Rock and Roll of the 70s
In the 70s, soft rock, hard rock, glam rock, heavy metal and punk were some of the subgenres that generated from Rock and Roll. Soft rock originated from folk rock, where instruments and melodies were emphasized, creating acts like Carole King and James Taylor. The “Rumors” album by Fleetwood Mac was one of the best selling albums of the decade. Blues and rock is what created hard rock, which was played with greater intensity, putting emphasis on electric guitar solos. The Who, The Kinks, and psychadelic era acts like Cream and Jimi Hendrix came from this subgenre.
Heavy metal was basically hard rock played at an even louder. Led Zeppelin 
incorporated fantasy into their music, Deep Purple incorporated more of an orchestral element to their sound and Black Sabbath incorproated goth, creating a more”dark and demonic” sound. Due to lack of airtime, heavy metal didn’t get much recognition on the Billboard charts. It was still able to draw in the male youth of North America and Europe.
Out of the English psychadelic scene of the 60s, glam rock was born. In 1971, David Bowie created Ziggy Stardust, with the makeup and flashy wardrobe in his performances. With the exception of Bowie, very few acts made their mark in the U. S.
Punk rock came out of garage rock, emerging from New York and London in the mid-70s. A hard-edged, political premise fueled this music. The Ramones and Patti Smith came out of New York while The Clash and the Sex Pistols emerged from London. Although short-lived, punk rock was very popular in the underground world and throughout the United Kingdom.
