Classic Pop Era
tagStarted 1955Peak 1958-1965Last big hit 1966
The pre-Beatles golden age of orchestrated, singles-driven pop: lush string arrangements, vocal-group harmonies, Brill Building craft and teen-idol crooning. Clean diction, reverbed lead vocals, walking bass, hand-clap backbeats and tightly structured two-and-a-half-minute songs built for AM radio and jukeboxes.
History
As rock and roll softened into mainstream pop in the late 1950s, New York's Brill Building and Aldon Music turned out professional hit songwriting, while teen idols and girl groups dominated Top 40. Producers like Phil Spector layered the 'Wall of Sound.' The era's polish defined American pop until the British Invasion reset the charts in 1964-65.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Brill Building
- AllMusic: Traditional Pop / Pre-rock genre overview
- Billboard chart histories 1955-1965