The Authors of Rock Music
History of Rock Music | Author | Short Version | Other music pages
The Beginnings (1955-1963)
Rock and roll: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly
The repression: Everly Brothers, Duan Eddy, Beach Boys
The revolution: Bob Dylan
The British triad: Rolling Stones, Kinks, Who
Soul: Ray Charles, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder
Funk: James Brown
Reggae: Bob Marley
The Golden Age
Los Angeles freaks: Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart
San Francisco hippies: Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver, Grateful Dead, It’s A Beautiful Day
Folk-rock: Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, Fugs, Pentangle
Britain’s auteurs: Eric Burdon, Donovan, Van Morrison
Psychedelia: Red Crayola, Velvet Underground, Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd
Baring the soul: Tim Buckley, Nick Drake
Psychedelic folk: Pearls Before Swine, Holy Modal Rounders, United States of America
Psychedelic funk: George Clinton
British irregulars: Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Third Ear Band
German irregulars: Amon Duul, Can
Reinventing the tradition: Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ry Cooder, Allman Brothers
Canadian songwriters: Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell
Noise and revolution in Detroit: MC5 and Stooges
Hard-rock: Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Mountain
Progressive-rock: Traffic, Family, King Crimson, Colosseum, Van der Graaf Generator, Yes, Roxy Music
Canterbury jazz-rock: Soft Machine, Caravan, Gong
Transcendental folk: Sandy Bull, Robbie Basho, John Fahey
Decadent-rock: Lou Reed, John Cale, Nico, Kim Fowley
Glam-rock: David Bowie
The 1970s
Kosmische Musik: Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Cluster
French avantgarde: Magma, Vangelis
Roots-rock: Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Little Feat
Space-rock: Hawkwind
British eccentrics: Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Mike Oldfield, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush
Between genres: Todd Rundgren, Tom Waits, Rickie Lee Jones, Annette Peacock
Free-rock: Henry Cow
German futurism: Kraftwerk, Neu
German existentialism: Faust, Popol Vuh, Can
Southern rock: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers
Heavy blues-rock: Aerosmith, AC/DC
Heavy metal: Blue Oyster Cult, Rush, Kiss, Van Halen
Euro-pop: Abba
Blue-collar rock: Bruce Springsteen
Intellectuals: Tom Petty, Patti Smith
Dance-pop: Blondie, Police
British metal: Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard
New wave: Television, Suicide, Feelies
Blank generation: Pere Ubu, Residents, Chrome
Avant-funk: Talking Heads, B52’s, James Chance, Pop Group
Punk-rock: New York Dolls, Ramones, Clash
Synth-pop: Ultravox, XTC, Wire, Japan
Industrial music: Throbbing Gristle
Voodoobilly: Cramps, Fleshtones
Dark-punk: Public Image ltd, Cure
Soul-rock: Prince
French avant-rock: Art Zoyd, Univers Zero
The 1980s
German noise: Einsturzende Neubaten
Hardcore: Mission Of Burma
California hardcore: Germs, Black Flag, X, Dead Kennedys, Flipper, Minutemen
Midwest: Husker Du, Replacements, Big Black, Laughing Hyenas
College-pop: REM
Brit-pop: U2, Smiths
British gothic: Bauhaus, Killing Joke, Sisters of Mercy
Dream-pop: Cocteau Twins
Disco-punk: Madonna
Rap: Beastie Boys, Public Enemy
Speedmetal: Metallica, Jane’s Addiction, Guns And Roses
No wave: Lydia Lunch
Progressive: Bill Laswell, Anton Fier
Noise-rock: Sonic Youth, Swans, Band Of Susans, Jon Spencer, Royal Trux
Cow-punk: Dream Syndicate, Gun Club
Power-pop: Pixies
British songwriters: Julian Cope, Enya
Canada songwriter: Jane Siberry
Psycho-delic: Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Red Temple Spirits, Medicine,
Australian masters: Nick Cave, Dead Can Dance, Jim Foetus
California: Camper Van Beethoven, Zoogz Rift, Savage Republic
Texas: Butthole Surfers, Pain Teens, Ed Hall
Shoegazer: Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine
New Zealand: Tall Dwarfs, Chills
1990s
Industial-trash: Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Cop Shoot Cop, Type O Negative
Post-rock: Blind Idiot God, Slint
Washington hardcore: Fugazi, Unrest, Nation Of Ulysses, Girls Against Boys
Chicago hardcore: Jesus Lizard
Foxcore: Babes In Toyland
Jam-rock: Phish
North Carolina: Fetchin Bones, Polvo
Grunge: Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana
Stoner-rock: Kyuss
Gothic: Lycia, Sam Rosenthal
Slo-core: Codeine, Bedhead
Post-grunge: Morphine, Built To Spill, Cows, Smashing Pumpkins
Pop: Green
Songwriters: Magnetic Fields, Lisa Germano, Tori Amos, Beck, Mark Lanegan
Funk-rock: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, Primus, Faith No More
Roots-rock: Del-Lords, American Music Club, Red House Painters, Walkabouts
Lo-fi pop: Pavement
Avant-rock: Thinking Fellers Union
New Zealand: Roy Montgomery
British industrial-punk: Godflesh, Kevin Martin
Heavy-metal: Sepultura
Grindcore: Napalm Death
Doom-metal: Cathedral
New British folk: Polly Jean Harvey, Belle And Sebastian
Canada songwriter: Loreena McKennitt
British retro-pop: Stereolab, Primal Scream, Spiritualized, Radiohead
Australia: Lubricated Goat, Dirty Three
Scandinavia: Bjork, Bel Canto
Germany: Mo Boma, Mouse On Mars
France: Lightwave
Techno/rave: Meat Beat Manifesto, Stone Roses, Chemical Brothers
Canada avantgarde: Delerium, Vampire Rodents, Trance Mission
Ambient: Orb, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Mu-ziq
Japan noise: Boredoms
Trip-hop: Portishead, Laika
Transglobal: Loop Guru, Banco De Gaia, TUU
Jungle: Goldie
