page_title: 1960s in music
section_title: Other trends and musical events
hierarchical_section_title: 1960s in music / North America (U.S.A) / Other trends and musical events
caption_attribution_description: English: The crowd at Woodstock fills a natural amphitheatre with the stage at the bottom. Deutsch: Das Publikum des Woodstock Festivals füllte ein natürliches Amphitheater, an dessen tiefstem Punkt sich die Bühne befand.
context_page_description: In North America and Europe the decade was particularly revolutionary in terms of popular music, as it saw the evolution of rock. At the beginning of the 1960s, pop and rock and roll trends of the 1950s continued; nevertheless, the rock and roll of the decade before started to merge into a more international, eclectic variant. In the early-1960s, rock and roll in its purest form was gradually overtaken by pop rock, beat, psychedelic rock, blues rock, and folk rock, which had grown in popularity. The country- and folk-influenced style associated with the latter half of 1960s rock music spawned a generation of popular singersongwriters who wrote and performed their own work. Towards the decade's end, genres such as Baroque pop, sunshine pop, bubblegum pop, and progressive rock started to grow popular, with the latter two finding greater success in the following decade. Furthermore, the 1960s saw funk and soul music rising in popularity; rhythm and blues in general remained popular. The fusion of R&B, Gospel -and original rock and roll was a success until the mid-part of the decade.
context_section_description: Late in the decade, the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock Music Festival would epitomize the American counterculture.
  Current events become a major influence on popular music. Many songs are written in protest to the Vietnam War. The song "Ohio" was written about the Kent State Massacre, and became a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
  World music sees a huge rise in popularity as many seek interest in other cultures. Ravi Shankar performs at the Monterey and Woodstock festivals. Latin Rock artist Carlos Santana sees popularity throughout the decade. George Harrison develops an interest in the Hare Krishna culture, adding Indian influence to the Beatles' music including the use of a sitar. Reggae begins to popularize at this time.
  In 1969, the Rolling Stones organised the ill-fated Altamont Free Concert.
  Songs like "Summertime Blues" and "Eve of Destruction" address the issue of the voting age, which at the time was 21. The issue was that soldiers were drafted at 18, but could not vote. The voting age was eventually lowered to eighteen.
  A few songs such as Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" address the Civil Rights Movement.
caption: Woodstock Festival, August 1969
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