The history of rock

Rock music, also known as 'rock and roll' originated in the United states in the 1950s and became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, when rock music was in its 'golden age'.

As it became popular other genres of music like  jazz, classical, folk and country were put with rock music to create new subgenres of music for example jazz-rock fusion.

Since then rock music has become one of the most popular genres of music with other popular subgenres like heavy metal and punk rock being created.

Nowadays rock music is strongly used as a way of someone expressing themselves as typically rock artists use a dark theme within their song rather than that of a happy one.

First ever rock band with a hit

In 1953, when rock music had just started, rock band Bill Haley and his comets became the first rock band to enter the pop charts with a rock song which was called 'crazy man crazy'  and came at number 12 on the charts.

First ever recorded rock song

There is lots of different opinions of what was the first ever recorded rock and roll song but a majority of people consider it to be 'rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston which  was recorded in 1951. People say that the fact that the song features a distorted guitar sound makes it a rock song as it suggests a sense of rebelliousness which is most rock songs tend to have. 

Most ever downloaded rock song

To date the most downloaded rock song is Imagine dragon's 'radioactive' which has been downloaded 7.5 million times so far and also stayed in the charts for a total of 87 weeks. In second place is 'Don't stop believin' by Journey which was released in 1981 and has been downloaded 6.4 million times. 

First ever rock music video

The first ever music video was for Bohemian rhapsody by rock band Queen which was released in 1975. It was the first video for a song which had the purpose of contrasting with the music and giving a performance for the song.  

Popular rock artists 

• The Beatles
• Led Zeppelin
• Queen
• Elvis Presley 
• ACDC
• Elton John
• David Bowie
• Guns N' roses
• The rolling stones 
• Nirvana
• Muse
• Foo fighters
• Pink Floyd
• Green Day
• Arctic Monkeys
• Fall out boy