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Rock Revolution

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Shake It Up, Baby

Rock ’n’ roll has always been about rebellion. It’s the sound of youth finding their mojo, getting loud, and letting loose.

Meet some of rock’s pioneering hip–shakers and groundbreakers who forever changed our world with a beat and a song.

Watch Rock ’n’ Roll Heaven trailer
Explore more rock ’n’ roll

Breaking Boundaries

What would rock ’n’ roll be without its King? Elvis reigns as the single most important early rock icon—introducing this new sound to young fans worldwide.

His explicit moves and controversial lifestyle created rock–star legend. The Grammys awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36.

Listen to Elvis Presley
Explore more Elvis

The Gospel of Rock

In the early days, many parents called rock ’jungle music’ and felt its primal beat was inherently immoral. Some forbade their kids to listen or made them burn their 45s.

Despite the growing generation gap, a few determined souls helped bring rock ’n’ roll to the masses, including record producer Sam Phillips, TV host Dick Clark, and DJ Alan Freed.

Watch Mr. Rock and Roll trailer

New Ways to Groove

Rock’s massive popularity pulled hepcats and cool chicks onto dance floors everywhere to jump, jive, and rip it up, daddy–o!

With kids copying dance moves from popular TV shows, sock hops soon gave way to the Twist, hippie grooves, disco moves, breakdancing, and moonwalking.

See American Bandstand
Watch Dirty Dancing trailer

Invading Idols

Screaming girls. Long hair. Pure pubescent pandemonium. Beatlemania took America by force in 1964–followed by the British Invasion, an onslaught of U.K. rock acts.

As John, Paul, George, and Ringo grew into superstars, they influenced how songs were written and produced, changed rock’s sound, and broadened its reach from kids to adults.

Watch The Beatles First U.S. Visit
Explore more Beatles

Peace Out

1969’s Woodstock festival proved rock could be a unifying force—with half a million young people grooving for three days on love and music (and mud).

Despite the governor’s threat to call in 10,000 National Guard troops, peace prevailed to a soundtrack of Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and Janis Joplin.

Read LIFE magazine’s "Woodstock" issue
Listen to the album

Dynamic Diva

Tina Turner reigns as the Queen of Rock, selling more concert tickets than any other solo artist during her astonishing 50–year career.

She rebounded from a violent marriage to Ike Turner in the 1970s and vaulted to superstardom—setting the stage for sexy singers like Madonna, Debbie Harry, and The Runaways.

Listen to Private Dancer
Watch Women in Rock trailer

Going Glam

David Bowie, one of rock’s preeminent innovators, introduced the world to his alter ego Ziggy Stardust in 1972 with an unprecedented sense of theatricality.

Bowie continually reinvented himself, influencing Lou Reed, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, and Duran Duran.

Listen to Ziggy Stardust
Explore more Bowie

Disco Fever

As soft–rock stars, the Bee Gees recorded Odessa and Trafalgar before disco went mainstream with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

They are now disco royalty, remembered as much for their unbridled chest hair and crazy cool medallions as their hallmark harmonies and dance floor classics.

Sample “Stayin’ Alive”
See The Last Days of Disco trailer

Sonic Anarchy

Hard–edged. Stripped–down. Sped–up. Punk rock created a raucous, new three–chord sound that shook the world with its aggression.

Bands rebelled against mainstream rock’s excesses—and kids in the punk subculture flaunted anti–authority attitudes in their fashion and behavior.

Listen to The Jam, The Stooges, The Damned, and The Specials

Bad Boys of Rock


Rock On! TV