Doo Wop

Significant from the mid-1950’s to the early 1960’s; however, the last mainstream Doo Wop hit was Billy Joel’s The Longest Time in 1984 which rose to number 14 on the Billboard Top 40. Doo Wop relied heavily on harmony and vocals in lieu of instruments which were too expensive at the time for street corner groups.

Artists:

The Coasters
The Diamonds
The Platters

Songs:

Earth Angel, The Penguins (1955)
There Goes My Baby, the Drifters (1959)
Blue Moon, The Marcels (1961)

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Teen Idols

The Teen Idol trend lasted from 1959 until 1964, with carefully groomed, good looking, but manufactured stars aimed at young teenagers, especially girls. Most Teen Idol music was slow, emphasizing love and high school dating.

Artists:

Paul Anka
Fabian
Connie Stevens

Songs:

Venus, Frankie Avalon (The “Beach Party” Movies) (1959)
Johnny Angel, Shelly Fabares (The Donna Reed Television Show) (1962)
Teen Age Idol, Rick Nelson (The Ozzie & Harriet Television Show) (1962)

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Instrumentals

Originally hitting the Billboard Charts from the previous generation of big bands such as Henry Mancini and Percy Faith, then morphing into guitar solos (Ghost Riders in the Sky), hits reflecting current events like the space race (Telstar), and popular movie themes (Hang ‘Em High). Instrumentals could be romantic (Theme from A Summer Place), risqué (The Stripper), and especially popular dances (The Hustle). Instrumentals were varied and continued with charting hits every year during the rock ‘n roll era. Also see “Surf Sound.”

Artists:

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Duane Eddy
Johnny and The Hurricanes
The Tornadoes

Songs:

Sleepwalk, Santo & Johnny (1959)
Apache, Jorgen Ingmann (1961)
Telstar, the Tornados (1962)
Green Onions, Booker T. & The MG’s (1962)
A Fifth of Beethoven, Walter Murphy (1976)

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British Invasion

The classic British Invasion period was from 1964 to 1967, led by the “Fab Four,” called Beatlemania, and followed by a wave of others. The British Invasion bands were heavily influenced by early American rock ‘n rollers, and emphasized writing their own music and playing their own instruments.

Artists:

The Beatles
Dave Clark Five
The Rolling Stones
The Hollies

Songs:

I Want to Hold Your Hand, The Beatles (1964)
For Your Love, The Yardbirds (1965)
I’m Telling You Now, Freddie & the Dreamers (1965)
Wild Thing, The Troggs (1966)

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Surf Sound

The Surf Sound, or beach music, focused on an idyllic Southern California 60’s lifestyle. There was surf instrumental and surf pop. The sound and lifestyle gave birth to a number of beach movies with Frankie and Deedee (Frankie Avalon and ex-Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello). Who can forget Candy Johnson’s dancing and Dick Dale (with his Del-Tones) music?

Artists:

Beach Boys
The Ventures (from Washington)
The Trashmen (from Minnesota)
The Rivieras (from Indiana)

Songs:

Wipeout, The Surfaris (1962)
Pipeline, The Chantays (1963)
Surf City, Jan and Dean (1963)

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Folk Rock

Artists began using folk vocals over rock music, to develop a sound that was readily accepted by maturing rock ‘n roll baby boomers in the mid to late 1960’s. The sound is still around.

Artists:

Bob Dylan
Cat Stevens
The Byrds
The Mamas and Papas

Songs:

You Were On My Mind, We Five (1965)
Summer In The City, The Lovin’ Spoonful (1966)
Happy Together, The Turtles (1967)

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Bubble Gum

Bubble Gum was popular from 1967 to 1972. It was often created by faceless session musicians, with catchy melodies, simple cords and sing-along choruses, marketed to early teens and frequently referenced sweets, sugar, honey, jelly and marmalade.

Artists:

The 1910 Fruitgum Company
The Partridge Family
The Lemon Pipers

Songs:

Yummy Yummy Yummy, Ohio Express (1968)
Indian Lake, The Cowsills (1968)
Sugar Sugar, The Archies (1969)

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Motown Sound

The Motown Sound heyday went from 1960 to 1972, but morphed over time and in a different form, exists today. Originally located in the motor town of Detroit, Motown played an important role in featuring black artists and providing a means of crossover success into mainstream American music. It was largely a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence.

Artists:

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Mary Wells; The Marvelettets
The Supremes; Marvin Gaye, and many more.

Songs:

Reach Out I’ll Be There, The Four Tops (1966)
I’m Gonna Make You Love Me, Dianna Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations (1969)

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Novelty Songs

What can you say about these cuties? They drive us crazy, make us laugh, and warm our hearts. Ray Stevens and Weird Al Yankovic, among others, have specialized in novelty songs.

Examples:

The Chipmunk Song, David Seville (1958)
Mr. Custer, Larry Verne (1960)
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, Allen Sherman (1963)
Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead, Fifty Estate (1967)
Tip Toe Thru’ The Tulips With Me, Tiny Tim (1968)
The Streak, Ray Stevens (1974)
Convoy, C.W. McCall (1976)
Junk Food Junkie, Larry Groce (1976)
Disco Duck, Rick Dees & hs Cast of Idiots (1976)

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Disco

Disco, a genre of dance-oriented music, was one of the largest phenomena in the history of music, occurring from the min-1970’s to around 1980. Movies like Saturday Night Fever contributed to disco’s rise in mainstream popularity. Thriving disco clubs popped up all over the United States and Europe. There were even disco dances, like The Hustle (Van McCoy).

Artists:

Bee Gees; The Hues Corporation
Donna Summer (Queen of Disco)

Songs:

That’s The Way I Like It, KC & the Sunshine Band (1975)
Dancing Queen, ABBA (1977)
We Are Family, Sister Sledge (1978)
Le Freak, Chic (1979)

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