Music

Music is the sound of the soul. For years we have made music. From the stone age to the digital age music will continue to be part of our world.

Classical

Classical Music has been a part of society for many thouands of years. It began in 4000 B.C. when Harps and Flutes were played in Egypt. Over the years it has evolved into symphonys of many people playing instruments from tubas to violins. Orchestras now have a leader called a conductor which leads the Orchestra by making hand gestures which indicates to the music players how fast or slow or how loud or soft to play. The Classical Music that we know of is actually called Western Classical music and it got its start in the 1550's. Over the time the music has evolved. Here is an accurate timeline [external link] of Classical Music.

Many Classical artists have graced the face of the earth, some of the more well known artists are Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, and more recently Yo Yo Ma. But this barely scratches the surface of a timeless style of music that has produced many famous artists.

Rock

There are many different types of rock. The most common are Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, Punk, Grunge, Mellow Rock, Pop Rock, Blues, Glam Rock, and Southern Rock.

We have decided to pick a few choice bands that most represent the categories presented above.

Rock and Roll: Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, AC/DC, U2, Aerosmith

History of Rock

The 50's - Rock started in the 1950's after evolving from R&B, country music, and gospel. Chuck Berry is considered one of the starters of Rock and Roll. Elvis Presley was the first "white singer" to dance as he sang. His movements were considered 'sexual' and shocked many adults. Bob Dylan was also considered very influential at the time. Combined with the Beach Boys he helped create surf music, which is Rock, but with very complex vocal harmonies.

The 60's - The 1960's produced some of the most well known artists of the century. Some of these artists were The Beatles, The Monkeys, Buffalo Springfield, Bob Marley; but he got his break in the 70's. Definitely the most popular group was the Beatles who would have numerous number one hits throughout the 60's and very early 70's. They broke up in early 1971. Fans hoped that the band would reunite but that sadly never happened. McCartney went on to form the band Wings and Lennon continued to do solo work.

The 70's- The 1970's gave birth to some of the greatest rock bands/artists ever to grace the face of the earth. This includes Aerosmith, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, the Eagles, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, KISS, Kansas, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Neil Young. There were also a number of bands who were just "one hit wonders."

The 80's- A strange period in music, most known for its synthesizer beats combined with heavy guitar. It was a very strange period. Alternative rock also got its start in the late 80's and has become a staple for many radio listeners.

The 90's- The 90's began with the Grunge explosion, which included such bands as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Grunge started out in Seattle during 1989, but it wasn't really noticed until 1990 and 1991. It is constantly debated as to who is the Godfather of Grunge, but most people think of Neil Young and Kurt Cobain when they hear that title. Grunge gained its mass popularity with the release of Nirvana's greatest hit, Smells like Teen Spirit. This paved the way for other Grunge bands, including Mudhoney, The Screaming Trees, and Pearl Jam. Grunge's decline began in 1994 with the apparent suicide of Kurt Cobain(the guitarist and singer for Nirvana). However, Grunge continues to go on, but with much less success. It still has followers, but it has little mainstream popularity.

The 00's- The current Rock scene is very depressing. Its so sad I'm just going to stop writing. Just kidding. Other than Green Day and the White Stripes, there aren't many good bands. So is this the end of Rock? No, it is not. When in doubt, always remember the lyrics to Neil Young's Hey Hey My My:

Hey hey, my my
Rock and Roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my............

Jazz

Jazz is many people's favorite genre of music. Some of the most famous Jazz Musicians are Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lillian Hardin, and Ella Fitzgerald. Jazz Instruments usually include the trumpet, bass, drums,saxophone, sometimes guitar, and vocals.

Early Jazz is one of the most famous forms of Jazz. Formed from Ragtime, Blues, and other hymns. It has evolved and become one f the most popular forms of music.

Jazz finds its roots in the south mainly Mississippi and New Orleans and was used as entertainment for the black working class.

In the 1920's Jazz picked up and moved into Chicago where it would stay for many years before moving to Kansas then New York. In Chicago people like Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton would get their claim to fame.

In New York, Jazz was played as a very sophisticated form of music. It often was played in nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels. Afer the Jazz era their was the Swing Era which was a more upbeat form of music.

R & B

Rhythm and Blues has been a part of music for nearly 60 years. It is kind of like Jazz but has more of a faster beat. Some famous musicians of RnB are Bobby "Blue" Bland, Big Joe Turner,Arethra Franklin,Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson,Luther Vandross, and some people would consider even B.B. King, Rhythm and Blues. This music often has a lot of the same instruments as Jazz. They are, drums, horn (trumpet,trombone), bass,and saxophone.Rhythmn and Blues originated in the south as did many of the similar types of music. Rhythm and Blues was and still is a term used for a number of post-war American popular music forms. The term is credited to Jerry Wexler when he was making the charts for Billboard magazine.