Jazz, which is considered America's classical music, dates back to the early 20th century when African Americans brought it to the public. Jazz music is a combination of improvised solos, blues notes and a deep rhythmical structure, characterized by brass instruments (铜管乐器), guitars, drums, pianos and keyboards. Some of the most famous jazz musicians include Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday.

　　Historians trace Rock 'n' Roll to 1954. This type developed by combining rhythm, blues and country music. A couple of the original Rock 'n' Roll artists included Bill Haley and His Comets and Elvis Presley. People could dance to it, and the type became hugely popular with teenagers.

　　Rap music took the music scene by storm when it developed a new appearance in the 1980s. The origin dates back to Africa where tribes honored "men of words". When slaves were brought over in the 1700s and 1800s, the workers mixed American music with the words of their motherland. Another source of this type is Jamaican folk stories, where people would tell poems and stories in rhyme.

　　Traditional folk music is passed on from generation to generation. This style is associated with music of the working class. Folk singers aren't usually in search of profit and they don't have to be good singers to sing folk songs.

Western Swing was developed in Oklahoma and Texas in the 1930s. The style began to catch on with the public in the 1940s. The music is a combination of a big band, blues.