Portal:Rock music

The Rock Music Portal

Rock music is a genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and United Kingdom. It has its roots in rock and roll, a style that drew from the black musical genres of blues and rhythm and blues, as well as from country music. Rock also drew strongly from genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz and other styles. Rock is typically centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass guitar, drums, and one or more singers.

Usually, rock is song-based music with a ⁴
₄ time signature and using a verse–chorus form; however, the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political. Rock was the most popular genre of music in the U.S. and much of the western world from the 1960s up to the 2010s.

Rock musicians in the mid-1960s began to advance the album ahead of the single as the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption, with the Beatles at the forefront of this development. Their contributions lent the genre a cultural legitimacy in the mainstream and initiated a rock-informed album era in the music industry for the next several decades. By the late 1960s "classic rock" period, a few distinct rock music subgenres had emerged, including hybrids like blues rock, folk rock, country rock, southern rock, raga rock, and jazz rock, which contributed to the development of psychedelic rock, influenced by the countercultural psychedelic and hippie scene. New genres that emerged included progressive rock, which extended artistic elements, heavy metal, which emphasized an aggressive thick sound, and glam rock, which highlighted showmanship and visual style. In the second half of the 1970s, punk rock reacted by producing stripped-down, energetic social and political critiques. Punk was an influence in the 1980s on new wave, post-punk and eventually alternative rock. (Full article...)

General images - load new batch

The following are images from various rock music-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1"There's No Romance in Rock and Roll" made the cover of True Life Romance in 1956. (from Rock and roll)
Image 2Baker, Bruce and Clapton of Cream, whose blues rock improvisation was a major factor in the development of the genre (from Hard rock)
Image 3Little Richard in 1957 (from Rock and roll)
Image 4Aerosmith performing at Quilmes Rock in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 15, 2007 (from Hard rock)
Image 5Kiss on stage in Boston in 2004 (from Hard rock)
Image 6Tommy Steele, one of the first British rock and rollers, performing in Stockholm in 1957 (from Rock and roll)
Image 7The Who on stage in 1975 (from Hard rock)
Image 8Wolfmother, 2007 (from Hard rock)
Image 9Original member Izzy Stradlin' on stage with Guns N' Roses in 2006 (from Hard rock)
Image 10Chuck Berry in 1957 (from Rock and roll)
Image 11Led Zeppelin live at Chicago Stadium, January 1975 (from Hard rock)
Image 12Golden Earring receives a gold record in 1970. (from Hard rock)
Image 13Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson's record "Roll 'Em Pete" is regarded as a precursor to rock and roll. (from Rock and roll)
Image 14Nirvana were at the forefront of the 1990s grunge era. (from Hard rock)
Image 15The transistor radio (1958 Emerson pictured) introduced FM radio and rock and roll music to baby boomer children in American households. (from Rock and roll)
Image 16Sign commemorating the role of Alan Freed and Cleveland, Ohio, in the origins of rock and roll (from Rock and roll)
Image 17Buddy Holly and his band, the Crickets (from Rock and roll)
Image 18Cliff Richard became an early British rock and roll star with his 1958 hit "Move It". (from Rock and roll)
Image 19Disc jockey Alan Freed is credited with popularizing the term "rock and roll" and introducing the genre across racial barriers in the 1950s (from Rock and roll)
Image 20Drum notation for a backbeat (from Hard rock)
Image 21LaVern Baker was an R&B singer who was influential on rock and roll (from Rock and roll)
Image 22Poison, seen here in 2008, were among the most successful acts of the 1980s glam metal era. (from Hard rock)
Image 23Elvis Presley in a promotion shot for Jailhouse Rock in 1957 (from Rock and roll)
Image 24Foo Fighters performing an acoustic show in 2007 (from Hard rock)
Image 25Bill Haley and his Comets performing in the 1954 Universal International film Round Up of Rhythm (from Rock and roll)
Image 26Johnny Rivers was a key 1960s rock artist known for hits like "Memphis" and his "Go-go" style. (from Rock and roll)
Image 27Rush on stage in Milan, Italy, 2004 (from Hard rock)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

edit

Selected article

Oasis are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. The group initially consisted of Liam Gallagher (lead vocals), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums). Liam asked his older brother Noel Gallagher (lead guitar, vocals) to join as a fifth member a few months later to finalise their formation. Noel became the de facto leader of the group and took over the songwriting duties for the band's first four studio albums. They are regarded as the most globally successful group of the Britpop genre.

Oasis signed to independent record label Creation Records in 1993 and released their record-setting debut studio album Definitely Maybe (1994), which topped the UK Albums Chart and quickly became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time. The following year, they released follow up album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) with new drummer Alan "Whitey" White in the midst of a highly publicised chart rivalry with peers Blur, dubbed by the British media as the "Battle of Britpop". Spending ten weeks at number one on the British charts, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was also an international chart success and became one of the best-selling albums of all time, the UK's third-best-selling album, and the UK's best-selling album of the 1990s. The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers throughout the 1990s for their public disputes and wild lifestyles. In 1996, Oasis performed two nights at Knebworth for an audience of 125,000 each time, the largest outdoor concerts in UK history at the time. In 1997, Oasis released their highly anticipated third studio album, Be Here Now, which became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history. It was retrospectively seen as a critical disappointment.

