Rock
'n' roll was born in the USA in the 1950s. It was a mixture of blues
and country music. Elvis Presley was the first rock 'n' roll
superstar.
Who was Elvis?
Elvis Presley’s
incredible life story began when Elvis Aaron Presley was born in
Verona on January 8,1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon , was
stillborn , leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. Elvis' musical
influences were the pop and country music of the time, the gospel
music he heard in church and at the all-night gospel sings he
frequently attended, as well as the black R&B he absorbed on
historic Beale Street as a Memphis teenager.
His career
He started his
singing career with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis. He
was an international sensation. With a sound and style that uniquely
combined his diverse musical influences and blurred and challenged
the social and racial barriers of the time, he ushered in a whole new
era of American music and popular culture.
Globally, he has
sold over one billion records, more than any other artist. His
American sales have earned him gold and platinum awards. He
demonstrated, all through his life, a great talent, good looks,
sensuality, charisma, good humility and human kindness. He
represented one of the most important figures of twentieth century
popular culture.
Other popular
artists
Soon rock 'n’ roll
was popular outside the USA, too. In Britain four young musicians,
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, were
fans of this type of music. They were from Liverpool, in the north of
England and they had started their own band, the Beatles. They
contributed to music, film, literature, art and fashion, made a
continuous impact on popular culture and the lifestyle of several
generations. Their songs and images carrying powerful ideas of love,
peace, help, and imagination evoked creativity and liberation
and had an impact on human history.
At the beginning of
the 1970s British bands, like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Genesis,
were very popular around the world. Their music was a combination of
rock and classical music. But for some people, with these groups,
something too serious was born. David Bowie and Elton John were its
leaders. Their images were shocking. David Bowie had spiky red hair
and Elton john had incredible clothes and crazy glasses.
In 1977 punk rock
was born in the UK. But that year wasn't very important! The 1980s
was the period of stadium rock. The superstars were Bon Jovi , Queen
and U2.
They had sold-out
concerts in enormous arenas in front of thousands of fans. I love the
U2! What about you? Here are some curious facts about Bono Vox’s
and his mates:
•Rolling Stone
magazine named them "Band of the '80s".
•Bono is the only
person in the history of the world to be nominated for an Accademy
Award, a Nobel Prize, a Grammy and a Golden Globe.
•Bono 's first
concert was The Clash's "White Riot" tour at Trinity
College in Dublin.
•The band members
met in high school in Ireland when Mullen posted a note looking to
star a group. They have been together ever since.
•They appeared on
the 200th episode of The Simpsons, where Homer interrupts their
concert to ask the crowd to support him for Sanitation Commissioner.
He is taken back stage and beaten up.
•They were
originally called Feedback, after the awful noise they made in early
rehearsals. Their next name was The Hype, followed by U2. The band's
first two names were both suggested by Bono. He says that he doesn't
like the name U2; he sees it as a bad pun.
Finally hip hop is
popular with teenagers today. It's a mixture of rap music and rhythm
and blues. Hip hop superstars include Beyoncè and Rihanna.
What is your
favourite music style?
What are your favourite artists or rock bands?
Looking forward to your comments!
LUDOVICA
No comments:
Post a Comment