Rock n’ Roll will never die, and the same goes for rock T shirts. Colorfully designed and highly popular rock T shirts are ruling the garments and shirts industry, primarily for the reason that people love Rock n’ Roll. Below is a brief history of rock music, inspiring not only generations of T shirt designs but also an entire culture and lifestyle.

The term ‘Rock-and-Roll’ was first used in 1951 by a Cleveland jockey, Alan Freed, lifting from the popular song of that time, “My Baby Rocks Me with a Steady Roll”. In the 1950s, Rock-and-Roll pertained to a kind of music that referred to having sex and having to do anything with sexual themes. The music was characterized by the use of strong rhythm that is accented on the offbeat, loud electric guitar, and incorporated different music genres such as the blues, jazz, country music and gospel.

As the 1960s entered, Rock-and-Roll music in the United States became very distinct for its heavily accented beats, electronically amplified instrumentation, simple phrase structure, and 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. It was Chuck Berry who started that wild and crazy, jail-break type of music called Rock n’ Roll, and deserves much credit for what this type of music has achieved through the years.

However, before the 1960s and rock music took off to the meteoric rise that we know, the rock music industry experienced major blows and setbacks. These include the death of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, Little Richard’s decision to become a preacher, Elvis’s joining the army, and the prosecutions of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. Rock n’ Roll’s hero, Church Berry, spent three years in prison for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old waitress.

Such scandals almost marked the end of the Rock n’ Roll era until the British invasion. America first heard the Beatles on WWDC radio station on December 17,1963 as it played their hit song “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”. And the rest is history.

On January 18, 1964, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” became the Number 1 hit in the United States and on February 9, the mop-headed quartet finally reached American soil as they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. CBS Evening News said, “The British Invasion this time goes by the code name Beatlemania.” The British group enjoyed ultra popularity until they disbanded in 1970.

In the 1970s, rock music became the most successful kind of music, both in fame and wealth. Rock concerts were sold out and rock stars became idols of the generation. Riding on such popularity, it was also in the 70s that rock bands and personalities began selling rock T shirts, concert T-shirts, and other forms of rock band merchandise.

The most popular and most distinguishable forms of rock music were blues rock, jazz-rock fusion, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, glam rock, and heavy metal, which until now is the loudest, fastest and craziest kind of rock music. In the second half the 70s, punk rock entered the scene and became a popular venue for political and social critiques. Punk rock and punk rock memorabilia gave rise to New Wave, post-punk and alternative rock in the 1980s, and eventually to indie rock, Brit pop and rock metal in the 90s.

The 1980s and 1990s gave rise to iconic cultural figures that are highly recognizable today. Some of these are Kiss, Madonna, U2, Prince, Jon Bon Jovi, and Metallica, among many others. These talented musicians helped to shape American music and the musical world as we now know it.

Today, Rock n’ Roll is a way of life. It dominates the movies, sporting events, and fashion. Rock T shirts are but simple and humble reminders of this great musical revolution.