Music Padlet by

The Cold War 1947 - 1991

saffordb — 2013-09-11 12:51:22 UTC

The Cold War, often dated from 1947 to 1991, was a sustained state of political and military tension between powers in the Western Bloc, dominated by the United States with NATO among its allies, and powers in the Eastern Bloc, dominated by the Soviet Union along with the Warsaw Pact. This began after the success of their temporary wartime alliance against Nazi Germany, leaving the USSR and the US as two superpowers with profound economic and political differences. A neutral faction arose with the Non Aligned-Movement founded by Egypt, India, and Yugoslavia; this faction rejected association with either the US-led West or the Soviet-led East.

The Korean War 1950 - 1953

saffordb — 2013-09-11 13:00:27 UTC

The Korean War was a war between the Republic of Korea (South Korea), supported by the United Nations, and the Democratic People's Republic of China (North Korea), at one time supported by the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union. It was primarily the result of the political division of Korea by an agreement of the victorious Allies at the conclusion of the Pacific War at the end of World War II.

Color T.V. Introduced 1951

saffordb — 2013-09-16 01:04:23 UTC

This first color program was a variety show simply called, "Premiere." The show featured such celebrities as Ed Sullivan, Garry Moore, Faye Emerson, Arthur Godfrey, Sam Levenson, Robert Alda, and Isabel Bigley -- many of whom hosted their own shows in the 1950s.

Ed Sullivan

saffordb — 2013-09-17 12:19:41 UTC

Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan (September 28, 1901 - October 13, 1974) was a US entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the television variety program The Toast of the Town, now usually remembered under its second name, The Ed Sullivan Show. Broadcast for 23 years from 1948 to 1971, it set a record for long-running variety show in US broadcast history.

TV Dinner

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:18:20 UTC

A TV dinner (also called a ready-made meal,^[1] ready meal, frozen dinner, frozen meal, microwave meal) is a prepackaged frozen or chilled meal that usually comes as an individual portion. It requires very little preparation and contains all the elements for a single-serving meal. A TV dinner usually consists of a cut of meat, usually beef or chicken, with a vegetable, such as peas, corn or a potato, and sometimes a dessert, such as a brownie or apple cobbler. The entrée could also be pasta or a common type of fish, such as Atlantic cod. Rice is a common side item.

Velcro

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:24:48 UTC

Velcro is a company that produces the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener,^[1] invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral. De Mestral patented Velcro in 1955, subsequently refining and developing its practical manufacture until its commercial introduction in the late 1950s.

TV Remote Control

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:31:00 UTC

A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, DVD player and home theater systems originally used for operating the device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance. Remote control has continually evolved and advanced over recent years to include Bluetooth connectivity, motion sensor-enabled capabilities and voice control.

Walt Disney

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:33:42 UTC

The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is an American diversified multinational mass media corporation headquartered in Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California. It is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue.^[3] Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, and established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, it expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theater, radio, music, publishing, and online media. In addition, Disney has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.

Mcdonalds

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:37:26 UTC

The McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries.^[4]^[5] Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948 they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using production line principles. Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.^[6]

Drive In Theater

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:41:51 UTC

A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.

Seatbelts

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:44:35 UTC

A seat belt, also known as a safety belt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt functions to reduce the likelihood of death or serious injury in a traffic collision by reducing the force of secondary impacts with interior strike hazards, by keeping occupants positioned correctly for maximum effectiveness of the airbag (if equipped) and by preventing occupants being ejected from the vehicle in a crash or if the vehicle rolls over.

LP Record

saffordb — 2013-09-18 12:47:56 UTC

The LP (Long Play), or 33⅓ rpm microgroove vinyl record, is a format for phonograph (gramophone) records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry. Apart from relatively minor refinements and the important later addition of stereophonic sound capability, it has remained the standard format for vinyl "albums".

DNA Discovered

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:15:02 UTC

Most everybody knows that DNA contains the blueprint for life. The names of Watson and Crick, the first scientists to figure out the structure of DNA in the 1950s, are also widely recognized.

Polio

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:19:52 UTC

The history of poliomyelitis (polio) infections extends into prehistory. Although major polio epidemics were unknown before the 20th century,^[1] the disease has caused paralysis and death for much of human history. Over millennia, polio survived quietly as an endemic pathogen until the 1880s when major epidemics began to occur in Europe;^[1] soon after, widespread epidemics appeared in the United States. By 1910, frequent epidemics became regular events throughout the developed world, primarily in cities during the summer months. At its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio would paralyze or kill over half a million people worldwide every year.^[2]

Teen Revolution

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:23:16 UTC

The word Teenager was created in the 1950’s due to the tremendous population of those in this age category and because teenagers started gaining more independence and freedoms. Teenagers were able to buy more things like food, clothes and music because of an increase in spending money.

