The History of the Guitar, part I
17 August 2007The 1950’s saw a great change in popular music. As music evolved from Big Band Music of the 40’s, and then the Delta Blues, the guitar became a much more prominent part of the instrumentation of popular music. When Elvis Presley entered the music kingdom, it was the birth of Rock and Roll. When this happened, the guitar became the featured instrument of the music. During the 1950’s, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, and many others made the guitar what it is today in popular music. It was used to carry the rhythm, to play solos, to accompany singers, and directed the way songs were written. The acoustic guitar was used, and of course, the electric guitar was what every teenager wanted to play.
This trend was accelerated even more in the ‘60’s when the Beatles appeared on the scene. Their music was guitar-based music. The lead guitar was developed as more and more bands, or “groups” as they were called back then, burst forth during the British Invasion. The Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, the Who, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, and many other British bands and guitarists had a tremendous influence on guitar styles. American musicians and bands such as Bob Dylan, the Birds, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Jefferson Airplane also shaped the direction of the guitar.
The electric guitar became the supreme instrument, and the guitar industry saw an explosion like never before. Companies such as Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, Martin, and Gretsch were selling guitars as fast as they could build them. Even Sears and Roebuck was a huge seller of guitars with the Silvertone products. More amplifiers were being developed, and companies were popping up right and left. Young musicians everywhere were trying to emulate the styles and sounds of their heroes. Little boxes, now called effect pedals, were beginning to be used to get distortion and other effects that helped guitarists get the sound they wanted, and the “garage band” was heard in every neighborhood. Young bands were forming and learning the songs of their favorite “groups” or bands. They were finding places to perform at the high school, at parties, and weddings, and such. Everyone wanted to learn the guitar!
