If the 1950’s and 60’s were the seeds of modern music, then the 1970’s were the spring sprouts that would eventually grow into the garden of music that we enjoy today. During the 1970’s music broke from the single popular genre with many bands, to a multi-genre, multi-band offering. Elements of the music of the 60′s got dissected and then expanded on. The 1970’s were a time of musical transition, a decade that saw the rise of many forms of music (and the demise of some). Here are a few types of music along with how the 70’s changed them forever.
1970‘s Rock and Roll
Rock from bands like the Rolling Stones evolved into Led Zeppelin and the subsequent hair bands (which eventually turned into metal). Notable offerings from the likes of Frank Zappa and Blue Oyster Cult helped give rock it’s masterfully hard edge.
1970‘s Hipster
LSD and related drugs infused late 1960‘s music with an element of psychedelia that had staying power. The trippy stuff from later Beatles got picked up by artists like David Bowie and Jefferson Airplane/Starship, who glammed it up and ran with it. This hypnotic/glam formula is the great grandfather of current pop.
1970‘s Funk
Funk got funkier, with more spoken words ( which could be seen as the forerunner to rap). Although, in the early 70’s some funk branched off into disco, which died and didn’t really go anywhere, but is a testament to the experimental divergence of 70’s music.
1970‘s Folk
Finally, folk artists like Dylan gave way to folk orchestras like the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band. Current incarnations of this type of music are Phish, Moe, and bands on the festival circuit.