Rock | Definition, History, Artists, Songs, & Facts

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data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-music">rock</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/art/rock-music">Introduction & Top Questions</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref93480"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music#ref93480">What is rock?</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93481"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music#ref93481">The difficulty of definition</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93482"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Crucial-rock-musicians">Crucial rock musicians</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93483"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Crucial-rock-musicians#ref93483">Musical eclecticism and the use of technology</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93484"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Crucial-rock-musicians#ref93484">Rock and youth culture</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93485"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Authenticity-and-commercialism">Authenticity and commercialism</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref93486"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Authenticity-and-commercialism#ref93486">Rock in the 1950s</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93487"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Authenticity-and-commercialism#ref93487">The development of the new vocal pop star</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93488"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Authenticity-and-commercialism#ref93488">Rural music in urban settings</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93489"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Marketing-rock-and-roll">Marketing rock and roll</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref93490"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-in-the-1960s">Rock in the 1960s</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93491"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-in-the-1960s#ref93491">A Black and white hybrid</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93492"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-in-the-1960s#ref93492">The British reaction</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93493"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Folk-rock-the-hippie-movement-and-the-rock-paradox">Folk rock, the hippie movement, and “the rock paradox”</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref93494"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Folk-rock-the-hippie-movement-and-the-rock-paradox#ref93494">Rock in the 1970s</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93495"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Folk-rock-the-hippie-movement-and-the-rock-paradox#ref93495">Corporate rock</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93496"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Challenges-to-mainstream-rock">Challenges to mainstream rock</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref93497"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-in-the-1980s-and-90s">Rock in the 1980s and ’90s</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93498"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-in-the-1980s-and-90s#ref93498">Digital technology and alternatives to adult-oriented rock</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref93499"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-in-the-1980s-and-90s#ref93499">The global market and fragmentation</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref282719"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-in-the-early-21st-century">Rock in the early 21st century</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref93500"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/rock-music/Rock-as-a-reflection-of-social-and-cultural-change">Rock as a reflection of social and cultural change</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-music/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/rock-music">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a 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Author of <em>Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music</em> and others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Simon Frith</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-music/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>rock and roll, rock & roll, or rock ’n’ roll</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Michael-McDonald" topicid="1444894">Michael McDonald</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Richard-Perry" topicid="2127669">Richard Perry</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Rob-Zombie" topicid="2243838">Rob Zombie</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Liz-Phair" topicid="2254310">Liz Phair</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Michael-Bolton-American-pop-singer-and-songwriter" topicid="1511900">Michael Bolton</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/10-Influential-Rock-Bands" topicid="2252179">10 Influential Rock Bands</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/rock-festival" topicid="710034">rock festival</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/country-rock-music" topicid="140409">country rock</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/doo-wop-music" topicid="169221">doo-wop</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/arena-rock" topicid="2221037">arena rock</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/rock-music"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What is rock music?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Rock music is a form of popular music that emerged in the 1950s and can be defined as \u201Ca form of music with a strong beat\u201D\u2014it is difficult to be much more precise. It is also called rock and roll. Rock originated in the United States in the 1950s and then spread to other English-speaking countries and across Europe in the \u201960s; by the \u201990s its impact was evident globally." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How did rock music influence the emergence of folk rock?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/folk-rock\">Folk rock<\/a> is a hybrid musical style of rock music and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/folk-music\">folk music<\/a> that emerged in the United States and Britain in the mid-1960s. Folk musicians, led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Bob-Dylan-American-musician\">Bob Dylan<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/story\/when-dylan-went-electric\">went electric<\/a>, amplified their instruments, and sharpened their beat. Dylan, particularly, showed that pop songs could be both a means of social commentary (protest) and a form of self-expression (poetry)." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Who are some famous early rock music artists?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Some famous early rock music artists include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Elvis-Presley\">Elvis Presley<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/the-Beatles\">The Beatles<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Bob-Dylan-American-musician\">Bob Dylan<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Jimi-Hendrix\">Jimi Hendrix<\/a>." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What is rock music?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Rock music is a form of popular music that emerged in the 1950s and can be defined as “a form of music with a strong beat”—it is difficult to be much more precise. It is also called rock and roll. Rock originated in the United States in the 1950s and then spread to other English-speaking countries and across Europe in the ’60s; by the ’90s its impact was evident globally.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How did rock music influence the emergence of folk rock?