Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop ) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid- 1950s . The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards or American standards . The works of these songwriters and composers are usually considered part of the canon known as the " Great American Songbook ". More generally, the term " standard " can be applied to any popular song that has become very widely known within mainstream culture.
43-665: The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music . They are best known for their 1950s hit singles " Mr. Sandman " and " Lollipop ", both of which sold over a million copies. The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin , in 1946. The original members of the group were Janet Ertel Bleyer ( née Buschmann; September 21, 1913 – November 22, 1988), Alice Mae Buschmann Spielvogel (July 31, 1925 – January 6, 1981), Dorothy "Dottie" (Hummitzsch) Schwartz (February 18, 1927 – April 4, 2016) and Jinny Osborn /Lockard (April 25, 1927 – May 19, 2003). Alice Spielvogel
86-510: A collection of standards titled Harmony Time for Columbia Records. Three more LPs followed. In 1953, Godfrey's music director and orchestra leader, Archie Bleyer (June 12, 1909 – March 20, 1989), founded Cadence Records . He signed a number of Godfrey regulars and former regulars, including the Chordettes, who had a number of hit records for Cadence. Beginning in January 1954, the group sang on
129-480: A multi-million dollar grant if the foundation could meet the match. Over twenty years after it was first created, the Foundation has not opened the attraction or receive adequate funding. Much is still needed to renovate, open and operated the foundation's attraction and become capable of raising funds on its own through benefit concerts at The Columbia Theatre. Meanwhile, the restoration of the theatre has stalled due to
172-410: A popular and prominent musical style. However, some pop singers who had been popular during the swing era or traditional pop music period were still big stars such as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day , Ella Fitzgerald , Dinah Shore, Dean Martin , and Bing Crosby. Some of these vocalists faded with traditional pop music, while many vocalists became involved in 1960s vocal jazz and the rebirth of "swing music";
215-521: A popular female vocalist of the rock era, elected to change direction. She collaborated with legendary arranger-conductor Nelson Riddle and released a successful album of standards from the 1940s and 1950s, What's New . It reached No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart , won a Grammy , and inspired Ronstadt to team up with Riddle for two more albums: 1984's Lush Life and 1986's For Sentimental Reasons . The gamble paid off, as all three albums became hits,
258-497: A public ballot that allowed anyone to vote for both the nominees and the inductees. While only vocal groups having three-part harmony are eligible, other categories such as duos and Lead solo vocalists with a harmony group may be inducted if they have a legitimate backup harmony group with backing harmony singers. An example of this would be Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers . The Vocal Group Hall of Fame public operations, including
301-666: A song by doo-wop group The Teen Queens), "Born to Be With You" (U.S. number 5), "Lay Down Your Arms" in 1956, and " Just Between You and Me " (U.S. number 8) in 1957. Their cover of "The White Rose Of Athens" reached the Australian Top 15 in May, 1962. The US single "In The Deep Blue Sea" was a one-week Music Vendor entry four months later (number 128). Janet Ertel married Bleyer in 1954. Her daughter Jackie married another Cadence recording star, Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers . The Chordettes appeared on American Bandstand on August 5, 1957,
344-460: The Robert Q. Lewis Show , a weekday afternoon program on CBS-TV. The Chordettes had released a couple of singles with Arthur Godfrey on Columbia in 1950-51 but did not cut a solo single until their breakout hit, "Mr. Sandman", released in late 1954 and which went on to become a number one 1955 hit for 7 weeks. It sold in excess of a million copies and was awarded gold disc status. Archie Bleyer himself
387-514: The lounge subculture in the mid-1990s in the United States helped to enhance the revival and interest in the music, style, and performers of popular music before rock and roll. Many contemporary performers have worked in the style of classic pop and/or easy listening swing. Some jazz and popular music singers, such as Diana Krall are sustaining the tradition. Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc.
