The nueva ola (Spanish for new wave) was a loosely affiliated group of musicians, mainly in Spanish-speaking South America, who played and introduced rock 'n roll and other American and European music of the 1950s and 1960s to their countries. Nueva ola bands usually had their names in English and rather than producing their own material they recorded versions of songs that were already popular in the United States or Europe. More than an artistic movement the nueva ola was an economic and social phenomenon that marked the beginning of youth culture and pop music in South America.