History of Rock and Roll, 1950s

Roger Christian

Was a DJ and lyricist that co-wrote several songs for the Beach Boys. Gave them songs that were mostly about cars. He also wrote songs for Jan and Dean.

Alan Freed

Was an American DJ whose career was destroyed by the payola scandal. Accepted bribes that totaled over 30,000$ and faced jail time. Eventually drank himself to death just over the age of 40.

Allen Gisnberg

Was an American poet who had profound impacts on Bob Dylan. His poetry which opposed racism, sexual oppression, and militarism, is reflected clearly in Dylan's songs.

Al Nevins

Was partners with Kirshner and started Aldon Music with him. He was a famous lyricist and noted Tin Pan Alley writer.

Roy Orbison

Wore all black clothes paired with jet black sunglasses. He was signed by Sam Phillips to Sun Records. He would often times stand still and not move during performances.

Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman

Worked at the Brill Building. Worked with Leiber and Stoller to create several chart topping hit songs. They also worked with Phil Spector.

Lulu

A Scottish singer-songwriter. Achieved international fame, even singing songs that appear in James Bond films.

Polys, Soup, and Ho-dads

"Polys"- a nickname for surfboards which had recently become more affordable because of the innovation of polyurethane boards which is where poly comes from. "Soup"- The frothy white edge of the waters. "Ho-Dads"- Hot Rods, or people that were into cars. Someone that hung out at the beach, but definitely was not a surfer. A poser, if you will.

Lesley Hornby (Twiggy)

A British cultural icon of the Swinging London. Nicknames for her thin build and androgynous look.

Peter and Gordon

A British pop duo. Part of the British invasion, their massive hit, "A World Without Love", granted them international fame.

Buffalo Springfield

A Canadian-American rock band. The band combined parts from various different genres including folk, rock, British invasion, and psychedelic rock. Neil Young was a famous member.

Beach Boys

A family group that was headed by Brian Wilson. The Beach Boys were the first group to encapsulate the California dream, and owe much of their success to the image that they created of California. Their album, "Pet Sounds", is regarded as one of the best of all time and allowed them to compete with the Beatles for a long time.

Eddie Cochran

A famous Rockabilly artist who epitomized the rocker image of the 1950s. Sharply dressed but carried a rebellious attitude. Was killed in a car crash.

Woody Guthrie

A huge influence on Bob Dylan. His guitar read, "This machine kills fascists" and popularized the folk genre as well as protest songs. He was so influential to Dylan, that his first album was largely Guthrie songs and Dylan even wrote tribute songs to Guthrie. He wrote hundreds of protest songs in his lifetime, and is also known for the "Dust Bowl Ballads".

The Wrecking Crew

A session crew that played for literally hundreds of songs, and had hundreds of hits in the top 40. They are considered one of the most successful session recording groups in music history. They were the de facto house band for Phil Spector during the "wall of sound" years. They performed for so many artists such as, Frank Sinatra, The Mamas and Papas, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Sonny and Cher, and even Jan and Dean. Their guitarist alone, Tommy Tedesco, had been rumored to have had over 140 top 40 hits that he had contributed to.

Fabian Forte

A teen idol of the 1950s. Performed several times on American Bandstand, he had several top ten hits. Was trained from youth, and was formerly a Philadelphia pharmacy clerk.

Del Shannon

American Country music and Rock artists best known for his #1 hit "Runaway"

Dick Clark

American Radio and television personality. Hosted American Bandstand from 1957 to 1987. Provided a national outlet for rock and roll, which allowed many artists to reach massive quantities of fans.

Ed Sullivan

American television personality. Was most famous for being host of the television show, "The Ed Sullivan Show", which provided a national platform for new artists and rock and rollers.

Connie Francis

An American Pop singer who was a top charting female artist during the 1950s.

Peter, Paul, and Mary

An American folk group comprised of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers. Influenced by Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, they covered several Bob Dylan songs which topped charts and contributed to Dylan's popularity even more.

Joan Baez

An American folk singer and political activist during the civil rights era. Performed many Bob Dylan songs which helped contribute to her rise to fame. Her covers of Dylan's songs helped popularize Dylan in pop music.

The Monkees

An American pop and rock band. The American response to the Beatles. Much less popular but still enjoyed success. Even had their own television show for a while. Led by Davy Jones. They have sold over 75 million records to date including "I'm a Believer".

