Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. Rock and pop music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which pop became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral , and accessible.
103-891: Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page , was an American singer. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female artist of the 1950s, selling over 100 million records during a six-decade-long career. She was often introduced as "the Singin' Rage, Miss Patti Page". New York WNEW disc-jockey William B. Williams introduced her as "A Page in my life called Patti". Page signed with Mercury Records in 1947, and became their first successful female artist, starting with 1948's " Confess ". In 1950, she had her first million-selling single " With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming ", and eventually had 14 additional million-selling singles between 1950 and 1965. Page's signature song, " Tennessee Waltz ",
206-473: A chorus that contrasts melodically, rhythmically and harmonically with the verse . The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment. The lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes – often love and romantic relationships – although there are notable exceptions. Harmony and chord progressions in pop music are often "that of classical European tonality , only more simple-minded." Clichés include
309-697: A backstage interview with Page. In 2005, she performed a series of engagements at a theatre in Branson, Missouri, starting on September 12. Until shortly before her death, Page was the host of a weekly Sunday program on the Music of Your Life radio network. Jack White of the White Stripes and she were interviewed in January 2008 after the White Stripes had recorded Page's early 1950s hit " Conquest " on their 2007 studio album Icky Thump . Page and White were put together on
412-460: A basic format (often the verse–chorus structure ), and rhythms or tempos that can be easily danced to. Much of pop music also borrows elements from other styles such as rock, urban , dance , Latin , and country . The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, although the former more accurately describes all music that is targeted for mass appeal (compare art music ) and includes many disparate styles. Although much of
515-460: A division of CBS . The location later became the home of The Automatt recording studio. In 1963, Putnam extended his studio presence to Las Vegas when he established United Recording Corporation of Nevada, or URCON , complete with a fully-equipped remote recording truck. In 1966, Putnam sold URCON to Bill Porter . In 1985, Putnam sold the original United Recording studio to Allen Sides, who renamed it Ocean Way Recording . Putnam developed
618-499: A facility on the west coast . In 1957, with support from Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby , Putnam sold his interest in Universal Recording and moved to Hollywood , taking over and remodeling a defunct film studio at 6050 Sunset Boulevard establishing a new company, United Recording . Determined to incorporate as many technological innovations into the new complex as possible, Putnam constructed new facilities, including
721-620: A five-year hiatus, she recorded for Plantation Records in 1980. She had a top-40 hit with Plantation in 1981 titled "No Aces", followed by a series of minor country hits. In the early 1980s, she performed with major symphony orchestras in Cincinnati and Mexico City. . In 1986, Page and arranger Vic Schoen reunited for a stage show in Las Vegas. In 1988, Page appeared at the Ballroom in New York, marking
824-615: A friend's radio shop, learning about radio repair and PA systems . He began singing with a number of regional bands which played college campus gigs, developing his interest in jazz and the music business. He realized that musicians were his favorite people. By his junior year, Putnam was earning $ 5 per night singing with dance bands and owned his own ham radio shop where he also installed car radios on weekends. After Putnam graduated from high school, he sold his radio shop for $ 700 and decided to study broadcast engineering at Valparaiso Technical Institute ; his professors were J.B. Hershmann and
927-399: A light entertainment and easy listening tradition. Pop music is more conservative than other music genres such as folk, blues, country, and tradition. Many pop songs do not contain themes of resistance, opposition, or politics, rather focusing more on love and relationships. Therefore, pop music does not challenge its audiences socially, and does not cause political activism. Frith also said
1030-481: A majority interest in Coast Recorders and moved the studio to a location at 960 Bush Street . He eventually relocated Coast Recorders to a two-floor studio complex of his own design at 827 Folsom Street, where Francis Ford Coppola leased space on the second floor for his American Zoetrope film studio. Less than a year later on September 15, 1970, Putnam sold majority control of the building to Columbia Records ,
1133-467: A new 15,000 square foot facility at 46 E. Walton Street. His company quickly became Chicago's largest independent studio, sometimes referred to as the "grand palace," recording projects for independent Chicago record labels like Vee-Jay , Mercury , Chess , and One-derful . His reputation grew quickly thanks to his work with artists such as Count Basie , Sarah Vaughan , Little Walter , Dinah Washington , Vic Damone , and Duke Ellington , who said Putnam
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#17328771245231236-876: A no-fault divorce in Wisconsin within a year. Her next marriage was to Charles O'Curran, a choreographer, in 1956. O'Curran had been married to actress Betty Hutton . Page and O'Curran adopted a son, Danny, and a daughter, Kathleen. They divorced in 1972. Page's last marriage was to Jerry Filiciotto in 1990. The couple owned a maple syrup business named The Farm at Wood Hill in Bath, New Hampshire, and resided in Solana Beach, California. Filiciotto died on April 18, 2009. In his autobiography Lucky Me , published in 2011, former baseball player and front-office executive Eddie Robinson claims he dated Page before her second marriage. Page's longtime collaborator arranger Vic Schoen once recalled, "She
