The Dark Age (Mid 50's - Mid 60's)

What is rock? Well that is one difficult question to answer if you go and look at the rock today and the rock from the past. That is why I have decided to take a look into where this genre originated and see how it has developed into what it is today.

The Dark Age
(Mid 50’s – Mid 60’s)

There was a short time between 1957 and 1966 where people thought that rock had died as a short lived fad. At that time rockers where over taken by and replaced by pop idols, people who dressed nice and were polite. Songwriting companies started to open up and restore the old order of pop music. During that time many pop songs were written and became successes which were showing the demise of rock to be more definite.
But like other dark ages, rock’s was able to spawn and help grow the Cultural Revolution that was about to come. In 1957 Link Wray’s Rumble invented the fuzz tone or overdriven guitar along with the concept of the power chord. Along with the overdub being constructed by Eddie Cochran, the music industry was not paying attention to what was happening in rock. The way this genre survived was through dance-oriented songs like Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay and At The Hop.
Even with that happening there were still progression happening to help rock. White rhythm ‘n’ blues singers introduced new vocal styles to it as each of the new styles that occurred in the late 50’s helped contribute to rock’s renaissance.
Several premonitions happened at the turn of the decade that hinted at Rock’s future. Frank Zappa and Donald Van Vilet wrote a record, The Silver Beetles received a gig in Liverpool. Blues Incorporated was formed (which rotated tons of young musicians), and in Seattle Jimi Hendrix began working as a session-artist. The re-igniting spark of it all was when the genre of Surf Music was born by the Beach Boys’ Surfin’. Surf bands still played rock ‘n’ roll, but bridged it with pop by playing with a strong rhythm and a strong melodic element. That was what got the foot in the door and put California on the map of rock music.
The next ingredient to rock’s revival was the folk revival which became the voice of both the civil-rights movement and the peace movement. Politically-aware folk-singers were writing their own lyrics and music, and were placing the emphasis on the story rather than the melody. This music became a way for young people to vent their frustration which was mainly political. It was a different style but it was still similar to rock.
Rock was ready for its come back but it still needed its catalyst.