During the mid-20th century, there was increasingly widespread popularity of various forms of African American music, resulting in previously unrecognized African American artists and musicians being brought into mainstream media. Many groups and individual musicians became commercial successes in the genres of jazz, rhythm and blues, and within the newly developing genre of rock and roll. There was also increased popularity of hard blues in the 1950s, as well as doo-wop, a style involving different vocal parts, simple lyrics and little to no instrumentation. In 1959, the creation of Motown Records allowed many African American artists to achieve mainstream success through a new style of soul music infused with pop elements, cementing the importance and influence of African Americans in the development of music style and history.