Guitar straps were largely unheard of until the mid-1930s, when most guitarists still sat on stage with their instruments. It was folk artists in this era such the Carter Family and Lead Belly that chose to stand in front of their audiences, using rudimentary wound cords to affix the guitar to their bodies.
The explosion of rock & roll in the 1950s meant guitarists were playing heavy, solid body guitars and strutting their stuff with stylish new dance moves, prompting manufacturers to introduce leather guitar straps with padding around the shoulders. Beatles Mania in the 1960s brought the 'jacquard' fabric weave to prominence, and the 1980s saw the introduction strap-locks designed to aid acrobatic shredding.