Founding members Arthurs and McGuigan left in 1999 during the recording of the band's fourth studio album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000). They were replaced by former Heavy Stereo guitarist Gem Archer on guitar and Ride guitarist Andy Bell on bass guitar. White departed in 2004, replaced by touring member Zak Starkey. Oasis released three more studio albums in the 2000s: Heathen Chemistry (2002), Don't Believe the Truth (2005) and Dig Out Your Soul (2008). The group abruptly disbanded in 2009 after the sudden departure of Noel Gallagher. The remaining members of the band continued under the name Beady Eye until their disbandment in 2014. Both Gallagher brothers have since had successful solo careers. Oasis reformed in 2024 and concurrently announced the Oasis Live '25 Tour, which they embarked on the following year. The band currently consists of the Gallagher brothers, Arthurs, Archer and Bell.

As of 2024, Oasis had sold over 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. They are among the most successful acts in the history of the UK singles chart and the UK Albums Chart, with eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums. The band also achieved three Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified Platinum albums in the US. They won 17 NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, and six Brit Awards, including one in 2007 for Outstanding Contribution to Music and one for the "Best Album of the Last 30 Years" for (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. They were also nominated for two Grammy Awards. (Full article...)

More selected articles

Good article

Read more

edit

Selected biography

Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as Pigpen, was an American musician. He was a founding member of the San Francisco band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972.

McKernan grew up heavily influenced by African-American music, particularly the blues, and enjoyed listening to his father's collection of records and taught himself how to play harmonica and piano. McKernan began socializing around the San Francisco Bay Area, becoming friends with Jerry Garcia. After the pair had played in various folk and jug bands, McKernan suggested they form an electric group, which became the Grateful Dead. He was the band's original frontman and played harmonica and electric organ, but Garcia and bassist Phil Lesh's influences on the band became increasingly stronger as they embraced psychedelic rock. McKernan struggled to keep up with the changing music, causing the group to hire keyboardist Tom Constanten, with McKernan's contributions essentially limited to vocals, harmonica, and percussion from November 1968 to January 1970. He continued to be a frontman in concert for some numbers, including his interpretations of Bobby Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light" and the Rascals' "Good Lovin'".

Unlike the other members of the Grateful Dead, McKernan avoided psychedelic drugs, preferring to drink alcohol (namely whiskey and flavored fortified wine). By 1971, his health had been affected by alcoholism and liver damage and doctors advised him to stop touring. Following a hiatus, McKernan resumed touring with the group in December 1971, but was forced to retire from touring altogether in June 1972. He was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage on March 8, 1973, aged 27, and is buried at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. (Full article...)

More selected biographies

Good article

Read more

edit

Selected album

Reckless is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, released by A&M Records on November 5, 1984, to coincide with Adams' 25th birthday. Like its predecessor Cuts Like a Knife, the album was entirely produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain.

Reckless was commercially successful, selling over 12 million copies worldwide, making it Adams' second highest-selling studio album to date – behind his 1991 album Waking Up the Neighbours. It was also the first Canadian album to sell over one million copies within Canada, and is certified eleven-times platinum in the country. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200. The album has also received positive reviews from critics, with contemporary reviews praising its songwriting and sonic quality.

Six singles were released from the album: "Run to You", "Somebody", "Heaven", "Summer of '69", "One Night Love Affair", and "It's Only Love"; all six singles charted within the top-twenty on the US Billboard Hot 100. (Full article...)

More selected albums

Read more

edit

Selected song

"Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song similar to “My Sharona” on the album. Jackson later said: "I wanted to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song... And I wanted the children to really enjoy it — the school children as well as the college students." It includes a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen.

Following the successful Thriller singles "The Girl Is Mine" and "Billie Jean", "Beat It" was released on February 21, 1983, as the album's third single. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for three weeks. It also charted at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. Billboard ranked the song No. 5 for 1983. It is certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Beat It" was a number one hit in Europe, reaching number one in Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. With sales of over 10 million worldwide, "Beat It" is one of the best-selling songs of all time.

The "Beat It" music video, which features Jackson bringing two gangs together through the power of music and dance, helped establish Jackson as an international pop icon. The single, along with its music video, helped make Thriller the best-selling album of all time. "Beat It" has been cited as one of the most successful, recognized, awarded and celebrated songs in the history of popular music; both the song and video had a large impact on pop culture.

"Beat It" won the 1984 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards. It was inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked "Beat It" number 337 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, and at number 185 in its 2021 update of the list. The magazine also named it the 81st greatest guitar song of all time. It was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. (Full article...)

More selected songs

Read more

edit

Selected picture

Credit: Takahiro Kyono

Leonard Cohen performing at King's Garden, Odense, Denmark, on 17 August 2013.

More selected pictures

Read more

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that director Abel Ferrara "delayed" the 64th Locarno Film Festival by singing rock and roll songs?
... that the Liverpool Echo described British rock and roll star Tommy Steele as "quite unable to sing and play the guitar at the same time" when reviewing his first album?
... that Canadian punk rock musician Talli Osborne had only briefly spoken to the frontman of NOFX before the band wrote a song about her?
... that Rolling Stone listed Ácido Argentino as the most essential album of Argentine heavy metal?
... that during his tenure as Governor of Central Java, Muhammad Ismail banned rock music concerts and car rallies?
... that Desulfovibrio vulgaris can remove toxic heavy metals from the environment?

edit

Selected genre

Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or '60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is characterized by basic chord structures played on electric guitars and other instruments, sometimes distorted through a fuzzbox, as well as often unsophisticated and occasionally aggressive lyrics and delivery. Its name derives from the perception that groups were often made up of young amateurs who rehearsed in the family garage, although many were professional. (Full article...)