Since the dawn of rock music in the 1950s and continuing through the 1960s, various artists pushed the boundaries of the genre to emphasize speed, aggression, volume, theatricality, and other elements that became staples of the heavy metal style. In the late 1960s, this experimentation coalesced into various rock subgenres like

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

, acid rock, and

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

, which were all influential in the development of heavy metal. These albums would later be retroactively categorised as proto-metal.

Bands formed

1955

* Hasil Adkins

1958

* Vince Taylor

1959

* The Kingsmen

1962

* The Rolling Stones *

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

1963

* The Kinks * The Yardbirds Walser 1993, p. 9 "Mid-1960s groups like the Yardbirds, Cream and the Jeff Beck Group combined the rock and roll style of Chuck Berry with the earthy blues of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Along with Jimi Hendrix, these British blues band developed the sounds that would define metal: heavy drums and bass, virtuosic distorted guitar, and a powerful vocal style that used screams and growls as signs of transgression and transcendence." Borthwick & Moy 2001, p. 138 "In the main, the earliest manifestation of metal in the mid to late 1960s (and known at the time as 'rock' or 'hard rock') can be found in the work of groups such as The Yardbirds, Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience in Britain, and Blue Cheer, Steppenwolf and Vanilla Fudge in the US."

1964

* The Amboy Dukes *

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

Bukszpan 2003, p. 300 "Detroit's MC5 is widely regarded as one of the forerunners of punk rock, but the group's raw, distorted style certainly helped define heavy metal as well." * The Who Bukszpan 2003, p. 288 "The Kinks and The Who stretch rock-and-roll boundaries with "You Really Got Me" and "My Generation" respectively, creating primitive versions of heavy metal in the process."

1965

* Big Brother and the Holding Company * The Doors * The Grateful Dead *

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

* Quicksilver Messenger Service * Scorpions Walser 1993, p. 10 "A "second generation of heavy metal," the first to claim the name unambiguously, was also active throughout the 1970s: KISS, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Judas Priest, Ted Nugent, Rush, Motorhead, Rainbow, Blue Öyster Cult. Scorpions, from Germany, became the first heavy metal band from a non-English speaking country to achieve international success."

1966

* Blue Cheer * Cream * The Jimi Hendrix Experience * Iron Butterfly * Moby Grape * The Move * Slade

1967

* Blue Öyster Cult *

Budgie Budgie may refer to: Arts * Budgie (album), ''Budgie'' (album), the debut album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie * Budgie (band), a Welsh heavy metal band from Cardiff * Budgie (musician) (born 1957), English drummer * Budgie (TV series), ''Bu ...

* The Deviants *

Jeff Beck Group The Jeff Beck Group was a British rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues, rhythm and blues and rock was a major influence on popular music. First ...

* Jethro Tull * Steppenwolf * The Stooges * Vanilla Fudge

1968

Accept Accept may refer to: * Acceptance, a person's assent to the reality of a situation etc. * Accept (band), a German heavy metal band ** ''Accept'' (Accept album), their debut album from 1979 * ''Accept'' (Chicken Shack album), 1970 * ACCEPT (or ...

(as Band X) * Alice Cooper * Black Sabbath Walser 1993, p. 10 "''The sound that would become known as heavy metal was definitely codified in 1970 with the release of Led Zeppelin II, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, and Deep Purple In Rock.''" (as Earth) * Breakout *