Sonny and Cher

An American pop music duo that also worked for Phil Spector. They sang the hit songs, "Baby Don't Go" and "I Got You Babe", which catapulted them into fame.

Phil Ochs

An American protest, folk singer. He wrote hundreds of songs during his lifetime, and released several albums. Performed at anti-Vietnam and civil rights rallies around the nation.

Lovin' Spoonfull

An American rock band. Notable songs include, "Summer in the City" and "Do You Believe in Magic?"

Jan and Dean

An American rock duo. They were pioneers of the "California sound" and had the first surf song, "Surf City" to hit the #1 on the hot 100. Their lyrics helped paint the picture of the utopian California, such as "two girls for every boy".

Gerry and the Pacemakers

An English beat group. Came from Liverpool just like the Beatles. They were also managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin.

Dusty Springfield

An English pop singer. Had six top 20 singles. Her beauty and massive success made her one of the most iconic women of the 1960s.

The Hollies

An English pop/rock group. Had major hits in all charts across many countries. Graham Nash would later leave the group to form Crosby, Stills, and Nash. They have never disbanded and still perform today

Petula Clark

An English singer, She was dubbed the "First Lady of the British Invasion". She has sold over 60 million records with hits including "Downtown" and "I Know a Place".

Shangri-Las

An all white pop girl group, and achieved modest success among the charts in the early 1960s.

The Shirelles

An early all black female pop group. They were the first all female group to have a #1 hit, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".

The Zombies

Another English rock band. Their album Odessey and Oracle is ranked 100 on the Rolling Stones 500 greatest albums.

Marianne Faithful

Another English singer. A lead female artist during the British invasion with her hit song, "As Tears Go By".

Gene Vincent

Another Rockabilly pioneer of the 1950s, Sang the famous rockabilly song, "Be-Bop-A-Lula". Career essentially ended after he was in a car crash that also killed Eddie Cochran.

Kingston Trio

Basically revived folk music and sold millions of records in the process. Three white guys. Made folk commercially and publically viable, and the group still holds sales records and chart topping hits records.

The Beatles

Best Band of all time. Ringo Star, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon make up this band that would become the leaders of the British invasion and the most iconic band on the planet.

Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil

Co-wrote over 50 hits on the Billboard Charts. Made songs for the Crystals and the Animals. They also worked closely with Phil Spector over the course of their careers.

Phil Spector

Created the famous "wall of sound" and ushered in the era of the songwriter and producer. He used many pop groups that showed promise most prominently being the Ronettes, whom he later married the lead singer, Ronnie Bennett. He was the creator of Philles Records, and described his approach to music as "Wagnerian". He employed what would later be called the "Wrecking Crew" and would become one of the most influential figures in pop history.

Ritchie Valens

Died in the plane crash that also killed Big Bopper and Buddy Holly. Sang, "La Bamba"

Buddy Holly

Died in the plane crash that also killed Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, in the incident famously called the day the music died. He was a central figure in 1950s rock and roll and even opened for Elvis several times.

Big Bopper

Died in the plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. Sang the famous song, "Chantilly Lace".

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

Early Rock and Roll group that was integrated. Achieved great popularity, even appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show. Had the hit song, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", which reached #1 on the charts.

Leiber and Stoller

Famous songwriters, wrote songs for Elvis such as, "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock". Worked in the Brill Building. Co Wrote over 70 top hit songs.

Pete Seeger

Famous folk singer and political activist. He had a successful career and went on to perform with the Weavers. He was blacklisted during the McCarthy era because of his political views. He was very involved in the civil rights movement.

Mamas and Papas

Famous for their song, "California Dreamin". An early folk rock group.

Gerry Goffin and Carol Klein (King)

Famous songwriters that worked in the Brill Building. They co-wrote songs such as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and Take Good Care of My Baby". Together they wrote over 100 Billboard hits and several chart toppers.

Ricky Nelson

Had first song, "Poor Little Fool", that was number one on the newly created Billboard Hot 100. He was a top teen idol during the 1950s

Bill Monroe

He is commonly referred to as "The Father of Bluegrass" music.

Michael Bloomfield

He was a famous guitarist that earned much of his fame solely from his prowess on the guitar. Played an important role in popularizing blues music again during the 1960s.

