The history of rock can be marked by the mega stars that have appeared at different moments to command the genre and unite the listening public. Some of these artists have even become social phenomena, commanding the attention of a large segment of the world’s population and having a significant impact on popular culture.

In the fifties, there were the originals: Little Richard, Bo Diddely, Chuck Berry and other African-American artists popularized what had been a kind of underground music born from the churches and roadhouses. They laid the groundwork for rock’s first mega-star, Elvis.

Elvis was able to bring rock music to a large white audience while still maintaining enough integrity to be popular with black audiences. But he became a real force with white teenagers, and all around the country they flocked to him in droves. He unified a diverse audience and commanded a following never before witnessed in popular culture. He was "bigger than Sinatra had been!" After that, all any artist could ever hope to achieve was being "bigger than Elvis." He was the king and he reigned until he went into the Army.

After Uncle Sam came calling for Elvis, Buddy Holly picked up the mantle. Then he met his untimely demise and rock plunged to the depths of the "teen idol" phase. None of the artists of this time, regardless of their merits, had the power to reign supreme. Sort of like now. Rock was dead.

Then, around 1962, the surf music craze began and the Beach Boys ascended the throne. Long live rock! At about the same time, the Motown label started achieving mainstream success. The most popular group to emerge from the Motown stable was the Supremes and they also enjoyed tremendous across the board appeal.

But in 1964, there was a band poised to take the whole celebrity/fan worship phenomenon to uncharted territory. The only manager ever to utter the phrase "They’ll be bigger than Elvis!" and be right, Brian Epstein, guided the Beatles to levels of fame and fortune previously regarded as unattainable. Their popularity cut across every level of society and we still feel the cultural impact of their music.

Since then, nobody has been bigger than the Beatles. But rock has consistently had its "A" acts; acts that crossed over the dividing lines of sub-genres to appeal to a wide cross section of the listening audience. And these acts, even if only for a short time, commanded the attention of the world and had an impact on popular culture.

From the African-American ranks came superstars and cultural icons such as Jimi Hendix, Marvin Gaye, Al Green , James Brown and one of the mega-stars of all time, Steve Wonder. In the eighties, it was Prince, and Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was inarguably one of the biggest mega-stars rock has produced.

From England, we have had the Stones, the Who, Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Peter Frampton, Elton John, the Police (and on his own, Sting).

Hailing from the southern US, we had the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And there was the California contingent beginning in the sixties with the Airplane, the Dead, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and continuing with the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac.

Now we find ourselves approaching the millenium. And there is a good reason why none of the bands I have mentioned as mega stars are from the recent past. ‘Cause there aren’t any! The biggest acts from the eighties, U2, R.E.M. Phil Collins, Prince, Springsteen and Michael Jackson have little or no relevance in the here and now. The nineties have produced only one band that could have ruled the rock empire, Nirvana. But they took a bullet in the head. Another group from the same Seattle milieu that produced Nirvana, Pearl Jam, looked like a solid contender. But their "jam" has turned to jelly. Two years ago, any one of a number of women rockers that emerged in the nineties such as, Sheryl Crow, Sarah MacLachlan, Joan Osborne and many others, seemed capable of becoming the "Queen of Rock" and stealing the thunder from the men. But it hasn’t panned out. When I scan the list of concerts coming up in the paper these days, it doesn’t seem like rock even has a single "A" act at all, anymore. Why?

There are a few different factors that are influencing the state of rock. One is that the audience is more fragmented. There are so many sub-genres now; Latin Rock, Country Rock, Blues Rock, Grunge Rock, Industrial Rock, Techno, Hip-Hop, Rap, et al. Each has its core of followers and neither the bands nor the fans seem interested in anything but their little niche. There is no "mainstream" in pop anymore, just scores of little tributaries.

The other problem is the way music is being presented to the public via different types of media. Before MTV, the radio was it for music. In the eighties, MTV broke many new acts on TV first, with heavy play on rock radio coming after heavy rotation on MTV. Now you have the Internet, as well. So many choices, so little time!

But let’s not be so negative, shall we? Because, ladies and gentlemen, I have a dream! My dream is that nature abhors a vacuum and the vacuum that is currently rock will spawn a new "mega-star" like no other. This person or group will find a sound that obliterates the boundaries between sub-genres. They will unite a fragmented and disparate audience into a single giddy mass of fan matter. They will obtain airplay on the radio, they will be all over TV and they will rule the WEB. And their appeal will cross all social lines. They will be "Bigger than the Beatles"!

So, who will be "the next big thing"?

Maybe it’s you!

Stay Tuned,

The Virtual Musician