T. Rex

glam rock

T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in London in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band began as a psychedelic folk-rock combo called Tyrannosaurus Rex, a name that was later shortened to T. Rex. In the 1970s, the band had success with glam rock hits like Jeepster, Get It On, Ride a White Swan, 20th Century Boy, Children of the Revolution, Hot Love, Telegram Sam, and Metal Guru. After their success in the early and mid-1970s, the band broke up after Bolan was killed in a 1977 car accident. T.Rex was a primary force in glam rock, thanks to the creative direction of guitarist/vocalist Marc Bolan (born Mark Feld). Bolan created a deliberately trashy form of rock and roll that was proud of its own disposability, which stood in contrast to the low-key whimsical poetry of the earlier duo. T.Rex's music borrowed the underlying sexuality of early rock & roll, adding dirty, simple grooves and fat distorted guitars, as well as an overarching folky/hippie spirituality that always came through the clearest on ballads. While most of his peers concentrated on making cohesive albums, Bolan kept the idea of a three-minute pop single alive in the early 1970s. In Britain, he became a superstar, sparking a period of T.Rextacy among the pop audience with a series of Top Ten hits, including four number one singles. Over in America, the group only had one major hit -- the Top Ten Bang a Gong (Get It On) -- before disappearing from the charts in 1973. T.Rex's popularity i...