This document provides an overview of popular music trends from the 1940s through the 2000s. It discusses the rise of key genres such as rock and roll, country, jazz, blues, and hip hop. Major events like World War II, the civil rights movement, and new technologies like the record player influenced the evolution of popular music styles over the decades. The document summarizes the dominant music genres, artists, and social contexts for each decade.

1. Music Template
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2. Four Factors That Gave Rise to
Popular Music
• Rise of the USA, a new cultural
power
• Rise of Capitalism
• Invention of the „‟record‟‟
• Youth culture

3. 1940s
The 1940's were dominated by World War II. European artists and
intellectuals fled to the United States from Hitler and the Holocaust,
bringing new ideas created in disillusionment. War production pulled
us out of the Great Depression. Women were needed to replace men
who had gone off to war, and so the first great exodus of women
from the home to the workplace began. Rationing affected the food
we ate, the clothes we wore, the toys with which children played.
After the war, the men returned, having seen the rest of the world. No
longer was the family farm an ideal; no longer would blacks accept
lesser status. The GI Bill allowed more men than ever before to get a
college education.

4. PRE 1950s MUSIC
• BEBOP
• RnB
• GOSPEL MUSIC
• BLUES .
• RAGTIME. Rhythmically broken melodies
• JAZZ. Fusion of Blues and ragtime music

5. 1950s
When the 1950s are mentioned, the first type of
music to come to most people's minds is rock 'n
roll. Developed from a blend of
Southern blues and gospel music with an added
strong back beat, this type of music was popular
with teenagers who were trying to break out of the
mainstream, conservative, American middle class
mold.
Music in the fifties was more than just rock 'n
roll. Crooners like Nat King Cole, Frank
Sinatra, Perry Como and Dinah Shore were all
popular.

6. 1950s
COUNTRY MUSIC. HONKY TONK style
evolved from Blues and White country
music.
DOO- WOP. Church harmony singing
traditions joined Blues to form the small
group, close harmony style known as Doo-
Wop performed by The Platters, The
Coasters and The Drifters.
ROCK n ROLL. Elvis Presley successfully
made popular a new hybrid from the fusion
of Rhythm n Blues and Country Music. Alan CROONING.
Freed coined the term ‘Rock n Roll.’ to sing in an evenly modulated,
slightly exaggerated manner

7. 1960s
The sixties were the age of youth, as
70 million children from the post-war baby boom
became teenagers and young adults. The movement
away from the conservative fifties continued and
eventually resulted in revolutionary ways of thinking
and real change in the cultural fabric of American
life. No longer content to be images of the generation
ahead of them, young people wanted change. The
changes affected education, values, lifestyles, laws,
and entertainment. Many of the revolutionary ideas
which began in the sixties are continuing to evolve
today.

8. 1960s
The hippie movement, was
born in the U.S. “protest
song”, these songs included
war messages and political
protest,etc. The greatest
exponent of this style was
Bob Dylan. Rock expanded
very rapidly across North
America and later in Europe.
In England the two most
important rock groups of this
decade were The Beatles
and The Rolling Stones.

9. 1960s
SOUL. RbB and the anguish of
Gospel music merged together
FOLK and PROTEST. Folk
musicians Bob Dylan, Pete
Seeger and Joan
Baez, expressing political
discontent.
SKA/ BLUE BEAT. Jamaican
music dance which combined
with American jazz and R&B

10. 1960’s TO MID 1970’s
“1963-1974” period known as counter
culture movement as Rock built anti
war movement against threat of atomic
bomb.
Around 1965, British Beat and British Blues
merged to form 'Rock' - the basis of
popular music to the present day
Pink Floyd
Psychedelic Rock:
- Focused drug sub culture and
hallucinogenic experiences.
- Introduced long instrumentals.
Pop Rock: Blend of Pop music with
Rock.
Folk Rock: Blend of Folk music with
Rock. Innovative composers were already
experimenting with electro-
acoustic music By the end of the
decade, popular music was also using
synthesizers and other electronic devices.

