More Rock ‘n Roll after 1964

While The Beatles were undoubtedly the key players during this era, there were also a number of other noteworthy and influential artists coming out of this era. Let’s look at just a few of them.

Janis Joplin

Joplin was famous in the late sixties, when the rock ‘n roll was dominated by mostly male musicians. The Rolling Stones Magazine list Joplin at #28 of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Her career was short, but influential. (Joplin died in 1970 from a drug overdose.)
Listen to Joplin perform “Summertime,” which we heard originally performed by Billy Holiday, when we discussed “What is Jazz?”. (Listen to Billy Holiday’s version here.) Try to describe how is Janis Joplin’s version different from Billy Holiday's version?




Listen to “Piece of My Heart.” What genres of music do you think influenced this song?


(If you are interested, Pink made a tribute to Janis Joplin that you can watch here.)

Bob Dylan

Just before Beatles-mania swept the world, the young Bob Dylan started his career. His first album dates 1962. Bob Dylan is considered one of the great poets in modern music, and some of his song lyrics have even been included in poetry anthologies.

Let’s listen to his song "Mr. Tambourine Man". The lyrics have interpreted in many different ways, from an ode to drugs, to religious allusions. How do you interpret the song? Use the questions for “Becoming Familiar with a Song,” to help you understand the song better.



Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is another very influential artists whom also started his career in the 60s. He played with different bands until he went solo in the 70s. His music style has always been very influenced by the blues. He is considered one of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Below is the song “Layla”. Listen especially to use of the electric guitar in this song. What other instruments can you identify? What genres of music do you think influenced this song?



Jimi Hendrix

The guitar, and especially the electric guitar, is probably the most important instrument in Rock ‘n Roll, and later in Rock and Metal music. While Eric Clapton is considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time, Jimi Hendrix is considered the greatest electric guitar player of all time by most musicians. The Rolling Stone Magazine also has him as their #1 for the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Hendrix was one of the first guitarists to make ample use of amplifiers and guitar effects pedals.

Like the previous artists mentioned, Hendrix also started his career in the 60s, and unfortunately, like Janis Joplin, he also died in 1970.

Listen to “Catfish Blues.” This is clearly a blues song. But how is it different from most of the blues songs you have heard so far?