adult contemporary: |
Extension of the old crooner tradition, with varying degrees of rock influence: Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Roberta Flack, the Carpenters. |
AOR (album-oriented rock): |
aimed at young white males aged thirteen to twenty-five. The AOR format featured hard rock bands, such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, and art rock bands, such as King Crimson; Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; and Pink Floyd. AOR generally excluded black artists. |
art rock: |
Form of rock music that blended elements of rock and European classical music. It included bands such as King Crimson; Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; and Pink Floyd. |
Bakersfield sound: |
Stood in direct opposition to the slick sound of much Nashville country music. Popularized by musicians like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, this was one of the most influential country genres of the late 1960s. It revived the spirit of postwar honky-tonk and set the stage for subsequent movements such as country rock and outlaw country. |
bubble gum: |
Cheerful songs aimed mainly at a preteen audience: the Jackson Five, the Osmonds. |
country pop: |
A style of soft rock, lightly tinged with country music influences: John Denver, Olivia Newton-John, Kenny Rogers. |
disco: |
Form of dance music popular in the late 1970s, characterized by elaborate studio production and an insistent beat: Donna Summer, Chic, the Village People, the Bee Gees. |
glam rock: |
Short for “glamour rock”; emphasized elaborate, showy personal appearance and costuming: David Bowie. |
hardcore country: |
“Back to basics” spirit of country music that included the straightforward, emotionally direct approach of postwar honky-tonk. It is perhaps best captured in the recordings of Merle Haggard. |
heavy metal: |
Genre that developed out of hard rock in the 1970s and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s. |
Philadelphia sound: |
One of the most commercially successful forms of soul music during the 1970s. Produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by groups such as the O’Jays and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. |
pop rock: |
Upbeat variety of rock music represented by artists such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Chicago, and Peter Frampton. |
singer-songwriters: |
Cross between the urban folk music of Peter, Paul, and Mary and Bob Dylan and the commercial pop style of the Brill Building tunesmiths: Paul Simon, Carole King, James Taylor. |
soft soul: |
Slick variety of rhythm & blues, often with lush orchestral accompaniment: the O’Jays, the Spinners, Al Green, Barry White. |