430-438: The Chordettes' Cadence Recordings. In 2004, Mand appeared on a PBS television special Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop , with other 1950s pop icons, singing "Lollipop". In mid-2023, hundreds of videos featuring women dancing to the Chordettes recording of " Pink Shoe Laces " went viral on TikTok and YouTube . Alice Mae Buschmann Spielvogel died in 1981 at the age of 55. Janet Ertel Bleyer died on November 22, 1988, at
473-552: The Vocal Group Hall of Fame museum staff went to a concert at the nearby Cleveland Indians minor league baseball stadium in Ohio to see Cool & the Gang , Village People and Disco Explosion . They liked the production and show management. The group made an offer to the concert producer. Bob Crosby. Cosby got his start in the entertainment business at Dick Clark Productions in 1976. He
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#1733084799387516-485: The Vocal Group Museum Company Inc. and Crosby took over operations of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation as President and CEO. Soon after Crosby took over the operation and administration of the foundation, Winner's attorneys and accountants, the board of directors of the foundation, resigned. Within a couple of months of Crosby's appointment as President and CEO of the foundation, he did not expect
559-416: The age of 75. Jinny Osborn (later known as Jinny Janis) died in 2003 at the age of 76. Nancy Overton died on April 5, 2009, at the age of 83 after a long battle with esophageal cancer . Dorothy "Dottie" (Hummitzsch) Schwartz died on April 4, 2016, at the age of 89. Lynn Evans Mand died on February 6, 2020, at the age of 95. Carol Buschmann died in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on September 30, 2023, at
602-728: The age of 96. Traditional pop AllMusic defines traditional pop as "post-big band and pre-rock & roll pop music". Classic pop includes the song output of the Broadway , Tin Pan Alley , and Hollywood show tune writers from approximately World War I to the 1950s, such as Irving Berlin , Frederick Loewe , Victor Herbert , Harry Warren , Harold Arlen , Jerome Kern , George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin , Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart , Oscar Hammerstein , Johnny Mercer , Dorothy Fields , Hoagy Carmichael , and Cole Porter . The swing era made stars of many popular singers including
645-579: The baby boomers and older Americans of the 1960s led to one of the earliest schisms in music radio . Whereas rock dominated contemporary hit radio (top 40), traditional pop formed the basis of middle of the road (MOR). In terms of 21st century radio formats, the top-40 hits of the 1950s and 1960s are played on oldies stations while the traditional pop hits are the province of adult standards (with some exceptions); due to aging demographics, both formats are fading in popularity in favor of classic hits and gold-based adult contemporary , respectively. With
688-472: The best supporters of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation as Chair of the Artist Advisory Board and continued her support up until her death. The Truth In Music Bill has since been adopted by most U.S. states . It also helps ensure that people who perform in a group using a group's name must actually perform on one of the group's albums or has legal rights to use the name. The main beneficiaries are
731-601: The cast of Your Hit Parade . Many artists made their mark with pop standards, particularly entertainer, vocal jazz and pop singers such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett , Doris Day, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. , Louis Armstrong , Nat King Cole (originally known as a jazz pianist), Lena Horne , Vic Damone , Johnny Mathis , Bobby Darin , Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae , Barbra Streisand , Peggy Lee , Sarah Vaughan , Dinah Washington , Andy Williams , Frankie Laine , Nancy Wilson , Rita Reys , Liza Minnelli and Cleo Laine . The diverging tastes between
774-534: The first episode of that show to be broadcast nationally on the ABC Television Network . The Chordettes also appeared on American Bandstand on February 22, 1958, and again on April 26, 1958. In 1961, Jinny Osborn again left the group. Unable to find a satisfactory replacement, the group disbanded in 1963. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. Lynn Evans Mand sang on all
817-622: The foundation office, was able to assist other artists in an effort to protect the artist from fraudulent abuse. Wilson championed the Truth in Music bill for many years throughout the United States. With the help of The Recording Academy, she got Hawaii added to the list of states with the Truth In Music Bill as the 35th state to pass the bill also known as the Truth in Advertising Act. She was one of