1339-498: A pop song is to them, songs from the 1960s turned out to be the most memorable, significantly more than songs from recent years 2000 to 2015. Before the progressive pop of the late 1960s, performers were typically unable to decide on the artistic content of their music. Assisted by the mid-1960s economic boom, record labels began investing in artists, giving them the freedom to experiment, and offering them limited control over their content and marketing. This situation declined after
1442-472: A portion of the sales of the record. His use of the building's bathroom as an echo chamber for the recording of Peg o' My Heart was the first artistic use of artificial reverb in a popular song. The song sold 1.4 million copies, inspiring Putnam to establish the Vitacoustic and Universal Records labels and attracted new clients to record with Putnam at Universal Recording. In the same year, Putnam made
1545-476: A result of this crossover appeal, many of Page's singles appeared on the Billboard Country Chart . In the 1970s, she shifted her style more toward country music and began having even more success on the country charts, ending up as one of the few vocalists to have charted in five separate decades. With the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, mainstream popular music record sales began to decline. Page
1648-466: A role on Playhouse 90 . Page made her movie debut in 1960 in Elmer Gantry . She also recorded the theme song for Boys Night Out , in which she played the part of Joanne McIllenny. In 1959, Page recorded the title song from the musical The Sound of Music for Mercury Records on the same day that the musical opened on Broadway. The song on her TV show The Patti Page Olds Show helped to promote
1751-455: A separation which was "also, broadly, one between boys and girls, middle-class and working-class." The latter half of the 20th century included a large-scale trend in American culture in which the boundaries between art and pop music were increasingly blurred. Between 1950 and 1970, there was a debate of pop versus art. Since then, certain music publications have embraced the music's legitimacy,
1854-465: A significant modernization of studio control room concept to permit multi-track monitoring and recording. It featured his innovative design to provide overhead forward speaker mounting and provided seating space for guests while improving the engineer's view of the studio (control rooms of the era had typically been small booths). United's facilities included three acoustically isolated studios of varying sizes, three lacquer mastering studios (one stereo) and
1957-597: A singer with Al Clauser and his Oklahoma Outlaws at radio station KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At age 18, she became a featured performer on the station for a 15-minute radio program sponsored by the Page Milk Company. As a nod to the show's sponsor, Fowler was referred to on the air as "Patti Page". In 1946, Jack Rael, a saxophone player and manager of the Jimmy Joy Band, came to Tulsa for a one-night stand. Rael heard Page on
2060-415: A stereo re-mixing room. Additionally each studio had its own stereo acoustic reverberation room. All facilities were cross connected electronically at a central location and all facilities were available to each other as needed. In 1961, Putnam acquired the neighboring Western Recorders located at 6000 Sunset, remodeled it, and incorporated it into the complex which was renamed United Western Recorders . He
2163-416: A tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments ; and seeks to encourage dancing or uses dance-oriented rhythms. The main medium of pop music is the song, often between two and a half and three and a half minutes in length, generally marked by a consistent and noticeable rhythmic element , a mainstream style and a simple traditional structure . The structure of many popular songs
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#17328771245232266-472: A thriving pop music industry, most of which is devoted to Western-style pop. Japan has for several years produced a greater quantity of music than everywhere except the US. The spread of Western-style pop music has been interpreted variously as representing processes of Americanization, homogenization , modernization, creative appropriation, cultural imperialism , or a more general process of globalization . One of
2369-483: A trend referred to as " poptimism ". Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on traditional pop , an American counterpart to German Schlager and French Chanson , however compared to the pop of European countries, traditional pop originally emphasized influences ranging from Tin Pan Alley songwriting, Broadway theatre , and show tunes . As
2472-528: A wide audience [...] since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the special meaning of non-classical mus[ic], usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , ABBA , etc." Grove Music Online also states that "[...] in the early 1960s, [the term] 'pop music' competed terminologically with beat music [in England], while in the US its coverage overlapped (as it still does) with that of 'rock and roll'". From about 1967,
2575-417: Is "designed to appeal to everyone" but "doesn't come from any particular place or mark off any particular taste". Frith adds that it is "not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward [...] and, in musical terms, it is essentially conservative". It is, "provided from on high (by record companies, radio programmers, and concert promoters) rather than being made from below (...) Pop
2678-425: Is all the collective clubs around the world. Radio is just doing its best to keep up." Songs that talked of escapism through partying became the most popular, influenced by the impulse to forget the economic troubles that had taken over the world after the 2008 crash . Throughout the 2010s, a lot of pop music also began to take cues from Alternative pop . Popularized by artists such as Lana Del Rey and Lorde in
