Traditional pop
Pre–rock and roll Western popular music and its enduring standards.
Traditional pop, sometimes called pre–rock and roll pop, is a form of Western popular music that came before rock and roll and modern pop took over in the mid-1950s. According to AllMusic, it sits between the big band era and the rise of rock & roll. The most memorable and lasting songs from this period are referred to as pop standards or American standards, and the body of work created by its songwriters and composers is often grouped together as the "Great American Songbook."
The style draws heavily from Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, and Hollywood show tunes written between roughly World War I and the 1950s. Key figures include Irving Berlin, Frederick Loewe, Victor Herbert, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer, Dorothy Fields, Hoagy Carmichael, and Cole Porter.
During the swing era, singers like Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Jo Stafford, Perry Como, Peggy Lee, Patti Page, David Whitfield, and Bing Crosby became major stars. Two key developments were the use of string sections and fuller orchestral arrangements, along with a greater focus on the vocal performance. This lush, string-heavy sound was common in popular music throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
By the late 1950s, rock music had become a dominant force. Still, several singers from the swing and traditional pop eras remained huge names, including Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Shore, Dean Martin, and Bing Crosby. Some of these vocalists faded as traditional pop declined, but others moved into 1960s vocal jazz or helped revive swing music—often called easy listening. This revival brought back the "sweet" bands of the swing era, but with more emphasis on the singer, and it continued to feature songs from the Great American Songbook. Nelson Riddle and TV-friendly performers like Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, and the cast of *Your Hit Parade* were central to this sound.
Many artists built their careers on pop standards, among them Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, 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 1960s saw a split in musical tastes between baby boomers and older Americans, leading to one of radio's earliest format divides. Rock dominated contemporary hit radio (top 40), while traditional pop became the foundation of middle of the road (MOR) programming. In 21st-century radio, the top-40 hits of the 1950s and 1960s appear on oldies stations, and traditional pop hits are the mainstay of adult standards (with some exceptions). Both formats are losing ground as their audiences age, giving way to classic hits and gold-based adult contemporary.
As rock and roll gained popularity in the 1950s, much of what baby boomers saw as their parents' music—traditional pop—was pushed aside. Performers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Peggy Lee found their music relegated to television (where it stayed popular), Las Vegas club acts, and elevator music in the 1960s and 1970s. Still, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra continued to score hit singles and albums into the late 1960s. Nashville country music borrowed heavily from traditional pop sounds in the late 1950s as Music Row tried to counter rock and roll's influence. This country-pop blend remained popular until the British Invasion, the deaths of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves in separate plane crashes, and the rise of West Coast country music pushed it aside starting in 1964.
In 1983, rock-era singer Linda Ronstadt changed direction. She worked with legendary arranger-conductor Nelson Riddle on *What's New*, an album of 1940s and 1950s standards. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart, won a Grammy, and led to two more collaborations: *Lush Life* (1984) and *For Sentimental Reasons* (1986). All three albums were hits, the international tours succeeded, and Riddle earned additional Grammys. Ronstadt's project introduced a new generation to pre-swing and swing-era sounds.
Since then, other rock and pop stars have occasionally found success recording traditional pop. Notable examples 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*.
- field
- Western popular music
- known_for
- Pre–rock and roll pop standards, Great American Songbook
- height_of_popularity
- Mid-1940s to mid-1950s
- decline
- Late 1950s to 1960s
- key_innovations
- Addition of string sections and orchestral arrangements, emphasis on vocal performance
Lore & Background
Traditional pop, also called pre–rock and roll pop, encompasses the songwriting output of Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, and Hollywood show tune composers from roughly World War I through the 1950s. Key figures include Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Jerome Kern, whose works form the core of the Great American Songbook. The style is defined by AllMusic as the music that came after the big band era and before rock and roll. Its height of popularity occurred from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s, when the swing era propelled singers such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Dinah Shore to stardom. Two defining innovations of this period were the increased use of string sections and lush orchestral arrangements, along with a greater emphasis on the vocal performance itself. The most enduring songs from this era are known as pop standards or American standards, widely recorded by many artists. With the rise of rock and roll in the late 1950s, traditional pop declined in popularity among younger audiences, but many of its vocalists—including Sinatra, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dean Martin—remained major stars. In the 1960s, the style evolved into easy listening and vocal jazz, often featuring songs from the Great American Songbook and popularized by television-friendly performers like Rosemary Clooney and the cast of *Your Hit Parade*. Traditional pop later formed the basis of middle-of-the-road (MOR) radio, distinct from rock-dominated top 40. A notable revival occurred in 1983 when rock singer Linda Ronstadt released an album of standards with arranger Nelson Riddle, exposing a new generation to the sound.
Reader's Guide
Traditional pop, also called pre–rock and roll pop, emerged from the songwriting traditions of Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, and Hollywood, with composers such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and the Gershwin brothers producing works that became known as the Great American Songbook. Its peak period ran from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s, when the swing era elevated vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Dinah Shore to stardom. A key characteristic was the increased use of string sections and orchestral arrangements, placing greater emphasis on the vocal performance. As rock and roll gained prominence in the late 1950s, traditional pop declined in popularity among younger audiences, though many of its singers—including Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Ella Fitzgerald—remained major stars. The generational split in musical taste led to a division in radio: rock dominated top-40 stations, while traditional pop formed the backbone of middle-of-the-road (MOR) formats. In the 1960s, some vocalists shifted toward vocal jazz and a revival of swing music, often called easy listening, which featured songs from the Great American Songbook and was popularized by figures like Nelson Riddle and television-friendly performers. Later, in 1983, rock singer Linda Ronstadt revived interest in the style by collaborating with arranger Nelson Riddle on a successful album of standards, exposing a new generation to pre-swing and swing-era sounds. Other rock and pop artists, including Rod Stewart and Willie Nelson, have since recorded albums of traditional pop material. In contemporary radio, traditional pop hits are primarily heard on adult standards stations, though both that format and oldies radio are fading due to aging demographics.
Did You Know?
- AllMusic defines traditional pop as 'post–big band and pre–rock & roll pop music'.
- The most popular and enduring songs from this era are known as pop standards or American standards.
- The swing era made stars of many popular singers including Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, and Bing Crosby.
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