1967-1969United States

Roots Rock

Also known as rootsy rock

Roots rock sits close to rock’s foundation: songs with dust on the boots, blues in the fingers, and country or folk in the bloodstream. The genre name covers both the late-1960s move toward rougher, more traditional sounds and a later 1980s revival that pushed back against polished new-wave production.

Origins and context

Documented as an American back-to-basics strain of rock that drew on older U.S. roots forms such as blues, country, folk, and R&B; later writing also ties the style to a mid-1980s revival reacting against new wave.

United States

The sound

Characteristics

Electric guitar
Harmonica
Piano
Rhythm section
Country and blues-leaning song forms

How to listen

Listen for

Tight band interplay
Blues-derived guitar figures
Country-folk storytelling
A deliberately unvarnished studio feel

Mood

Earthy
Unforced
Driving
Story-driven

History

Roots rock is usually described as a later-1960s to 1970s return to the basic language of rock and roll, especially in American music made after psychedelia had become dominant. AllMusic places the style’s stronger wave in the mid-1980s, when bands reacted against slick new-wave production by leaning back into older rock, blues, and country values. In the earlier formation of the sound, artists such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Band helped define a more grounded, roots-conscious approach. Apple Music’s artist notes on CCR explicitly call John Fogerty’s blend of R&B, folk, and country “the archetypal roots rock band,” while The Band’s profile describes their music as blending roots rock with Americana and alt-country.