Rock music in one form or another is the most popular type of music all over the world. But where did it
come from?
     Rock began in the USA in the early 1950s. At that time, rhythm and blue music was very popular with
black Americans. "R&B" was a mixture of black religious (宗教) music and jazz. It had strong rhythms (节奏)
that you could dance to and simple, fast words.
     Noticing the success of R&B music, white musicians started to copy the same style. By the mid 1950s, this
new white R&B music, called rock 'n' roll, had become very popular. Singers like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley
attracted millions of teenage fans (爱好者). Their music was fast and loud. Many older people thought that
rock ' n' roll was very dangerous.
     By the early 1960s, even rock ' n' roll had become old fashioned. Many of the songs had begun to sound
the same. It was at that time that a new group from England became popular-The Beatles.
      The Beatles first started by singing American style songs, but they soon developed their own style, with
more complicated (复杂的 ) tunes (曲调 ). They also introduced different instruments. Groups like The
Beatles had a very important influence on the style of popular music.
     By the early 1970s,rock ' n' roll had developed into a new form of music. Electronics (电子) had replaced
the amplified (增大的) guitars and drums of rock 'n' roll."Rock" had arrived.
     Rock music has continued to change and develop. It has combined with music from different parts of the
world. Today, there are hundreds of different types of rock music, and almost every country has its own form
of rock.