American Bandstand

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:26:46 UTC

American Bandstand was an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer. The show featured teenagers dancing to Top 40 music introduced by Clark; at least one popular musical act—over the decades, running the gamut from Jerry Lee Lewis to Run DMC—would usually appear in person to lip-sync one of their latest singles. Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon holds the record for most appearances at 110.

Dance of the 50's

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:30:32 UTC

The Bop. When you dance the bop, you usually dance separately from your partner. It's a lot like jive or swing, but there's a lot of toe tapping involved, and you don't hold hands. Usually you alternately tape the heel and toe of either foot as you dance. The Bop is still popular in many dance clubs and events, and is especially popular in many areas of England.

The Stroll. The Stroll was often done only by girls, but that isn't a "rule" in this classic 50s dance. The Stroll is basically two lines of dancers with a large space in the middle. Lead dancers are on one side, their partners on the other. Dancers do a step pattern to advance the line, and leaders do a solo routine though the line, joining it at the end. The dance continues this way through the music. The Stroll was one of the most popular dances of the 50s, and many nostalgic 50s movies feature a scene featuring The Stroll.

Swing. Swing was popular during the 50s, it was a holdover from the 40s jitterbug and swing. Swing is one of the few dances of the fifties that is still practiced today, and still inspires many young people to learn how to dance.

The Hand Jive. "Oh Can You Hand Jive?" If you danced during the 50s, chances are you still remember the Hand Jive; in fact, you probably can't get it out of your head all these years later. This is one dance you can even do sitting down, as that famous dance scene in the film "Grease" shows! Basically, the dance is a series of hand and arm movements done in a pattern. The song "Willy and the Hand Jive" came out in 1958 and stayed at the top of the charts for 16 weeks, so if you were anybody in 1958, then baby, you can hand jive.

The Madison. The Madison first started in the late 1950s and gained popularity in the 1960s. This dance was a little more complicated, and it was done in a group, rather than by a couple. There were several dance sequences with specific steps, and some of the sequences referred to some very popular television shows of the time, like Jackie Gleason.

The Cha Cha. Although the Cha Cha first appeared in 1949 or so, it really hit its stride in the 1950s, when it became quite a popular nightclub dance. The Cha Cha is a blend of two Latin American dances, the Puerto Rican Danzonette and the Cuban Danzon, and evolved into many different forms of Cha Cha here in the U.S.

Rock and Roll. Of course, by the end of the 50s, rock and roll was making news all over America, and dance was changing. Partners no longer danced together, but gyrated to the powerful beat on their own. Swing and The Bop gave way to 60s dance crazes like the Twist, the Mashed Potato, and the Hully Gully, but that's another story!

Vietnam War

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:33:53 UTC

The Vietnam War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Việt Nam, in Vietnam known as the American War, Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Mỹ), also known as the Second Indochina War,^[29] was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955^{[A 1]} to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975.

Segregation

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:37:27 UTC

Racial segregation in the United States can be divided into de jure and de facto segregation. De jure segregation, sanctioned or enforced by force of law, was stopped by federal enforcement of a series of Supreme Court decisions after Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The process of throwing off legal segregation in the United States lasted through much of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when civil rights demonstrations resulted in public opinion turning against enforced segregation. De facto segregation — segregation "in fact" — persists to varying degrees without sanction of law to the present day. The contemporary racial segregation seen in the United States in residential neighborhoods has been shaped by public policies, mortgage discrimination and redlining among other things.

Harry Truman

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:38:55 UTC

The 33rd president and was in office from 1945-1953. During
World War I, Truman served as an artillery officer, making him the only
president to have seen in combat in World War I.

Dwight D Eisenhower

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:42:05 UTC

Born October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969. He was a five-star
general in the United States Army and the 34th President of the United States,
1953 until 1961.

Alaska statehood

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:45:18 UTC

The Alaska Statehood Act was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 7, 1958, allowing Alaska to become the 49th U.S. state on January 3, 1959.

Hawaii Statehood

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:46:02 UTC

Located in the historical records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate at the Center for Legislative Archives are many documents that illustrate the important role of Congress in the statehood process. Here is a small sampling of the many congressional records that highlight Hawaii's long path to statehood. On August 21, 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Juvenile Delinquency 1950's

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:48:58 UTC

Juvenile Delinquency in 1950's America Mass Media Building a Wall Between Child and Parent Elvis Presley Was seen by parents as a leading icon in the lives of their children, encouraging aggressive and corrupt behavior. The media was helping the misunderstood teenager find their identity in society by supplying them with people and ideas as icons to help that development of self.

