Classic rock
Encyclopedia
Classic rock is a radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...

 which developed from the album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...

 (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 genre that peaked in popularity in the 1970s. Classic rock stations re-create, in part, the sound of album-oriented rock stations of the 1970s and 1980s (although usually with a much more limited playlist) and appeal mainly to adults, rather than teenagers (despite this, many classic rock acts consistently attract new generations of fans). Some classic rock stations also play a limited number of current releases which are stylistically consistent with the station's sound, or from established classic rock artists that are still producing new albums.

History

WYSP in Philadelphia became the nation's very first "classic rock" station in the spring of 1981, when Frank X Feller, then general manager, received a suggestion and a reel to reel tape with a sample of what the "Classic Rock" format would sound like from account executive Jim Sacony. The featured artists on the reel to reel were The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...

, The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...

, Young Rascals
The Rascals
The Rascals were an American blue-eyed soul group initially active during the years 1965–72. The band released numerous top ten singles in North America during the mid- and late-1960s, including the U.S. #1 hits "Good Lovin'" , "Groovin'" , and "People Got to Be Free"...

, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...

, The Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

, Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...

 and The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...

. Frank then directed program director and midday jock Dick Hungate teamed up with station consultant Lee Abrams to more effectively compete with two traditionally programmed and very entrenched competitors... WMMR and WIOQ. The actual on-air describer "classic rock" was thought of in a strategy session at WYSP's then One Bala Plaza offices, in which other adjectives such as "timeless" and "vintage" also were discussed by Hungate and Abrams. In this pre-PC age, it fell upon Hungate to create the universe of all-old-rock tracks based upon his previous Philly experience as MD of WMMR in 1978-79, eg: using metal file boxes and color-coded 3 X 5 index cards to manually rotate within each age/strength category the on-air playlist. WYSP would abandon that approach for all new hard rock, only to try classic rock once again a few years later (but, ultimately, to switch back to a current, hard-rock format once and for all).

The classic rock format evolved from AOR radio stations that were attempting to appeal to an older audience by including familiar songs of the past with current hits. In 1982, radio consultant Lee Abrams
Lee Abrams
Lee Abrams is an American media executive who has held a number of posts for large and influential companies, and is generally credited with developing the "Album Oriented Rock" format employed by hundreds of radio stations across the country.-Career:...

 developed the Timeless Rock format which combined contemporary AOR with hits from the 1960s and 1970s. By 1986, the success of the format resulted in oldies accounting for 60–80% of the music played on album rock stations.

KRBE, Houston was another early classic rock radio station. In 1983 Program Director Paul Christy designed a format which played only early album rock, from the 1960s and early 1970s, without any current music or Top 40 material at all. KRBE was the first station to use the term "classic rock" on the air. Classic Rock soon became the widely used descriptor for the format, and became the commonly used term for early album rock music by the general public.

Typically, classic rock plays rock songs from the mid 1960s through the 1980s. Some of the songs overlap those with oldies stations, but classic rock also focuses on bands and artists that aren't considered radio friendly and therefore are usually not played on oldies stations. Unlike AOR radio stations, which played all tracks from albums, classic rock plays a much more limited playlist of charting singles and popular album tracks from artists and bands. Some classic rock stations devote time to lesser known bands, album tracks and B-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...

, paying homage to their AOR roots. Classic rock stations typically fit into one of three categories: traditional/early (60s-80s), late (70s-80s with some songs from the 90s and early 2000s) and active (a mixture of new songs with classic rock hits; these stations typically aren't considered classic rock). Classic rock is mainly tailored to a male, adult demographic, but also has a significant fan base in the female and younger (primarily teen) demographics as well.

Classic rock in recent years has been expanded to include glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...

 and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 acts. These artists are often put on "late classic rock" stations (such as XM Classic Rewind
Classic Rewind
Classic Rewind is a classic rock radio station, which centers on the late 1970s and 1980s, picking up musically where Classic Vinyl ends. It broadcasts on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 25 and XM Satellite Radio channel 25 . It can also be heard on Dish Network channel 6015...

) while the more traditional artists are put on "early classic rock" stations (such as XM Classic Vinyl
Classic Vinyl
Classic Vinyl is a Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel focusing on classic rock music mostly from the late-1960s to the mid-1970s. It broadcasts on Sirius channel 26 , XM channel 26 , and Dish Network channel 6014...

). Even "late classic rock" stations, for the most part, have avoided playing 1990s rock such as early alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 and grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

 because of the dramatic change in the tone of rock music during that time frame (Music Choice
Music Choice
Music Choice is a United States company that programs music and produces music-related content for digital cable, cell phones, and cable modem subscribers in the US. Music Choice programs dozens of audio music channels for digital cable subscribers, as well as programs and produces music-related...

's "Retro Rock" is a notable exception to this, although even that channel separates 1980s and 1990s music into their own blocks). At the same time, some classic rock stations have started focusing on classic alternative and modern rock hits as well as traditional classic rock songs (such as KLOS
KLOS
KLOS is an FM rock music radio station based in Los Angeles, California, that debuted in 1969. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It is home to the nationally broadcast Mark & Brian radio show, and Off The Record host Uncle Joe Benson.-History:...

 in Los Angeles), adding bands and songs typically avoided on classic rock stations such as Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...

, Sublime
Sublime
Sublime may refer to:* Sublime ** Their third album, Sublime ** Sublime with Rome, a reunited version of the above band* Sublime * Sublime * Sublime , the DV8 superhero...

, and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...

.

Even though new bands sometimes mimic the classic rock sound (e.g. The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...

), they are not considered a true classic rock band because they are in the wrong era (not early 1960s to early 80s). However, classic rock bands from the original era who still produce new music outside of that classic rock era (like The Rolling Stones) are grandfathered in and are still defined as classic rock (as long as their style hasn't changed).

See also

  • List of music radio formats
  • Music radio
    Music radio
    Music radio is a radio format in which music is the main broadcast content. After television replaced old time radio's dramatic content, music formats became dominant in many countries...

  • Active rock
    Active rock
    Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...

     - a mix of classic rock and modern rock
    Modern rock
    Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...

    , but trending closer to modern rock.
  • Mainstream rock
    Mainstream rock
    Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...

    - a mix of classic rock and modern rock, but trending closer to classic rock.
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