Looking back on the past hundred years or so, it’s clear that one of the most significant decades is the 1960s. There was social upheaval, war, assassinations, and music. And when it comes to our time and attention here, it’s the music we’d like to focus on. But who from the era really sums up the decade? Who are the people who are most of the 1960s? In this list, let’s explore three answers to that question. We want to highlight a trio of classic rock artists who just scream the 1960s. Indeed, these are three classic rock artists who personify the most (arguably) significant decade of the 20th century.
[RELATED: No Skips: 4 Classic Rock Albums You’ll Never Have to Fast-Forward]
The Beatles
Formed in 1960, The Beatles were the band of the 1960s. The Fab Four dissolved in 1970 due to personality differences. When John Lennon was murdered in 1980, the group never got back together. Widely considered to be the best band of all time, it seems somehow poetically perfect that they lasted the entire span of the 1960s and didn’t go beyond those temporal bounds. For a group that came onto the scene with simple rock hits like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and left the decade with psychedelic wonders like “Strawberry Fields Forever”, the group was a mirror of the era.
Janis Joplin
If The Beatles were the classic rock band of the 1960s, then Janis Joplin may have been the voice of the era. During the decade, she released three albums. Her 1971 hit record Pearl was released in 1971, three months after her death in 1970. With a vocal reach that could touch the four corners of the Earth, Janis Joplin wowed music fans with songs like “Summertime”, “Me And Bobby McGree”, and “Piece Of My Heart”. Joplin is one of the members of the tragic 27 Club, along with other heroes of the 1960s like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Brian Jones.
Bob Dylan
The Minnesota-born Bob Dylan provided the language for so many in the 1960s: The words to help people understand the era, the poetry for them to reconsider what could be possible in a new future. First coming onto the scene with acoustic, through-provoking protest songs, Dylan evolved faster than the era could keep up. Famously, he helped to bring folk rock music into the mainstream with songs like “Like A Rolling Stone”. And he went on to help inspire and influence bands both of the 1960s and well beyond into the future.
Photo by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images
