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What
Rock refers to a broad spectrum of music, from the last Bloc Party record, to the Death Cab for Cutie song you play over and over again, to the Pink Floyd you hear from your brother's room. But when did it all start? What exactly is the soul of rock music? Well that's up in the air too. Most people say the American rock music emerged in the '50s with songs like Little Richard's "Tutti Fruitti," Elvis Presley's "That's All Right," and groups like Bill Haley and His Comets with "Rock Around The Clock." Elements of rock and roll can also be heard during the 1920s in rhythm and blues. Early rock and roll musicians pulled their sound from a variety of sources--from Blues, Jazz, even Gospel and Country western. You can even hear foundations of rock and roll in Irish Jigs from the 19th century.
Who & When
Nowadays, rock has split into tons of genres, some totally unrecognizable from '50s rock and roll. During the 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s, bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who introduced a more guitar-driven, jangly sound into rock. In the late '60s, psychedelic music called Acid Rock was popularized by bands like The Grateful Dead and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The decadence of '80s hair metal bands like Poison and Guns 'N Roses led to an alternative music rebellion with the likes of Nirvana and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Another music rebellion, punk rock, which boasts bands such as The Clash, Sex Pistols, Bad Religion and The Plasmatics, led to sub-genres like Riot Grrrl (Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney) and Emo. There's even a genre called Wagnerian Rock, which is a merge between rock and opera music, and includes musicians like Meat Loaf. And when your mom is grooving to Elton John and Journey, that's called soft rock.
Etc...
For a more in-depth look at the history of rock and roll and/or some of these genres, check out Everything Rock, emo-ology or for something more current, music blogs like Stereogum.