11. 1970s
The chaotic events of the 60's, including war and social change,
seemed destined to continue in the 70's. Major trends included a
growing disillusionment of government, advances in civil rights,
increased influence of the women's movement, a heightened
concern for the environment, and increased space exploration.
Many of the "radical" ideas of the 60's gained wider acceptance in the
new decade, and were mainstreamed into American life and
culture. Amid war, social realignment and presidential
impeachment proceedings, American culture flourished.

12. 1970s
By the 1970's, the term "rock & roll" had become
nearly meaningless. This decade saw the
breakup of the Beatles and the death of Elvis
Presley, robbing rock of two major influences.
The visual aspect is as important as the sound.
During the decade, rock diversified into a
multitude of styles.
Pop music splintered into a multitude of
styles: soft rock, hard rock, country rock, folk
rock, punk rock,shock rock -- and the dance
craze of the decade, disco! But whatever sub-
genre(s) you preferred, rock music was big
business..

13. 1970s
FUNK. R & B, Soul and Jazz style Jazz and Rock joined
together to create the powerful body music of Funk
from Earth, Wind and Fire and Kool and the Gang.
REGGAE. the anarchic sound of Ska became the heavier
thud of Reggae, reflecting Rastafarian beliefs and
supported poor and underprivileged
DISCO the rhythms of Funk were simplified by K.C. and
the Sunshine Band and Donna Summer for the dance
floor beegees short for discotheque
PUNK. Often loud and angry, vocal accompanied only by
drums and guitar

14. Led Zeppelin
1970’s ROCK
Hard Rock:
- Aggressive loud vocal.
- Distorted guitar riffs.
- 4/4 Drum beats.
Heavy Metal:
- Thick massive sound.
Judas Priest
- Highly amplified distortion .
- Extended guitar solos.
- Emphatic beat and overall
loudness.
Prominent Bands of this era:
- Black Sabbath, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Led
Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Aero
Smith and many others. Eddie Van Halen

15. 1980s
GOLDEN AGE
The 1980s are commonly associated with the usage of synthesizers,
thus, synthpop music and other electronic genres featuring non-
traditional instruments exploded in popularity.
Throughout the decade, R&B, hip hop and urban music in general were
becoming commonplace, particularly in the inner-city areas of large,
metropolitan cities; rap was especially successful in the latter part of
the decade, with the advent of the golden age of hip hop.
These urban genres, rap and hip hop particularly, would continue their
rise in popularity through the 1990s and 2000s.

16. New wave. based on eletro synthsizers.Many of the songs are
based on love or pain
Techno. use of various synthesizers, computer programs and
other equipment give the musical masterpeice so much
character and usually has no lyrics
Rap. music in which a person swiftly rhymes poetry, over a
beat
Pop. Very eclectic, often borrowing elements from other styles
but generally short-to-medium length songs, often make
usage of repeated choruses, have a melodic sound, and
have catchy hooks

17. Megadeth
1980’s ROCK
• New Wave of British Heavy Metal
• More extreme forms of rock, such as Thrash Metal became popular.
Heavy Metal Outlook:
- Long Hair
- Denim Jacket
- Leather
Slayer
- Chains and spikes Dave Mustaine
Alternative Rock: Iron Maiden
- Name was coined in late 80’s.
- Did not fit in the general pattern.
Prominent Bands:
- Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Motor Head, Diamond Head,
Megadeth, Metallica, Sepultura, Slayer and many others.

18. 1990s
This decade was filled with a variety of pop, rap, and
alternative music artists as well as a plethora of
one- hit wonders. It was a time when musical
tastes was as varied as the events that were
happening at that time.
Many of the most popular acts that emerged in the
1990s were bands and artists who enjoyed a type
of resurgence in the mainstream music scene after
their popularity had dwindled for a decade or so.

19. 1990s
Grunge. Heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting
song dynamics, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics
Country. simple and easily memorable, featuring
three chords and a verse-chorus-verse structure
taking the form of a narrative
Latino
RnB

20. 200s
The beginning of the decade had a peak and decline of
boy bands and girl groups. There was a notable return
to raw garage rock n roll .
Hip hop dominated for the most pat of the first half of
the decade.

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