MUSIC GENRES

The 1960s saw a real flowering of popular music styles:

  • Soul music starts gaining a foothold with hits by Sam Cooke, James Brown, Solomon Burke and former Drifters lead signer Ben E. King, who's "Stand By Me" is a #1 R&B record.

  • Folk music was reborn in the 1960s thanks to several young performers who wanted to rescue the musical form from what they saw as its sad decline. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and the group Peter, Paul, and Mary adopted folk styles and filled them with political commentary on contemporary issues. Dylan and the group Simon and Garfunkel led the way in folk rock.

  • Rock and roll music in the 1960s was dominated by one group: the Beatles. The popularity of the Beatles remained strong throughout the decade. Other British groups followed the Beatles, creating what became known as the British Invasion: The Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Who.
    Rock music soon split into several streams:

Some bands produced lighter music with pleasing lyrics to sell to pop radio stations. Other bands pursued rock music as a form of protest or a form of artistic exploration. This more mature rock music used sophisticated recording techniques and exotic instruments.

 

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