2781-526: Is just the singles charts and not the sum of all chart music. The music charts contain songs from a variety of sources, including classical , jazz , rock , and novelty songs . As a genre, pop music is seen to exist and develop separately. Therefore, the term "pop music" may be used to describe a distinct genre, designed to appeal to all, often characterized as "instant singles-based music aimed at teenagers" in contrast to rock music as "album-based music for adults". Pop music continuously evolves along with
2884-583: Is largely the story of the intertwining pop culture of the United States and the United Kingdom in the postwar era. — Bob Stanley According to Grove Music Online , "Western-derived pop styles, whether coexisting with or marginalizing distinctively local genres, have spread throughout the world and have come to constitute stylistic common denominators in global commercial music cultures". Some non-Western countries, such as Japan, have developed
2987-479: Is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged". According to Frith, characteristics of pop music include an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology, and an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities. Besides, Frith also offers three identifying characteristics of pop music: light entertainment, commercial imperatives, and personal identification. Pop music grew out of
3090-430: Is that of a verse and a chorus, the chorus serving as the portion of the track that is designed to stick in the ear through simple repetition both musically and lyrically. The chorus is often where the music builds towards and is often preceded by "the drop" where the bass and drum parts "drop out". Common variants include the verse-chorus form and the thirty-two-bar form , with a focus on melodies and catchy hooks , and
3193-571: The Boy Scouts , working toward a 'wireless' merit badge, Bill built a crystal radio and a one-tube radio with his father's help, sparking his love of electronics. At thirteen, he tried and failed to become a licensed ham radio operator but at fifteen he succeeded, earning a Class B call sign W9PUK and building his own ham radio. Bill Putnam attended Danville High School , where two of his school classmates were Dick Van Dyke and Bobby Short . In his early high school years, he worked part time in
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3296-952: The United States Army Corps of Engineers under the Sixth Service Command in Chicago . He later worked for G-2 on several different projects, the first one was miniaturizing mine detectors to develop a miniature, concealable gun detector used by the United States Secret Service to protect President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Tehran Conference . Putnam also worked for the Armed Forces Network to record big bands . In 1946, Putnam founded Universal Recording Corporation in Evanston, Illinois to pursue
3399-434: The barbershop quartet-style harmony (i.e. ii – V – I) and blues scale -influenced harmony. There was a lessening of the influence of traditional views of the circle of fifths between the mid-1950s and the late 1970s, including less predominance for the dominant function . In October 2023, Billboard compiled a list of "the 500 best pop songs". In doing so, they noted the difficulty of defining "pop songs": One of
3502-643: The vacuum tube -based LA-2A and 176 compressors, and their transistor based successors, the LA-3A and 1176 . They also developed the Time Align Monitor Series. UREI outgrew the loft above United Recording and relocated to a wing of the Western Recorders building, later moving again to a much larger headquarters in North Hollywood , with Putnam eventually selling it to Harman Industries . Putnam
3605-486: The 1940s, '50s, and early '60s. Many other artists were influenced by Patti Page, and incorporated country arrangements into their own songs, including The Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby , who had a number-one hit on the country charts in the late 1940s with "Pistol Packin' Mama". Page was married three times, first to University of Wisconsin student Jack Skiba in May 1948. They moved to New York, but she asked for and received
3708-646: The 1950s, Page made regular TV appearances, including The Ed Sullivan Show , The Bob Hope Specials , The Steve Allen Show , and The Dean Martin Show . This eventually led to Page having television specials of her own. She later had her own series, beginning with Scott Music Hall in the 1952–53 season and a syndicated series for Oldsmobile in 1955, The Patti Page Show . However, this show only lasted one season, as did The Big Record (1957–58) and The Patti Page Olds Show , sponsored by Oldsmobile (1958–59). Page also began an acting career at this time, beginning with
3811-435: The American and (from the mid-1960s) British music industries , whose influence has made pop music something of an international monoculture, but most regions and countries have their own form of pop music, sometimes producing local versions of wider trends, and lending them local characteristics. Some of these trends (for example Europop ) have had a significant impact on the development of the genre. The story of pop music
3914-506: The Bridge ", which again overdubbed Page's vocals and peaked at number two. Other top-10 hits by Page that year included " Steam Heat " (from the Broadway musical The Pajama Game ) and " Let Me Go Lover ". In 1955, Page had one chart single: "Croce di Oro". Unlike most other pop singers of her time, Page was able to maintain success into the rock-and-roll era. She had three hits in 1956, including
4017-418: The Broadway show. The pop world was becoming less favorable to pre-rock singers by 1960 and it was also a weak time for the "established" ASCAP affiliate record labels such as Columbia, RCA, and Mercury, with indie and regional labels dominating pop during this era, so Page's chart hits dried up. She did not chart again until 1961 with "You'll Answer to Me" and "Mom and Dad's Waltz". Page's last major chart hit
