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Blues Rock

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Primary Stylistic Influences:
Secondary Stylistic Influences:

Blues rock is a separate genre of Blues music that appeared in The '60s in the UK and the USA, though largely created by British bands. Blues-rock is basically a hybrid between 12-bar blues and rock, with frequent use of Improv and jamming and an overall heavier sound. The style eventually evolved into Hard Rock, which is basically heavier Blues rock at its core.

While arguably the genre's specific guitar style was invented by Lonnie Mack with his 1963 single "Memphis", this discovery went unnoticed at the time. The genre itself basically came about when the British became exposed to Blues imported from the USA and started their own bands. These bands quickly gained the edge in one area traditional Blues music lacked: volume. By cranking their amps up, bashing the hell out of their drums and worshipping the almighty Epic Riff, bands such as John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Cream, Led Zeppelin and the UK-based Jimi Hendrix decisively established blues-rock as a genre in its own right.

During The '70s, a subgenre known as Boogie Rock, which emphasized the repetitive, driving "boogie" rhythms rather than extended improvisation or solos, became popular. This subgenre is best represented by artists like George Thorogood, Cactus, Bad Company, Status Quo, ZZ Top and Foghat. Another offshoot, based in the American South and referred to as Southern Rock, combined blues rock with Country Music, Gospel Music and Rockabilly (and occasionally Jazz, Folk Music or even Cajun influences), also became popular in The '70s.

Thanks to its emphasis on volume and Epic Riffs, blues-rock became one of the key influences on the development of Heavy Metal, with many blues-rock acts being considered to this day to be 'proto-metal' (especially the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin and The Yardbirds).

Not to be confused with Psychedelic Rock, with which it is very often confused and crossed with, especially by modern stoner rock acts.

Blues-rock bands:

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