The document traces the evolution of rock music from the 1950s to the 2000s. It discusses the replacement of the 78 RPM record by the long playing vinyl album and the introduction of the 45 RPM single in the 1950s. It then highlights the emergence and rise of rock artists in each subsequent decade like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Nirvana. Each decade saw new rock genres and subgenres emerge and gain popularity as the music industry and technology changed.

1. The Evolution of Rock
In the early 1950's the American Pop
Charts are dominated by the remnants of
the big band era including vocalists such as
Doris Day, Frankie Lane, Frank Sinatra,
Rosemary Clooney and Nat King Cole,
along with band leaders Mitch Miller,
Percy Faith and others. The solid body
electric guitar becomes commercially
available in the early fifties. The 78 RPM
record is replaced by the long playing vinyl
album and the 45 RPM single is
introduced.
I. In 1955 black R&B artists Little
Richard and Chuck Berry score
significant Pop hits. Scouts from
RCA records, looking to sign
their own rock and roll
performer, buy out the contract
of Memphis singer Elvis Presley
from regional label Sun Records
In April 1956 Elvis Presley
charted in the Pop Charts
with RCA Records called
‘Heartbreak Hotel’. The
end of the decade is
marked by tragedy as a
February 1959 plane
crash takes the lives of
rock and roll stars Buddy
Holly, The Big Bopper and
Ritchie Valens.
1953, Bill Haley and His Comets
are the first to hit the pop charts
with a true rock and roll song,
taking their single "Crazy Man
Crazy" to #12. Black R&B artists
such as Doo Wop group the
Orioles achieve crossover success
on the Pop Charts in 1953 with
their R&B hit "Crying In The
Chapel".
More cross-over hits from black
R&B artists such as Fats Domino
and The Platters climb the pop
charts. White artists such as Pat
Boone, The Crew-cuts and
Georgia Gibbs who found
success covering R&B hits and
turning them into hits on the
pop charts.
1960’s1950’s
The sixties is where rock music
dominates the charts with
music still diversifying and Elvis
still making hits. By 1964
American artists
are sharing the top of the charts
with U.K. bands led by the
Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
In the U.S. garage bands
emerge, inspired by the British
Invasion sound
Pop then begins to involve political
and social conciseness and begins to
introduce the hippie culture. Album
sales begin to gain importance, as a
harder rock sound emerges and sows
the seeds for heavy metal.
outdoor rock music festivals begin. First with 1967's
Monterey Pop Festival which attracts 55,000 fans per
day to a three day concert. In the summer of 1969
the Woodstock Music and Art Fair draws 500,000
people to a three day concert in Bethel, New York
Beatles dominated the sixties
record charts with 6 of the top 10
albums of the decade and 21 of
the decades' top 100 singles.
Their nearest competitor was
Elvis Presley with 9 of the
decades' top 100 singles and 4 of
the decades' top 100 albums.

2. After the Beatles great group success they
break up in 1970, however all four
members continue to impact the decade
with successful solo careers. The early
seventies are marked by the deaths of
Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim
Morrison who all die at the age of 27.
Psychedelic music declines, but morphs
into hard rock progressive rock and heavy
metal.
1970’s
Very successful and popular
bands formed in the '60's, such
as the Rolling Stones, Pink
Floyd, The Who, Grand Funk
and Led Zeppelin travel in
private jets and play to
thousands in arenas and
outdoor stadiums.
A clear distinction emerges
between Top 40 radio and FM
album oriented rock radio stations.
Car stereos become common, first
with FM stereo radio, then 8-Track
tapes, followed by cassette tapes.
The diversity of music
distribution expands
allowing new rock genres
to form. The early
seventies are dominated
by singer songwriters and
soft rock. Glam or Glitter
Rock shines briefly in the
first half of the seventies
with live bands being
popular like kiss.
Disco dominates the radio and
dance floors in the late seventies.
Punk rock, a throwback to sixties
garage rock, emerges in the late
seventies as a reaction to arena
rock, progressive rock and disco.
Punk becomes New Wave as
bands move beyond guitars and
drums, and began incorporating
synthesizers; an electronic
musical instrument, typically
operated by a keyboard,
producing a wide variety of
sounds by generating and
combining signals of different
frequencies
1980’s
Just as John Lennon was coming
back into public eye he was shot by
a fan in 1980. the media further
expands as MTV is available on 300
cable systems in the U.S by 1981.
two years later in 1988 it is available
2,000 cable systems.
In 1984 VH1 is launched with a higher
classic rock content. a 24/7 marketing
tool is influential in bringing numerous
new bands and music styles into the
mainstream, including a resurgence in
heavy metal, the emergence of
synthpop, new wave, rap and hip hop.
The number of successful female
artists, across many genres, is reflected
in singles and album
Records and concerts to benefit charity are
supported by many rock music artists. These
include Band Aid, We Are The World, plus the
Live Aid and Farm Aid concerts.
Guns ‘N’ Roses form in
1985