4120-547: The Eddie Getz and George Barnes Orchestras but they failed to chart. She found success with her third single ("Confess" b/w "Twelve O'Clock Flight"). The arrangement of "Confess" was meant to use a backing chorus, but Mercury would not pay for one since Page had not yet produced a charting single, so if she wanted additional singers she would have to hire them at her own expense. Instead, her manager Jack Rael decided to try an experiment. Bill Putnam , an engineer for Mercury Records,
4223-603: The Mercury label.) By the mid-1950s, Putnam was one of the most sought-after engineer-producers in the United States. Sam Phillips sent Elvis Presley 's Mystery Train and I Forgot to Remember to Forget to Putnam in August, 1955 with the instructions: "Give me 'hot' level on both 78 and 45's and as much presence peak and bass as possible!" Universal Recording had become so successful that clients including Nelson Riddle , Mitch Miller , and Quincy Jones began urging Putnam to open
Patti Page - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-477: The United States. It displaced Jo Stafford 's version of "You Belong to Me" at number one on Billboard's Best Seller chart. She had continued success that year, with three more songs in the top 10, " Come What May ", " Once in a While ", and " Why Don't You Believe Me ". In 1953, the novelty tune "(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?" became Page's fourth number-one hit, selling over 1 million copies and staying on
4429-609: The United/Western merger and at the request of several film music producers in Hollywood who were looking for a more modern sound for their films, the studios began to record film scores utilizing multi-track film recorders. Playing video cues and sync recording mono audio for quick playback in the studio was also a very popular time saver. In 1962, sensing a business opportunity in the Bay Area 's commercial jingle industry, Putnam purchased
4532-484: The addition of synthesizer bass, slowed-down drums, and a bluesy trombone solo to produce a chill-out track. The success of this track introduced Page's music to another generation of listeners. In 1999, Vic Schoen reunited with Page to record a CD for a Chinese label. In 2000, she released the album Brand New Tennessee Waltz . Harmony vocals were provided by popular country stars, including Suzy Bogguss , Alison Krauss , Kathy Mattea , and Trisha Yearwood . The album
4635-487: The birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country , blues , and hillbilly music . According to the website of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , the term "pop music" "originated in Britain in the mid-1950s as a description for rock and roll and the new youth music styles that it influenced". The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pop's "earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to
4738-399: The chart for five months. The song included the sound of a dog barking, which made it popular with a younger audience. It became one of her best-loved songs, but in later years would often be lampooned by rock critics and used to ridicule the state of popular music in the 1950s just prior to rock-and-roll. The song was written by novelty-tune specialist Bob Merrill . It was recorded by Page for
4841-456: The children's album Arfie Goes to School . It was also a UK hit and British singer Lita Roza performed a cover version that made the top 10 there. She had a series of top-20 hits that year. " Changing Partners ", a final single, reached the top five, peaking at number three, and staying on the charts for five months. The song was also a country melody, like many of Page's hits at the time. In 1954, Page had more chart hits, including " Cross Over
4944-530: The country music album I'd Rather Be Sorry for Mercury records. In 1973, a duet with country singer Tom T. Hall titled "Hello, We're Lonely" was a top-20 hit, reaching number 14 on the Billboard country chart . In 1973, Page returned to Columbia Records' affiliate Epic Records . In 1974 and 1975, she released singles for Avco Records, including "I May Not Be Lovin' You" and a cover of Hoyt Axton 's "Less Than The Song", both of which were minor country hits. After
5047-770: The decade, it was common for pop producers, songwriters, and engineers to freely experiment with musical form, orchestration , unnatural reverb , and other sound effects. Some of the best known examples are Phil Spector 's Wall of Sound and Joe Meek 's use of homemade electronic sound effects for acts like the Tornados . At the same time, pop music on radio and in both American and British film moved away from refined Tin Pan Alley to more eccentric songwriting and incorporated reverb-drenched electric guitar, symphonic strings, and horns played by groups of properly arranged and rehearsed studio musicians. A 2019 study held by New York University in which 643 participants had to rank how familiar
5150-525: The development of specialized recording equipment and new recording techniques. He secured a lucrative contract to record and delay broadcast transcriptions shows for the ABC radio network . In 1947, Putnam moved Universal Recording to the 42nd floor of the Chicago Civic Opera Building striking a deal with The Harmonicats to help facilitate a recording session and record release in exchange for
5253-426: The early 2010s and later inspiring other highly influential artists including Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift , it gave space to a more sad and moody tone within pop music. Bill Putnam Milton Tasker " Bill " Putnam (February 20, 1920 – April 13, 1989) was an American audio engineer, songwriter, producer, studio designer, and businessman. He has been described as "the father of modern recording". He
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#17328771245235356-541: The end of the decade. She released a few studio albums for Columbia in the 1960s. In 1961, her singles began to chart on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. Many of these singles became hits, peaking in the top 20, including cover versions of " You Can't Be True, Dear ", " Gentle on My Mind ", and " Little Green Apples " (the last being her final appearance on the Billboard). Page, who as an Oklahoma native
