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OnMusic Rock Third Edition is designed to help students develop an understanding of both the musical and cultural roots of Rock music. Covering everything from rock origins to today, the focus of OnMusic Rock Third Edition is on listening and comprehension. Rock music is explored in its historical context but also experienced from a purely musical perspective.

Note: In order to receive credit for completion, please click the “Mark Complete” button at the end of each lesson page.

Getting Started

Course Preamble
Course Description Guide

Lesson 1 – Ragtime, Popular Song, and the Jazz Roots of Rock

Introduction
Broadway and Ragtime
Dixieland
Swing and Big Band
Conclusion

Lesson 2 – Rural Blues and Urban Blues

Introduction
Musical and Poetic Form of the 12-Bar Blues
Rural Blues
Urban Blues
Boogie Woogie
Commercial or Arranged Blues
Conclusion

Lesson 3 – Other African American Roots of Rock

Spirituals
Gospel Music
Vocal Harmony Groups
Early Rhythm and Blues
The Audience for Rhythm and Blues
Conclusion

Lesson 4 – Hillbilly and Country and Western Music

Introduction
The Earliest Country Music
The Earliest Country Music (Continued)
Marketing and Consuming Hillbilly Music
The Rise of Country and Western Music
The Rise of Country and Western Music (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 5 – Rhythm and Blues Becomes Rock and Roll

Introduction
New Technologies and Means of Consumption
Alan Freed
Ray Charles and the Gospel Side of Rock and Roll
Rhythm and Blues Crosses Over
Cover Versions
Conclusion

Lesson 6 – Elvis Presley

Introduction
Sam Phillips and Sun Records
The Hillbilly Cat
Colonel Tom Parker and Presley at RCA-Victor
Presley’s Cover Versions
Presley After the 1950s
Conclusion

Lesson 7 – Rockabilly

Introduction
Rockabilly
Jerry Lee Lewis
Johnny Cash
Other Rockabilly Stars
Buddy Holly and the Crickets
The Day the Music Died
Conclusion

Lesson 8 – Teen-Styled Rock Music in the Early 1960s

Introduction
Payola
American Bandstand
The Teen Idol
Brill Building
Conclusion

Lesson 9 – The Record Producer and the Rise of Surf Rock

Introduction
The Rise of the Producer
Phil Spector
Girl Groups
Surf Rock
Conclusion

Lesson 10 – Soul

Introduction
The African American Presence in Pop
Motown 1
Motown 2
Motown 3
Atlantic and Stax
Conclusion

Lesson 11 – The British Invasion: The Beatles

Introduction
Rock and Roll in the United Kingdom
Becoming the Beatles
Becoming the Beatles (Continued)
Beatlemania
The Music of the Beatles
From Songs to Recordings
Conclusion

Lesson 12 – The British Invasion: The Rolling Stones

Introduction
The British Blues Revival
Making the Rolling Stones
Jagger and Richards as Songwriters
Breaking into the United States
The Rolling Stones’ Music
Conclusion

Lesson 13 – The British Invasion Continues

Introduction
The Animals
The Yardbirds
The Kinks
The Who
Conclusion

Lesson 14 – American Reactions to the British Invasion

Introduction
Garage Bands
Rock on TV
Rock Made for TV
Rock Made for TV (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 15 – Folk and Folk Rock

Introduction
Folk Music Before the 1960s
Authentic vs. Commercial
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (Continued)
The Rise of Folk Rock
Dylan’s Influence During the 1960s
Conclusion

Lesson 16 – Psychedelic Rock

Introduction
Toward a Higher Consciousness
The Ambitious Single
The Ambitious Single (Continued)
The Ambitious Album
Conclusion

Lesson 17 – Psychedelic Rock in the Late 1960s

Introduction
Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, and the AM Single Format
Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, and the AM Single Format (Continued)
Psychedelic Rock and the British Blues Revival
Psychedelic Rock and the British Blues Revival (Continued)
Psychedelic Rock, the Blues Revival, and the Avant-Garde
Psychedelic Rock, the Blues Revival, and the Avant-Garde (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 18 – Psychedelic Trends in the Late 1960s

Introduction
The San Francisco Scene 1
The San Francisco Scene 2
The San Francisco Scene 3
The Rise of FM Radio
Utopian Psychedelia
The Darker Side of Psychedelic Rock
Conclusion

Lesson 19 – Monterey, Woodstock, and Altamont

Introduction
The Monterey International Pop Festival
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair (Continued)
The Altamont Speedway Free Festival
Conclusion

