Rock n’ Roll will never die, and the same goes for rock t shirts. People’s craze for Rock n Roll is represented in the colorful T Shirts that rule the clothing industry. Rock music created the phenomenon of the rock T shirt and a brief history of this musical genre, which is given below, will shed light on its’ evolution.

“My Baby Rocks Me with a Steady Roll”, a popular song in 1951, inspired the term “Rock-n-Roll”, which was first used by a Cleveland jockey named Alan Freed. In the 1950′s, the term ‘Rock-and-Roll’ applied to a kind of music that was sexual in its nature and theme. Influenced by a host of distinct styles of music, including blues, jazz, and country, the music comprised of a divergent rhythm and a loud electric guitar.

With the advent of the 1960s, the United States saw a distinctive kind of Rock-and-Roll music – one with heavily accented beats, electronic amplification, and simpler and more youth-oriented lyrics. It was in this decade that rock music became very popular and highly loved by many inside and outside the United States. Chuck Berry, who started the wild and crazy, jail-break kind of music, called Rock n’ Roll, was instrumental in the achievements of this type of music in the following years.

The industry comprising of rock music, however, went through major ups and downs, before the 60′s and before it saw its’ popularity explode. Serious events like the death of Buddy Holly followed by the death of Ritchie Valens, Little Richard’s decision to start a life of preaching, Elvis’s draft, and the criminal prosecution of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, were some of these. Chuck Berry, who was considered the epitome of Rock n Roll music, ended up in jail for three years, having being accused of indulging in sex with a 14-year-old waitress.

These happenings and others like these would have spelt the doom of Rock n’ Roll, had it not been for the Beatles. America first heard the Beatles on WWDC radio station on December 17, 1963 as it played their hit song “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”. Rock n’ Roll had arrived.

The year 1964 began with the arrival of Beatles in the United States in two ways – one, their song “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” became a chart topper on January 18 and they performed live on the Ed Sullivan show on February 9. “Beatlemania” was the new British invasion this time, as stated on CBS Evening News. The exaltation that the British group commanded did not abate till they disbanded in 1970.

Rock music achieved unsurpassed eminence in the 70s and produced both fame and wealth for its proponents. An entire generation gave rock stars a divine status and no rock concert seats went empty. The undulating wave of popularity in the 70s made the way for rock bands and stars to begin selling rock T shirts, concert T Shirts and a host of other merchandise.

The range and styles of rock music included, blues rock, jazz-rock fusion, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, glam rock, and heavy metal, which became the most popular and noticeable forms of music, which till today are the craziest and loudest music forms. Political and social criticism found a venue in the late 70′s with the arrival of punk rock on the music scene. New Wave, post-punk, and alternative rock, which ultimately led to the advent of indie rock, Brit pop and rock metal, were all forms of music derived from punk rock and its’ memorabilia in the 80′s.

The two decades of the 80s and 90s produced iconic music figures that are household names even today. Kiss, Madonna, U2, Prince, Jon Bon Jovi, and Metallica, among others are just a few of them. American music and the entire world music scene changed to what we see today with the help of these creative artists.

Rock n Roll has surpassed just being a music form today. Movies, sports, fashion, and entire cultures have been dominated by Rock n Roll. Rock T shirts are simple mementos to the musical coup we have witnessed.

The rock merchandise we have now are samples of the great musical revolution.