Don Kirshner

He was a famous music producer who was famous for having a so called, "golden ear". He created Aldon Music which worked across the street from the Brill Building, and employed many of the famous songwriters of the era, he created songs for Bobby Darin, Kansas, and the Monkees among others. He is partners with Al Nevins.

The Byrds

Heavily influenced by the Beatles, evidenced in their misspelling of birds like the Beatles. Roger McGuinn was very influential for his employment of the 12 string guitar. The Byrds are credited as being one of the most influential bands of the 1960s, even though they only attained some commercial success in the 1960s.

The Everly Brother

Heavy influence on the Beatles.

Dick Dale

King of the surf guitar. Known for his famous song, "Miserlou". Pioneered the surf music style, and was himself a surfer. Drew inspiration for his songs from the sounds and feelings that he got when he was surfing.

Ronettes

Lead by Ronnie Bennett, who would later marry and even later divorce Phil Spector. Had the massive hit, "Be My Baby". Had several #1 hits on the Billboard 100 and saw great success partly due to Phil Spector's belief that Ronnie Bennett had the voice that was able to work with his famed "wall of sound".

The Coasters

Many of their greatest hits were written by Leiber and Stoller. An important doowop group of the period.

Simon and Garfunkle

Most famous for their song, "The Sound of Silence". One of the bestselling music groups of the 1960s and of all time. Had several #1 hit songs and have won 10 grammy awards.

Dion and the Belmonts

Named because they came from Belmont ave. in the Bronx. They were a white vocal group that saw great success during the 1950s.

The Drifters

Named so because they were always losing and gaining members. Their career however was long lasting. Originally were formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter.

Dave Clark Five

One of the few bands that were able to compete with the Beatles. Their single, "Glad All Over" even knocked the Beatles songs out of the top spot on the Billboard 100. They appeared shortly after the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show which contributed to their popularity.

Jean Shrimpton

One of the world's first supermodels and an icon of the Swinging London period. Having appeared on numerous covers of famous magazines, she greatly influenced fashion and beauty during the 1960s.

Lead Belly

Played the twelve string guitar and was a talented vocalist in the Blues genre.

Chubby Checker

Popularized the "Twist" dance. Was a massive hit selling tens of millions of records as well as starting a nationwide phenomenon.

Link Wray

Popularized the power chord, which would become a rock and roll standard. A famous talented rock and roll guitarist.

Donovan

Rocketed to fame with performances on the British TV show, Ready, Set, Go!. The British equivalent to Bob Dylan. Recorded folk songs in Britian but also had American success charting high on both hot 100 charts.

Bobby Darin

Sang Million record selling song, "Splish-Splash". He also acted in several movies and even won a Golden Globe.

Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry

Wrote the hit song, "Be My Baby", for the Ronettes. Also wrote, "River Deep- Mountain High" and saw great successes as songwriters.

Mary Quant

She was an influential figure in the London-based Mod movement. Took credit for the miniskirt and hotpants. Greatly influenced fashion during the 1950s and 1960s. Encouraged young people to dress how they wanted and treat fashion more individually.

Brian Wilson

Talented artist as well as music creator. He wrote almost all of the Beach Boy's songs and garners over two dozen top ten hits for the band. He is a fierce competitor and when the Beatles came to America, he stepped up his game, creating vocal harmonies and melodies that had never been heard before.

Bob Dylan

The most famous of all the protest singers and songwriters of the 50s and 60s. Dylan was influenced majorly by Woody Guthrie and Allen Ginsberg the poet. Sang songs that opposed segregation and racism as well as songs that covered topical social issues. His first album was mainly Woody Guthrie cover songs and tributes. Though once his songs began to get covered by bigger artists he was thrust into the spotlight. He soon became the face of an entire generation, which was something that Dylan opposed and he soon made the controversial switch to electric guitar, much to the dismay of folk fans. Later in his career he toured with The Band.

Righteous Brothers

Their first hit, "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'", which was produced by Phil Spector, topped charts and served to demonstrate Spector's mastery of music.

Neil Sedaka

is an American pop singer, pianist, composer and record producer. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and others, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody. Writing songs such as, "Stupid, Cupid", and "Calendar Girl" with Howie Greenfield.