The History of Rock
The History of Rock was a magazine published in the early eighties that provided an encyclopaedic look at the history of contemporary music.
115 articles
List of articles in the library
The Animals: Animal Tracks - Newcastle's Brand Of Powerhouse Blues
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982
In 1963, the northern beat boom was being answered further south by a trend, centred on London, towards a more aggressive R&B: the sort of ...
Adam & The Ants: Adam Ant: from Punk Reject to Prince Charming
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1984
AS THE '70s drew to a close, the British pop scene seemed distinctively lacking in glamour. Punk rock had made way for a ‘new wave’ ...
The Archies, Barry Mann, Carole King, Neil Sedaka: Don Kirshner: The Pop Factory
Profile by Greg Shaw, The History of Rock, 1982
POP FROM THE production line; that seemed to be the story of the late Fifties and early Sixties. But the production line does not inevitably ...
Cream, Ginger Baker: Ginger Baker
Retrospective by Chris Welch, The History of Rock, 1982
PETER 'GINGER' BAKER had an enormous and profound effect on the course of rock drumming when his playing and personality first began to make an ...
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters: Hank Ballard: Midnight Man
Retrospective by Cliff White, The History of Rock, 1982
HANK BALLARD is most often remembered as the man who wrote ‘The Twist’ but lost out to Chubby Chucker as the populariser of the dance ...
Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett: Syd Barrett: The Tragedy Of Floyd's Founding Genius
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
Early in 1970, Melody Maker asked Roger Waters what he thought of The Madcap Laughs, the debut solo album by his erstwhile Pink Floyd colleague ...
Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry: Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich: Weavers Of Dreams
Retrospective by Greg Shaw, The History of Rock, 1982
THE THIRD GREAT husband and wife team of the Brill Building era, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich hit the scene late. ...
The Beatles: George Martin: From Comedy Records To Rock Classics
Profile by John Tobler, The History of Rock, 1982
While the man himself might deny it with typical modesty, there's little doubt that George Martin is one of the most celebrated record producers of ...
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
When Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds in 1965, disillusioned with the commercial route they were taking, it seemed unlikely that the group would be able ...
The Bee Gees: The Bees Gees: From Down Under To Disco
Profile by Steve Turner, The History of Rock, 1984
SINCE ENTERING POP MUSIC in the Fifties, the Bees Gees have had three careers on three continents, each more successful than its predecessor. The first ...
The Big Bopper: Big Bopper: The Singing Texas DJ Who Rocked Over The Airwaves
Retrospective by Martin Hawkins, The History of Rock, February 1982
J.P. RICHARDSON, the self-styled 'Big Bopper', was one of the true characters of Southern rock'n'roll. ...
Blondie, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, Television: The Bowery Beat: CBGBs and All That
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982
FROM 1970 ONWARDS, the US rock mainstream grew increasingly staid, predictable and unimaginative. On the surface, the American scene appeared to offer nothing but sleepy ...
The Box Tops: Perfectly Packaged Pop That Sold A Million
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
While most of their contemporaries were dabbling in flower power and psychedelia, the Box Tops found success with a pop-oriented soul sound that was distinctly ...
James Brown: Soul Brother Number One
Retrospective by Cliff White, The History of Rock, 1982
James Brown: the most famous flame of all. ...
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1981
THE EARLY LIFELINES of Johnny and Dorsey Burnette are remarkable similar to Elvis Presley’s. They all grew up in a poor section of Memphis, ...
David Cassidy: Teen Dream From The TV Screen
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
"CAN AMERICA'S top rock group prevail against the evil machinations of a fat but deadly enemy agent — without blowing their cool?" ran the blurb ...
Profile by Penny Valentine, The History of Rock, 1983
IF THERE WAS one band that successfully rose above punk’s swift and premature decline, it was the Clash. Although historically the Sex Pistols remain the ...
The Clash, The Sex Pistols: Punk: 1977 - Two Sevens Clash
Essay by Chris Salewicz, The History of Rock, 1983
AS A REBEL MUSIC, punk rock had close affinities with reggae. When the punk movement found a focal point and place of worship in the ...
