Lenny Kravitz

Although the sound of American Trad Rock is quite different than that of its British counterpart, it shares the same aesthetic -- namely, it is dedicated to keeping the sound and the spirit of classic '60s rock alive. Where British trad rock relies on the Beatles and mod influences, American trad rock is about Southern-fried boogie and blues-based improvisation. The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers were the twin precursors of American trad rock, even though there are hints of the Stones... [+] Read More

Although the sound of American Trad Rock is quite different than that of its British counterpart, it shares the same aesthetic -- namely, it is dedicated to keeping the sound and the spirit of classic '60s rock alive. Where British trad rock relies on the Beatles and mod influences, American trad rock is about Southern-fried boogie and blues-based improvisation. The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers were the twin precursors of American trad rock, even though there are hints of the Stones and the Faces thrown in every once in a while as well. The very first U.S. trad rockers -- the Georgia Satellites and the Black Crowes -- appeared in the mid- to late '80s and had grown out of roots rock. By the early '90s, American trad rock had begun to take shape as Allman soundalikes like Widespread Panic began cultivating followings, and by the middle of the decade, there was a loose collective of similar-minded, neo-Dead bands (Blues Traveler, Phish) that had built a fanbase by touring constantly. Blues Traveler had these bands tour under the H.O.R.D.E. moniker, and by 1996 the travelling festival was rivaling its alternative counterpart, Lollapalooza, in popularity. [-] Hide

Thee Midniters

Frat Rock was garage rock before there was garage rock -- big, dumb party music that was raw, ragged, and fun. Songs like "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" and "Louie Louie" -- singles that were so catchy and so simple, any band could cover them and sound good. These songs were favorites of covers bands in the early '60s, when local bands frequently played parties at fraternity houses. This scene, of course, was immortalized in John Landis' 1978 comedy classic Animal House, which affectionately...

Frat Rock was garage rock before there was garage rock -- big, dumb party music that was raw, ragged, and fun. Songs like "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" and "Louie Louie" -- singles that were so catchy and so simple, any band could cover them and sound good. These songs were favorites of covers bands in the early '60s, when local bands frequently played parties at fraternity houses. This scene, of course, was immortalized in John Landis' 1978 comedy classic Animal House, which affectionately sent up these pre-Beatles years. [-] Hide

John Hiatt

During the late '70s, a certain strand of American rock & roll emerged that was later dubbed Heartland Rock in the '80s. At its core, heartland rock was straightforward rock & roll infused with Americana -- more streamlined than garage rock, but not as traditionalist as roots rock. Ironically for a style so distinctly American, the Rolling Stones was a clear influence on most of the rough & tumble rockers. But the Stones weren't the only main influence -- so were the Byrds, Bob Dylan, Van... [+] Read More

During the late '70s, a certain strand of American rock & roll emerged that was later dubbed Heartland Rock in the '80s. At its core, heartland rock was straightforward rock & roll infused with Americana -- more streamlined than garage rock, but not as traditionalist as roots rock. Ironically for a style so distinctly American, the Rolling Stones was a clear influence on most of the rough & tumble rockers. But the Stones weren't the only main influence -- so were the Byrds, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and '60s garage rock. The result was a frequently exciting hybrid of melody, rhythm, and message. Although heartland rock wasn't solely political -- almost every heartland artist had a pile-driving, good-time rocker -- it all was united by the attitude that music should be about something. Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Bob Seger epitomized heartland, but they were hardly the only heartland rockers. There were critically-acclaimed rockers of the late '70s and early '90s, like Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes and Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers. In the '80s, the genre also encompassed such singer/songwriters as Bruce Hornsby, whose music didn't really rock, but certainly shared a similar aesthetic to Springsteen's quieter moments. During the '90s, the genre faded somewhat, as many bands that would have been a heartland outfit at the beginning of the '80s chose to follow an Americana route, but there were still pockets where the faithful kept the flame burning. [-] Hide

The Rip Chords

Hot Rod is simple, instrumental music that sounds exactly like surf rock -- the only difference is, hot rod has the sound of revving engines and screeching tires overdubbed above the cascading music. There were no national hot rod hits -- the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean may have sung about cars, but those were rock songs, not hot rodding songs -- but it was a cult favorite during the early '60s and it maintained a following for several decades. Once the CD reissue boom began mining the vaults... [+] Read More

