Roots Rock & Hard Rock

Roots rock emerged in the mid to late 1960s as a combination of several genres and subgenres of rock music that were popular at the time. Roots rock combined elements of folk music, blues, country and rock 'n' roll. Bob Dylan is thought to have pioneered the genre with the release of his 1966 album Blonde on blonde. Many of the most popular bands, crafted albums of their own that featured and experimented with a roots sound. Some of the bands that created music in the style of this broad genre included The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Beatles, The Band, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Hard rock took the elements of rock 'n' roll and made them heavier as the genre formed in the middle of the decade. The sound is characterised by more aggressive tones. Hard rock vocalists are identified by their higher range and distinct voices. The music was influenced heavily by blues rock, garage rock, and rhythm and blues. This style became associated with rebellious youth with a few acts even destroying their own instruments on stage. Due to their hard-partying lifestyles, many musicians that were a part of the hard rock scene developed drug and alcohol problems. As a result of these problems, quite a few influential musicians died at a young age from substance abuse or accidents related to substance abuse like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.