Rock and Roll
Origins
There is some debate as to when Rock ‘n’ Roll became a recognised genre, but it became popular in America in the 1950s. The musical style was heavily influenced by gospel, blues and country music. Originally associated with the black American community, but soon became popular with white teenagers, and helped with some of the breakdown of racial segregation. The genre soon spread to the UK as well, specifically Liverpool, and it was known as the British Invasion.
Musical Fingerprints
Instrumentation: Vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, drum kit, piano, maybe a saxophone.
Harmony: Started off using the 12-bar blues with blues scales, but most bands eventually moved away from this to include more complex harmonic content.
Rhythm: Strong backbeat (second and fourth beats emphasised)
Melody: Normally quite simple melodies, often using call and response. Guitar solos/riffs started to become popular.
Technological Fingerprints
Would have been recorded using early multitrack tape machines, meaning that overdubbing could take place.
Humbucker pickups were very popular for this genre.
Reverb started to be used at around this time; created originally with echo chambers until plate and spring reverb became more readily available to studios.
Slapback echo was a very popular effect to apply to the vocal(s).
Artists
Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, early Beatles.