The Coasters: At Smokey Joe's Café
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
The songwriters and producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller developed an unusually adventurous method of recording black singers, using material they often wrote themselves and ...
Leonard Cohen: Songs from a Room: The Inside Story of Leonard Cohen
Retrospective by Liz Thomson, The History of Rock, 1983
IT WAS IN 1956 that the work of Leonard Cohen first appeared before the general public in book form, an event that marked his transformation ...
Colosseum: Jon Hiseman/Colosseum
Retrospective by Chris Welch, The History of Rock, 1982
A SWIRLING barrage of ideas flecked with passion epitomizes the style of one of rock’s finest drummers — the highly-respected Jon Hiseman. Rock music has ...
Craig Douglas: The Boy Next Door
Retrospective by Chris Welch, The History of Rock, 1982
THE SUCCESS American rock'n'rollers in the United Kingdom naturally brought about a wave of British imitators, but the raw aggressive sound of these copyists did ...
The Drifters: Under The Boardwalk
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
The Drifters are an institution. Very few vocal groups have remained popular for almost 30 years, and in an area notable for its lack of ...
Clyde McPhatter, The Drifters: Clyde McPhatter
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1981
PERHAPS THE MOST INNOVATIVE OF ALL R&B singers, Clyde McPhatter brought a new and radical sound to popular music by singing with a spirit and ...
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982
An Australian group with stardom on their minds. IN MID-SIXTIES AUSTRALIA, home-grown acts found it difficult to penetrate the music scene on a national ...
Carl Palmer, Emerson Lake And Palmer: Carl Palmer
Retrospective by Chris Welch, The History of Rock, 1984
CARL PALMER first came to international prominence with Emerson, Lake and Palmer at the start of the Seventies. His dynamic approach to drumming, which combined ...
The Four Seasons: Valli's Evergreens
Retrospective by Bob Fisher, The History of Rock, 1982
Why the Four Seasons were perennial chart-toppers ...
Connie Francis: All-American Girl
Profile by Martin Hawkins, The History of Rock, September 1982
LISTENING TODAY to many of the records Connie Francis made for MGM in the late Fifties and early Sixties it is difficult to see their ...
Brenda Lee, Connie Francis: Venus: The Role Of Women In Fifties Music
Overview by John Pidgeon, The History of Rock, 1981
APART FROM the amiable and avuncular Bill Haley, the most memorable figures of the first years of rock'n'roll presented an aggressively sexual, flamboyant, even threatening ...
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982
Widespread, commercial appeal was never high on the Fugs' list of priorities. ...
Charlie Gracie: Southern Sounds From A Northern City
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
After 1958, the year of his second sell-out tour of the UK, Charlie Gracie faded quickly from the ranks of front-line rock'n'roll singers. But on ...
Grand Funk Railroad: We're an American Band
Retrospective by Lenny Kaye, The History of Rock, 1983
If there was any group that polarised rock opinion, it was the blunt, effective power trio, Grand Funk railroad. Bypassing the ruling elite of 'progressive' ...
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Rock Shock Horror: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
Retrospective by Cliff White, The History of Rock, 1981
INFAMOUSLY KNOWN AS THE "original king of shock rock" or the "weirdest one-hit of them all", Screamin’ Jay Hawkins fits neither bill. He’s never ...
Lightnin' Hopkins: Lightnin' Strikes
Retrospective by Tony Russell, The History of Rock, 1983
When the great bluesman Big Bill Broonzy died in 1958 there were some who obituarised him as the last of the blues singers. ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, The History of Rock, 1984
IN 1970, STEVE HOWE replaced Peter Banks in Yes and sounded his arrival on record with a spiraling, glittering arpeggio on 'Yours Is No Disgrace', ...
Little Willie John: The Turbulent Career Of Little Willie John
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
Little Willie John brought soul to blues balladry and helped to change the whole direction of black popular music. Born William Edward John in Camden, ...
Johnny and the Hurricanes: Stormy Weather
Retrospective and Interview by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
Although they scored four Top Thirty hits in the USA, Johnny and the Hurricanes doubled that figure in Britain, where they sold almost as many ...
