Rock Lyrics

Rock and roll music—the most popular and mainstream music genre in the world, originated as a blend of country and R&B in the 1960s. Rock lyrics and music became popularized by artists such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino and established international domination of the music world through the "British Invasion" introducing such bands as: Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds (with a young Eric Clapton), Freddy and the Dreamers and The Kinks. Classic rockers, including Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, and U2 continue to impact the world of rock and roll, along with current top artists such as Linkin Park, Santana, Mumford & Sons, and Neil Young.

Rock music and lyrics maintain global popularity through the strength and influence of subgenres such as: heavy metal, punk, pop, grunge, and alternative music, as well as through the rise of cross-over artists from all other musical styles and disciplines. Rock music and lyrics continue to fuse, mold and adopt elements from every music genre, including, but not limited to: classical, jazz, country, Latin and gospel. Crossing political, socioeconomic and religious lines, rock music and lyrics have defined and shaped generations, and can be felt in every art form.

Fun Fact: DJ Alan Freed of Cleveland, Ohio is credited with creating the term “rock and roll” to describe his music when he played R&B for a multi-racial audience in 1951.