5459-473: The first US multi-band audio equalizer and established Universal Audio as well as Universal Recording Electronics Industries (UREI) in the second story loft of United Recording, in 1958 as a means to develop and manufacture studio equipment. That included custom Studio Electronics recording consoles, outfitted with Putnam's 610 modular channel strips, all of which soon became standard equipment in studios all over America. His companies were also responsible for
5562-538: The first recording of a single artist singing more than one line on a recording; it was recorded with Patti Page and George Barnes , who suggested the "duet." Page sang one vocal line of " Confess " and the second part was recorded onto a large 17.25" disc, then played back as she sang the main vocal line; the two vocals and accompaniment were wedded onto a wire recorder. Shortly thereafter, Les Paul utilized his own technique for multiplying guitars and vocals, using magnetic tape. In 1955, Putnam built Universal Recording
5665-445: The first time that she had performed there in nearly 20 years. She received positive reviews from music critics. In the 1990s, Page founded her own record label, C.A.F. Records, which released several records, including a 2003 children's album. In the early 1990s, Page moved to San Diego, California, and continued to perform live shows at venues across the country. In 1998, the album Live at Carnegie Hall: The 50th Anniversary Concert
5768-578: The genre evolved more influences ranging from classical , folk , rock , country , electronic music , and other popular genres became more prominent. In 2016, a Scientific Reports study that examined over 464,000 recordings of popular music recorded between 1955 and 2010 found that, compared to 1960s pop music, contemporary pop music uses a smaller variety of pitch progressions, greater average volume, less diverse instrumentation and recording techniques, and less timbral variety. Scientific American ' s John Matson reported that this "seems to support
5871-409: The home. By the early 1980s, the promotion of pop music had been greatly affected by the rise of music television channels like MTV , which "favoured those artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna who had a strong visual appeal". Multi-track recording (from the 1960s) and digital sampling (from the 1980s) have also been used as methods for the creation and elaboration of pop music. During
5974-462: The late 1960s, she decided to focus solely on country recordings. In 1970 she left Columbia and came back to Mercury. In 1973, she returned to working with her former record producer Shelby Singleton . Working for Mercury, Columbia, and Epic in the 1970s, Page recorded a series of country singles, beginning with 1970's "I Wish I Had a Mommy Like You", which became a top-25 hit, followed by "Give Him Love", which had similar success. In 1971, she released
6077-414: The late 1970s and would not reemerge until the rise of Internet stars. Indie pop , which developed in the late 1970s, marked another departure from the glamour of contemporary pop music, with guitar bands formed on the then-novel premise that one could record and release their own music without having to procure a record contract from a major label. The 1980s are commonly remembered for an increase in
6180-401: The late 20th century that became global superstars include Whitney Houston , Michael Jackson , Madonna , George Michael , and Prince . At the beginning of the 2000s, the trends that dominated during the late 1990s still continued, but the music industry started to change as people began to download music from the internet. People were able to discover genres and artists that were outside of
6283-501: The main purpose of pop music is to create revenue. It is not a medium of free articulation of the people. Instead, pop music seeks to supply the nature of personal desire and achieve the instant empathy with cliche personalities, stereotypes, and melodrama that appeals to listeners. It is mostly about how much revenue pop music makes for record companies. Music scholar Timothy Warner said pop music typically has an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, rather than live performance;
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#17328771245236386-508: The mainstream and propel them to fame, but at the same time smaller artists had a harder time making a living because their music was being pirated. Popular artists were Avril Lavigne , Justin Timberlake , NSYNC , Christina Aguilera , Destiny's Child , and Britney Spears . Pop music often came from many different genres, with each genre in turn influencing the next one, blurring the lines between them and making them less distinct. This change
6489-448: The manner in which pop has been disseminated", which helped to move pop music to "a record/radio/film star system". Another technological change was the widespread availability of television in the 1950s with televised performances, which meant that "pop stars had to have a visual presence". In the 1960s, the introduction of inexpensive, portable transistor radios meant that teenagers in the developed world could listen to music outside of
6592-403: The mid-1960s, pop music made repeated forays into new sounds, styles, and techniques that inspired public discourse among its listeners. The word "progressive" was frequently used, and it was thought that every song and single was to be a "progression" from the last. Music critic Simon Reynolds writes that beginning with 1967, a divide would exist between "progressive" pop and "mass/chart" pop,
6695-421: The music that appears on record charts is considered to be pop music, the genre is distinguished from chart music . David Hatch and Stephen Millward describe pop music as "a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, and folk music". David Boyle, a music researcher, states pop music as any type of music that a person has been exposed to by the mass media. Most individuals think that pop music
