Zam-rock emerged in the 1970's as a combination of Jimi Hendrix's

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

 psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...

 and James Brown's

James Brown

James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

 funk

Funk

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

. Rikki Ililonga & Musi-O-Tunya are generally credited as the creators of this music genre. Other notable artists include The Witch, The Peace, Amanaz, Chrissy "Zebby" Tembo, Paul Ngozi and his Ngozi Family

Paul Ngozi

Paul Ngozi, born Paul Dobson Nyirongo was a popular Zambian musician He rose to take his place at the top of Zambian Music in the 1970s and 1980s...

 among others.

Zam-rock's roots can be traced back to the 1950s with northern singers from the Copperbelt Province

Copperbelt Province

Copperbelt Province in Zambia covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immediate post-independence period, but its economic importance was severely...

 such as Stephen Tsotsi Kasumali, William Mapulanga and John Lushi.