Hot Rod is simple, instrumental music that sounds exactly like surf rock -- the only difference is, hot rod has the sound of revving engines and screeching tires overdubbed above the cascading music. There were no national hot rod hits -- the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean may have sung about cars, but those were rock songs, not hot rodding songs -- but it was a cult favorite during the early '60s and it maintained a following for several decades. Once the CD reissue boom began mining the vaults for obscurities in the early '90s, hot rod earned a new cult audience among rock collectors, as rarities and long out-of-print hot rod records were reissued on labels like Sundazed, One Way, and Del-Fi. [-] Hide

Satan's Pilgrims

Since there were garage and surf revivals in the '80s and '90s, it was only appropriate that there would be a handful of bands that revived hot rod, that early '60s rock & roll style that was essentially surf with cars. Hot rod had a handful of hits, but it never really became the sensation surf was because it was surf music. Consequently, it never really had the cultural cache as surf and when it was revived, it became a cult within a cult, only reaching a handful of hardcore collectors.

Since there were garage and surf revivals in the '80s and '90s, it was only appropriate that there would be a handful of bands that revived hot rod, that early '60s rock & roll style that was essentially surf with cars. Hot rod had a handful of hits, but it never really became the sensation surf was because it was surf music. Consequently, it never really had the cultural cache as surf and when it was revived, it became a cult within a cult, only reaching a handful of hardcore collectors. [-] Hide

Joe Satriani

From its earliest days, rock & roll emphasized catchy melodies, which were usually presented with easily remembered lyrics. That wasn't always the case, however, and if the melodies were strong enough, rock & roll instrumentals could catch on and become hits. That happened most frequently during rock's first decade of existence, which constituted a sort of golden age for Instrumental Rock in the years before the British Invasion. The lead melodies of hit instrumentals could emphasize the... [+] Read More

From its earliest days, rock & roll emphasized catchy melodies, which were usually presented with easily remembered lyrics. That wasn't always the case, however, and if the melodies were strong enough, rock & roll instrumentals could catch on and become hits. That happened most frequently during rock's first decade of existence, which constituted a sort of golden age for Instrumental Rock in the years before the British Invasion. The lead melodies of hit instrumentals could emphasize the organ (the Tornados' "Telstar") or the saxophone (the Champs' "Tequila"), but most often it was the guitar, as the twangy sound of Duane Eddy, the visceral fuzz tone of Link Wray, and the clean, reverbed picking of the Ventures all had a tremendous impact on many of the rock guitarists who followed them (Eddy and the Ventures scored quite a few hit singles as well). The Ventures were especially influential on the development of surf music, which -- apart from groups like the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean -- usually consisted of heavily reverbed guitar instrumentals. Despite the rapid-fire picking and Middle Eastern scales sometimes employed by surf-guitar innovator Dick Dale, most surf music was fairly simple, retaining its melodic emphasis. Following the British Invasion, instrumental hits were mostly confined to the R&B realm, among artists like Booker T. & the MG's and saxophonist Junior Walker. Funk and disco produced several instrumental hit singles during the '70s, and the technical virtuosity of many art-rockers led its fans to prize instrumental work, even if most of the songs featured vocals at one point or another. That emphasis on technical skill carried over into the '80s, when highly trained guitar virtuosos began to dominate heavy metal and even (like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai) record their own albums. During the '90s, instrumental music made a comeback in the indie-rock community, led by eclectic, avant-garde post-rock combos like Tortoise, as well as surf-rock revivalists like Man or Astro-Man?. [-] Hide

Blues Traveler

Jam Bands were frequently pegged as Grateful Dead or Allman Brothers copyists when they first emerged in the early '90s. There was some truth to that, since jam bands were influenced by these groups, but jam bands were hardly mere revivalists. They were synthesists, borrowing elements of everything from classic rock and bluegrass to soul jazz and Sting & Paul Simon's worldbeat explorations. The first jam bands -- Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic, Spin Doctors, among others -- were more... [+] Read More

Jam Bands were frequently pegged as Grateful Dead or Allman Brothers copyists when they first emerged in the early '90s. There was some truth to that, since jam bands were influenced by these groups, but jam bands were hardly mere revivalists. They were synthesists, borrowing elements of everything from classic rock and bluegrass to soul jazz and Sting & Paul Simon's worldbeat explorations. The first jam bands -- Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic, Spin Doctors, among others -- were more rock-oriented, but as the decade rolled on and more bands were formed, the genre's diversity deepened. Of all these bands, Phish towered above the rest, due to their musical eclecticism, uncanny technical abilities, and massive popularity. They weren't really like the Dead, but they shared one distinct similarity -- they sold more tickets than records. [-] Hide