860-682: The foundation. The building was located adjacent to the theater. It would have the restaurant portion becoming a vocal group-themed museum, nightclub piano bar and bar and grill. The Truth in Music bill was created to protect artists from identity theft . Jon Bauman , chairmen of The Truth In Music Committee has worked with the VGHF. Along with Frank Maffei, bauman has had help from Joe Terry of Danny & The Juniors , Maxine Pinkney of Bill Pinkney , The Original Drifters , Veta & Carl Gardner of The Coasters , Herb Reed and Sonny Turner of The Platters and others. Bauman and Mary Wilson, with Bob Crosby at
903-502: The group. "The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc." opened in 1998 followed by The Vocal Group Hall of Fame 501 (c)3 Non-Profit Foundation. The foundation was formed and operated by attorneys and accountants employed by Winner. The foundation was created to care for, protect and display the Inductees' memorabilia and to enjoy the benefits of a non-profit foundation. The foundation began collecting donations of memorabilia from
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#1733084799387946-494: The growing popularity of rock and roll in the 1950s, much of what baby boomers considered to be their parents' music, traditional pop, was pushed aside. Popular music sung by such performers as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and their contemporaries was relegated in the 1960s and 1970s to television, where they remained very popular, and to Las Vegas club acts and elevator music. Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra continued to have many hit singles and albums until
989-692: The inductees and began seeking grants from the city of Sharon and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It also solicited donations from a hopeful supportive public. Shortly after the foundation was created, Winner renovated the Museum building. He later opened the Museum and set up headquarters at the newly renovated museum building that he owned across the street from his offices in Sharon. Inductions were scheduled and promoted for September 11, 2001 ( 9/11 ). The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Inductions and were to be produced behind
1032-536: The international concert tours were a success and Riddle picked up a few more Grammys in the process. Ronstadt's determination to produce these albums exposed a new generation to the sounds of the pre- swing and swing eras. Since then, other rock/pop stars have occasionally found success recording traditional pop music. Notable albums include Rod Stewart 's It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook , Willie Nelson 's Stardust , Chaka Khan 's Echoes of an Era and Carly Simon 's Torch . The appearance of
1075-527: The lack of funding. A part of a new roof was installed and the plastering of the dome was completed to make a watertight shell. The Mercer County Correctional Facility and volunteers removed more than 100 tons of debris to help make the theater ready for renovation. In November 2004, the museum moved out of Winner's 3-story building and relocated to the Columbia Theatre. All of the Foundations memorabilia
1118-549: The late 1960s, however. Nashville country music borrowed heavily from traditional pop sounds in the late 1950s as Music Row sought to limit the growing influence of rock and roll on the genre; it remained popular until both the British Invasion , the deaths of two of Nashville's biggest country stars ( Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves ) in separate airplane crashes, and the growing influence of West Coast country music pushed it aside beginning in 1964. In 1983, Linda Ronstadt ,
1161-407: The museum building in a parking lot. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Museum Company Inc. had begun the 2001 Inductions preparation, production, and promotion when the 9/11 terror attack crisis left artists/inductees unable to travel to Inductions. All airplanes had been grounded, causing the 2001 inductions to be postponed to October 4, 2001. In the time between 9/11 and October 4, 2001, a few members of
1204-458: The offered lease and find a new location. On June 14, 2002, The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation purchased the 1750-seat 1922 Columbia Theatre, an early Warner Brothers theater in Sharon. They moved all the foundation's memorability to storage and ended the lease in Winners building. The Foundation office relocated to the Columbia Theatre. The For-profit Vocal Group Hall of Fame Museum Company Inc.
