Pinoy Classic Rock


TRACING THE ROOTS OF PINOY ROCK MUSIC - Part II

This is the continuation of my synopsis or personal analysis pertaining to the development of the Pinoy Rock music scene phenomenon. Sorry it took so long to put it together.

Anyway, enjoy and reminiscene.... and let the Good Times Roll! :-)

Peace & Love,
Ben Yanto
PCR Project Moderator


1963-1965 begun the new epoch in Pinoy rock music, the ever-popularization of the Beatles as well as the British Invasion had catapulted to the expansion of more Pinoy rock bands in the Philippine pop music scene.

Then came 1967, the Beatles' released the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band" LP album and it became a smash hits internationally. The pop (rock) music had lifted to a new level, came the "psychedelia era"... long hair, hippies, peace & love theme came to the fore (remember such bands as Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin & Holding Company, Doors, etc.). Many more Pinoy bands had also formed and added more repertoire to their music line ups.

Later on, more US pop bands had emerged such as Chicago, Santana, Blood, Sweat & Tears (BST), Tower Of Power, Sly & the Family Stones, Three Dog Night and the popularization of Motown music by the Temptations, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and lots more. With horn & brass section added to the band music instrumentation (such as alto/tenor saxophone, flute, trumpet, trombone), many Pinoy bands has also adapted to such pop music explosion such bands as the Imperials, the Howlers, Drop Outs, Clubmen, the Originals, the HouseRockers and many others.

Late 60s & early 70s also saw the growing nationalism in the Philippines due to the social & political upheaval that was taking place at that time in the Philippine society as well as the anti-war sentiments. Some Pinoy bands & artists had somehow gravitated to that societal pride & identity scenes. This is the time when Pinoy bands & blooming music artists started consciously composing/recording many Pinoy pop rock music to its native tongue (that is, in Tagalog as being the Philippine national language) aside from the English tunes they had been accustomed with beforehand. Such period, saw the emergence of such bands (in which many Pinoy band players-personalities fully developed their skills & musicianship during the 60s) as the Juan de la Cruz band, Anakbayan, Banyuhay, APO and many pop bands as well as the emergence of folk-rock singers/groupings such as Freddie Aguilar, Florante, Asin and so on. Moreover, this is also the period when the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) came to be and was popularized.

Throughout the 70s, many Pinoy rock bands with its proudly-produced music got fully established and finally set in to the Philippine pop music scene. Lots of OPM were recorded and the pride of being Pilipino became the theme of such decade. In fact, this is the period when many of the Pinoy bands' recordings were imported abroad, particular in US where many Pinoys immigrants carry along with them those LP albums and also, many Filipino stores in the heavily populated Filipino communities in US had begun selling those LP or cassette records of the pop rock music of the Pinoy bands from the Philippines.

The rest is history, the PINOY ROCK pop music has finally got its recognition and became part of the Philippines music scene from there on after. MABUHAY ANG PINOY ROCK! :-)


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