6798-523: The number-two " Allegheny Moon ". In 1957, she had major hits with " A Poor Man's Roses (or a Rich Man's Gold) " (recorded the same year by Patsy Cline ) and the top-five hit " Old Cape Cod ". In 1956, Vic Schoen became Patti Page's musical director, producing her on a long string of hits that included " Mama from the Train ", "Allegheny Moon", "Old Cape Cod", " Belonging to Someone ", and " Left Right Out of Your Heart ". Page and Schoen's most challenging project
6901-455: The phone during the interview, talking to each other about their views on "Conquest". Page sang "Summer Me, Winter Me" for Michel Legrand 's 50th-anniversary concert at the MGM Grand, and on the recording, it is evident she had forgotten the words. Page continued to tour actively until September 2012, when she announced on her web page her retirement from performing for health reasons. During
7004-802: The pop music styles that developed alongside other music styles is Latin pop , which rose in popularity in the US during the 1950s with early rock and roll success Ritchie Valens . Later, Los Lobos and Chicano rock gained in popularity during the 1970s and 1980s, and musician Selena saw large-scale popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, along with crossover appeal with fans of Tejano musicians Lydia Mendoza and Little Joe . With later Hispanic and Latino Americans seeing success within pop music charts, 1990s pop successes stayed popular in both their original genres and in broader pop music. Latin pop hit singles, such as " Macarena " by Los del Río and " Despacito " by Luis Fonsi , have seen record-breaking success on worldwide pop music charts. Notable pop artists of
7107-400: The popular anecdotal observation that pop music of yore was "better", or at least more varied, than today's top-40 stuff". However, he also noted that the study may not have been entirely representative of pop in each generation. In the 1960s, the majority of mainstream pop music fell in two categories: guitar, drum and bass groups or singers backed by a traditional orchestra. Since early in
7210-428: The privilege of releasing her first LP, the self-titled "Patti Page" which opened with "Confess" and included other of her singles from this period. She also released a Christmas album in 1951; this was reissued five years later with updated cover art on a 12" LP with a few new tracks to fill the run time out. The success of "Bolero" however was quickly eclipsed by what soon became Page's signature song. "Tennessee Waltz"
7313-549: The radio, liked her voice, and asked her to join the band. After leaving the band, Rael became Page's personal manager. Page toured the United States with the Jimmy Joy Band in 1946. The following year the band traveled to Chicago , where she sang with a small group led by popular orchestra leader Benny Goodman . This led to Page getting picked up by Mercury Records . She became Mercury's "girl singer". Page cut her first two discs ("Every So Often/What Every Woman Knows" and "There's A Man In My Life/The First Time I Kissed You") with
7416-503: The reasons pop can be hard to summarize is because there’s no real sonic or musical definition to it. There are common elements to a lot of the biggest pop songs, but at the end of the day, "pop" means "popular" first and foremost, and just about any song that becomes popular enough...can be considered a pop song. In the 1940s, improved microphone design allowed a more intimate singing style and, ten or twenty years later, inexpensive and more durable 45 rpm records for singles "revolutionized
7519-640: The recording credits as a group. According to one early 1950s chart, Page was credited as the Patti Page Quartet. In mid-1950, Page's single " All My Love (Bolero) " became her first #1 on the Billboard spending five weeks there. That same year, she also had her first top-10 hit with " I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine ", as well as the top-25 single " Back in Your Own Backyard ". With this success, Page earned
7622-453: The school's future dean, Cloid Patton. Putnam returned to his hometown of Danville to work in the engineering department at WDAN , and later became the chief engineer at WDWS in Champaign, Illinois . He began writing articles for Radio and Television magazine. In 1941 at the age of 21, Putnam received a draft notice and became a civil service employee working on radio ranges for
7725-520: The simple-structured melodies and story lines in country songs could be adapted to the pop market. Page, who was born in Oklahoma, felt comfortable using this idea. Many of Page's more successful hits featured a country-music arrangement, including her signature song "Tennessee Waltz", as well as "I Went to Your Wedding" and "Changing Partners". Some of these singles charted on the Billboard country chart during
7828-644: The song, and she recorded and released it as a single. "Tennessee Waltz" became a blockbuster hit by complete accident—it was the B-side to "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" which Mercury had intended to promote during the 1950 holiday season. The label intentionally put "Tennessee Waltz" on the disc to avoid drawing attention away from a planned Christmas hit, as they considered the song a throwaway with no hitmaking potential. To everyone's complete surprise, it went on to spend nine weeks at #1 during December 1950-January 1951, while "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" failed to chart at all and
7931-399: The term "pop music" was increasingly used in opposition to the term rock music, a division that gave generic significance to both terms. While rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of the possibilities of popular music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible. According to British musicologist Simon Frith , pop music is produced "as a matter of enterprise not art", and
8034-419: The term's definition. According to music writer Bill Lamb, popular music is defined as "the music since industrialization in the 1800s that is most in line with the tastes and interests of the urban middle class." The term "pop song" was first used in 1926, in the sense of a piece of music "having popular appeal". Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as