The Birth Of Rock And Roll

saffordb — 2013-09-19 12:56:48 UTC

When was rock and roll born? Some scholars of popular music would say in 1935, the year Elvis Aron Presley entered the world, or earlier in the 1930s, when hillbilly fiddle tunes met African American country blues in the music popular entertainers such as Jimmie Rodgers. Some would say 1928, when Henry Thomas recorded “Bull Doze Blues,” which Canned Heat would record forty years later as “Goin’ Up the Country.” Still others would push the date up to 1952, when Clyde McPhatter recorded the first of several jumped-up versions of Stick McGhee’s “Wine Spo-De-O-Dee.”

3D Films

saffordb — 2013-09-20 12:23:20 UTC

3D films have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a 3D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business. Nonetheless, 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s driven by IMAX high-end theaters and Disney themed-venues. 3D films became more and more successful throughout the 2000s, culminating in the unprecedented success of 3D presentations of Avatar in December 2009 and January 2010.

James Stewart

saffordb — 2013-09-23 12:24:39 UTC

His acting career took off properly after the war and during the course of his long professional life he had roles in some of Hollywood's best remembered films, starring in a string of Westerns (bringing his "everyman" qualities to movies like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)), biopics (The Stratton Story (1949), The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), for instance) thrillers (most notably his frequent collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock) and even some screwball comedies .

Heart-Lung Machine First Used On Human 1953 - 1954

saffordb — 2013-09-23 12:31:38 UTC

The new device used a refined method of cascading the blood down a thin sheet of film for oxygenation, rather than the original whirling technique that could potentially damage blood corpuscles. Using the new method, twelve dogs were kept alive for more than an hour during heart operations. The next step involved using the machine on humans, and in 1953 Cecelia Bavolek became the first to successfully undergo open heart bypass surgery, with the machine totally supporting her heart and lung functions for more than half the duration.

Tranquilizers Invented

saffordb — 2013-09-23 12:36:52 UTC

In 1957 there were seventy-three brands of tranquilizers, marketed by thirty-six
drug companies, available to Americans by prescription. Most of them were
derivatives of the same small group of chemicals that slow down the action of
the central nervous system and thus reduce nervous tension and anxiety. In 1956
physicians and psychiatrists wrote thirty-five million prescriptions for
tranquilizers—a rate of one every second—and anxious patients paid $150 million
to get their pills, or about $4.30 per prescription. In the mid 1950s, when
tranquilizer prescriptions could be refilled indefinitely, these new drugs
gained a popularity that alarmed some doctors.

Synthetic Diamonds 1955

saffordb — 2013-09-23 12:46:26 UTC

Claims of the conversion of carbon to diamond date back to 1880, but it was not until 1955 that the first reproducible synthesis was reported. describe the high-pressure, high-temperature apparatus that enabled them to reach the stability field of diamond, and prove that the material obtained was indeed diamond.

Superglue

saffordb — 2013-09-23 12:53:11 UTC

Coover was attempting to make clear plastic gun sights to be put on guns used by Allied soldiers in WWII.Nine years later, in 1951, now working at Eastman Kodak, Dr. Coover was the supervisor of a project looking at developing a heat resistant acrylate polymer for jet canopies.Super Glue was finally put on the market in 1958 by Eastman Kodak and was called the slightly less catchy name of “Eastman #910″, though they later re-named it “Super Glue”.

Pacemaker Invented 1960

saffordb — 2013-09-23 12:59:51 UTC

Two Americans, Dr. William Chardack and engineer Wilson Greatbatch, are credited as having invented the first fully implantable pacemaker. The Chardack-Greatbach pacemaker was licensed and sold by Medtronic in 1960.

Hula Hoop

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:19:45 UTC

Knerr and Melin started the Wham-O company from their Los Angeles garage in 1948. The men were marketing a slingshot originally invented for training pet falcons and hawks {it slung meat at the birds). This slingshot was named "Wham-O" because of the sound it made when it hit the target. Wham-O also became the company's name.

Spencer Tracy

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:23:24 UTC

Appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Tracy ninth among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time.

Marlon Brando

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:25:58 UTC

Marlon Brando is widely considered the greatest movie actor of all time, rivaled only by the more theatrically oriented Laurence Olivier in terms of esteem. Unlike Olivier, who preferred the stage to the screen, Brando concentrated his talents on movies after bidding the Broadway stage adieu in 1949...

