Information on 60s Music
Popular music in the 60s was extremely diverse. A number of different musical genres emerged throughout the era, most notably Motown, the British Invasion, folk rock and the San Francisco Sound that influence music to this day. In addition, many of the artists of the 60s gained worldwide popularity that is still felt today.
Motown
Throughout the 60s, artists developed the "Motown sound" by focusing on soul music and R&B mixed with a distinct pop sound. Artists like Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and The Marvelettes became highly popular.
British Invasion
Halfway through the decade, a number of British bands influenced the wide spectrum of popular music. Bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks brought a new style of rock music to the world.
Folk Rock
Bands such as The Byrds and artists such as Bob Dylan merged the concepts of rock and folk into a specific type of music, which featured a full rock band, but focused on a cleaner sound from the instrumentation and folk-style lyrics.
San Francisco
During the late 60s, a number of artists developed a type of music that merged rock, folk, blues and other styles. Much of this music revolved around the counterculture hippie movement and psychedelic sound. Some of these bands included The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.
Significance
Music from the 60s is notable due to its extensive diversity and creation of new styles. In addition, new recording equipment brought stereo albums to the public for the first time.