Cannibal & the Headhunters

Though Latin Rock wasn't a commercial force before Santana broke out of the San Franciscan underground during the late '60s, it had deep roots in the straightahead R&B (a style not especially affected by traditional Latin music) of brown-eyed soul/East L.A. bands like Cannibal & the Headhunters and Thee Midniters. Influenced by the Chicano movement emphasizing culture and heritage, an assortment of California-based bands began incorporating Spanish-language material and the percussion forms... [+] Read More

Though Latin Rock wasn't a commercial force before Santana broke out of the San Franciscan underground during the late '60s, it had deep roots in the straightahead R&B (a style not especially affected by traditional Latin music) of brown-eyed soul/East L.A. bands like Cannibal & the Headhunters and Thee Midniters. Influenced by the Chicano movement emphasizing culture and heritage, an assortment of California-based bands began incorporating Spanish-language material and the percussion forms of Latin America. Though Santana and War were the only successful bands, great recordings were also made by Malo, Tierra, and El Chicano, as well as bands from New York (Ocho, Mandrill, Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive) and even Peru (Black Sugar). [-] Hide

Graham Parker

In some ways, the British phenomenon of Pub Rock in the early '70s wasn't much more than roots rock, since it basically consisted of bar bands that played rock & roll, country-rock, and the blues. But there were some crucial differences, particularly in approach. If pub rock is anything, it is loose and unpretentious -- these were guys that played music for the hell of it. The members of the major pub rock bands -- Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, Bees Make Honey, Ace, Dr. Feelgood -- came... [+] Read More

In some ways, the British phenomenon of Pub Rock in the early '70s wasn't much more than roots rock, since it basically consisted of bar bands that played rock & roll, country-rock, and the blues. But there were some crucial differences, particularly in approach. If pub rock is anything, it is loose and unpretentious -- these were guys that played music for the hell of it. The members of the major pub rock bands -- Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, Bees Make Honey, Ace, Dr. Feelgood -- came from a variety of musical backgrounds, including folk-rock, blues, country-rock, and traditional rock & roll. This kind of rootsy music stood in direct contrast to the glam rock, hard rock, and prog rock that dominated the British charts. Consequently, the groups had trouble finding places to play, and they had to create their own circuit by playing hidden-away pubs throughout England. In no time, the unconventional venues and their defiantly good-time, back-to-basics rock & roll became a rallying cry for pub rockers. None of the pub-rock bands became stars or had hits, but their do-it-yourself attitude and stripped-down sound -- as well as the creation of the pub-rock circuit itself -- paved the way for punk rock. Indeed, many pub rockers -- including Brinsley Schwarz's Nick Lowe, the 101ers' Joe Strummer, Flip City's Elvis Costello, Kilburn & the High Roads' Ian Dury and Graham Parker -- became important figures in punk and new wave just a few years after the pub-rock scene faded in the mid-'70s. [-] Hide

Impala

During the '80s and '90s, there were groups of musicians that kept the spirit of first-wave rock & roll alive, playing music that unabashedly celebrated everything prior to the British Invasion. This wasn't roots rock, which also blended elements of country-rock and folk-rock, since that had a distinctly modern spirit. Retro-Rock tried to sound and feel like old-time rock & roll. Classics and obscurities from the late '50s and early '60s were covered with relish, and new songs were written in... [+] Read More

During the '80s and '90s, there were groups of musicians that kept the spirit of first-wave rock & roll alive, playing music that unabashedly celebrated everything prior to the British Invasion. This wasn't roots rock, which also blended elements of country-rock and folk-rock, since that had a distinctly modern spirit. Retro-Rock tried to sound and feel like old-time rock & roll. Classics and obscurities from the late '50s and early '60s were covered with relish, and new songs were written in the same spirit. Sometimes, they were faithful to the letter, writing songs about dances and rock & roll with no irony; other times, the new tunes were laced with humor. Either way, the music stayed the same -- a celebration of the early days of rock & roll, from Chuck Berry to pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys. [-] Hide

The Sir Douglas Quintet

In its purest form, Rock & Roll has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody. Early rock & roll drew from a variety of sources, primarily blues, R&B, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk. All of these influences combined in a simple, blues-based song structure that was fast, danceable, and catchy. The first wave of rock & rollers -- Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, Gene Vincent,... [+] Read More