Retrospective by Cliff White, The History of Rock, 1982
The king of jive who made the good times roll. ...
Profile by Tony Russell, The History of Rock, 1983
Riley King was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on 16 September 1925. For a young black boy growing up amid the poverty and racial segregation ...
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
TEX-MEX, A PHRASE commonly used to describe the rock’n’roll of such artists as Buddy Holly and Buddy Knox, has nothing whatever to do with Mexican ...
Led Zeppelin: Bath 1970: Confessions Of A Festival-Goer
Memoir by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
The 1970 Bath Festival: a personal view. ...
Retrospective and Interview by Martin Hawkins, The History of Rock, September 1982
BORN BRENDA MAE TARPLEY in Atlanta, Georgia, on 11 December 1944, Brenda Lee is rumoured to have taken to the road with a singing group ...
Jerry Lee Lewis: How The Devil's Music Possessed Jerry Lee Lewis
Retrospective by Nick Tosches, The History of Rock, 1981
THERE HAVE been only two figures of mythic dimension in the history of rock'n'roll. First and foremost was Elvis Presley, the guileless star-god who rendered ...
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1981
AS ROCK'N'ROLL GROUPS PROLIFERATED, the age at which they turned professional took a nosedive. With names such as the Classmates, the Juniors or the Sixteens, ...
Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil: Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Retrospective by Greg Shaw, The History of Rock, 1982
MANN AND WEIL were the hipsters of the Brill building set. While Carole King and her friends were basically square, middle-class types who wrote things ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: The undisputed world ambassador of reggae
Retrospective by Chris Salewicz, The History of Rock, 1983
BOB MARLEY ALMOST SINGLE-HANDEDLY introduced reggae music to European and American audiences and, more than any other artist, was responsible for establishing it as a ...
Marmalade: Sweet Sounds And Sticky Patches
Retrospective by Fred Dellar, The History of Rock, 1982
The Marmalade were an archetypal UK pop group who had the misfortune to operate in an era of progressive rock. ...
MC5: Kicking Out The Jams With The Motor City Rebels
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
"If you take everything in the universe and break it down to a common denominator, all you've got is energy", said the MC5's Wayne Kramer ...
Profile by Steve Turner, The History of Rock, 1983
THERE IS A CERTAIN TYPE OF ROCK MANAGER whose clients become the means to express his own artistic vision: in the late Fifties, Larry Parnes ...
Profile by Chris Welch, The History of Rock, 1981
LONG BEFORE the myths and legends of Keith Moon as a rock celebrity began to grip the imagination of the public and sensation-hungry newspapers, his ...
Mickie Most: The Midas Touch: Mickie Most
Profile by Steve Turner, The History of Rock, 1983
Record production made millions for Mickie Most ...
New York Dolls: The New York Dolls: A retrospective
Retrospective by Miles, The History of Rock, 1983
ALTHOUGH THEY WERE one of the most influential bands of the early Seventies, the New York Dolls remain one of the least known. The ...
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
IN FEBRUARY 1962, Tony Orlando toured Britain with Clarence Henry and Bobby Vee. Henry boogied his head off but no-one had paid to see the ...
The Osmonds: The Osmond Family: Puppy Love
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
"It was not until groups like the Osmond brothers appeared on the scene that the pop revolution really get underway," wrote Richard Robinson in his ...
Carl Perkins: 'Blue Suede Shoes'
Profile by Colin Escott, The History of Rock, 1981
One song rocketed Carl Perkins to stardom ...
Essay by Cynthia Rose, The History of Rock, 1984
In the heyday of Elvis, Chuck Berry or the Beatles, radio was revered. It constituted rock’n’roll’s channel to the teen heart, and it struck out ...
The Platters: The Most Successful Singing Group Of The Fifties
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
The Platters sold 50 million records to become the most successful black doowoppers on the history of rock. They were assembled, coached and directed by ...
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1981
FROM BLUES SHOUTER TO BLACK ENTREPRENEUR ...
