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Rock music has influenced American culture for fifty years. I'mRay Freeman with Rich Kleinfeldt. Today, we continue the story ofrock and roll on THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English.

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Rock and roll music developed in the United States in the earlynineteen-fifties. It was based on the music called rhythm and bluesthat was performed by African American musicians.

Early rock and roll singers developed their own kinds of music.Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan were themost popular rock and roll musicians in the early nineteen-sixties.All were American. Then, in nineteen-sixty-four, a new rock and rollgroup from England invaded America: the Beatles.

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Some people say the Beatles' music shook America like anearthquake. The Beatles changed rock and roll forever. Their earlysongs were influenced by American rock and roll musicians, includingChuck Berry. But the Beatles looked different and sounded differentfrom any musical group before them.

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The Beatles released their firstalbum in the United States in nineteen-sixty-four. That year, all ofthe top five records in America were by the Beatles.

In nineteen-sixty-seven, they released an album called "SergeantPepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." It was one of the first "concept"albums. That is, all the songs were linked by a common story oridea. Here is the title song from that album.

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The popularity of the Beatles led the way for more rock and rollbands from England to become popular in America. The Rolling Stoneswas the most important of these bands. The Rolling Stones is one ofthe few groups from the nineteen-sixties that is still performingand recording today. In nineteen-sixty-five, the group recorded oneof its most famous songs, "Satisfaction."

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The musical instrument most linkedto rock and roll is the guitar. Experts say Jimi Hendrix was one ofthe most influential guitar players in rock and roll during the latenineteen-sixties. He made electric guitar music more expressive bycreating new sounds on the instrument. Here is Jimi Hendrix playing"Purple Haze."

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By the nineteen-seventies, rock and roll music became known asrock music. It expanded into many new forms. For example, there wascountry rock, hard rock, acid rock, and heavy metal rock. Punk rock,jazz rock, and glitter rock.

Rock music became a bigger business than ever. It was the mostpopular music in America's music industry.

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In the middle nineteen-seventies, experts say rock music regainedsome of the energy of early rock and roll. Bruce Springsteen and theE Street Band became popular with their album "Born to Run."

Springsteen's music was like the lively rock and roll music ofthe early nineteen-sixties. Many of his songs were about socialissues. He sang about the effects of unemployment and the war inVietnam. Here, he sings "Born to Run."

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A new kind of music, called rap music, became popular in thenineteen-eighties. It developed from the culture of young AfricanAmericans in big cities. Rap songs are spoken over the sounds ofelectronic rhythms.

Rap artists express the concerns of young African Americans intheir songs. However, some people have denounced rap music that isabout sex and violence.

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During the nineteen-eighties, many rock performers began to showtheir music in short films called music videos. These videos mayinclude music, acting, dancing, and unusual special effects. A newmusic network began showing these programs on cable television inAmerica in nineteen-eighty-one. It was called the Music TelevisionNetwork, or MTV. It showed rock music videos all day and all night.

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Singer and dancer Michael Jacksonmade several very successful music videos. In nineteen-eighty-two,MTV began showing music videos from his album "Thriller." Theseincluded the video for his song "Beat It." The videos helped make"Thriller" the biggest-selling album in popular music history. AndMichael Jackson became one of the most popular performers in thehistory of rock music. Here is his song "Beat It."

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In the early nineteen-nineties, a new sound known as "grunge"became popular. Grunge bands were influenced by the hard rock, punkand heavy metal bands of the nineteen-seventies. Bands like Nirvanawith Kurt Cobain came out of Seattle, Washington, in the PacificNorthwest. Here is one of Nirvana's major hits, "Smells Like TeenSpirit."

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Today there are new sounds, but much of rock music is stillplayed by males for males. Women have worked hard for success inthis industry. In two-thousand-one, Time magazine declared the groupSleater-Kinney "America's Best Rock Band." Yet radio stations rarelyplay their music. Sleater-Kinney is an all-female band that formedin nineteen-ninety-four. Here is Sleater-Kinney with the song "Oh."

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Rock and roll changed a lot in its first fifty years. Yet rock isstill just as difficult to define. It continues to reinvent itself,and the appeal now reaches far beyond America. Today, rock is oftencalled the music of the world.

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Our program was written by Shelley Gollust and produced by CatyWeaver and Lawan Davis. I'm Ray Freeman with Rich Kleinfeldt. Listenagain next week for THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English.

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