1247-449: The rental price, $ 1 a year rent plus utilities and maintenance of the building, to change. However, the rent had increased to $ 12,000 per month. Other bills and debts not agreed to became the foundation's responsibility instead of The Museum Company's responsibility. Winner demanded that all museum renovation bills become foundation bill. This ended any chance for the foundation to survive with debt said to be over $ 1million. A final settlement
1290-500: The swing music of the 1960s is sometimes referred to as easy listening and was, in essence, a revival of popularity of the "sweet" bands that had been popular during the swing era , but with more emphasis on the vocalist. Like the swing era, it too featured many songs of the Great American Songbook . Much of this music was made popular by Nelson Riddle and television-friendly singers like Rosemary Clooney , Dean Martin, and
1333-426: The theater and museum, have been closed and on hiatus since 2008 due to the lack of financial support. It continues its mission to establish and operate a museum attraction where the inductees meet and perform in support of the foundation. On June 14, 2001, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation purchased the 1750-seat Columbia Theatre in Sharon "with the promise of grant funding to follow" . The Commonwealth did have
The Chordettes - Misplaced Pages Continue
1376-435: The years. It went into hiatus and was closed in 2008. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was conceived by Butala. He came up with the idea of the museum/hall of fame. Winner, a successful local businessman and entrepreneur, agreed to fund and operate the project. Butala is also the founding member of the famous 50s & '60s singing group The Lettermen . He is the only living original member of The Lettermen and still performs with
1419-406: The young Frank Sinatra , Dinah Shore , Jo Stafford , Perry Como , Peggy Lee , Patti Page , David Whitfield , and Bing Crosby . Two notable innovations were the addition of string sections and orchestral arrangements and more emphasis on the vocal performance. The addition of lush strings can be heard in much of the popular music throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In the late 1950s, rock became
1462-428: Was accepted after lawsuits were filed. There was no longer any financial obligation due to Winner by the foundation. As differences grew, it became clear to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation that the Foundation could no longer afford to rent or occupy Winners museum building. The Foundation was not able to provide for the museum and the foundation's past bills. It was left with no alternative other than to not renew
1505-529: Was an American-based hall of fame that honored vocal groups throughout the United States. James E. Winner Jr. was the financial and managing partner of the For-profit corporation. Winner and Anthony F. Butala were the corporate officers/stockholders of The Museum Company. They set up an office located at Winner's business address on State Street in Sharon, Pennsylvania . Control of the hall of fame has changed over
1548-583: Was born in Seattle , Washington . She was born Virginia Cole , the daughter of O. H. "King" Cole, who was president (1948-1949) of the Barbershop Harmony Society (then known as SPEBSQSA ), and Katherine Flack. After performing locally in Sheboygan, they won on Arthur Godfrey 's radio program Talent Scouts in 1949. They held feature status on Godfrey's daily program, and in 1950 cut their first LP,
1591-416: Was closed. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation typically inducts sixteen Vocal Groups annually and has been delayed lacking the funding. Artists are inducted within categories. Each category has an original group member, evolved group member or a family member as an inductee representative. These categories include 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and duos. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation releases
1634-436: Was contracted to produce the 2001 Vocal Group Hall of Fame Production. Crosby accepted the offer and successfully staged the concert. He recorded video and audio of the 2001 Inductions and marketed and packaged the first DVD of inductions. Prior quarters and annual projections showed low attendance to the museum and unsatisfying ticket sales to both the museum and Inductions. This caused tensions between Winner and Butala. Batula
1677-404: Was more than a decade older than the other members of the group, decided to retire from touring, although she continued to perform on recorded material. Originally they sang folk music in the style of The Weavers , but eventually changed to a harmonizing style of the type known as barbershop harmony or close harmony . Part of this change seems to be influenced by Osborn's father. Jinny Osborn
1720-415: Was moved to temperature-controlled storage waiting for its new home for display. The new location at Columbia Theatre was meant to serve both as The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation's central office and as the location for the annual induction ceremony. It was also intended to host benefit concerts to support the foundation and theatre. The museum was to move to a three-story restaurant building purchased by
1763-502: Was not very helpful because he was on tour most of the time with The Lettermen. This issue led to the resolution of all matters by dissolving the interest and partnership in the For-profit Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Museum Company Inc. Butala wanted his dream to continue. He suggested to Winner to have Crosby take over the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation and rent the museum building from Winner. Butala and Winner closed
The Chordettes - Misplaced Pages Continue
1806-447: Was on that record along with the group; Bleyer stripped down the sound to highlight the girls' voices. They also reached number two with 1958's " Lollipop ", another million-seller, and a number 2 on the charts, also charted with a vocal version of the themes from Disney's Zorro (U.S. number 17) (1958) and the film Never on Sunday (U.S. number 13) (1961). Other hits for the group included "Eddie My Love" (U.S. number 14) (a cover of
1849-458: Was replaced by Carol Buschmann (May 13, 1927 – September 30, 2023), her sister-in-law, in 1947. In 1952, Lynn Evans ( née Hargate; May 2, 1924 – February 6, 2020) replaced Schwartz, as Evans described in a 2015 interview. And in 1953, Margie Needham replaced Osborn (who was having a baby), though Osborn later returned to the group. Nancy Overton (February 6, 1926 – April 5, 2009) joined the group for live performances in 1957 after Janet Ertel, who
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