The '60s as a decade of music was probably the most influential on the people. It made them act in ways unimaginable even today. Most people think of music in the '60s as a bunch of peace and love, but there was more to the music than that. Blues and soul were reborn with artists like Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross. Companies like Motown and other record labels thrived. Artists like Jimi Hendrix and Santana revived the blues and made it popular once again. Santana combined the blues with Afro - Cuban dance rhythms. There was another type of music that was popular in the sixties, folk rock. The folk rock revolution was led by artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Folk rockers combined blues, country, and bluegrass to form a sound that was unique. Dylan's lyrics were described as "cluttered poetry". Yet how could we forget the hippies and their music?
For many artists over the past 35 years, there has been one supreme ruler that influences their music, The Beatles. For their brief time in music, John, Paul, George, and Ringo, the boys from Liverpool, were on top. With a look that drove girls mad (later known as "beatlemania") and a sound that to this day hasn't been duplicated, The Beatles are arguably the greatest rock 'n roll band ever.
Soul is known as the music of the blacks, but it wasn't just for the blacks. Soul inspired almost all of the music you hear. When most people think of soul music, they don't think of one particular musician or artist, but of a record company out of Detroit, Michigan. Motown produced some of the greatest music ever, and is one of the best known record companies. There was no best soul artist. Every time you conjured up a best, you could always find an artist with just as many good qualities. Smoky Robinson and the Temptations were some of the most popular soul musicians. Motown pounded out hits like "Love Child", and "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", which led the way for soul and the beginning of the 60s.
Psychedelic rock was the music that fueled the Hippie revolution. Psychedelic rock was mainly inspired by excessive drug experimentation, the anti-war movement, and the personal opinions of many of the musicians. Psychedelic rockers found a home in San Francisco. They performed at the smoky Hippie clubs, with flashing neon lights, at the corner of Haight and Ashbury. Jefferson Airplane was probably the best known Psychodelic band ever, with front woman Grace Slick. The Airplane sang of a revolution between two classes of people, not black and white but what they thought was right and wrong. Like the revolution of the sixties, all good things must come to an end and that's what happened to psychodelic music. It is now one of the many forgotten forms of music, but it was really a force for a memorable revolution.
The Blues is where every rock band can trace its roots back. The blues started before most people think with W.C. Handy and later progressed with Muddy Waters in the 50's. But in the sixties, the blues was totally recreated. As the late sixties came into focus, new blues bands began to pop out of the woodwork. One of the most popular new wave blues artists was Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix is deemed as one of the most influential rock artists ever, and, as most musicians are concerned, he is the greatest guitar player ever. Just like soul music, there was no real greatest 60's blues musician. From the beginning, blues artists have always been known for their guitar solos. Never before had any musician put so much time and effort into one part of music. Clapton, Santana, and Hendrix, are all considered great guitarists. The blues is the root to all music, and it is the living, breathing drive for rock 'n roll.
THE BEATLES
The Beatles were probaly the
most popular band in the sixties.
(top from left) Ringo Starr and John Lennon
(bottom from left) Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