Laurence Olivier

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:29:28 UTC

He could speak William Shakespeare's lines as naturally as if he were "actually thinking them", said English playwright Charles Bennett, who met Laurence Olivier in 1927.

Paul Newman

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:32:46 UTC

Screen legend, superstar, and the man with the most famous blue eyes in movie history, Paul Newman was born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of a successful sporting goods store owner. He acted in grade school and high school plays and after being discharged from the navy in 1946 enrolled at Kenyon College. After graduation he spent a year at the Yale Drama School and then headed to New York, where he attended the famed New York Actors Studio. Classically handsome and with a super abundance of sex appeal, television parts came easily and, after his first Broadway appearance in "Picnic" (1953), he was offered a movie contract by Warner Brothers. His first film, The Silver Chalice (1954) was nearly his last. He considered his performance in this costume epic to be so bad that he took out a full-page ad in a trade paper apologizing for it to anyone who might have seen it. He fared much better in his next effort, Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), in which he portrayed boxer Rocky Graziano and drew raves from the critics for his brilliant performance

Looney Tunes

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:37:44 UTC

Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. series of animated short films. It was produced from 1930 to 1969 during the golden age of American animation.

Perry Mason

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:39:50 UTC

There are few actors so closely tied to a persona than Raymond Burr as Perry Mason. This long-running series was built upon Erle Stanley Gardner´s many novels about a brilliant defense lawyer and his staff, that solved many a crime with surprise witnesses and stern cross-examinations.

I Love Lucy

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:41:31 UTC

Cuban-born bandleader, Ricky Ricardo, and his wife, Lucy, live in a Brownstone apartment building on East 68th Street in New York City. The beautiful but daffy Lucy has the nasty habit of getting into jams, scrapes, and predicaments of all kinds.

Tom And Jerry

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:43:03 UTC

Tom and Jerry was originally the very first, and earliest of the Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. It went through many phases and took place from anywhere from inside a house, to anywhere in outer space.

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:44:17 UTC

George Burns and Gracie Allen were among the few successful radio personalities to make the transition to television in the early days of the medium. The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show exuded excellence, with a unique format, interesting plots, a great cast, and virtually non-stop comedy featuring the unparalleled zany wit of Gracie

The Ten Commandments

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:49:46 UTC

The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

The Greatest Show on Earth

saffordb — 2013-09-24 12:54:25 UTC

The dramatic lives of trapeze artists, a clown, and an elephant trainer against a background of circus spectacle.

Animal Farm

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:23:18 UTC

A successful farmyard revolution by the resident animals vs. the farmer goes horribly wrong when corrupt pigs hijack it for their personal gain.

Paths of Glory

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:26:54 UTC

When soldiers in World War I refuse to continue with an impossible attack, their superior officers decide to make an example of them.

Anatomy of a Murder

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:31:21 UTC

In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?

Carousel

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:35:58 UTC

Billy Bigelow has been dead for fifteen years, and now outside the pearly gates, he long waived his right to go back to Earth for a day...

Deep in My Heart

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:38:01 UTC

Biographic movie about the American composer Sigmund Romberg.

Daddy Long Legs

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:39:18 UTC

On a trip to France, millionaire Jervis Pendelton sees an 18 year old girl in an orphanage. Enchanted with her...

Brigadoon

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:40:59 UTC

Two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland become lost. They encounter a small village, not on the map, called Brigadoon, in which people harbor a mysterious secret, and behave as if they were still living two hundred years in the past.

Call Me Madam

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:42:58 UTC

Washington hostess Sally Adams becomes a Truman-era US ambassador to a European grand duchy.

Grace Kelly

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:48:35 UTC

“ Grace Kelly was the Best Actress of the 1950's. Her graceful, beauty, post WWII, added glamour to Hollywood. Her most famous movies were with Sir Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window", (1954), with James Stewart, who thinks his neighbor, (Raymond Burr), is a killer; "Dial M for Murder", (1954), with Ray Milland;and "To Catch a Thief", (1955), with Cary Grant; also "High Noon", (1952), with Gary Cooper.

Jayne Mansfield

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:50:07 UTC

She made her name for herself as "Jayne Mansfield", and starred in: "Lux Video Theatre", (TV), "An Angel Went AWOL", (1954), Ep.; "Female Jungle", (1955); Pete Kelly's Blues, (1955); "Illegal", (1955); "Hell on Frisco Bay", (1955); "Sunday Spectacular: The Batchelor", (TV Movie); (1956); "The Girl Can't Help It", (1956); "Shower of Star", (TV), "Star Time", Ep.; "The Wayward Bus", (1957); "The Burglar", (1957); "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?", (1957); "Kiss Them for Me", (1957); "The Sheriff with the Fractured Jaw", (1958); and "After Hours", Ep. 2.13 (TV series), (1959)....

