The Fifties and the Advent of Rock

The music of the early 1950s was an aggregate of easy listening groups, a touch of 40s swing, a jazz form called bebop and just the slightest hint of R&B, often sung by the newly freed canaries of the big band era. By the mid 50s a new music form would catch on. The music was mostly an American monopoly. It was a mix of black soul and gospel music from the south, R&B from the urban areas and country rockabilly being performed by mostly white singers who produced cover recordings of songs released by black artists. The godfather of this movement was DJ Alan Fried, who preferred playing the original cuts and called the whole movement Rock 'n Roll. The first superstar of the new genre was Elvis Presley.
Eddie Fisher
Elvis Presley
The Everly Brothers
Frank Sinatra
Johnny Cash
Johnny Mathis
Nat King Cole
Patti Page
Perry Como
Ray Charles
Sammy Davis Jr.

Country
Jazz/Blues
R and B
Rap/Hip Hop
Vintage Rock 'n Roll

Music by the Decade:

Sounds of the Fifties

Sounds of the Sixties

Sounds of the Seventies

Sounds of the Eighties

Sounds of the Nineties