Interesting facts about rock and rock musicians. The most interesting facts about rock music

There is an expression: “There is no accounting for tastes.” Nowadays in the world there are more than a dozen different musical styles. Without having good taste, it’s easy to get lost, lost and confused in them, ceasing to distinguish good from bad. I like rock music and I would like to tell you some interesting things about this genre.

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WHAT IS ROCK?
Rock music (eng. Rockmusic) is a general name for a number of directions popular music. The word “rock” translated from English means “to pump, sway, sway.” Rock musicians typically perform their own compositions.
The main centers of the emergence and development of rock music are the USA and western Europe(especially UK). Most of the song lyrics are English. However, although, as a rule, with some delay, national rock music appeared ​

in almost all countries.
Rock music has large number directions: from fairly “light” genres, such as dance rock and roll, pop rock, Britpop, to brutal and aggressive genres - death metal and grindcore. The content of the songs varies from light and casual to dark, deep and philosophical.
The origins of rock music lie in the blues, from which the first rock genres emerged - rock and roll and rockabilly. The first subgenres of rock music arose in close connection with folk and pop music of that time - primarily folk, country, skiffle, music hall. In the 60-70s, almost all the largest subgenres of rock music appeared, the most important of which are hard rock, punk rock, and avant-garde rock. In the late 70s and early 80s, rock music genres such as post-punk, alternative rock, hardcore (a major subgenre of punk rock), and later brutal subgenres of metal - death metal, black metal. In the 90s, the genres of grunge, Britpop, and alternative metal were widely developed. ​

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ROCK MUSIC​

In one of the English castles they held such a powerful rock concert that after it absolutely all the rats ran away from the building.
The human ear can withstand up to 85 dB without harm to hearing. At rock concerts the noise reaches more than 120 dB.

In Finland, an air guitar playing competition has been held since 1996. The winner of the competition receives a real electric guitar.

The familiar “Goat” gesture was first used by Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Before this, the gesture was one of the types of scaring away evil spirits.

Group " Led Zeppelin” became a record holder back in 1999 and holds to this day. In 1999 alone, they had 94 platinum albums.

Ozzy Osbourne tried to bite off a bat's head in 1982. Osborne himself claimed that he accepted bat for the rubber one. That concert was put on hold because Osborne was bitten by a mouse and was sent to a clinic for a rabies shot.

In Guantanamo Bay, during the torture of captured Iraqis, the songs of the band “Metallica” were used, and Hetfield, the band’s vocalist, openly approved of this practice.

The shortest song in rock history is Napalm Death - You Suffer. It lasts 1.316 seconds. There is only one phrase in it, which translates as: “You are suffering - but why? »
- In Finland there are several heavy metal bands especially for children. The most famous of them - Hevisaurus - performs in dinosaur costumes. The band Moottörin Jyrinä makes cover versions of classic hits by artists such as Iron Maiden, Motörhead and Ozzy Osbourne, translating the text into Finnish in a child-friendly form with an educational twist.

Rock music is always associated with “drive”, crazy behavior of musicians on stage and a carefree lifestyle. For many rock stars, their wild style isn't limited to just the stage. Here is a selection of various interesting facts about rock music and its main stars.

One day, an Italian TV channel forced the group “Muse” to play and sing along to a soundtrack. The group members were not at a loss and declared a kind of boycott of the TV channel. They sang and played along to a soundtrack, but switched places. Guitarist and lead singer Matthew Bellamy sat down at the drums, drummer Dominic Howard took over the bass guitar and microphone, and bass guitarist Chris Wolstenholme took over the keyboard and took Howard's guitar.

Live album Pink Floyd"Delicate Sound of Thunder" became the first rock album to be performed in space, as Soviet cosmonauts took him to Soyuz TM-7. Members of Pink Floyd were present at the launch of the ship. In honor of this fact, the Oh, By the Way anniversary box set included a poster with the inscription “Still first in space.”

In addition, Delicate Sound of Thunder was the only Pink Floyd album officially released by Melodiya in the USSR.

In 2011, AC/DC and the Australian wine company Warburn Estate entered into a contract to produce a collection of wines named after the songs of the legendary band. The collection of wines named after AC/DC includes the following names: “Back In Black” (shiraz harvest 2010; red dry), “You Shook Me All Night Long” (muscat harvest 2011; white sweet), “Highway To Hell” ( cabernet sauvignon harvest 2008; red dry), “Hells Bells” (sauvignon blanc harvest 2010; white dry). Buy drinks dedicated to creativity AC/DC, available in Australian stores.