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/folk-rock" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Folk rock</a> is a hybrid musical style of rock music and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/folk-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">folk music</a> that emerged in the United States and Britain in the mid-1960s. Folk musicians, led by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan-American-musician" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bob Dylan</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/when-dylan-went-electric" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">went electric</a>, amplified their instruments, and sharpened their beat. Dylan, particularly, showed that pop songs could be both a means of social commentary (protest) and a form of self-expression (poetry).</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Who are some famous early rock music artists?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Some famous early rock music artists include <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elvis-Presley" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Elvis Presley</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Beatles" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">The Beatles</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan-American-musician" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bob Dylan</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jimi-Hendrix" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jimi Hendrix</a>.</p></div></div></div></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref667359"></span>rock</strong>, form of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/popular-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">popular music</a> that emerged in the 1950s.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">It is certainly arguable that by the end of the 20th century rock was the world’s dominant form of popular music. Originating in the <span id="ref667357"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United States</a> in the 1950s, it spread to other English-speaking countries and across Europe in the ’60s, and by the ’90s its impact was obvious globally (if in many different local guises). Rock’s commercial importance was by then reflected in the organization of the multinational <span id="ref741108"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/recording-industry" class="md-crosslink ">recording industry</a>, in the sales racks of international record retailers, and in the playlist policies of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">music</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">radio</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/television-technology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">television</a>. If other kinds of music—classical, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/jazz" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">jazz</a>, easy listening, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/country-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">country</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/folk-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">folk</a>, etc.—are marketed as minority interests, rock defines the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/musical" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">musical</a> mainstream. And so over the last half of the 20th century it became the most <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="inclusive" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inclusive" data-type="MW">inclusive</a> of musical labels—everything can be “rocked.” Its popularity and traction persisted in the 21st century—despite the threat of a potentially outmoded business model—thanks largely to the flourishing live music sector.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In consequence of the immense popularity of rock and the breadth of its impact and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="inherent" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inherent" data-type="MW">inherent</a> complexity—not least in terms of artists, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="diversity" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity" data-type="MW">diversity</a> of sound, and marketing—is the hardest to define. To answer the question, What is rock?, one first has to understand where it came from and what made it possible. And to understand rock’s cultural significance, one has to understand how it works socially as well as musically.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref93480"> <h2 class="h1">What is rock?</h2> <section data-level="2" id="ref93481"> <h2 class="h2">The difficulty of definition</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Dictionary definitions of rock are problematic, not least because the term has different <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="resonance" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resonance" data-type="MW">resonance</a> in its British and American usages (the latter is broader in compass). There is basic agreement that rock “is a form of music with a strong beat,” but it is difficult to be much more explicit. The <em>Collins Cobuild English Dictionary</em>, based on a vast database of British usage, suggests that “rock is a kind of music with simple tunes and a very strong beat that is played and sung, usually loudly, by a small group of people with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/electric-guitar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">electric guitars</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/drum-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">drums</a>,” but there are so many exceptions to this description that it is practically useless.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Legislators seeking to define rock for regulatory purposes have not <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="done" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/done" data-type="EB">done</a> much better. The Canadian government defined “rock and rock-oriented music” as “characterized by a strong beat, the use of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/blues-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">blues</a> forms and the presence of rock instruments such as electric guitar, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/bass-guitar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">electric bass</a>, electric <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/organ-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">organ</a> or electric <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/piano" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">piano</a>.” This assumes that rock can be marked off from other sorts of music formally, according to its sounds. In practice, though, the distinctions that matter for rock fans and musicians have been ideological. <em>Rock</em> was developed as a term to distinguish certain music-making and listening practices from those associated with pop; what was at issue was less a sound than an attitude. In 1990 British legislators defined pop music as “all kinds of music <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="characterized" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/characterized" data-type="EB">characterized</a> by a strong rhythmic element and a reliance on electronic amplification for their performance.” This led to strong objections from the music industry that such a definition failed to appreciate the clear sociological difference between pop (“instant singles-based music aimed at teenagers”) and rock (“album-based music for adults”). In pursuit of definitional clarity, the lawmakers misunderstood what made rock music matter.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/sound-check-musical-vocabulary-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/30/254330-131-1B200240/young-girl-playing-trumpet.jpg" alt="Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> </section> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":10,"pageId":506004,"pageLength":593,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Rock | Definition, History, Artists, Songs, & Facts | Britannica