Constantly On the Verge: Philly Rock ‘N’ Roll (Part 1)

Since the invention of rock-n-roll, certain regions of the country have added their own unique flavor to the mix. Cities within these regions have fostered their own rock culture and acts that reveled in it. Philadelphia is no exception, but seems to stand like a volcano looming in the distance; it could erupt at any time and should be feared and respected, but has mostly lain dormant. This is a city that is almost there, seemingly permanently.

You can’t talk about rock without mentioning its heritage. Macon, Georgia gave us Little Richard and Memphis gave us Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis. St. Louis was the home of Chuck Berry. The fusing of southern blues, country, and gospel created the foundations of what all rock music is based on.

Over a short period of time, the acts and regions started to influence one another. Picturesque southern California created pleasant surf/car/girl-loving music like, The Beach Boys and also the reverb work of Dick Dale. During the 50s and 60s, Michigan’s booming industry was fertile ground for music as well, with early pioneers like Hank Ballard and The Midnighters along with Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels. Later in the 60s, a revolutionary band called The Stooges emerged from Ann Arbor, taking rock in a new direction. In the 1970s, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s southern rock made its mark, particularly in the modern karaoke scene. Then, of course, there is the omnipresent New York City, which needs no introduction.

Sometime between the late 70s and the early 80s is when things really started to change. Rock acts were evolving and diverging, some staying in the time-tested mainstream while others embraced the obscure. Cities like Nashville hung on while others, like Detroit, seemed to crumble in the industry. New York remained omnipresent. Glam and hair rockers like Guns-N-Roses dominated airwaves from Los Angeles and rose to super stardom. At the same time, Boston was nursing a burgeoning underground with The Pixies and Mission of Burma. The Dead Kennedys came out of San Francisco in 1979 in response to the hippie fervor of the previous decades and bands like Jefferson Starship and The Grateful Dead. In the late 80s and into the early 90s, music turned upside down. The underground became the popular and the stage was set in Washington State. Nirvana, Soundgarden, and even Sunny Day Real Estate blossomed in Seattle, the home of Jimi Hendrix.

Yes, the art of rock-n-roll has a long tradition of evolution created from the spliced genes of the cities that adopted it. Chicago, Austin, Portland, and D.C. were all there. New York, still, remains omnipresent. But what about Philly?

To Be Continued…

Post By: Patrick Neiderriter