8137-505: The time of Page's greatest popularity (the late 1940s and 1950s), most of her traditional pop music contemporaries included jazz melodies in their songs. Page also incorporated jazz into some of her songs; however, on most of her recordings, Page favored a country music arrangement. During the late 1940s, when Page recorded for Mercury Records, its top A&R man was Mitch Miller , who, despite having left Mercury for Columbia Records in 1950, produced most of Page's music. Miller found that
8240-440: The top 15. Page also had a top 15 hit on the Billboard country chart in 1949 with " Money, Marbles, and Chalk ". After the experiment of "Confess" worked, Page and Rael got more ambitious and began trying four part overdubs. In 1950, Page had her first million-selling single " With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming ", another song where she harmonized her vocals. Because she was overdubbing her vocals, Page's name had to be listed on
8343-440: The two were married. Richmond worked at the studios as a tape editor and part time file librarian. But after moving to Hollywood, Putnam's long hours at Universal Recording again led to a divorce. Frank Sinatra introduced Putnam to his assistant, Miriam Simons (also known as 'Tookie'), who became his third wife; Bill and Miriam had two sons, Bill Jr. and Jim. Miriam died unexpectedly and Bill did not marry again until after he sold
8446-623: The use of digital recording , associated with the usage of synthesizers , with synth-pop music and other electronic genres featuring non-traditional instruments increasing in popularity. By 2014, pop music worldwide had been permeated by electronic dance music . In 2018, researchers at the University of California, Irvine , concluded that pop music has become 'sadder' since the 1980s. The elements of happiness and brightness have eventually been replaced with electronic beats making pop music more 'sad yet danceable'. Pop music has been dominated by
8549-532: Was Frank Sinatra's preferred engineer, and Sinatra put him on retainer to ensure his availability. When Sinatra founded Reprise Records , his office was in the Western Recorders building. At the time Putnam started United Recording, stereo recording was new and considered by the major record labels as little more than a novelty. But he foresaw its importance and at his own expense, began making and stockpiling simultaneous stereo mixes of recordings produced at United. About 1962, as consumer demand for stereo recordings
8652-534: Was " Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte " from the film of the same name starring Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland . It peaked at number eight. It was her last top-10 hit (and her first since 1957) and was nominated for a "Best Song" Oscar . She performed it at the 1965 Academy Awards. She also recorded the song in Italian, Spanish, and German for foreign markets. Before releasing "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte", Page signed with Columbia Records , where she remained until
8755-652: Was a recording of Gordon Jenkins narrative-tone poem as Manhattan Tower (recorded September 1956). The album was a success both artistically and commercially, reaching number 18 on the Billboard LP chart, the highest ranking of any of her albums. Schoen's arrangements were more lively and jazzy than the original Jenkins arrangements. Schoen recalled, "Patti was an alto, but I pushed her to reach notes higher than she had sung before for this album. We always enjoyed working together." Page and Schoen continued their collaboration for many years, working together until 1999. During
8858-452: Was a top-five hit that sold 1 million copies. The next single, " Mockin' Bird Hill ", (a cover of the original by Les Paul and Mary Ford ) was her fourth million seller. Page had three more top 10 hits on Billboard in 1951, starting with " Mister and Mississippi ", which peaked at number eight; " And So to Sleep Again "; and " Detour ", which had been recorded and made famous by Spade Cooley , Foy Willing , and Elton Britt . Page's version
8961-484: Was able to overdub Page's voice by syncing the two master discs together—tape recording was not in use yet and this technique was difficult to pull off. Thus, Page became the first pop artist to harmonize her own vocals on a recording. This gimmick got "Confess" to #12 on the Billboard . This technique later was used on Page's biggest hit singles in the 1950s. Page had four more singles chart in 1948–49, with two ("So In Love" and "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming" reaching
9064-552: Was among the few pop singers who were able to maintain popularity, continuing to have hits well into the 1960s, with " Old Cape Cod ", " Allegheny Moon ", " A Poor Man's Roses (or a Rich Man's Gold) ", and " Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte ". In 1997, Patti Page was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame . She was posthumously honored with the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2013. Clara Ann Fowler
9167-728: Was born on November 8, 1927, in Claremore, Oklahoma (some sources give Muskogee, Oklahoma) into a large and poor family of 11 children (3 boys and 8 girls). Her father, B.A. Fowler, worked on the MKT railroad , while her mother, Margaret, and older sisters picked cotton. As she recalled on television many years later, the family lived without electricity, so she could not read after dark. She was raised in Foraker , Hardy, Muskogee, and Avant, Oklahoma, before attending Daniel Webster High School in Tulsa, from which she graduated in 1945. Fowler started her career as
9270-453: Was epitomized in Spears' highly influential 2007 album Blackout , which under the influence of producer Danja , mixed the sounds of EDM , avant-funk , R&B , dance music , and hip hop . By 2010, pop music impacted by dance music came to be dominant on the charts. Instead of radio setting the trends, it was now the club. At the beginning of the 2010s, Will.i.am stated, "The new bubble
