The History of Rock and Roll Essay

Rock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance craze in the 1950's to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who don't follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variation of three chords to a complex chromatic scale combination. It can convey emotions such as love, hate, fear, lust, sadness, joy, disillusion, or a strong sense of reality. Many things can be said about rock but the fact is that it is the most widely …show more content…
Although Hendrix only released four albums in the four years of his career he is considered the greatest guitarist of the twentieth century. The artists that progressed after the psychedelic era were known as the "Monsters of Rock." One of these Artists was Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin was famous for its offstage excesses in drugs and groupies but they also had one of the most amazing live performances ever. The combination of Robert Plant's screeching vocals, Jimmy Page's searing guitar, John Paul Jones's solid bass, and John Bonham's arena-shattering drums could not be denied. The group fused blues into a harder driving music that relied on distorted guitar tones but also had clear acoustic and classical elements. Led Zeppelin has created some of the most memorable rock songs dealing with mythology, the occult, and fantasy related genres. The group also laid a foundation for hard rock, thrash, and heavy metal styles. Another "Monster of Rock" was the more extravagant Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd started out as a group that sounded similar to the Beatles but with more psychedelic topics. The band changed after their drug-doomed lead guitarist and Singer Syd Barrett was institutionalized, and gained guitarist David Gilmour, who recorded with the band on their groundbreaking album Dark Side of the Moon. Pink Floyd touched audiences with deep thought provoking lyrics, melodic tones, and intensely moving guitar solos. The group toured relentlessly in the 70's and even

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Rock And Roll History