3. Alternative Rock and it's sub-genres Grunge
and Pop Punk expand in popularity and
ironically, explode into the mainstream during
the 1990's. Major labels begin luring
independent bands away from small record
labels. These artists are resistant to the
demands of big record companies
and unwilling to change styles to reach a mass
market audience. Nevertheless, many
alternative bands, including REM, The
Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chilli Peppers,
The Smiths and grunge bands like Nirvana,
Sound garden, Pearl Jam and others find
success with mainstream audiences.
1990’s
Heavy metal morphs into new sub-genres such as rap metal
and rap core, nu metal and industrial metal. Electronic music
continues to change as well, with techno and house splitting
into new styles including trance, drums & bass, trip-hop and
euro dance.
Advancements in computers and software
allow for digital music creation and recording
on home computers. The internet and sound
compression allow for digital distribution of
music, often bypassing the need for a major
label album release.
2000’s
Unlike other years this decade did not see
a major emergence of new genres with
the exception of indie related genres such
as emo and a few other sub-genres.
However the commercial success of
British Grime, Trap and Chill wave were
popular.
This decade started common trends, such as
the mainstream usage of pitch correction
software Auto-Tune, as well as the rise of the
internet, media player programmes such as
iTunes and music & video sharing websites
such as YouTube. Also, most songs put less
focus on elaborate bass-lines that use bass
guitars and bass synthesisers in favour of
louder and booming drums, and used even
more electrical instruments.
Alternative rock, and especially genres
such as post-grunge, post-Britpop, nu
metal, pop punk, emo, post-hardcore,
metalcore, and in some cases indie rock
saw popularity during this decade.
In 2004, Las Vegas-based
alternative rock band The
Killers released their
successful debut album Hot
Fuss, spawning hits like "Mr.
Brightside" and "All These
Things That I've Done". New
York-based act The Bravery
became popular the
following year.

4. 1950’S
Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Carl
Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Bill Haley &
His Comets, Buddy Holly, The Everly
Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny
Burnette & The Rock n' Roll Trio,
Wanda Jackson, Ritchie Valens,
Johnny Cash.
Key artists of the decades
1960’S
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The
Animals, Herman's Hermits, Led
Zeppelin, Vanilla Fudge, Jimi Hendrix
Experience, Blue Cheer, Steppenwolf,
MC5, 13th Floor Elevators, Grateful
Dead, The Charlatans, Pink Floyd
1980’S
Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Red Hot
Chilli Peppers, The Smiths, Soul Asylum,
Jane's Addiction, Bad Religion, Guns & Roses
1990’S
Nirvana, The Deftones, Slipknot, Limp
Bizkit, Kid Rock, Papa Roach, system of a
down, Foo Fighters, Collective Soul, Bon
Jovi, AC/DC, Creed, U2
2000’s
Arctic Monkeys, Green Day, Muse, The
Killers, Linkin Park, Radiohead, Arcade Fire,
Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance,
Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, Slipknot,
Paramore, Marilyn Manson, Fall out Boy, All
Time Low, The Fray Blink 1-8-2