9373-422: Was his favorite engineer. There were a number of 'firsts' for the recording industry during Putnam's time at Universal Recording including the first use of tape repeat, the first vocal booth, the first multiple voice recording, one of the first to use 8-track recording (preceded by Les Paul and Tom Dowd ), the first use of delay lines in the studio, and the first release (in 1956) of half-speed mastered discs (on
9476-605: Was married four times. He and his first wife had a son and daughter, Scott and Sue; Grace elected to stay in Danville, Illinois with their children when Bill joined the U.S. Army Band and was stationed near the North Side of Chicago. After his discharge from the Army he and Grace divorced. After Universal Recording moved to Walton Street, Bill met Belinda Richmond, a singer at a nearby club near Universal Recording Corp's Walton Street location and
9579-490: Was one of the biggest-selling singles of the 20th century, and is recognized today as one of the official songs of the state of Tennessee. It spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard ' s best-sellers list in 1950/51. Page had three additional number-one hit singles between 1950 and 1953, " All My Love (Bolero) ", " I Went to Your Wedding ", and " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window? ". Unlike most other pop singers, Page blended country music styles into many of her songs. As
9682-734: Was one of the nicest and most accommodating singers I've ever worked with." Schoen and she remained close friends and spoke regularly until his death in 2000. Page died on January 1, 2013, at the Seacrest Village Retirement Community in Encinitas, California, at the age of 85; she had been suffering from heart and lung disease. She was buried at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego. Studio albums Pop music Identifying factors of pop music usually include repeated choruses and hooks , short to medium-length songs written in
9785-763: Was promoted at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2000. On October 4, 2001, Bob Baines, the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, declared the day "Patti Page Day" in the town. Miss Page was in Manchester to perform a sold-out concert at the Palace Theater to benefit Merrimack Valley Assistance Program. In 2004, she appeared on the PBS Special Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop and sang "Tennessee Waltz" and "Old Cape Cod". The DVD includes
9888-460: Was quickly forgotten. "Tennessee Waltz" also became Page's second single to appear on the country charts, becoming her biggest hit there, reaching number two. The song later became one of the best-selling records of its era, selling 7 million copies in the early 1950s. "Tennessee Waltz" remains the biggest commercial success for the overdubbing technique, pioneered by producer Mitch Miller , which enabled Page to harmonize with herself. "Tennessee Waltz"
9991-566: Was released. The album won Page a Grammy Award the following year for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance , which, despite her prolific career, was her first Grammy. In 1998, a sample of Patti Page's recording of "Old Cape Cod" formed the basis of Groove Armada 's UK hit " At the River ". The lines "If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air / Quaint little villages here and there..." sung in Page's multitracked close harmony, are repeated over and over, with
10094-457: Was surging, the major labels offered to buy Putnam's stockpile of stereo recordings. He negotiated a lucrative deal, whereby he was recompensed not for the finished recordings, but for the (much more expensive) studio time used in mixing the stereo versions. According to his former associate, Allen Sides, at this time United Recording was bringing in around $ 200,000 per month in studio billing (equivalent to $ 2.01 million per month today). After
10197-553: Was the inventor of the modern recording console and is recognized as having been a key figure in the development of the postwar commercial recording industry. Former colleague Bruce Swedien described Putnam's achievements: Bill Putnam was born on February 20, 1920 in Danville, Illinois . Putnam's father owned several business enterprises related to the coal mining business and also ran a radio program at WDZ in Tuscola, Illinois . While in
10300-410: Was the last song to sell one million copies of sheet music. The song was covered by several other singers during the next few months including Jo Stafford and Les Paul and Mary Ford . The song was featured in the 1970 film Zabriskie Point and in the 1983 film The Right Stuff . In 1951, Page covered " Would I Love You (Love You, Love You) ", which had been a hit for Doris Day . Page's version
10403-435: Was the most popular and became her seventh million-selling single. She also released her first studio album in 1951 titled Folk Song Favorites . In 1952, Page had a third number-one hit with " I Went to Your Wedding ", which spent two months at number one. Recorded in a country ballad style, the song was the B-side of " You Belong to Me ", also a top-10 hit. "I Went to Your Wedding" was Page's eighth million-selling single in
10506-450: Was well-acquainted with country music, recorded many country songs over the years. Some of these were recorded for Columbia and were released as adult contemporary singles, including David Houston's " Almost Persuaded " and Tammy Wynette 's " Stand by Your Man ". With Page's viability on the pop charts diminishing as she got older and with a radically changed cultural climate in America during
10609-481: Was written in 1946 by Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart, and was recorded in 1947 by Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys. Their original version made the country charts in 1948. The song was also a hit for Cowboy Copas around the same time. Page was introduced to the song by record producer Jerry Wexler , who suggested that she cover a recent R&B version by the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. Page liked
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