What Was the First Heavy Metal Music in 1940?
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The first heavy metal music was recorded in 1940 by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. The song, “Bad to the Bone”, was inspired by the film noir classic The Maltese Falcon.
What is Heavy Metal?
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.
In 1970, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi made reference to anlos angelesange he had been shown in an issue of LIFE magazine. In it, Satan was pictured riding a flaming motorcycle through the desert. Iommi thought it would be wicked cool to have a song with that image in mind, complete with bashing guitars mimicking motorcycles revving their engines. Combined with Iommi’s doomy riffs, Ozzy Osbourne’s eerie vocals complete with demonic laughter recorded backwards, and Bill Ward’s thundering drums, Black Sabbath created “Iron Man,” which would become one of the most influential heavy metal songs of all time.
The First Heavy Metal Record
The first heavy metal record is often cited as being “Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath, which was released in 1971. However, there are some who argue that the first heavy metal song was actually “Iron Man” by Blue Cheer, which was released in 1968.
The First Heavy Metal Song
The first heavy metal song is generally considered to be “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix, which was released in 1967. However, there are earlier songs that could be considered proto-metal or proto-heavy metal, such as Link Wray’s “Rumble” (1958) and The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” (1964).
The First Heavy Metal Concert
The first ever heavy metal concert took place on August 16th, 1940 in London. The concert was headlined by a then unknown band called Black Sabbath. This was the first time that music this heavy had ever been played live, and it started a whole new genre of music.