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

* Edgar Broughton Band *

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

* Grand Funk Railroad * Led Zeppelin * Meat Loaf *

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

(as The Projection) * Sir Lord Baltimore * Sweet * Warpig * Writing on the Wall

1969

* The Allman Brothers Band * April Wine * Argent (band), Argent * Atomic Rooster * Bang (American band), Bang * Blackfoot (band), Blackfoot * Blind Faith * Bloodrock *Blue Mountain Eagle (band), Blue Mountain Eagle *Blues Creation *Brownsville Station (band), Brownsville Station * Cactus (American band), Cactus * Coven (band), Coven * Crushed Butler * Dust (band), Dust *Elonkorjuu *Eloy (band), Eloy *Epitaph (band), Epitaph *Faces (band), Faces *Focus (band), Focus * Gary Moore * Grand Funk Railroad *Granicus (band), Granicus * Hawkwind * High Tide (band), High Tide *Hookfoot *Humble Pie * Iron Claw (band), Iron Claw * Jacula * Josefus * Judas Priest (as Freight) * King Crimson * Leaf Hound *Little Free Rock * May Blitz *Morly Grey * Mott the Hoople * Mountain (band), Mountain *Neon Rose *New Riders of the Purple Sage *November (band), November * Thin Lizzy *Titanic (band), Titanic *Toe Fat *Trapeze (band), Trapeze *Truth and Janey * Tucky Buzzard * UFO (band), UFO * Uriah Heep (band), Uriah Heep * Wishbone Ash * ZZ Top

Songs

1949

* "Cold Blooded Blues" by The Great "Gates" & His Wampus Cats

1950

* "Boogie In The Park" by Joe Hill Louis

1951

* "How Many More Years" by Howlin' Wolf

1954

* "Cotton Crop Blues" by James Cotton * "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby" by Pat Hare

1955

* "No More Hot Dogs" by Hasil Adkins * "A Cutie Named Judy" by Jerry McCain

1956

* "I Put a Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins * "Little Demon" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins * "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" by Johnny Burnette

1957

* "Susie Q (song), Suzie Q" by Dale Hawkins * "Jailhouse Rock (song), Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley * "Gang War" by Gene Maltais

1958

* "Justine" by Don and Dewey * "Rockin' This Joint Tonight" by Kid Thomas (musician), Kid Thomas * "Rock & Roll Guitar" by Johnny Knight * "Love Me" by Jerry Lott (as the Phantom) * "Rumble (instrumental), Rumble" by Link Wray * "Sunglasses After Dark" by Dwight Pullen * "Whistle Bait" by The Collins Kids * "Bop-A-Lena" by Ronnie Self

1959

* "Rock and Roll Deacon" by Screamin' Joe Neal

1960

* "I Fought the Law" by The Crickets * "Shakin' All Over" by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates

1961

* "Jack the Ripper (song), Jack the Ripper" by Screaming Lord Sutch * Don't Worry (Marty Robbins song), "Don't Worry" by Marty Robbins

1962

* "Miserlou" by Dick Dale * "Palisades Park (Freddy Cannon song), Palisades Park" by Freddy Cannon * "The Girl Cant Dance" by Bunker Hill (musician), Bunker Hill * "Scream" by Ralph Nielson

1963

* "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen * "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen

1964

*"You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" by The Kinks

1965

*"Action (Freddy Cannon song), Action" by Freddy Cannon *"My Generation (The Who song), My Generation" by The Who * "Train Kept A-Rollin'#The Yardbirds versions, The Train Kept A-Rollin'" by The Yardbirds

1966

*"Inside-Looking Out" by The Animals *"Hold Tight (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich song), Hold Tight!" by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich *"96 Tears" by ? and the Mysterians *"Talk Talk (The Music Machine song), Talk Talk" by The Music Machine *"Wild Thing (The Troggs song), Wild Thing" by The Troggs

1967

*"I Can See for Miles" by The Who (band), The Who *"Mr. Soul" by Buffalo Springfield *"Purple Haze" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience *"Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream *"White Rabbit (song), White Rabbit" & "Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song), Somebody to Love" by

* Down on Me (traditional song), "Down on Me" by Big Brother and the Holding Company * "Street Singer" by Clear Light * "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Vanilla Fudge

1968

*"Fire (Arthur Brown song), Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown *"Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf *"Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Voodoo Child" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience *"Helter Skelter (song), Helter Skelter" by The Beatles *"The House at Pooneil Corners" by

*’’Hurdy Gurdy Man (song), Hurdy Gurdy Man’’ by Donovan * "A Trial In Our Native Town" by Savage Rose *"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (song), In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly *"Summertime Blues" by Blue Cheer

1969

*"21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson *"The Nile Song" by

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1960s In Heavy Metal Music 1960s in heavy metal music 1960s in music