At birth, Elvis Presley was given the middle name Aaron to make it similar to his stillborn brother Garon, but the name Aaron was carved on his grave at his father's insistence because Elvis preferred the biblical pronunciation and planned to officially change his name. Full name, currently officially used by his company - Elvis Aaron Presley. However, until the mid-70s. Presley himself always wrote his name with one A. The birth certificate also contains one letter A (moreover, the birth certificate was corrected at the insistence of his parents, because the name with two A was entered incorrectly there).

In 1984, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was in a car accident and lost his left hand. This did not affect his desire to be a musician, and he began to practice on a hybrid setup specially designed for him. It contained samples of the blows he had previously made with his left hand, and they were reproduced with various movements of his left leg. Since then, Allen has contributed to many of Def Leppard's successful albums, as well as several side projects.

Among famous rock and blues musicians, a very significant proportion of those who died at 27 years of age. It is at this age that for some reason a statistical error arises that stands out from the normal distribution. For such musicians they even adopted the name “Club 27”. It includes Robert Johnson, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones and Amy Winehouse. The legendary also died at the age of 27 Soviet rock musician and poet Alexander Bashlachev.

Australian Matt Waller organizes underwater tours for those who like to watch sharks. Traditionally, he used fish to lure predators, but recently he accidentally discovered that sharks were attracted to the music of the rock band AC/DC. Presumably, sharks respond to low-frequency vibrations since they do not have ears. Waller's company is currently the only tour operator in the world using music as a lure, but he believes competitors will soon follow suit.

Once, at a concert in France, the lead singer of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, Jónsi forgot the lyrics to the song. Without stopping, he improvised to the same music: “Damn, I forgot the words. But that's okay. Because I’m in France, where no one will understand.”

In 1991, the radio station KLSK FM in the American city of Albuquerque decided to change its format to classic rock, and therefore the Led Zeppelin song “Stairway to Heaven” was played for 24 hours straight. The police came to the station twice at the request of worried listeners: one person said that the DJ apparently had a heart attack, and another said that terrorists had seized the radio, because Saddam Hussein was a Led Zeppelin fan.

April 13 is World Rock and Roll Day. This incendiary music just calls “swing and spin” - this is how rock-and-roll or rock’n’roll is translated from English. Dance classes will help you learn how to dance both regular rock and roll and acrobatic dance, which is a sport. The history of the development of this musical and dance direction has a lot of interesting facts, just like the ban on rock and roll in the USSR and even in America itself. That's why we've collected for you all the most interesting things about rock and roll.

Who came up with the name
The father of the term “rock’n’rol” is considered to be radio host and disc jockey Alan Freed from Cleveland. When he noticed the interest of “white” Americans in the music of African Americans, he began to play it on his airwaves, coming up with a name for it that the whole world now uses. It is believed that the phrase “rock-and-roll” was inspired by a rhythm and blues song with the words “We’ll rock, we’ll roll.” Alan was actively involved in popularizing rock and roll and even organized rock balls. The authorities did not take a very favorable attitude to this, since rock and roll concerts often ended in manifestations of aggression and even pogroms, and all due to the fact that both “whites” and “blacks” gathered together there, and tolerance in the society of the 50s years of the last century were sorely lacking. Therefore, the public declared an unspoken war on rock and roll.

Boycott
Famous personalities of that time spoke on television and radio, calling for a boycott of this music and dance movement. They argued that rock and roll was dangerous for American society, that it had the power to destroy America. Some senators categorically called this music “black infection.”

Worldwide popularity
The situation with the rejection of rock and roll changed dramatically after the release of the film “The Jungle.” slate boards" The film featured rock and roll thanks to Bill Haley's orchestra. After this, he became known as rock and roll's first "white" star.

King of Rock and Roll
Elvis Presley is considered the king of rock and roll. It’s better to look at what he did to popularize and develop it: his performances from the 50s to the 70s demonstrate very interesting stages development of the genre. One day he shouted into the microphone that he wanted to “hang around” in this world, to feel the sharp taste of life by dancing rock and roll. After this, a kind of hysteria began in society - everyone wanted to play and dance rock and roll. Even religious hymns were performed to this fiery music.