In its purest form, Rock & Roll has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody. Early rock & roll drew from a variety of sources, primarily blues, R&B, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk. All of these influences combined in a simple, blues-based song structure that was fast, danceable, and catchy. The first wave of rock & rollers -- Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, Gene Vincent, the Everly Brothers, and Carl Perkins, among many others -- set the template for rock & roll that was followed over the next four decades. During each decade, a number of artists replicated the sound of the first rockers, while some expanded that definition and others completely exploded the constrictions of the genre. From the British Invasion, folk-rock, psychedelia, and through hard rock, heavy metal, glam rock, and punk, most subgenres of rock & roll initially demonstrated an allegiance to the basic structure of rock & roll. Once these permutations emerged, traditional rock & roll faded away from the pop charts, yet there were always artists that kept the flame alive. Some, like the Rolling Stones and the Faces, adhered to the basic rules of traditional rock & roll but played the music fast and loose. Others, like proto-punk rockers the Velvet Underground, the New York Dolls, and the Stooges, kept the basic song structure, but played it with more menace. Still others, like Dave Edmunds and Graham Parker, became rock & roll traditionalists, writing and recording music that never wavered from the sound of the late '50s and early '60s. Although the term "rock & roll" came to refer to a number of different music styles in the decades following its inception, the essential form of the music never changed. [-] Hide

Johnny Horton

Rockabilly was a wild, hepped-up meeting between country & western music and early rhythm & blues. It was one of the very first forms of rock & roll, and it was the first one performed predominantly by white musicians (almost all of whom came from the South). Rockabilly was played with spare instrumentation: a twangy electric guitar and an acoustic stand-up bass whose strings were snapped percussively in a technique dubbed "slap-back" (which sometimes made drums unnecessary). Rockabilly had a... [+] Read More

Rockabilly was a wild, hepped-up meeting between country & western music and early rhythm & blues. It was one of the very first forms of rock & roll, and it was the first one performed predominantly by white musicians (almost all of whom came from the South). Rockabilly was played with spare instrumentation: a twangy electric guitar and an acoustic stand-up bass whose strings were snapped percussively in a technique dubbed "slap-back" (which sometimes made drums unnecessary). Rockabilly had a thumping, jumping beat that easily made it the most propulsive, visceral, and implicitly sexual style of "white" American music up to that point. Essentially, it made rock & roll accessible to white audiences, thus touching off a cultural revolution the effects of which are still being felt. The genesis of rockabilly dates back to the early '50s, when Bill Haley started fusing electrified country boogie with jump blues. But the style truly crystallized on Elvis Presley's 1954-56 recordings for the Sun label, which captured the manic, primal energy that would become a rockabilly staple. They also established rockabilly's signature production style: echoed vocals, loads of reverb, and a warm, crisp ambience that became the Sun label's trademark. Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" broke rockabilly into the big time in 1955, making it possible for Sun owner Sam Phillips to sell Presley's contract to RCA for a substantial sum of money. Presley became a superstar in 1956, touching off a tidal wave of copycat recordings that, while low on budget and innovation, still inspire rockabilly fanatics with their crazed DIY enthusiasm; additionally, many straight country singers began making rockabilly records, some for the style's popularity, others for its wild excitement. Meanwhile, Phillips used his Presley dollars to gather a stable of rockabilly artists that was second to none: Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis (who broke from the rockabilly norm by playing piano), Roy Orbison, and singers like Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich who were really country artists at heart. Other significant rockabilly artists were Buddy Holly, who brought melodic pop sensibilities to the music; Gene Vincent, whose crack band featured rockabilly's fastest lead guitarist in Cliff Gallup; Eddie Cochran, whose wry stories of teenage rebellion were overshadowed by his untimely death; and Johnny Burnette, who waxed some of the wildest rockabilly sides ever before finding greater acceptance as a pop idol. As rock & roll evolved into a slicker commercial enterprise, and as the music itself mutated (very quickly) into new forms, rockabilly was left in the dust, largely disappearing from the charts after 1958. However, as the "roll" was slowly siphoned out of rock & roll over the coming decades, artists looking for ways to lend their music a certain raunchiness frequently returned to rockabilly's madly swinging, hip-rolling beat. In the early '80s, there was a full-fledged rockabilly revival; some groups, like the Stray Cats, played up the retro-'50s stylization and greaser image, while others, like the Cramps, loved the raw, crude, amateurish side of the music (usually adding a campy flair) that created a modern subgenre known as psychobilly. [-] Hide

Ry Cooder

During the mid-'80s, a generation of bands reacted to the slick, pop-oriented sounds of new wave by reverting back to the traditional rock & roll values of the '50s and '60s. By bringing rock back to its roots -- whether that was rock & roll, blues, or country -- the groups managed to sound like a fresh alternative, which brought them critical praise and heavy airplay from American college radio stations. Most of the leading bands of the era -- such as the Beat Farmers, Del Lords, the Long... [+] Read More

