1970s in music
This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s.
Main article: Timeline of musical events
In North America, Europe, and Oceania, the decade saw the rise of disco, which became one of the biggest genres of the decade, especially in the mid-to-late 1970s.[4] In Europe, a variant known as Euro disco[4] rose in popularity towards the end of the 1970s. Aside from disco, funk, soul, R&B, smooth jazz, and jazz fusion remained popular throughout the decade. Rock music played an important part in the Western musical scene, with punk rock thriving throughout the mid to late 1970s.
[5] Other subgenres of rock, particularly glam rock,[6] hard rock, progressive rock, art rock, blues rock, and heavy metal achieved various amounts of success. Other genres such as reggae were innovative throughout the decade and grew a significant following.[7] Hip hop emerged during this decade,[8] but was slow to start and did not become significant until the late 1980s. Classical began losing a little momentum; however, through invention and theoretical development, this particular genre gave rise to experimental classical and minimalist music by classical composers. A subgenre of classical, film scores, remained popular with movie-goers. Alongside the popularity of experimental music, the decade was notable for its contributions to electronic music, which rose in popularity with the continued development of synthesizers and harmonizers; more composers embraced this particular genre, gaining the notice of listeners who were looking for something new and different. Its rising popularity, mixed with the popular music of the period, led to the creation of synthpop. Pop also had a popularity role in the 1970s.
In Africa, especially Nigeria, the genre known as Afrobeat gained a following throughout the 1970s.[9]
In Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, the Nueva canción movement peaked in popularity and was adopted as the music of the hippie, Liberation Theology, and New Left movements. Cumbia music began its internationalization as regional scenes rose outside Colombia. Merengue experienced mainstream exposure across Latin America and the southern US border states.
In Asia, music continued to follow varying trends. In Japan, the decade saw several musical trends, including pop music, folk music, rock music, disco music, while rock group The Spiders disbanded in 1970.[10]
The British band The Bee Gees were one of the biggest musical acts of the 1970s leading the disco phenomenon
North America[edit]
Disco, R&B and urban[edit]
The Bee Gees were one of, if not the 1970s biggest musical act dominating album sales, singles sales and music charts of many countries including the U.S. and UK. Most notably, they spearheaded and led the disco and pop music scenes of the 1970s at one point they had 5 songs in the top 10 and 3 songs in the top 5 of the U.S. Billboard charts according to Barry Gibb. They were the main artists and songwriters of the cultural and revolutionary music soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever which went on to become the second biggest-selling soundtrack of all time and up until Thriller it was the biggest-selling album of all time selling over 50 million copies worldwide. After achieving all of these huge records and milestones, some critics have labeled the Bee Gees as the decade-defining act of the 1970s.
Along with disco, funk was one of the most popular genres of music in the 1970s. Primarily an African-American genre, it was characterized by the heavy use of bass and "wah-wah" pedals. Rhythm was emphasized over melody. Artists such as James Brown, Wilson Pickett, the Meters, Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone pioneered the genre. It then spawned artists such as Stevie Wonder, Rufus, the Brothers Johnson, Kool & the Gang, Chic, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Spinners, King Floyd, Tower of Power, Ohio Players, the Commodores, War, Confunkshun, Gap Band, Slave, Cameo, the Bar-Kays, Zapp, and many more. Other popular artists in the mainstream were Bill Withers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Three Dog Night, the Stylistics, the Fifth Dimension, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the O'Jays, Barry White, and Issac Hayes.
The 1970s saw African-American audiences shift away from genres like rock and blues which had originally been invented and dominated by black musicians. While blues performers like B.B. King and Albert King remained successful, they changed to a mostly white audience. Soul, R&B, and funk became the predominant music styles among black artists and audiences.
Roberta Flack had two of the biggest hits of the decade with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", from the Clint Eastwood film Play Misty for Me; and "Killing Me Softly". Both were #1 hits on the pop charts and she became the first and the only female artist to win back to back Grammy Awards for Record of the Year.[22] Stevie Wonder who topped the charts five times during the decade with songs such as "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Sir Duke" had a unique treble. He won Grammy Awards for both Best Male Pop and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1974, 1975 and 1977.[23]
The Jackson 5 became one of the biggest pop-music phenomena of the 1970s,[24] playing from a repertoire of rhythm and blues, pop and later disco. The Jacksons — brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael — were the first act in recording history to have their first four major label singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The band served as the launching pad for the solo careers of their lead singers Jermaine and Michael, who both had some solo success in the early part of the decade; Jermaine with the top 10 hit "Daddy's Home"[25] and Michael who topped the charts with "Ben". Other family acts included Gladys Knight & the Pips who topped the charts with "Midnight Train to Georgia", and Sly & the Family Stone who brought "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and "Family Affair" to the top spot. Other groups who had hits include the Staple Singers with "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again", the theme song to a 1975 Sidney Poitier/Bill Cosby film, the Sylvers with "Boogie Fever" and the Emotions with "Best of My Love".
Honey Cone had a chart-topping hit with "Want Ads", as did Labelle with "Lady Marmalade" and A Taste of Honey with "Boogie Oogie Oogie". Other successful girl groups were Love Unlimited and the Three Degrees who scored a U.S. No. 2 and UK No. 1 hit with "When Will I See You Again" as well as the U.S. No. 1 "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" with Mother Father Sister Brother (MFSB).[26]
The Commodores were another group that played from a diverse repertoire, including R&B, funk, and pop. Lionel Richie, who went on to even greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s, fronted the group's biggest 1970s hits, including "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", and "Still".
Other trends[edit]
The commercial cinemas around the world tended to imitate nuances of disco beats in their movies to present their movies as western and upbeat. These included the increasingly popular kung-fu movies in far East Asia and Bollywood movies from India. These trends are essential in proving that commercial cinemas were a beneficial investment for the community.