Marilyn Monroe

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:52:09 UTC

Probably the most celebrated of all actresses, Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles General Hospital. Prior to her birth, Marilyn's father bought a motorcycle and headed north to San Francisco, abandoning the family in Los Angeles. Marilyn grew up not knowing for sure who her father really was...

Kim Novak

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:53:48 UTC

Kim Novak was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 13, 1933 with the birth name of Marilyn Pauline Novak. She was the daughter of a former teacher turned transit clerk and his wife, also a former teacher. Throughout elementary and high school, Kim did not get along well with teachers. She even admitted that she didn't like being told what to do and when to do it...

Dorothy Dandridge

saffordb — 2013-09-25 12:54:47 UTC

Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 9, 1922. Under the prodding of her mother, Dorothy and her sister, Vivian Dandridge, began performing publicly, usually in black Baptist churches throughout the country. Her mother, Ruby Dandridge, an entertainer herself, would often join her daughters on stage...

Bill Haley

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:15:54 UTC

Bill Haley — was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets (inspired by Halley's Comet) and million selling hits such as, Rock Around the Clock, See You Later, Alligator, Shake, Rattle and Roll, Skinny Minnie, and Razzle Dazzle. He has sold over 25 million records worldwide.

Chuck Berry

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:21:20 UTC

American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Chuck Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music.^[1]

Elvis Presley

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:22:38 UTC

American singer, musician and actor. One of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".

Perry Como

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:23:59 UTC

American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records for Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show, which set the standards for the genre and proved to be one of the most successful in television history. Como has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.

Frank Sinatra

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:33:31 UTC

American singer and film actor. Beginning his musical career in the swing era as the boy singer with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra found unprecedented success as a solo artist from the early to mid-1940s after being signed by Columbia Records in 1943.

Ella Fitzgerald

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:35:58 UTC

known as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella", was an American jazz vocalist^[1] with a vocal range spanning three octaves (D♭3 to D♭6).^[2] She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.

Peggy Lee

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:38:32 UTC

American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress, in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and performer. She wrote music for films, acted, and created conceptual record albums—encompassing poetry, jazz, chamber pop, and art songs.

Doris Day

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:41:47 UTC

American film and television actress, singer, and animal rights activist. Day began her career as a big band singer in 1939. Her popularity began to rise after her first hit recording, "Sentimental Journey", in 1945. After leaving Les Brown & His Band of Renown to try a solo career, she started her long-lasting partnership with Columbia Records, which would remain her only recording label. The contract lasted from 1947 to 1967, and included more than 650 recordings, making Day one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. In 1948, after being persuaded by Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne and her agent at the time, Al Levy, she auditioned for Michael Curtiz, which led to her being cast in the female lead role in Romance on the High Seas.

Nat Cole

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:44:30 UTC

known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer and musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. He was widely noted for his soft, baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres.

Cole was one of the first African Americans to host a television variety show, The Nat King Cole Show, and has maintained worldwide popularity since his death from lung cancer in February 1965.

Jerry Lee Lewis

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:47:00 UTC

An early pioneer of rock and roll music, in 1956 Lewis made his first recordings at Sun Records. "Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the South, but it was his 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" that shot Lewis to fame worldwide. Lewis followed this when he recorded songs such as "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless" and "High School Confidential". However, Lewis's rock and roll career faltered in the wake of his marriage to his young cousin.

Little Richard

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:54:55 UTC

His most celebrated work dates from the mid 1950s where his dynamic music and charismatic showmanship laid the foundation for rock and roll. His music also had a pivotal impact on the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk. Penniman influenced numerous singers and musicians across musical genres from rock to rap.

Ray Charles

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:56:29 UTC

American singer-songwriter, musician and composer known as Ray Charles. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records.He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company.Frank Sinatra called Charles “the only true genius in show business,” although Charles downplayed this notion.

Eddie Cochran

saffordb — 2013-09-26 12:59:34 UTC

American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a lasting influence on rock music. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the late 1950s and early 1960s.^[1] He experimented with multitrack recording and overdubbing even on his earliest singles, and was also able to play piano, bass and drums. His image as a sharply dressed, rugged but good-looking young man with a rebellious attitude epitomized the stance of the 50s rocker, and in death he achieved an iconic status.