During the mid-'80s, a generation of bands reacted to the slick, pop-oriented sounds of new wave by reverting back to the traditional rock & roll values of the '50s and '60s. By bringing rock back to its roots -- whether that was rock & roll, blues, or country -- the groups managed to sound like a fresh alternative, which brought them critical praise and heavy airplay from American college radio stations. Most of the leading bands of the era -- such as the Beat Farmers, Del Lords, the Long Ryders, and the Del Fuegos -- filtered many of their traditional values through the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, but there was an equally large number of groups that simply worked in a "rootsy" fashion, without any direct influence outside of the concept of traditional rock and blues. In the late '80s, Roots Rock ceased to be a hip music in the American underground, but most of the bands continued to record and perform into the '90s. Throughout the '90s, a small number of new roots rockers emerged, although they weren't afforded the same exposure as their predecessors. [-] Hide

The Trashmen

Surf Rock was one of the most popular forms of American rock & roll of the early '60s. Distinguished by reverb-drenched guitar, rolling instrumentals that were designed to sound like crashing waves, and simple, three-chord songs, the music may sound similar on the surface, but it was revolutionary music for its time, exploring sonic territories previously unheard in rock music. The first wave of surf rock was kicked off by Dick Dale and his single "Let's Go Trippin." The single was a local... [+] Read More

Surf Rock was one of the most popular forms of American rock & roll of the early '60s. Distinguished by reverb-drenched guitar, rolling instrumentals that were designed to sound like crashing waves, and simple, three-chord songs, the music may sound similar on the surface, but it was revolutionary music for its time, exploring sonic territories previously unheard in rock music. The first wave of surf rock was kicked off by Dick Dale and his single "Let's Go Trippin." The single was a local hit in California, but it inspired countless bands to form -- groups like the Chantays and Surfaris, who had national hits ("Pipeline" and "Wipe Out," respectively). Nearly all of these groups were one-hit wonders that struggled to produce a second hit single. The second wave of surf rock was led by the Beach Boys, who added Four Freshmen-style pop harmonies to the basic Chuck Berry rhythms of surf rock. Groups like Jan & Dean and Ronny & the Daytonas followed, but the Beach Boys remained the ultimate surf band for many listeners, simply because they put the appeal of the beach and surfing into words instead of conveying it with impressionistic music. Nevertheless, the sounds of the instrumental surf rock echoed throughout the sonic experimentations of '60s guitarists, and the genre remained popular into the '90s, thanks to the efforts of several generations of surf-rock revivalists. [-] Hide

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet

Surf revival was a small indie-label phenomenon featuring chiefly instrumental bands who were dedicated to recreating the twangy, echo-drenched sound of '60s surf guitar. Some bands used the sound to create a mysterious atmosphere, but more often than not, surf revival didn't quite play it straight, adding campy humor and kitschy references to '50s and early-'60s pop culture (for example, the scores of sci-fi, horror, and Western films). Many surf revival bands had better chops on their... [+] Read More

Surf revival was a small indie-label phenomenon featuring chiefly instrumental bands who were dedicated to recreating the twangy, echo-drenched sound of '60s surf guitar. Some bands used the sound to create a mysterious atmosphere, but more often than not, surf revival didn't quite play it straight, adding campy humor and kitschy references to '50s and early-'60s pop culture (for example, the scores of sci-fi, horror, and Western films). Many surf revival bands had better chops on their instruments than their predecessors, and could thus play their music at breakneck punk-rock speeds if they chose (usually with a knowing wink). Surf revival first appeared at the tail end of the '80s and continued on through the '90s; its biggest artists included Man or Astro-Man?, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Laika & the Cosmonauts, and the Mermen. [-] Hide

Flaco Jimenez

Tex-Mex is a unique fusion of rock & roll, blues, country, and various strains of Latin music, particularly conjunto. As far as rock & roll is concerned, Tex-Mex emerged in the '60s, when garage rock bands like the Sir Douglas Quintet and vocalists like Freddy Fender began pounding out rock & roll that was spiced with south-of-the-border flourishes. During the '70s, these conjunto, country, and blues roots became more pronounced and by the '80s, Tex-Mex was established as a unique genre of...

Tex-Mex is a unique fusion of rock & roll, blues, country, and various strains of Latin music, particularly conjunto. As far as rock & roll is concerned, Tex-Mex emerged in the '60s, when garage rock bands like the Sir Douglas Quintet and vocalists like Freddy Fender began pounding out rock & roll that was spiced with south-of-the-border flourishes. During the '70s, these conjunto, country, and blues roots became more pronounced and by the '80s, Tex-Mex was established as a unique genre of its own that fell between the cracks of rock, country, and Latin music. [-] Hide