Popular Music in the 1950s



Posted: Monday, August 18, 2008

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The 1950s are remembered for timelessly popular singers like Perry Como and Elvis Presley. It was the first decade for rock 'n roll music, and rhythm & blues records also sold well. Let's take a look back at some of the most popular music formats, songs, and performers in the 1950s...

Some of the top songs during the '50s were "Hound Dog" (Elvis Presley), "Memories are Made of This" (Dean Martin), "Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry), "Who's Sorry Now?" (Connie Francis), "Unforgettable" (Nat King Cole), "Wish You Were Here" (Eddie Fisher), and "Love Letters in the Sand" (Pat Boone).

Popular Christmas music in the 1950s included "Winter Wonderland" (Perry Como), "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Brenda Lee), and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (Jimmy Boyd). These songs have often been featured on more recent compact discs and cassette tapes of assorted Christmas songs.

TV programs featuring music performances were popular in the 1950s, including "American Bandstand" and "The Ed Sullivan Show", which Elvis initially appeared on in 1956. Musical movies were more common during this decade as well; among them were such films as "Singin' in the Rain" and "Gigi".

Among the popular rhythm & blues songs of this decade were "Say Man" (Bo Diddley) in 1959 and "In The Still of the Night" (Five Satins) in 1956. Well-known 1950s country songs included "I Walk The Line" (Johnny Cash) and "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (Kitty Wells).

For tips on how to handle, clean, and play your 1950s vinyl records, have a look at "How to Care for Vinyl Records". You can also hear popular music of the 1950s on some "oldies" radio stations, certain music streaming web sites, and '50s oriented channels on satellite radio services.
 
Sources:
1. Kingwood College Library, http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/music-3.html
2. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_in_music, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_in_music, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952_in_music
Craig Smith is a freelance writer who creates website content on a wide variety of subjects.

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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Susan Thom
 3 years 171 days ago.
175 fans.
hi craig,
 
i am 52, so i was born in '56, but i remember all the songs you mentioned.
 
thanks for the trip down memory lane.
 
thanks for sharing and i hope you continue writing,
 
best regards,
 
sue thom
» left by Craig Smith 3 years 171 days ago.
3 fans.
Glad you liked it
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