by JK Vecino

Created on: August 19, 2009

Ah, the world of rock is one with a rich history, not to mention millions of bands that have produced great music. No other world of music can be more different altogether than rock mainly because rock can be so different itself. It is made up of many genres and has branched out to include such diverse forms of music such as ska, metal, and pop rock. This is what makes rock so successful, the flexibility and accessibility of it. If you don't like one type of rock, you're bound to like another.

But of course, when it comes to rock, one question always remains; Which is the greatest rock band? To answer that question, is only a tad short than to answer the meaning of life itself, because of every person's varying opinions on the matter, let's take a brief history lesson to review some of the influential acts that many could consider the greatest since rock had become part of the music universe.

As many know, rock was mainly born out of the blues (although it did take from others, such as folk) during the early 20th century, beginning out with the use of instruments that were, at the time, mainly identified with blues, such as piano and saxophone. Guitars and bass were later added into the mix and became more and more used. The 1950s especially drew rock into the popular mainstream for arguably the first time, as rock and roll took it's foothold with talented and legendary acts like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Buddy Holly. They were to begin the framework for what rock was to become.

Rock was soon pulled into the mainstream with a surge of popularity, with most of the blame for that act belonging to the Beatles, along with the surge of the British Invasion of the 1960s. This would soon change, as psychedelic rock took it's place, along with other varying rock acts, producing acts such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Greatful Dead, Janis Joplin, and the Rolling Stones.

The 1970s created a new surge of music, as the legendary Led Zeppelin formed and made classic records. The 1970s were also the times where heavier music was being formed from the main branch. Black Sabbath, considered the forefathers of metal, along with bands like Judas Priest, Motorhead, and Iron Maiden. Also, hard rock acts like AC/DC, Deep Purple and Alice Cooper were to emerge, setting up influences for heavier acts of the future. Another thing that occurred during the time were the emergence of arena rock based acts such as Journey

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