Rock in the 1960s | Britannica

The immediate consequence was folk rock. Folk musicians, led by Bob Dylan, went electric, amplified their instruments, and sharpened their beat. Dylan in ... rock Sections&Media Article Introduction&TopQuestionsWhatisrock?ThedifficultyofdefinitionCrucialrockmusiciansMusicaleclecticismandtheuseoftechnologyRockandyouthcultureAuthenticityandcommercialismRockinthe1950sThedevelopmentofthenewvocalpopstarRuralmusicinurbansettingsMarketingrockandrollRockinthe1960sABlackandwhitehybridTheBritishreactionFolkrock,thehippiemovement,and“therockparadox”Rockinthe1970sCorporaterockChallengestomainstreamrockRockinthe1980sand’90sDigitaltechnologyandalternativestoadult-orientedrockTheglobalmarketandfragmentationRockintheearly21stcenturyRockasareflectionofsocialandculturalchange FastFacts 2-MinSummary Facts&RelatedContent Media Images AdditionalInfo MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Researcher'sNote AdditionalReading RepresentativeWorks Contributors ArticleHistory Rockinthe1960sABlackandwhitehybridWhateverthecommercialforcesatplay(anddespitethecontinuingindustrybeliefthatthiswaspopmusicastransitorynovelty),itbecameclearthatthemostsuccessfulwritersandproducersofteenagemusicwerethemselvesyoungandintriguedbymusicalhybridityandthetechnologicalpossibilitiesoftherecordingstudio.Intheearly1960steenagepopceasedtosoundlikeyoungadultpop.YouthfulcroonerssuchasFrankieAvalonandFabianwerereplacedinthechartsbyvocalgroupssuchastheShirelles.Anewrock-and-rollhybridofBlackandwhitemusicappeared:Spectorderivedthemini-dramasofgirlgroupssuchastheCrystalsandtheRonettesfromthevocalrhythm-and-bluesstyleofdoo-wop,theBeachBoysrearrangedChuckBerryforbarbershop-stylecloseharmonies,andinDetroitBerryGordy’sMotownlabeldrewongospelmusic(firstsecularizedfortheteenagemarketbySamCooke)forthemorerhythmicallycomplexbutequallycommercialsoundsoftheSupremesandMarthaandtheVandellas.Forthenewgenerationofrecordproducer,whetherSpector,theBeachBoys’BrianWilson,orMotown’sSmokeyRobinsonandtheteamofHolland-Dozier-Holland,thecommercialchallenge—tomakearecordthatwouldbeheardthroughalltheothernoisesinteenagelives—wasalsoanartisticchallenge.Eveninthismostcommercialofscenes(thanksinparttoitsemphasisonfashion),successdependedonacreativeapproachtotechnologicalDIY.TheBritishreactionRockhistorianstendtoarrangerock’spastintoarecurringpatternofemergence,appropriation,anddecline.Thus,rockandrollemergedinthemid-1950sonlytobeappropriatedbybigbusiness(forexample,Presley’smovefromtheMemphislabelSuntothenationalcorporationRCA)andtodeclineintoteenpop;theBeatlesthenemergedinthemid-1960satthefrontofaBritishInvasionthatledyoungAmericansbacktorockandroll’sroots.Butthisnotionismisleading.OnereasonfortheBeatles’astonishingpopularitybytheendofthe1960swaspreciselythattheydidnotdistinguishbetweenthe“authenticity”of,say,ChuckBerryandthe“artifice”oftheMarvelettes.InBritain,asintherestofEurope,rockandrollhadanimmediateyouthappeal—eachcountrysoonhaditsownElvisPresley—butitmadelittleimpactonnationalmusicmedia,asbroadcastingwasstilllargelyunderstatecontrol.(TheconnectionbetweenrockandradiointheUnitedKingdomwasstilltocome.)Localrockandrollershadtomakethemusiconstageratherthanonrecord.IntheUnitedKingdommusiciansfollowedtheskifflegroupmodelofthefolk,jazz,andbluesscenes,theonlylocalsourcesofAmericanmusicmaking.TheBeatleswereonlyoneofmanyprovincialBritishgroupswhofromthelate1950splayedAmericanmusicfortheirfriends,imitatingallkindsofhitsounds—fromBerrytotheShirelles,fromCarlPerkinstotheIsleyBrothers—whileusingthebasicskiffleformatofrhythmsection,guitar,andshoutingtobeheardincheap,claustrophobicpubsandyouthclubs.Inthiscontextagroup’smostimportantinstrumentsweretheirvoices—ontheonehand,individualsingers(suchasJohnLennonandPaulMcCartney)developedanewharshnessandattack;ontheotherhand,groupvoices(vocalharmonies)hadtodothedecorativeworkprovidedontheoriginalrecordsbyproducersinthestudio.Eitherway,itwasthroughtheirvoicesthatBritishbeatgroups,coveringthesamesongswiththesamelineupofinstruments,markedthemselvesofffromeachother,anditwasthroughthisemphasisonvoicethatvocalrhythmandbluesmadeitsmarkonthetastesof“mod”culture(the“modernist”style-obsessed,consumption-drivenyouthculturethatdevelopedinBritaininthe1960s).SoulsingerssuchasRayCharlesandSamCookewerethemodelforbeatgroupvocalsandbythemid-1960swerejoinedintheBritishchartsbymoreintenseAfricanAmericansingerssuchasArethaFranklinandOtisRedding.Britishguitaristswereequallyinfluencedbythisexpressiveideal,andthelooserhythmguitarplayingofrockandrollandskifflewasgraduallyreplacedbymoreornateleadplayingonelectricguitaraslocalmusicianssuchasEricClaptonsoughttoemulatebluesartistssuchasB.B.King.ClaptontooktheidealofauthenticperformancefromtheBritishjazzscene,buthispursuitoforiginality—hishomagetothebluesoriginalsandhissearchforhisownguitarvoice—alsoreflectedhisart-schooleducation(ClaptonwasoneofmanyBritishrockstarswhoengagedinmusicseriouslywhileinartschool).Bytheendofthe1960s,itwasassumedthatBritishrockgroupswrotetheirownsongs.Whathadoncebeenamatterofnecessity—therewasalimittothesuccessofbandsthatplayedstrictlycoverversions,andBritain’sprofessionalsongwritershadlittleunderstandingofthesenewformsofmusic—wasnowamatterofprinciple:self-expressiononstageandinthestudiowaswhatdistinguishedthese“rock”actsfrompop“puppets”likeCliffRichard.(GroomedasBritain’sElvisPresleyinthe1950s—movingwithhisband,theShadows,fromskiffleclubstotelevisionteenvarietyshows—Richardwasbytheendofthe1960safamilyentertainer,hisperformingstyleandmaterialhardlyevenmarkedbyrockandroll.) 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