Classic Vocal Pop
tagStarted c. 1940Peak 1947–1960Last big hit c. 1965
Located in 1 route
Classic Vocal Pop is the broad post-swing vocal mainstream: warm orchestras, modest rhythm sections, clear melodies, and singers placed front and center in the mix. Compared with jazz singing it is more direct and less improvisatory; compared with rock-era pop it is more orchestrated, formal, and lyric-centered.
History
The style blossomed as big-band culture contracted and the star vocalist became the main commercial unit, aided by microphones, film, and television; Capitol, Columbia, Decca, and Mercury all helped build a market where Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Doris Day, Jo Stafford, and Patti Page could turn both standards and newer songs into refined, pre-rock popular music that remained powerful on radio well into the early 1960s.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Great American Songbook Foundation, “What is the Songbook?”
- Wikipedia, “Traditional pop”
- Library of Congress, “Songs of America.”