Abstract:
This thesis attempts to define rock music's standards of authenticity and explore their
origins. Included are comparison of rock's standards of authenticity to those of other
genres and an exploration of how authenticity has been perceived throughout the history
of rock music. This study argues that rock's standards of authenticity are unusual
among pop music genres in that they entail artists both writing their own songs and
playing their own instruments. This is in contrast to genres like hip hop, contemporary
pop, and R&B, which have their own quite different standards of authenticity. Quotes
from rock fans, critics, and musicians are used to provide insight into rock's standards
of authenticity and how they developed over time.
Description:
48 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Journalism and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2016.