Showroom Pop
tagStarted 1955Peak 1965–1980Last big hit 1984
Located in 1 route
Showroom pop is larger, shinier, and more overtly entertainment-driven than intimate cabaret, pairing theatrical vocals with Vegas-sized arrangements, dramatic modulations, and broad audience address. It is built for a room where the drinks are expensive, the lapels are wider than common sense, and subtlety knows exactly when to duck backstage.
History
The rise of Las Vegas and other supper-club circuits produced a pop style rooted in standards, Broadway material, and mainstream ballad repertoire but scaled for large domestic-nightlife venues; artists such as Wayne Newton, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, Neil Diamond, and Liza Minnelli occupied this glamorous crossover zone.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Danke Schoen — Wayne NewtonSpotifyYouTube
- It's Not Unusual — Tom JonesSpotifyYouTube
- Release Me — Engelbert HumperdinckSpotifyYouTube
- New York, New York — Liza MinnelliSpotifyYouTube
- Sweet Caroline — Neil DiamondSpotifyYouTube
- This Could Be the Start of Something Big — Steve Lawrence & Eydie GorméSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Cabaret"
- 54 Below, "About the Club"
- Library of Congress, "Musicals of Stage and Screen." citeturn6search0turn6search6turn6search5