Music and Musicians in the 50s

The 1950s, it seems like such a long time to the 80s and the 90s child but not so to old timers. One of the most memorable things about the 50s was the Beat Culture. In the 50s, hot-rodders and Beats provided inspiration, even in music. The 1950s music scene reverberated to the beat with names like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, and Patti Page among other legends. This was the time of the Franks, with such names as Frank Sinatra, Frankie Laine and Frank Loesser coming clearly to mind.

1950s music is well remembered for a good number of hit songs with such titles as ‘Sh-Boom’, ‘Earth Angel’, ‘Cry Me A River’, ‘Mr. Lee’ and ‘Rainbow’ coming in mind. Dancehall songs by Fats Domino, The Diamonds and Ray Charles are also well remembered. Stepping back in time, we meet the famous entertainer Frank Sinatra. Becoming a successful solo artist in the early to mid 1940s, Frank Sinatra would later come to change the whole 1950s music scene by winning the 1954 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and signing with Capitol Records to produce smashing hits one after another. He stirred in such musicals as ‘High Society’, ‘Pal Joey’, ‘On The Town’ and ‘Guys and Dolls’. Sinatra’s comeback in the 50s would see him become an Oscar-winning actor and one of the top recording artists in the world producing some of the finest musicals of his time.

The 1950s music scene is also incomplete without a mention of Frankie Laine. His hit singles “Jezebel”, “Rose, Rose, I Love You”, “Granada”, “Hey, Joe” and “moonlight Gambler” were all top ten hits in the early 50s. Laine would later come to sing the theme songs for many Hollywood and television westerns opening credits. In fact, his popularity in the United Kingdom surpassed that in the States with minor hits in the States like “Answer Me, O Lord”, “The Gandy Dancer’s Ball” and “The Rock of Gibraltar” becoming much bigger hits abroad. His 1957 ‘Greatest Hits’ album is a perennial best seller that does not seem to go out of print.

Pat Boone, Patti Page and Perry Como were other P artists that had humming tracks as well. Much of the music by the above artists can be attributed to the feel good feeling that the post war optimism had on America. Since the emerging teenagers had not struggled much through the war years, they wanted something exciting and the 1950s music seemed to provide that. Indeed, the vitality of the 1950s music lives on.

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