to ever experiment with garish make styles (as you can see in the photo). They were considered quite edgy and groundbreaking as a result of this.







Secondly, Rock began to become more associated with younger generations due to the angst and aggression shown by these bands when performing live. One great example of this were The Ramones, who were renounced for their high octane gigs and anti-establishment views.

From 1974 to 1976 the Punk Rock sub-genre was formed. The Sex Pistols were one of the most successful punk bands of this era. They were also favored among the youth.

1980's - The years of diversity

In the summer of 1981, one of the biggest revelations in music to date was broadcast. This was when MTV was created. On the right is the first every broadcast on the channel.











The New Wave genre was formed. This genre was associated with mod subculture and was a key part of the independent part of the industry. The Culture Club (Left) is a great example of the genre.








Hard rock, heavy metal and glam metal also experienced extreme popularity in the 80's. Guns N' Roses has now been credited with reviving the mainstream popularity of hard rock music. Their late 80's have been described as the period in which they brought forth a 'hedonistic rebelliousness' (alongside The Ramones and other rock artists). In 2012, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In addition Bon Jovi; an american glam rock/hard rock band. They have released 13 studio ablums and are one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, having sold more than 1 million records worldwide.






The hip-hop scene was also developed massively during these years with groups such as Run-DMC being one of the pioneers in this movement. Then, in 1986, this movement was taken to a new level when Run-DMC covered the famous 'Walk This Way' by Aerosmith. This immediately put hip-hop into the mainstream media and this collaboration between genres, opened the market for many sub-genres to be created.

1990's - Explosion of new genres and variety

The success of Grunge music, alongside similar sub-genres peaked with the popularity of bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Nirvana developed a sound that relied on dynamic contrasts, often between quiet verses and loud, heavy choruses. As a result of the band's unexpected success with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' they managed to widely popularize alternative rock and grunge music, as a whole and Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the 'spokesman of a generation'.

There was also the birth of Brit Pop, through bands such as Blur and Oasis that offered a similar escapist nature as the grunge bands of america, but with a British twist. They propelled the UK music industry and as a result paved the way for many sequential British artists.


Furthermore, on the pop scene, female icons 'The Spice Girls' managed to break America. This once again revolutionist the UK music, as it proved that British pop artists could have worldwide success.

Music Genres that interest me now:

I am extremely interested in the whole rock genre, hence why I have researched into the history of this genre in particular. I find the development of this genre extremely fascinating as the success it has achieved, out of the mainstream, is quite surprising and the extensive number of sub-genres gives artists, as well as my artist, a lot of different audience in which they can target.