"Rock Around the Clock" is considered the most famous rock and roll song. But since it appeared when there was no name for this style, it was played on radio stations as a foxtrot. It is on the birthday of this song that World Rock and Roll Day is celebrated. Although there is some confusion - some celebrate April 12, others 13.
- The Guinness Book of Records claims that the hit song “Rock Around the Clock” was the best-selling rock and roll single, with sales exceeding 25 million copies of the record.

Anyone who wants to learn how to dance rock and roll must be prepared for a frantic rhythm, jumping, have a cheerful, perky character and not be afraid of experiments and impromptu. If a person wants to become a pro in acrobatic rock and roll, then he must work in this area in a sportsmanlike manner. This is an amazing sport that is on the border between dance art and sports. A dance in acrobatic rock and roll lasts about a minute and a half, but during this time experienced dancers show not only dance, but also spectacular acrobatic performances, stunts, elements, lifts and even somersaults. The dance is a pair dance, but there is also a formation when it is performed by a group of dancers.

In 1991, as a sign of a change in format, the radio station KLSK FM played “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin for a whole day in a row. The audience did not appreciate the joke and called the police twice. The first vigilant citizen thought that the song was “stuck” due to the fact that the DJ died right during the broadcast. And the second, remembering that Saddam Hussein was considered a big fan of the group’s work, decided that the radio station’s place of registration - the city of Albuquerque - had been seized by terrorists.

• Led Zeppelin - "Stairway to Heaven"

Offspring was formed while Greg Krisel and Dexter Holland were still in school. Friends needed a bass player, and they chose Kevin Wasserman. And not because virtuoso playing Kevin, but because he had already crossed the threshold of adulthood and could easily buy drinks for the musicians.

What could be worse for a rock band drummer than losing an arm? This is exactly what happened to Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen. After car accident doctors amputated his left arm. But the musician did not give up and continued performing with the group. He used a split set-up that allowed him to play with his left foot.

While going on tour, the Van Halen group gave their hosts an unusual test. She indicated in the rider that there must be a dish with M&M’s candies in the dressing room. All colors except brown. If the concert organizer did not remove the candy, one could conclude that they treated the much more important points of the rider with the same carelessness. This means that the very safety of the future show could also be at risk.

Many poets and artists died at the age of 37. In the history of rock music, the ominous “Club 27” took shape. It included musicians who never celebrated their 28th birthday. At 27, Jim Morrison passed away, as well as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and rock bard Alexander Bashlachev. The latest addition to this list is Amy Winehouse.

The musicians of the group "Kiss" are known for resorting to in an unusual way promotion: they wrote a comic about themselves with their own blood. When the publication was being prepared for printing, they donated blood and then mixed it with ink at the printing house where the comic was to be published. Attracted by this fact, the public swept the entire print run off the shelves.

Today, many rock musicians make grand gestures when conducting charity concerts. And George Harrison was the first to donate all proceeds from the performance to charity. It was his solo concert shortly after the breakup of the Beatles. Proceeds went to help those affected by Cyclone Bhola, which hit Bangladesh.

Once the group Muse, participating in the recording of a program on an Italian TV channel, was faced with the fact that they were offered to sing along with a soundtrack. The channel could not or did not want to organize a live sound broadcast. The musicians reluctantly agreed, but to show the absurdity of what was happening, they swapped roles and instruments. It turned out, for example, that the band’s drummer Dominic Howard “sang” in the voice of vocalist Matthew Bellamy.

Ozzy Osbourne is considered one of the most bloodthirsty rock musicians. Once upon a time in live radio station, where he was invited for an interview, he bit off the head of a live pigeon. True, he later admitted that he would never have done such a thing sober.

Another grandfather of rock, Alice Cooper, was credited with a similar story involving chickens allegedly eaten during a concert. But, as Alice himself assures, he did not eat chicken. And in general, he believed that the chicken was a flying bird, since he grew up in Detroit and had never been on a farm. When a couple of cute little birds were thrown onto the stage for him, he tossed them into the air, thinking they would fly. The chickens, naturally, did not fly anywhere, but fell into the crowd of fans. Alas, they did not fare well.

Not all animals can tolerate the sounds of rock music. When a heavy music concert took place in one of the old English castles, all the rodents fled from there. But some representatives of the fauna - for example, sharks - are attracted to heavy chords and deep bass. Australian businessman Matt Waller plays AC/DC recordings underwater so that predators can swim closer and be seen by participants on his underwater excursions.

• And finally, a mix selection of real rock.

List amazing facts about rock musicians.

