The 1960s were chok full of peace, love, social rights movements, and quickly evolving music. So much music was rising during this time. The early 60's in America saw musicians such as Bob Dylan make television debuts, as well as bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show showcased many new bands, helping bring them to popularity in the American market.
The Beatles were essentially the first boyband. Crowds went crazy for them! They would be mobbed by girls, crying and screaming. It was truly Beatlesmania.
The British invasion wasn't just the Beatles and Stones though. Bands like The Kinks, The Who, and The Yardbirds were all breaking through and gaining momentum in the American charts, many of them taking American Blues/Rock tunes and putting their own spin on them. This created a new kind of Rock & Roll that nobody had heard before and truly defined the genre at the time.
While the bands of the British Invasion were making headway, the social justice movements of the 60's were characterized by the music. The messages of peace and love were being spread by protesting hippies and musicians. Songs like "The Times they are a Changin'" by Bob Dylan and "America" by Simon and Garfunkel made poingnant statements about the society they lived in during the time these songs were written. Take a listen to "America" and see if you can hear what they meant.
Just as Rock & Roll was gaining momentum, a hurricane came along and knocked convential Rock on its ass. Jimi Hendrix was something completely fresh and an incredibly innovative musician. He was a left handed guitarist that played a right handed guitar flipped over and restrung to match. Hendrix brough a lot to the table with his guitar playing, but also brought a brand new vibe to music with his psychadelic rock. From playing his guitar with his mouth to setting it on fire at Woodstock (While presumably on Acid), he was a showman like America and the world had never seen before. To really get the feel of what Hendrix was like, watch this video.