Lesson 20 – Country Rock and Southern Rock

Introduction
Country Rock
Country Rock (Continued)
Southern Rock 1
Southern Rock 2
Southern Rock 3
Conclusion

Lesson 21 – Prog Rock

Introduction
Origins of Prog Rock
Prog Rock Comes of Age 1
Prog Rock Comes of Age 2
Prog Rock Comes of Age 3
Conclusion

Lesson 22 – Prog Rock Continues

Introduction
Genesis
Genesis (Continued)
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd (Continued)
Frank Zappa
Conclusion

Lesson 23 – Fusion

Introduction
Jazz After Swing
Bitches Brew
Selling Out?
Fusion in the 1970s
Fusion in the 1970s (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 24 – Hard Rock

Introduction
Hard Rock: Predecessors
Hard Rock: Early Examples
Led Zeppelin 1
Led Zeppelin 2
Led Zeppelin 3
Led Zeppelin’s Influence
Conclusion

Lesson 25 – Heavy Metal in the 1970s

Introduction
Heavy Metal’s Musical Style
British Heavy Metal
British Heavy Metal (Continued)
American Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal in Other Countries
Conclusion

Lesson 26 – Glam Rock

Introduction
Elements of Glam Rock
T. Rex and Gary Glitter
David Bowie
David Bowie (Continued)
Elton John
Queen
Kiss
Conclusion

Lesson 27 – The Roots of Punk

Introduction
The Roots of Punk: The Velvet Underground
Other American Proto-Punk Artists
New York Punk
New York Punk (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 28 – British Punk

Introduction
The Rise of Punk in the United Kingdom
The Sex Pistols
British Punk Bands in the Wake of the Sex Pistols 1
British Punk Bands in the Wake of the Sex Pistols 2
British Punk Bands in the Wake of the Sex Pistols 3
Conclusion

Lesson 29 – From Soul to Funk

Introduction
Music and the Civil Rights Movement
James Brown
James Brown’s Band
The Musical Language of Funk
Sly and the Family Stone
George Clinton and P-Funk
George Clinton and P-Funk (Continued)
Funk and the Media
Conclusion

Lesson 30 – Disco

Introduction
Predecessors and Roots of Disco
The Music and Technology of Disco
The Music and Technology of Disco (Continued)
Disco Enters the Mainstream
Disco Enters the Mainstream (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 31 – New Wave

Introduction
The Musical Language of New Wave
New Wave at CBGB
New Wave at CBGB (Continued)
New Wave Looks Backward
New Wave Looks Backward (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 32 – MTV

Introduction
The Invention of MTV
A Second British Invasion?
A Second British Invasion? (Continued)
Race and MTV: The Case of Michael Jackson
Race and MTV: The Case of Michael Jackson (Continued)
Sex, Feminism, and MTV: The Case of Madonna
Conclusion

Lesson 34 – Hip Hop

Introduction
The Roots of Hip-Hop
Early Commercial Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop Goes Mainstream
Hip-Hop Goes Mainstream (Continued)
Hip-Hop Takes Over
Conclusion

Lesson 33 – Heavy Metal in the 1980s

Introduction
The Second Generation of British Heavy Metal
The Second Generation of British Heavy Metal (Continued)
American Heavy Metal
American Heavy Metal (Continued)
Hair Metal
Thrash Metal
Conclusion

Lesson 35 – Keepers of Tradition

Introduction
The Everyman
Blue-Eyed Soul
New Wave in the 1980s
Prog Rock Adapts
Hardcore Punk
Hardcore Punk (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 36 – The Rise of Alternative Rock

Introduction
The Rise of Alternative Rock
Grunge Rock
Grunge Rock (Continued)
Riot Grrrls
Jam Bands
Conclusion

Lesson 37 – Alternative and Metal in the 1990s

Introduction
Listening to Music in the 1990s
Britpop
Industrial
Industrial (Continued)
Pop Punk
Conclusion

Lesson 38 – Hybrids and Genres Without Definition

Introduction
Rap Meets Rock 1
Rap Meets Rock 2
Rap Meets Rock 3
Everything but the Kitchen Sink
Everything but the Kitchen Sink (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 39 – New Modes of Consumption

Introduction
American Idol
YouTube
Streaming Audio
Reality Television
Conclusion

Lesson 40 – 21st Century Directions in Rock

Introduction
Women in Rock
Indie Rock
Lo-fi
Folk Rock Revivals and Hybrids
Conclusion

Lesson 41 – The Presence of the Past

Introduction
Artists with Staying Power
Rock Musicals
Supergroups
Conclusion