Glam rock is usually seen as an irrelevant rock subgenre. It is often forgotten among the abundance of genres that originated in the 1970s, and is often completely overlooked as a major genre in America. Critics criticized the new genre, calling it plastic and hype-driven. One argument held that glam rock was typically seen as insignificant because it did not have a long life, nor did it capture the world's attention. Glam rock was popular in the UK, but even there it was short-lived and was only popular among teenagers who had missed the pop culture and hippie ideology of the late 1960s. Glam rock, then, may seem like a genre worth forgetting, except that glam rock laid the foundations of the modern popular music industry. Between 1970 and 1977, glam rock commercially reshaped the traditional approach to popular music following the hippie movement of the late 1960s. He did this by focusing on the stimulation of stage performances, theatricality, fashion, revolutionary management techniques and supporting fringe social issues such as: alienation, introspective reflection and sexual exploration: artists such as David Bowie and Marc Bolan were the leading figures of glam rock who opened the path to the future of the commercial music industry. Before examining the impact of glam rock, one must look at the historical beginnings of rock and roll as a whole and how glam rock arrived in popular culture. Music in America after the Civil War consisted of a few genres: orchestral, hymns, gospel, and ethnic folk were the most common. By 1900, country music had achieved national status. In 1912 blues music gained national attention when W. C. Handy released the song "Memphis Blues," which sparked a new approach to music. Out-shoo... center of paper....... "David Bowie." 20/20 Recorded March 19, 2010. American Broadcasting Company. Web, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoaQVd1fP10.-Howard, January “Sharing the Needle in the Haight: Some Social and Psychological Functions.” American Sociological Association. NO. 3 (1970): 221. Excerpt from J-stor. (accessed April 8, 2014).-Pearl. "Glam Rock Documentary 70's" Recorded October 4, 2008. Pearl. Web, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_upoa-FLUM&list=PL725C87C255B94B8D.-Quatro, Suzie. "The last word." Marc Bolan - The Final Word Recorded 15 February 2013. British Broadcasting Company. Web, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgCNm6eNLAw-Thomas, Michael. "T. Rex Will Fuck You in the Mick Jagger Gap." Rolling Stone March 16, 1972: 32.-Russell, Ethan. Let it Bleed: The Rolling Stones, Altamont, and the Late Sixties. New York City: Grand Central Publishing, 2009.