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
How Quatrophenia conquered the UK "SUZI QUATRO MADE A WELCOME CHANGE from the wimpy, folksy girls who were rock’s only other female representatives at ...
Jimmy Reed: Gimme That Harp, Boy!
Essay by John Broven, The History of Rock, 1982
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL DOWNHOME blues recording artist ever, Jimmy Reed chalked up 12 Billboard Hot 100 hits and 14 R&B chart entries during his career ...
Paul Revere & The Raiders: Paul Revere and the Raiders
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982
Hit sounds from America's Northwest ...
Profile by Steve Turner, The History of Rock, 1983
CLIFF RICHARD HAS DONE MUCH more than merely survive on the British pop scene. He remained a chart act and pin-up in the Eighties, still ...
Profile by John Tobler, The History of Rock, 1983
THERE ARE FEW FIGURES IN ROCK AS versatile as Todd Rundgren. A skilled producer and engineer, a gifted songwriter and a talented multi-instrumentalist, proficient on ...
Retrospective by Chris Welch, The History of Rock, 1984
NEIL PEART is one of rock’s show drummers, whose uncompromising personality matches his single-minded dedication to music. As one-third of Canada’s Rush, Neil made a ...
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels: Mitch Ryder: From The Detroit To The Top Ten
Retrospective by Fred Dellar, The History of Rock, 1983
Mitch Ryder meant guts, sweat, bump 'n' grind. His skin was white but he sounded black. He came from Detroit and he should have worked ...
Retrospective by Dave Laing, The History of Rock, 1982
Pete Seeger spread the word throughout America ...
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
"The fans are fed up with paying to sit on their hands while watching musicians who clearly couldn't care less about the customers." Thus commented ...
Phil Spector: To Know Him Is To Love Him
Retrospective by Greg Shaw, The History of Rock, 1982
So much has been written about Phil Spector, yet he still remains an enigma. ...
Television: Prime Time: Television
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983
THE RULES OF punk/new-wave music laid down in 1976-77 stated that bands should avoid displays of technical virtuosity, should profess a loathing for rock’s history ...
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982
Reg Presley's rustics reaped a chart harvest ...
The Turtles: Eclectic Musical Mixtures
Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982
While they produced some of the best pop music to emerge from California during the mid to late Sixties and had 16 American hits in ...
U2: Songs Of Praise: Fire and Fervour from Ireland’s U2
Profile by Steve Turner, The History of Rock, 1984
U2, ONE OF IRELAND'S MOST SUCCESSFUL rock bands ever, seemed something of an anachronism when they arrived on the scene in 1980. The group had ...
Ritchie Valens: The Young Singer Who Pioneered Chicano Rock
Retrospective by Martin Hawkins, The History of Rock, March 1982
WHEN ROCK'N'ROLL first stopped calling itself rhythm and blues in the mid Fifties, it became a young man's game. Teenage performers like Ritchie Valens began ...
T-Bone Walker: Rare Blues and a Worldwide Reputation
Retrospective by Tony Russell, The History of Rock, 1983
T-BONE WALKER, had he been that sort of man, might have carried a chip on his shoulder the size of the Chrysler Building. ...
The Walker Brothers: Harmony and rivalry from the Walkers
Retrospective by Fred Dellar, The History of Rock, 1982
In the mid sixties, just as every worthwhile group in Britain seemed to be setting up tours in the States, Scott Noel Engel, John Joseph ...
Profile by Tony Russell, The History of Rock, 1982
When it comes to Chicago blues, Muddy Waters is The Man. "Spell it M! — A, child! — N!" as he growls in ‘Mannish Boy’. ...
Mary Wells: Teenage Chart-Topper With Motown Style
Retrospective by Bill Millar, The History of Rock, 1982
Mary Wells helped create the history that surrounds the Motown sound. She was their third chart-topper and the first to achieve international acclaim. But despite ...
Frank Zappa: Surreal Anarchy From The Mother Superior
Retrospective by Miles, The History of Rock, 1983
Frank Zappa was born a composer. Had he been born in a different time or place, he would probably have become a 'serious' composer. But ...
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