Traditional Pop Era
tagStarted 1940Peak 1945-1954Last big hit 1956
Located in 2 routes
Pre-rock adult pop of the big-band and crooner age: full orchestral and string arrangements, swing and ballad tempos, sophisticated standards from the Great American Songbook, and smooth, enunciated vocal phrasing. Elegant, romantic singles built around the singer's tone and interpretation rather than a backbeat.
History
From the early 1940s through the mid-1950s, traditional pop dominated American charts as solo vocalists stepped out front of the big bands. Tin Pan Alley and Broadway supplied the songbook; Sinatra, Crosby and Cole defined interpretive singing. Rock and roll displaced it commercially after 1955, though the standards canon endured for generations.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Traditional pop
- AllMusic genre essay: Traditional Pop / Vocal
- Billboard pre-rock chart histories