The Classic Rock Era Shines at Smoky Hill Music

 The birth of rock and roll! Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddy Cochrane, Richie Valens, rockabilly, doo-wop, and more! This was rock's Big Bang decade as the Blues picked up a new groove and became Rock and Roll. The lead guitar takes the spotlight in the rock era's first smash hit Rock Around the Clock.

The Beach Boys kicked off the decade capitalizing on the surf craze in southern California. The folk explosion hit the California electric rock sound and brought a unique new style as the musicians in Laurel Canyon created a mountain of hits. Motown and Stax Records were turning out the Soul and R&B hits. The Beatles and the 'Stones led the British Invasion and changed the world.  The San Francisco music scene exploded with bands that would become legends, like Jefferson Airplane, Steve Miller Band, Santana, and the Grateful Dead.

The Golden Era of Classic Rock! The third decade of rock music brought an amazing variety of styles. It was the era of singer/songwriters like James Taylor, the Glam Rock of T. Rex and David Bowie, the progressive rock mastery of Rush, Yes, and Queen. 

The Boss took us for a ride down Thunder Road.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney conquered the music charts again with his new band Wings. California-rock took the spotlight with The Eagles and Journey, and late in the decade a new band called Van Halen blew our minds as Eddie re-invented rock guitar.

 The city of Boston gave us the slick and polished guitar tones of BOSTON; the bluesy rock of Aerosmith; and The Cars, who ushered in the coming sounds of New Wave. The 'Stones kept rolling (to this day!) Steely Dan brought jazz rock to the mainstream.

 Heavy blues rockers AC/DC kicked off 1980 with one of the biggest albums of all time. The Eighties brought some new styles to the realm of electric guitar such as the cinematic, arpeggiated soundscapes from The Edge of U2, the jangle and twang of Tom Petty and college radio bands like R.E.M. and the Bodeans,; the Glam Metal of bands like Poison and Motley Crue. Guitarist Slash and Guns 'n Roses brought a heavy, bluesy hard rock edge to the decade of big hair and synthesizers. The Red Rocker Sammy Hagar brought his party rock to the masses, with his solo albums and as a new member of Van Halen.

 The grunge rock scene dominated the '90s, with Nirvana leading the way. An aggressive, often drop-tuned, garage band approach to guitar was very popular, with bands like Pearl jam, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots. Foo Fighters formed in the middle of the decade and are still one of the biggest bands in the world. Punk rockers Green Day broke through to success in 1994 and eventually became the most successful punk rock band in history.

 The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The White Stripes, Linkin' Park, Jet, Limp Bizkit, Halestorm, Greta Van Fleet, The Pretty Reckless, Mammoth WVH, .. and... your band?