It is believed that "Terry and Julie" is from the classic The songs Kinks 1967 "Waterloo Sunset" stars Terence Stamp and Julie Christie.

David Bowie, also known as Robert David Jones, studied painting at Technical school Bromley is with his old friend and rock legend Peter Frampton's dad, Owen.

American punk rock group The The Ramones named their band after the pseudonym that Paul McCartney used to check into hotels when he was in The Beatles, - Paul Ramon

Have you ever wondered who inspired the 1984 hit by Wham! "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"? Andrew Ridgeley hung this sign on the door of his room so that his mother would remember to wake him up when she left for work. Apparently, before she always forgot and left him a fool. (“Wake me up before you go, don’t leave me in the cold,” the song goes)

The Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, who died on July 3, 1969, in his swimming pool, played the oboe on track The Beatles "Baby You"re A Rich Man" from the 1967 "Magical Mystery Tour" soundtrack.

Prog-rock titans Emerson, Lake & Palmer (or ELP) had a technical staff of 63 on their infamous 1977 tour, including Palmer's karate coach and the band's doctor. According to rumors, they even had a special carpet technician whose task was to transport and clean Persian carpet, on which Lake stood during performances. Oh yes, and they also brought with them a 70-piece orchestra.

The guy on the left is Elvis Presley's agent, Colonel Tom Parker. Before he became successful, he had a troupe of dancing chickens.

In January 2002, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" knocked Aaliyah's "More Than A Woman" off the top spot on the UK Singles Chart, the only time in music history that one deceased artist has reclaimed the top spot from another deceased artist.

Frank Sinatra told everyone that "Something" was his favorite song written by Lennon and McCartney. The song was actually written by George Harrison.

John Lennon once put a condom over a microphone to protect himself from electric shock. He tried to achieve an underwater sound for The Beatles' 1966 hit "Yellow Submarine", but they never used the joke recording.

John Lydon of the Sex Pistols and his wife Nora were due to be on the plane that exploded over Lockerbie in 1988 due to a terrorist bomb, but they missed it because Nora had no time to get ready. The American vocal quartet The Four Tops were also supposed to fly on this plane, but did not get on it because they were delayed in the studio.

The first CD recorded in commercial purposes in the US, there was Bruce Springsteen's 1984 "Born In The USA".

The group R.E.M. formed in 1980, but it took 9 years before they had a song in the UK Top 40 (1989's "Orange Crush").

Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand met in 2001 at home party in Glasgow when the latter tried to steal a drink from Kapranos. As they say, you know what happened next.

By the time in October 1988" The Dark Pink Floyd's Side Of The Moon has finally left the Billboard 200, breaking the record by spending 741 weeks on the chart.

Amy Winehouse worked as a copywriter for the tabloid news agency WENN, and her boss was none other than NME commissioning editor Mark McLaren.

Kaiser Chiefs are named after football team from South Africa, where he played former captain Leeds United Lucas Radebe. The band members are big fans of the team and played a concert at their Elland Road stadium in 2008.

The Smiths had to change the cover of their 1984 single "What Difference Does It Make?" after actor Terence Stamp (pictured) raised objections to the use of his image. His photo was replaced with a photo of Morrissey.

On the 2001 Super Furry Animals track "Receptacle" For The Respectable" from their Mercury Prize-nominated album "Rings Around" The World", munching on celery is none other than Sir Paul McCartney.

The Stone Roses' 1988 single "Elephant Stone" was produced by New Order bassist and fellow Manchester musician Peter Hook.

British musician Noel Gallagher appeared on the stage of the Reading festival in 1990 along with the headliners Inspiral Carpets. He came out looking like half a cow, doing pantomime during the show - Gallagher was the band's technician.

The godfather of soul, James Brown, has been on the Billboard 100 a whopping 99 times, but has never reached number one. The musician died in December 2006.

The American band The Killers were named after the fictional band that New Order appeared in the "Crystal" video in 2001.

William Martin "Billy" Joel is said to play his favorite instrument, the piano, on The Shangri-La classic "The Leader Of The Pack". By the way, this song has been parodied by everyone: Julian Clary and Bob Rivers, who changed the lyrics to “Leader Of Iraq” in honor of Saddam Hussein.

Self-proclaimed most loud group in the world of Motorhead, at first they were going to be called Bastard (“Bastard”), which their Italian tribute band did not forget, which took the name Bastardi. Motorhead has other tributes including Motorkill, Overhead, Mauro Tolot Kilnister and Lemmy's Wart.